Adding Detail with Pencils

Hello!!
Happy Thursday!

Today I want to share a little bit of info on how to really make your stamped images pop!
It's a technique that I've played around with a bit in the past, but it's also easy to forget how much of an impact it really makes on your cards.

For this project, I am using the Feathers and Florals stamp set from WPlus9.

These images are so gorgeous, but unless you have really stellar inks, it may be hard to get a good crisp stamped image.  To help fix the splotchy stamping, I used pencils!

I know a lot of people will use their copic markers first and then add all the detail with pencils.  I just don't have any copics, and I have much more control using pencils anyhow that it was easy for me to skip the marker coloring all together.

To start, you need to stamp your images.  I like to stamp the image off on scratch paper a few times and then do my official stamping.  This seems to help prime my stamp, even after it's been used a few times.  Since most of my ink is super old Stampin Up pads, it takes a few tries to be sure the stamp is fully covered, and then I get pretty decent stamped images.

After stamping everything out, I die cut them all with the coordinating dies.  I probably could have waited until I was done coloring, but I was just excited that I actually have the coordinating dies for this set, and let the joy of playing around mess up the process.  But it still worked!  The images were just a little more tricky to hold on to :)

To add the detail and depth, I pulled out my new Prismacolor pencils!  These pencils are amazing!  So soft and creamy...easy to break!  But learning how to handle them gently just takes practice!

I selected 3 pencils in each color family that I stamped to work on my images with.  The lightest should match the color used to stamp your image so that you get a nice solid even blend.  Once you have them selected, start coloring the way you normally would!  I usually start with my darkest first, so I colored in the "shadows" of the flowers in the centers and around the edges of each "petal."  Then blended that softly with my medium color, and finally smoothed it all out with my lightest.

To help pull out a highlight, you can use a white pencil and just do simple little flicks in the highlight area to brighten it up!  And voila!  Gorgeousness!
Here is a comparison of the large flower with and without the pencil detailing:

As I said before, they are gorgeous left as is when stamped...but to add that little bit of punch, try doing some shading!  It will add a whole new level to your card!

To finish off the card, I used a stencil to emboss the background and then layered that onto a woodgrain stamped panel.  I used a few stamps from HoneyBee Stamps Beautiful Life stamp set and did a multi colored embossed sentiment onto a strip of vellum.

Just realizing now that I've done 2 "Beautiful Day" cards in a row...whoops!  Must be a good sentiment right now :)

For the red border frame, I took the darkest red pencil that I used for the shadows and colored the edge of my panel.  Then blended it out smooth with some Gamsol.  Simple and now it matches perfectly to my card!

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I hope this will help you to look at your solid stamps a little differently, and see how much you can change those images with a little extra added detail! <3

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
    Crafting When We Can #135-Anything Goes
    Fusion Card Challenge-3rd Anniversary