Fourth Annual Canadian Cricut Circle Swarm Challenge #1

On the Canadian Chat in the Cricut Circle messageboard we do an online "swarm" where people that offer prizes can issue challenges to win their prizes.  Its a lot of fun to see what everyone creates.  Unfortunately this is probably the least active year since its begun.  Fortunately, I've found some time and done all 3 challenges!  As always, click on any picture to enlarge details if you like.

Challenge #1: 
My challenge has 3 parts. As everyone knows from previous swarms, we are soooooooooo (not) very strict about our rules, LOL! Just play along, have fun, cross enter your entries in other things if it suits you. Just show us what you make to count as an entry.

I challenge you to fulfill your entry with all 3 components.
A. Create 6 cards: all the same or all different, any size, any theme, but they must be functional cards, not tags or postcards.

B Stamp an image on each card and Colour it however you desire: colour all or part, colour with chalk, colour with ink, colour with markers, colour with pencil-crayons, colour with water-colour... You get the idea. You could even go crazy, colour the embellishments, colour the paper, have fun! BUT, at least one of the 6 cards must be Halloween themed, interpret as you like with colour, season, image, etc...

C. Post a picture of your creations, and then give them away, with envelopes to fit. Give them to a nursing home, an elderly neighbor, a charity group, a shelter program, it's your choice where, just give them away and let us know how that worked out for you. This is a way of celebrating being thankful for our creativity, and the Thanksgiving portion of this season's challenge.

 This is the Blooming heart Stamp #M1045 stamped with Memento tuxedo black ink, coloured with ShinHan twin touch alcohol markers, cut on white daisy cardstock to make 3 inch note cards.  With black pen I hand doodled a rustic outline.  The image is matted on retired CTMH paper.  I've seen these done on youtube and a few blogs and had to try it.  It's a great way to play around with the new markers.

The next 6 cards are made using the "Better with a Friend" #D1608 page 9 Hostess rewards, of the 2014-15 CTMH Idea book.  It (and 2 other stamp sets) came with my new ShinHan markers as a consultant perk.  Images are stamped using Memento Tuxedo black ink, and coloured with those fancy new markers.  The sentiments are stamped from the "Artfully Sent" cartridge.  Yes, I scraped together some cash and got my hands on it, more on that later!  Some of these cards are edged in CTMH Washi Tape.  That's fancy Japanese trend speak for patterned paper tape that is all the rage right now.  Really great value with CTMH, the rolls are not stingy!  A few of the cards are grounded using Bakers Twine, both CTMH metalic, or from "the Twinery" company which I won a few years ago.

 Honestly, I don't know why these are sideways.  If anyone out there in cyberspace can help me figure it out simply and easily, I'd appreciate it.  The silly thing is that I took all the pictures in the same orientation, baffles me why blogger turned some but not all.

 The one above uses remnants from my "Pathfinding Cardmaking Kit."  I doubled it and made 30 cards, and still have scraps to make more cards! 

 The green blocks pattern paper is from my stash, unknown manufacturer.  I love how it complements her skin tone, LOL!

Here is all 6 cards, thankfully not cockeyed!  I will be giving these cards to my pharmacist and his wife to give away to their customers.  Together they run a locally owned business called Tabour Pharmacy.  They are really kind, caring, generous people.  They will know just who will need a little something pretty to share happiness with.

ShinHan Marker colouring

Just a quick post to show what I've been playing with.  As always, click on any picture to enlarge.

 Random stamping with a new stamp set.

 Stamp of the Month in Archival black ink.  Note some are generational stamped, first and second stampings from the same inking, just to see how the markers look with pale grey vs dark black outlines.  I like how I could mix and match eyes and the eye mask shape on the owls.  Truthfully, I wasn't that excited about this stamp set, but playing with it is fun!  I got to thinking about a certain Candy C***h game owl and the candy jewel colours in the game.  Plus, there's a blog hop HERE showing CTMH consultants uses of this What a Hoot August SOTM stamp set.

 Playing around style with Shin Han alcohol markers colouring.

March 2015 SOTM, "Choose Happy" sideways again, groan, sorry about that.

Blooming Heart #1049

 No idea why this is sideways again, grrr!

Your own kind of Wonderful #D1627

Treasured Friendship #C1594

I didn't colour a lot of seashells images, I was blocked about doing them somehow.  Maybe because I am an inland gal?  I challenged myself to colour with lots of colour combinations, including candy, uggy, traditional, non-traditional.  I found if I didn't like a colour or colour combination, they could be blended with the clear blender, or toned down with grey, yellow, blue or red.  I really liked doodling with the blender pen, both tips.  I have seen some really fun things done by stamping patterned papers and cutting them out.  With these markers I found old habits of outlining with the colour and then filling it in isn't really necessary. My totally non-specific technique of slapping colours on quick and sloppy style really gave my favorite results, and bonus, it created the most creative effects!  A lot of stamp sets have shading lines to guide where darker colour detail can appear, that helps since I have no idea where shell contours would go normally.  I hope to make cards from the final results. 

Sorry this is a rushed post, I have a couple more pictures to show, but my toddler nap time ran out. 

Happy Summer to you!

CTMH + NEW Shin Han Touch Markers

CTMH is switching their markers to the Shin Han brand.  Here are three very good links showcasing the markers.  Shin Han Touch twin markers 1 min 2 seconds, Shin Han colourless blender pen 1 minute 2 seconds, and http://www.touchmarker.co.uk/.  CTMH will be releasing more videos detailing these markers but here's the 411 until then.  I have summarized this from multiple YouTube videos and CTMH consultant videos for your reference.  Sorry for the lack of pictures, this is pure information at its best that I can share.  I think of it as retro internet, lots of info, not much icing, LOL!

CTMH will be launching Shin Han markers with the new August annual 2014-15 Idea book catalogue.  There will be 24 marker colours to choose from, and one colourless blender pen, each  $5.95 USD or $6.50CAD.  The colours are complementary to CTMH colours, including neutrals and flesh tones.  They will be available for Hostess rewards redemption on gatherings (parties).

These alcohol based markers are square, so they do not roll off the table.  They are tried & proven quality Japanese product available for over 20 years.  They feature dual (replaceable) tips; a brush tip and a chisel tip.  They are comparable quality to Copic brand markers.  They are fast drying, low odour that dissipates quickly, and refillable.  It is not known at this time if CTMH will have refill ink or replacement nibs (marker tips) available.

Three things that are important to know:   Store these ShinHan markers horizontally, they will fit in CTMH small, medium and large organizers to store.  Use a light pressure with these markers.  A heavy hand will damage the nibs.  These markers are juicy, so they will seep through most papers to whatever surface is underneath.  A pad of scrap paper, or a non-stick mat under your project is ideal to prevent ruining your table.  Or just use high quality cardstock.

Using a light touch, and repeating layers is the best way to increase desired colour saturation for shading.  When colouring a line-drawn-style stamped image, it is recommended to use heat-set solvent ink, pigment ink, or heat embossed ink to prevent the lined image from being dissolved and smeared.  These markers will blur water based dye ink (stamped) images.  That is not a bad thing if you use a pale ink for a line-less effect for your project.

Utilizing the blender pen and blending techniques the colour variety is quite broad.  Layering ink lightest to darkest is the easiest way to control the level of desired colour saturation. This way achieves soft, blended, watercolour-like or pastel images.  OR go ahead and try dark to light blending for more masculine effects, heavy visual images, teenage style, graffiti, or cartoon images.  They're your markers, the more you play, the easier they get to use.

The colourless blender pen is an essential tool to complement your ShinHan marker set.  Simply scribble off to clean the colour away.  While a project is still fresh coloured or damp, you can:
Remove excess ink colour
Dilute or soften ink saturation
Patch a mistake
Tidy an edge
Blur an edge
Create highlights
Define a shadow
Create dots, stripes, and details

So, big deal, 24 markers, wow.  24 markers; each colour self layered 3 times =  4 colours per marker x 24 = 96 colours.  If you take those 96 colours and do a shade grid, one colour each line vertical, then repeat horizontal = 9216?!?   BUT half of those are duplicates because of the nature of the grid, so divide by 2 = 4608 colours?!?  That's a bit more versatile value I guess, assuming my math isn't too wonky.  Please correct me if I've goofed up and I will happily amend my calculations.

Alcohol ink Markers can be used for more than just colouring, after doing a test spot, try re-colouring these things:
canvas
chipboard
complementing your mixed media projects
gems & rhinestones
plastic- sequins, pearls, shrinky dink plastic
glass
ribbon
fabric
buttons
metal -brads, eyelets, staples, charms

Don't be afraid to cruise the internet to see what & how Graffiti Artists, Cartoonists, or Art Journaling Artists are creating with their alcohol markers.  Knock-off markers are available online for cheaper prices.  If they are not labeled "Made in Korea" they are fakes.  The fakes will have spelling mistakes on the labels, poorly fitting nibs, caps that are disagreeable to remove/apply, and are often more smelly.

Splitcoast Stampers Blending Alcohol ink markers tutorial.  Is there anything paper related SPC can't do?  Oh, and one last link Kaszazz brand Alcohol markers document, a really good resource for all things alcohol markers, beautiful instructional booklet.  I printed one out for reference, it's that good.  I know its not the same brand, but techniques are similar for almost all the alcohol marker brands it seems.

I will leave it with you to investigate techniques of using markers.  I am a complete newbie to these since Sharpie are my normal go-to alcohol markers.  I'd love it if you left a comment telling me about how you use your markers, techniques to share & try, fails...  Anything really!  Thanks for stopping by, I hope this is helpful information for you!

Spoiler alert!  I've got a fun stamping project share coming up, starting August 1!