I love this image of this mouse relaxing in a giant sunflower.  The papers I used for the card is DCWV Linen Closet.

I’m going to break this post down into two post because of the length of showing how I colored the image.  Rather than do a video I thought I would do some snap shots that way you could see where the colors where placed.

This is a stamped image and it is on regular card stock.  My preference is to use Gina K’s Pure Luxury card stock.   This line of card stock comes in several colors but for Copic Markers the white or ivory works best.    I should also say I don’t own this stamp.  I was part of a card challenge group and we received stamped images to color (using the Magic Color Pencil Technique – MCPT) and then make a card.  The coordinator of the challenge always sent us extra stamped images and this one was one of them.

Let’s get started.  I know there are multiple ways to color using Copic Markers; however, I found the best technique for me  is the way that the instructors @ Copicmarker.com taught me.

I also use some of the knowledge I’ve learned through the years from painting classes that I have taken.  I first determine which direction the light source is coming from and in this case the stamp directs you since the little mouse’s face is positioned to the upper right.  Knowing where the light source is coming from helps you determine where the shadows would fall.   This stamp also helps because it has some shadowing already built into the stamp image.

Next I color the items that are behind or underneath other elements.  Here I’m starting with the stem because it is underneath the leaves and then I will color the leaves because they are underneath the petals.  The third thing to color would be the bed of seeds because they are underneath the little mouse.  You build from whatever is behind, underneath or the furtherest item in the background.

You’ll notice I didn’t color the stem completely with color nor did I color the rolled up part of the leaves.  This is because I will use a lighter shade of green to emphasis these area.

I go back in with G99 and add the dark shade where the darkest shadow would be on the stem.  When using a dark color like this, little is more.  As you build layers of color up on each other the dark will get darker so a little goes a long ways.

You can click on the picture to get a closer look.  Also, this card stock absorbs the Copic Marker so it makes it more difficult to get a good blend.  We’ll get there it just takes a little extra effort.

Now I’m going back in and adding a lighter shade of green (actually a yellow green YG95) to those areas I left untouched before.

I’m using the end of this pen so you can see where the YG95 was added.  It was on the rolled up part of the leaves and then down the center of the stem.

Now I am layering in Y21.  This starts giving the stem some depth and additional shadowing than the dark G99.  You can see that as I layer the color on top of the other greens it starts to blend them all together and you see a gradual color change.

I try to keep in mind the light source is in the upper right hand corner and where the shadows would fall on the leaves and stems.

Moving on to the middle of the flower where the seeds is making the little mouse a bed, I first color all of that area with E51.  This is a milky white shade and provides a nice base for the various colors that will make up the sunflower seed.

Around the little mouse I dot in E09 which is Burnt Sienna.  You’ll notice I get out of the lines a little bit but I can use what is called the colorless blender (which is not but sort of is a blender to correct that).

I continued to layer on various colors to give the seed bed some depth.  I used E37 which is a Sepia to give some brown undertones and I added that over the E09 and moved it out toward the flower petals.  I used E00 to finish blending out all the colors together.

I used Y21 on all the petals and came back in where the shadows were indicated on the stamp and layered Y19 on top of them.  When you are looking at the flower you can see where the petals turn up or curl up.  Just like the leaves you want to keep them the lightest color.

We’ll stop here for today and pick up again tomorrow.  I think she is already looking good but there is so much more that we will do to make her even stand out more.  Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think so far.

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