Negative Space Coloring + Hop + Giveaway

Welcome! Today’s video is all about negative space coloring — a great technique for getting new looks from your outline images. I am also part of a fun hop for a great new coloring challenge.

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[All supplies are linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails at the end of this post. Affiliate links used. To watch the video in HD on YouTube, click HERE.]

Coloring negative space is a great I-don’t-have-to-think-too-much-or-work-to-hard-to-get-good-results technique. I decided to use the new and gorgeous Altenew Botanical Garden and Peony Bouquet stamp sets. (To see a video showing a close look at the other new Altenew stamps, head HERE.)

I share two ways of doing this negative space coloring. The first is with Copics.

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I don’t like to use my Copic Markers up against a heat embossed image. (Two reasons: 1. I don’t want want to ruin the tip of my Copics and in the past I did have embossing powder discolor the tips. Be sure to test first. 2. I don’t want my markers to color the embossing powder – I want it to stay true.) To avoid the contact, I first stamped the flowers with a super light Copic-friendly ink (My Favorite Things Grout Gray Hybrid) and then created a blended background of coloring. After doing this, I stamped the image again in the same spot with Versamark and heat embossed with sparkling powder.

Since I used the MISTI Stamping Tool, it was easy to stamp the image in the exact same place on top using VersaMark ink. However, if you don’t have the MISTI, you could look carefully though your block to line it up.

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On this one I also added some Wink of Stella to the background for a bit of shine…

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A second way to achieve a similar look is to use Distress Ink for the background. I created a mask and placed it on top of the stamped floral image… and then used an Ink Blending Tool and three colors of Distress Inks over the whole piece. The key to getting good coverage is to blend well and overlap the colors.

Instead of using a plain mat under my colored pieces, I die cut pieces with the Memory Box Postage Layer dies. I just adore the look of those detailed edges!

On some of my cards, I heat embossed the Altenew Painted Greetings directly on the colored backgrounds. On others, I stamped an Altenew You Are sentiment underneath using a T-Ruler. (I highly recommend having a T-Ruler in your supplies. It’s inexpensive and helps keep everything centered and straight.)

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I hope this inspires you to try some negative space coloring.

BLOG HOP

Today I am part of a blog hop celebrating the kick-off of Kathy Racoosin’s 30-Day Coloring Challenge. I am proud to call Kathy my friend and am continually amazed by her coloring talent. She has really done a great job bringing the industry together for this challenge. The point of the challenge is to simply color a little (or a lot!) each day for 30 days. Be sure to use the hashtag #TheDailyMarker30Day.

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The next stop on the hop is the blog of my favorite gal, Kristina Werner! She will knock your socks off – I am sure.

GIVEAWAYS & DISCOUNT CODE

Like the Altenew Botanical Garden stamp set I used in this video? Here is your chance to win it! For your chance, leave a comment below by 11:59pmEST on 2/10/16 telling me your go-to coloring medium. (The winner’s name will be randomly selected, emailed and posted on my “Winners page” after the giveaway closes. International folks are eligible, too!)

Also be sure to head to Kathy’s blog for a chance to win one of four spots in an Online Card Class.

In celebration of the 30-Day Coloring Challenge, Online Card Classes is giving a one-time coupon code for $5.00 off Copic Markers for Card Makers  and/or for the Watercolor for Card Makers class. Both class will help build up your confidence when coloring. You can get the code HERE at Kathy’s blog.

SUPPLIES

Interested in the products I used? To make them easy for you to find, I have listed them below. (Affiliate and product disclosure can be found here. All products were personally purchased except those with an asterisk.) Click on the letters below each picture to go to a favorite store: Simon Says Stamp (SSS), Ellen Hutson (EH), Amazon (AZ), etc.


Leave a Comment

756 thoughts on “Negative Space Coloring + Hop + Giveaway”

  1. Julia D. says:

    Beautiful cards! Love the depth of color you get. For a long time Copics were my favorite coloring medium but recently I’ve gotten back into watercolor. Thank you for the chance to win!

  2. Ashley W says:

    I love using water colors to color my projects! Love how these cards turned out!

  3. Megh says:

    Mine on the go coloring medium is prisma colored pencils

  4. Michelle Daigle says:

    Thank you for sharing! These cards are beautiful! My favorite go-to coloring medium would be my markers. I love blending and shading and all of the color options available.

  5. Joy Brimingham says:

    Thank you for sharing this technique with your viewers! I love watching your videos and have learned so much since stumbling across them in early December. I watch your videos so much that my husband now refers to you as “my friend”. If I’m watching YouTube he asks “Are you watching your friend again?” I just laugh and say Yep!
    I’m still pretty new to all things “crafty” but I got some Zig watercolor brush tip markers for Christmas and have really enjoyed using them. I also really like using Distress Inks. 😉

  6. Amy O says:

    Admittedly, I haven’t done much coloring in the lines lately, but for backgrounds and stuff like this I like distress inks/water colors.

  7. Sherry bleach says:

    I love to color! I use watercolor or Copic markers.

  8. Liz O. says:

    I use watercolors and Spectrum Noir markers when I color, love both techniques, thanks for sharing Jenniffer!
    Have a wonderful,day!

  9. PriCreated says:

    What a gorgeous set of cards Jennifer…..I love using my Spectrum Noir Marker and Peerless Watercolors…

  10. Vikki says:

    I don’t have a go to method of coloring, I keep switching and trying new techniques. Right now I am using Colored pencils and thinking of trying watercolors.

  11. So many great tips and techniques! Thank you!! Love the results of your quick and beautiful cards!

  12. These images are gorgeous, and what a fabulous way to showcase them! I’m still trying to find my “go-to” method. I used Christmas money to buy some zig markers after watching all your tutorials. Maybe that will become my go-to…

  13. Amanda Christensen says:

    My favorite coloring medium at the moment is watercolors!

  14. Elaine Sever says:

    Hi! I mostly use watercolors and watercolor pencils but I’m taking the online card class on copic coloring because I love the look that copics provide!

  15. What a genius idea. Thank You. Beautiful!

  16. Gail Plaskiewicz says:

    I was looking at what you did and I said “I love those postage stamps but I don’t remember seeing them at the post office. Where can I get them?” Of course I should have known better, that they weren’t real postage stamps they were faux stamps! That is so cool that you made them look like stamps! I have to watch your video to see how you did it and I promise not to use my heat gun with my Copic markers. Even though I got them on sale, they weren’t cheap and I would hate to ruin them after I just bought them.
    As for my favorite coloring medium, there are many. I guess my first one is colored pencils. You can do so many things with them, at least I can anyway. Next would be my water colors. They are shimmery and shiny and they come in so many pretty colors. I have a whole bunch of paint brush sizes and I even have paint that you can use on fabric which I love! I love my markers and my Copics but I don’t know how to really use them yet to get them to come out like you guys do. Last but certainly not least is my crayons. I have a 96 box of crayons, some glitter crayons which are hard to color with, swirled crayons, 3 color crayons and shimmer crayons among all of them. I was told to get them sharp like from the box before you colored with them, to use a sharpener for eyebrow pencils so I bought one. I love my crayons to be that sharp. If it works, I’ll let you know. I love to stamp and color!

  17. Linda Tupper says:

    Beautiful cards and as always great tips. My go to would be Tims Distress inks. Just love the Altnew stamp sets. I also really like the Memory Box postage square dies. Another item to add to my wish list.

  18. I love the detail that the postage stamp die adds to these cards! Fabulous…as always. XOXO

  19. My go to for coloring is distress inks, markers or pads used with water!

  20. Lavonne says:

    I’d say my go-to coloring medium would have to be copics and distress inks. Thanks so much for the chance to win. 🙂 Love your cards. They’re so colorful and very pretty.

  21. Debbie says:

    Love the new Altenew stamps, distress inks are my go to coloring in favorites

  22. Caren C. says:

    For now, I seem to be in love worth watercolors
    (^.^)

  23. Carmen says:

    I love my derweet watercolor pencils because they are so forgiving for an non-experience crafter like myself.
    Thanks for the fun video and sharing those lovely altnew stamps.

  24. Zarah says:

    That is beautiful – and I love the video. 🙂
    My favourite colouring medium is distress inks, I use both the refills and the markers – and sometimes even the pads. 🙂

  25. Linda F says:

    Gorgeous cards. I’m seeing this coloured background design quite a bit in fabric design. My favourite go to colouring medium is distress ink.

  26. Bev Karolak says:

    Beautiful cards! I like to use distress inks. Thanks for the chance to wi,

  27. Lissa says:

    My go to medium varies , it depends on my mood and location within my home , I love mixed media. One day is can be copics, pencils, ink tense, faber castelle, zigs, distress inks, acrylics, twinks, inks, water colors, solid, liquid, glues, life is too short to only desire one medium!

  28. Madeline says:

    Coloured pencil crayons are my comfort zone, but also enjoy using H20 watercolours, and am now experimenting with distress inks.

  29. Jennifer S says:

    love this technique will need to try it out now. I mostly use my spectrum noir markers for coloring, but have been enjoying learning watercoloring lately as well.

  30. Carol Henderson says:

    I will be trying this today. I will use Spectrum Noir as well distress inks.

  31. Lee says:

    My go to is still regular tombow markers, and increasing the mini distress ink pads. Still not quite ready for the financial commitment of copics! Loved this video. It may be an old idea to you but it’s one I’ve never thought of or tried and I really like it. Now if I could win the OCC class. . .

  32. Robin in Washington says:

    Right now, my go to coloring medium is watercolor. I’m trying to practice, practice, practice! In the past, it would have been copics.

  33. Nana says:

    Most of my coloring involves Distress Inks. Hope to add Copic markers and watercolors in the future. Enjoyed seeing how you used them.

  34. Kim C says:

    Watercolor is my favorite…not so great at it, but it’s fun to keep practicing!

  35. Jennifer L. says:

    Ooo, go-to? Hmm…my distress inks get used a lot. I have a very small collection of Copics at the moment but they play nice with my Spectrum Noirs that come out to play for detail image coloring.

  36. Renee V. says:

    I really like this idea for something different! My fave go to coloring medium is water coloring right now, but usually, it’s Distress Inks 🙂 Thanks much Jennifer!

  37. Bettina says:

    Wonderful idea. I like colouring with copics. A great variety of colours to choose from.

  38. Katherine says:

    What gorgeous new stamps. Altenew is a new stamp company for me and I think I’m really going to live what they have to offer.
    Beautiful technique!

  39. Shirley N says:

    Thanks for sharing another great idea, you are such an inspiration. My go to coloring has been water coloring lately and you’ve inspired me to use this method to make a card!

  40. Kathy Mc says:

    Haven’t done too much coloring mainly because I don’t have line image stamps in my stash. Would love Altenew’s Botanical Garden. Have used watercolors and Zig Clean Color Brush Markers a few times for different backgrounds. Love your cards, Jennifer!

  41. SQUEAL!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Technique and the AMAZING PROJECTS you shared!! I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the Video!! THANKS SO MUCH for sharing and for the chance to WIN!! Have a Fabulous Week!! =)

  42. FossilGirl says:

    I’m so new to all this so I don’t have many resources but I’m loving my Spectrum Noir pens (can’t justify Copics….yet…) for colouring.

  43. Mary says:

    More good ideas that I hadn’t thought about.

  44. Julia Trzeciak says:

    I like to water color the most by far?

  45. Heidi says:

    what a great idea, i love your energy , my go to coloring medium would be watercolors, though i am still trying neew things out

  46. Janet W says:

    Once I discovered copics, there was no turning back for me – I love them! They are my go-to favorite.

  47. Brenda Schuhmacher says:

    I just bought a variety of Copics, but haven’t purchased enough of the right colors, yet, so I use colored pencils with my Copics.

  48. Kristine A. says:

    These are so gorgeous! My go to coloring medium is colored pencils, it was the first thing I saved my money up and bought way back when I was first getting into art as a kid! I like the prismacolors.

  49. Judyt28 says:

    I love watercolouring. Beautifully shared cards!

  50. Michele says:

    I just started using distress inks for backgrounds, however I think I need more practice. This may be a good way to practice the new technique. Have a great day!

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