Category: Penny Black

Brush Stroke Stamps by Penny Black

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings4 Comments

HEY FRIENDS! I’ve been cleaning up my studio and going through my stash. Since I now make samples for multiple companies my stamp and die collection grows quickly. I have limited time for crafting, so my designer deadlines are always the priority, but when there is a lull, I like to circle back and look through my personal stash for stamps that that have gotten lost in the shuffle. I love the Brush Stroke Stamps by Penny Black so they were perfect for what I had in mind.

As always, I’ve linked supplies with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Today’s Project

Rowhouse Greetings | At Grace by Penny Black | Softly by Penny Black

I also seem to have a growing collection of waterbased markers. I suffer from full set syndrome so I can’t just buy a few markers of any given brand. Eventually, I have to have them all! I was pretty proud of myself that I’ve been getting by with only 12 Zig Clean Brush Markers. However, on Saturday, I went to the Creative Keepsakes Convention in Lancaster and at the very last display in the very last booth I came across individual Zig markers for sale. I was good – I was offered a great deal on a full set, but I stuck to expanding my current set to 24 markers, plus a handful of new colors not found in the sets. But I also had $30 in vouchers from Michaels, so I added to my collection of Tombow Dual Tip Markers.

<sigh> Did I mention that I already have a full set of Karin Brushmarkers? And let’s not forget my 358 Copic markers. Luckily I don’t feel the need (for now!) to try out all the new brands of alcohol markers.

Card 1 – At Grace

Rowhouse Greetings | At Grace by Penny Black

AT GRACE
Size: 4.25: x 5.5″
Featured Products:

Card 2 – Softly

Rowhouse Greetings | Softly by Penny Black

SOFTLY
Size: 4.25: x 5.5″
Featured products:

So I looked through my stamp stash to find a few stamps that I could use with my water based markers and settled on a couple of older Brush Stroke stamps from Penny Black. These stamps are perfect for direct to stamp coloring. I did not videotape my coloring, but I did watch a lot of Penny Black & Jill (PB & J) videos on YouTube to see how it’s done. Here’s an example of the technique for creating one layer stamping using Tombow markers.

Both cards were made the same way. I started with a piece of Canson Montvale Watercolor Paper cut to 4.25″ x 5.5″ and stuck it in my Misti Stamping Platform. This is a situation where you really need to use a Misti because you will be stamping the image repeatedly as you work through the colors.

I positioned the Brush Stroke stamp in place (either At Grace or Softly) and used Karin Brushmarkers to apply ink to the various elements of the stamp. As you’ll see from the instructions below, I colored on the leaves and flowers in separate steps.

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll explain the remaining steps using the first card (At Grace) as an example:

  1. With the watercolor paper and the stamp in place in the Misti, apply ink to the leaves, working from light to dark.
    I started with 210 Apple Green as a base coat on all of the leaves and stems and added 228 Lush Green to the darker areas such as the base of the leaves.
  2. Lightly mist the stamp with water and stamp the image.
    The ink will dry on the stamp so you will need to lightly mist the stamp to reactivate the ink. I used the Distress Sprayer and held it several inches away from the stamp while spraying.a
  3. Use a waterbrush to lightly spread the ink, filling in areas of the stamped image as necessary. My favorite waterbrush is the Zig Medium Waterbrush. It’s hard to find, but it’s the one that I keep going back to (and stock up when I find them!).
  4. Apply ink to the flowers, working from light to dark.
    I started with 264 Artic Blue as a base coat and added 207 Cyan to the darker areas such as the base of the petals.
  5. Lightly mist the stamp with water and stamp the image.
    Wash, rinse, repeat as needed.
  6. Take a good look at what you’ve got so far.
    If it looks OK, move on. I decided that I needed more depth and definition in the flowers so I added 305 Egyptian Blue to the deepest parts of the flowers or anywhere that needed a little more definition between petals. A little goes a long way so just a few dots of color and then blend it as needed.

Honestly – go look at the video from Penny Black. What I just tried to explain will make more sense when you see it done by Jill Foster. Next time, I’ll turn on the camera!

Once all the coloring was complete, I trimmed the watercolor panel to 4″ x 5.25″, stamped a sentiment from Happy Thoughts stamp set using Versafine Clare in Nocturne. If desired, you can sprinkle clear embossing powder over the sentiment and heat set it. and backed it with foam tape. I cut a piece of Simon Says Stamp cardstock in Fog Gray to 4.25″ x 5.5″ and glued it to an A2 cardbase made from Neenah Classic Crest 110# cardstock. I assembled the layers as shown. The second card featuring the Softly Brush Stroke stamp was completed the same way.

Rowhouse Greetings | At Grace by Penny Black | Softly by Penny Black

That’s all for me today! If anyone is looking for me, I’ll be rummaging through my stash for the next project!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Dazzling Daffodils by Penny Black

Published on by Rowhouse GreetingsLeave a comment

HEY FRIENDS! It’s almost spring! Really! Never mind that snow storm headed our way this weekend. The calendar says that it’s almost spring and I’m going with it. My husband can’t wait to work on the garden. Since we primarily plant annuals, we’ll have to wait a another month or so for it to be warm enough at night to safely plant, but in the meantime I can color a few dazzling daffodils! As always, I’ve linked the supplies below with compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Rowhouse Greetings | Dazzling Daffodils by Penny Black

Today’s project features:

I’ve got a Copic coloring video below so all the coloring details are there. I was aiming for a soft, watercolor look so I kept the colors to a minimum. Since we don’t have a white Copic marker, the trick is to color the contours and shadows, but you have to watch that you don’t end up with a blue daffodil!

That’s it for me today! See you again soon!

Rowhouse Greetings | Nancy Sheads

Supplies for Dazzling Daffodils

COPICS: BV20, RV32, RV34, RV52, BG70, BG72, B60, B63

Rowhouse Greetings | Dazzling Daffodils by Penny Black | Color Map

[Compensated affiliate links used when possible. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer. All other items were personally purchased.]

Dreams of Love by Penny Black

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings1 Comment

GOOD MORNING FRIENDS! Today I’ve got another card using the same technique to stamp an image with Copic markers. This time I’m featuring the cling stamp Dreams of Love by Penny Black which features a beautiful old fashioned rose. Since I explained the how-tos of this technique in a previous post, I’m going to link to it to save time.

Rowhouse Greetings | Dreams of Love by Penny Black

Once the main image was complete, I inked the Vintage Postcard stamp from Penny Black with Versafine Clare ink in Fallen Leaves and stamped the image. The sentiment is from the Million Thanks stamp set also by Penny Black and it was stamped with Versafine Clare ink in Nocturne.

Rowhouse Greetings | Dreams of Love by Penny Black

Hope you found some inspiration. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you again soon!

Disclosure: Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. All items were personally purchased except those marked with an asterisk (*) which were provided by a store or design team. I never share a product I do not like. All opinions are my own. Read more.

Where available I use compensated affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you I receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I use this money to support my blog. If you like my projects, please consider supporting me by clicking through these links when you shop. Thanks so much! Read more.

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110#; Spectrum Noir Ultra Smooth Premium Cardstock by Crafter’s Companion; Bazzill Basics in Date Swirl
Stamps: Dreams of Love by Penny Black; Vintage Postcard by Penny Black; Million Thanks by Penny Black
Dies: A2 Matting Basics B by Spellbinders
Inks: Versafine Clare in Nocturne and Fallen Leaves by Tsukineko
Copics: RV63, RV66, R24 (flowers); BG72, BG75 (leaves); Colorless Blender Refill

Copic Stamping – Together by Penny Black

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings1 Comment

GOOD MORNING FRIENDS! Just a short post — lots of things on my to do list today. But I wanted to share a card I made recently featuring the cling stamp Together by Penny Black. Usually these stamps are colored using dye inks, watercolors or water based markers. But I like to color and stamp them using my Copic markers.

The short explanation of the technique is that I place the stamp in my Misti and color directly on the stamp with my Copic markers. I lightly misted the cardstock with Colorless Blender and then stamp the image. The Colorless Blender reactivates the ink on the stamp and leaves and impression on the paper. I explained the how-tos of this technique in a previous post so I’m going to link to it to save time.

Rowhouse Greetings | Together by Penny Black

I’ve found that the key to getting a clear image is using Spectrum Noir cardstock instead of X-Press It for the paper. Other paper may work, but I had Spectrum Noir in my stash. And while I used Colorless Blender to reactivate the ink, isopropyl alcohol may work as well, but I didn’t test it. All Copic refills, including Colorless Blender, are hard to find right now so you may need to try isopropyl. Spritz the blender lightly on the paper – I found that the small Ranger Mini Misters were perfect for this technique. Just be sure that you are working in an area with good ventilation.

The design of the card was influenced by a card made for Penny Black by designer Jill Foster. Of course, I can’t find the card now to link to it, but the idea of the blue inked background and the creating the frame from the Simple Stackers die came from her. For my background, I lightly blended from corner to corner using Distress Ink in Salty Ocean.

The sentiment was stamped with Versafine Clare and heat set with clear embossing powder.

Rowhouse Greetings | Together by Penny Black

Hope you found some inspiration. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you again soon!

Disclosure: Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. All items were personally purchased except those marked with an asterisk (*) which were provided by a store or design team. I never share a product I do not like. All opinions are my own. Read more.

Where available I use compensated affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you I receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I use this money to support my blog. If you like my projects, please consider supporting me by clicking through these links when you shop. Thanks so much! Read more.

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110#; Spectrum Noir Ultra Smooth Premium Cardstock by Crafter’s Companion
Stamps: Together by Penny Black; Magical Friendship by Penny Black
Dies: Simple Stackers by Penny Black; Classic Stackers by Penny Black
Inks: Versafine Clare in Nocturne by Tsukineko
Embellishments: Nuvo Embossing Powder in Crystal Clear by Tonic Studios
Copics: B12, B24, B26 (flowers); YG03, YG17 (leaves); Colorless Blender Refill

Rowhouse Greetings | Bunny Friends by Penny Black Stamps

Bunny Friends by Penny Black

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings3 Comments

GOOD MORNING FRIENDS! I actually had to look at the clock to be sure that it’s still morning. After so many weeks sheltering in place, not only do the days blur together, but the hours as well. It’s gray and rainy outside so I decided that a little spring cuteness was just the cure for a dreary day.

I have a soft spot for the critter images from Penny Black stamps and this one is one of my favorites. I’ve only been able to find it as a wood mounted stamp but I was able to easily remove the block so that I could use it in my Misti platform.

Rowhouse Greetings | Bunny Friends by Penny Black Stamps

The image is colored with Copic markers (see list below). For the pots, I underpainted the shadowed areas with a series of cool gray tones before applying the YR colors to give the pots more depth. For the bunnies, I blended from light to dark so that I could control the overall darkness and applied touches of R20 on the cheeks, ears, and paws to brighten the overall look. I used V20 to add shadows on the bunnies and around the pots.

For the grass, I flicked varying shades of YG markers and made of point of flicking over the base the pots even though it wasn’t on the image since grass would grow all around the pots, not just between or behind them. For the sky, I flicked varying shades of B and BG, darker around the pots and lighter as I worked my way up. I used colorless blender around the edges to fade the color into white.

Rowhouse Greetings | Bunny Friends by Penny Black Stamps

For the die cut sentiment, I blended Distress Ink in Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn on a scrap of white card stock and then ran it through my Big Shot using the Bloom die from Honey Bee Stamps. I cut two more and then stacked the layers together using my Xyron for added dimension. On the top, I applied two layers of Nuvo Crystal Glaze for shine and dimension. The additional sentiment is from the Bloom stamp set also by Honey Bee which I stamped with Versafine Clare ink.

Hope you found some inspiration. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you again soon!

Disclosure: Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. All items were personally purchased except those marked with an asterisk (*) which were provided by a store or design team. I never share a product I do not like. All opinions are my own. Read more.

Where available I use compensated affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you I receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I use this money to support my blog. If you like my projects, please consider supporting me by clicking through these links when you shop. Thanks so much! Read more.

Paper: Neenah Solar White 80# & 110#; Hammermill Color Copy Cover 100#
Stamps: Bunny Friends by Penny Black; Bloom by Honey Bee Stamps
Inks: Amalgam Ink in Obsidian by Gina K. Designs; Versafine in Nocturne by Tsukineko; Distress Inks in Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn by Ranger – Tim Holtz
Dies: Crimped Frames by The Greetery; Bloom by Honey Bee Stamps
Embellishments: Nuvo Crystal Glaze by Tonic Studios
Adhesives: Beacons 3-in-1 Advanced Glue; Xyron Create a Sticker Maker
Copics: E30, E31, E35, R20 (bunnies); C1 C3, C5, YR20, YR21, YR24, YR27, R20 (pots); C3, C5, W1, W3 (snails); YG03, YG63, YG67 (grass); B0000, B000, BG10, 0 (sky)