How to Warm Up Your Autumn Blend

Hey crafty friend, it’s Amanda from Pear Blossom Press again. I’m back with a quick and easy way to warm up Autumn color blends for your cards this fall. The secret is Warm Grey markers! I know, it’s not a big secret, but it’s a good secret 😉 Just watch the way the images on my cards start to pop, as they’re surrounded by a warm grey glow…

STEP ONE:

Stamp your images, and color them with Copic markers. I used the Latte Coffee Sentiments and Leaves Are Falling stamp sets for today’s cards. (I’m in love with both of these new sets!) The black line I drew under the mugs will help ground them, and give me a place to stop coloring my greys. Notice how I left some white areas on the tips of the leaves? Those highlights will really pop, once the images are outlined.  

STEP TWO:

Add shading, or outline your images completely, with Warm Grey Copic markers. I started with W5, closest to my images, then moved to W3 to expand and blend. Next, I came back around with W1 to soften the edges even more. To feather the W1 into the white space, I used my 0 Colorless Blender. Try to use short strokes when outlining your images; they will blend into the next color a little easier that way. (That’s a tip I picked up from Jammie, at Sweet Sentiment!)

STEP THREE:

Okay, this one is optional, but I think it really helps add texture, and can hide uneven blends. Step three is to add dots. I used my W5 marker, along with gold, and white gel pens, to add lots of different sized dots to both panels. For a little more shine, I drew some gold lines on the mugs, and leaves, then quickly smeared them with my finger. This gives you a little shimmer, without heavy, opaque gold lines. (It’s a nice touch when coloring hair too.)

STEP FOUR:

Turn your panels into cards! I trimmed both of these down, popped them up with fun foam onto black mats, and then onto white card bases. The sentiments were stamped directly onto the panel with the mugs, but embossed on strips and popped up on the falling leaves panel. A few scattered gems add more sparkle. 

I love how both of these turned out. Do you have a favorite? What do you think of the warm grey shading? I know you might be tempted to use your cool greys here, because we’re always told to save the warm greys for living things. (That’s because they add warmth 😉 ) But I hope you’ll give this a try.

If you’d like to see a bonus card to help compare, head on over to my blog. You’ll also find links to the specific products I used for these cards.

I’d love to know what you think. And I’d love to see your take on this trick. If you give it a try, tag me on social media so I can cheer you on! Thanks so much for stopping by today. I’ll be back soon with more fun cards to share.