Here is Summer’s purple-themed card for this month’s challenge!  Have you played yet?  You can see all the details on our challenge page:  http://www.spectrumnoir.com/challenge/

She colored this fun card with these Spectrum Noir pens:
Purple: LV3, LV2, HB3, HB2, HB1
Black: IG3, IG6, IG8, IG9, IG10
Green: CG1, CG2
Skin: FS9, FS4, FS3, CR3 blush, CR6, lips and eyeshadow
Pink: CR6, CR4, PP4, PP2

I have had so much fun with this experiment.  Not only is it very easy, you’re getting a chance to transform and recycle something you might have disposed of. It is so fast and you will be done in next to no time!

You will need:

~ A clean dry glass or jar
~ Spectrum Noir ink refill
~ Paper Towel (kitchen roll) and gloves (this can get messy)
~ a craft mat to protect the surface you are working on

Tip: the darker colors work best.  I have used DR4 for this project.

Step 1

Get everything laid out ready to start.

Step 2:

Fill your dropper from the refill bottle and place inside the glass.  I used 1 full dropper (pipette) on this  glass.

Swirl the ink around until your glass is completely covered.  I dipped my finger in the ink to make sure the rim was coated but you could use a cotton ball or Q-tip.

Step 3:

Once your container is covered turn it over and place it on your paper towel (kitchen roll) to drain off  the excess ink.

Tip:  Tap your glass or jar lightly on your paper towel (kitchen roll)  a few times, as the ink will form around the rim of your glass.  Then turn right sides up and leave to dry.  This doesn’t take long, just a matter of seconds.

Step 4:

My final piece is a tea light holder ready to grace any home

You will be surprised at how even your refill inks cover the glass you don’t get any lines. Don’t be afraid to add more ink if you have a larger area to cover

Tip: Don’t place your finished glass or jar in dishwasher.  I would hand wash if needed.

You could color jars and have them in your garden on those summer evenings! Or gift to your family and friends for Christmas or special occasions!

This is the perfect accessory in the room of any little princess!  Take a closer look:

Linda colored with: TN1- TN2- FS1- FS9- CR3-CR4- CR5-CR6- GB1- GB2- GB3- OR1-LY1- IB1- BT1- TB1- TB3 LY3- CT- OR1- CG1- CG3- DG4- GG3 and blender pen

Do you make home decor with your Spectrum Noir markers? We would love to see it!  Feel free to share over on our Facebook page!

Here is some inspiration from some of our design team:

Dilyana used:
Skin: FS1, FS3, FS4, FS9, CR4
Hair: IG5, IG7, IG8, IG9, IG10, True Black
Dress: PL2, PL3, PL4, PL5, LV2, IG1, IG2
Pyramids: GB5, GB6, GB7, GB9, GB10

Kaly used:
Skin: FS1,4,8,9 CR3
Hair: BGR 4,5 CG1,2 True Black
Dress: PL1,2,3,4,5 BP2 BG9
Background: BT3 GT1 Blender

We would love to have you play along with us! You don’t have to color with purples…as long as you do color only with your Spectrum Noir markers and have purple somewhere on your project! Head over to our challenge page to see all of the details and what you could win for playing along!

Hello! My name is Kalina Pavlova and I live in a beautiful city of Varna (Bulgaria) on the Black Sea coast.  I’m 36 years old and I have two small boys that fill my day with laughter and excitement.  My job is very demanding and I chose crafting as my “art-therapy”.

As long as I can remember I’ve been spending my free time sewing, embroidering, knitting and making jewelry but it was 3 years ago when I discovered card-making and it became my true passion.  My cards usually tell a colorful story covered with lots and lots of flowers and different embellishments.  Last Christmas I got Spectrum Noir markers as a gift from my family and I spent days and days in coloring fun until I grasped the shades and different techniques.  Two months later the Spectrum Noir team accredited me as a Colorist and today I’m proud to be invited as a designer among such a talented group of ladies.

My cards and other crafting experiments you may find in my blog called “KalySto”.

And here are a few of her favorite projects she’s created with her Spectrum Noir pens!

Kaly colored this one with:

Skin: FS1, FS4, FS9, TN3, TN4, CR3, CR4
Hair: TN3, TN4, TN6, TN9, EB3, EB6, EB7
Clothes: CR4, CR6, DG2, DG4

This one features:
Skin: FS1, FS4, FS8, FS9, CR3
Hair: GB1, GB5, GB9, GB11, TN1,3
Dress: PP1, PP2, PP3, PP4, PP5, BP1,2 CR5, CR6, HB1, Blender
Flowers: FL3,TB7, CG2
Background: BT1, BT2, BT3, BT4, GT1 Blender

And this one uses:
Skin: FS1, FS7, TN3, TN4, CR4
Hair: GB1, GB3, GB4, GB9, GB11, DG2
Clothes: DR4, DR6, CR3, CR4, BG5, BG7, JG3, JG4, DG4, LG3, LG4

We look forward to sharing more of her work with you!

Coloring with the vibrant purples is really fun.  Purple is my favorite color, yet I was intimidated to play with it because of the intensity of color.  I love the brightness of these flowers and it was super easy.

Here is a step-by-step look at how I colored this card:

Step 1: I added PL5 to the inside of the flower and the outer edge.  I also colored on top of the main veins of the flower.

Step 2: I softened the edge of the PL5 with PL4 pulling the color towards my highlighted areas.

Step 3: I then softened the edge of PL4 with my PL1 and covered the rest of the white areas.  I over blended the image a bit so I actually needed to go back and add a bit more color using my PL4.

Step 4: The two monarch butterflies were colored starting with  CR11 for the darkest red, OR2 for the middle color and CT4 for the lightest color.   The third butterfly was colored using TN4, OR1 and CT1.

Step 5: Leaves were colored using DR3, then CG3 and CT1

Step 6: Background was done by adding BG6 all around the edge of the image, then softening the edge of the BG5 with BG2 and filling in the rest of the white space.

Step 7: My cardstock was not the right color to coordinate with my image.  I took a piece of light purple cardstock and colored it with my PL5 pen for a perfect match.  I did the same for the little piece I used for my greeting.  How perfect!

I hope you will give the purples a try!  Did you know our challenge this month is all about the purples?  Come play along with us!

Have a Colorful Day!

Below is the canvas piece that I created.

I began by adding random letter stickers to my canvas.  Then I added acrylic paint.

For the next layer I wanted to add circles.   I  filled up the dropper (pipette) of refill ink, then lightly squeezed the ink out as I drew each circle.

On this piece I used BT6, JG2 and DG3.

After that dried, I wanted to tone down my background with some gesso.

I mixed in a bit of BT5 refill ink  to the gesso before applying it.

It looks a bit messy at this point; each layer will add character to the final piece.

Next I added some Gelatos through a stencil and added a touch more paint on to the background before I added the flowers.

Overall the different layers gave me lots of texture and interest to the background of the flower stencil.

I hope I have inspired you to try using your Spectrum Noir markers and refill inks to add layers to a background on your next canvas, scrapbook page, or card!  We would love to see your projects, and encourage you to share them on our Facebook page!

I have a quick video tutorial to show you how I colored the carnation image on this card.

Enjoy the video tutorial!

Make sure you head over to the challenge page to see details about how you can play along with us and win some fabulous prizes!  We are looking forward to seeing all of your purple projects!

Happy Coloring!
Kristine

Supply List:
CRP186 Carnation by Stampendous
Spectrum Noir Markers (CT1-CG4-LG1 LV1-LV2-LV3)
Bazzill Colored Cardstock
Crafter’s Companion Ultra Smooth Premium Cardstock-white
Lace Ribbon
Cuttlebug Polka Dots Embossing Folder

We’re excited to share with you our top three favorite cards as well (in no particular order…our team loved all three!):

The eyes, skin tones, and hair on this image colored by KalySto are amazing!  On her blog, she noted that she colored with:

Skin: FS 1, 4,8,9 CR3
Hair: EB1 DG1, 2 GB 1,9,11 LY1, 3
Flowers : FS8 CR3, 6 DR1 CG2, 4
Background: DG1 CG1 GB1 LY1 Blender

Ria did a great job coloring the spool of thread on this one!

And finally, this adorable card from Lisset.  She created a lovely dotted base for her image, and the turquoises look magnificent!

Congratulations again to our top three entries in last month’s challenge!  Please send an email to prizes@crafterscompanion.com (note that you were a top three winner) and we will get you a blinkie to proudly display on your blog.

We would love to see everyone play along in this month’s challenge, which is all about purple. For details, visit our challenge page.

We are excited about the changes we made to the challenge, and are thrilled to be showcasing our Card of the Month today!  Have a look at this beautiful card:

Congratulations to Mila, who colored this stunning card!  We are so thrilled you played along with our challenge!

Please send an email to prizes@crafterscompanion.com (and note the you are the Card of the Month for Spectrum Noir) and we will send your blinkie, so you can proudly display it on your blog!

Make sure you check back with us tomorrow, for the announcement of our top three cards. And be sure to play along in this month’s purple-themed challenge!