Introducing the "Everyday Girls"...Day Three of Kraftin' Kimmie March Previews!!

Oooohhhh...you are going to LOVE the new March Kraftin' Kimmie images by artist Annie Rodrigue!!! Honestly, you are going to want to add them all to your Krafty stamp collection! They are called the "Everyday Girls"...and that's just what they are!! They capture those everyday moments and seasons of life, and show down-to-earth gals like you and me just being themselves. These stamps are so versatile, and I know I will find myself reaching for them time and time again!

For my sneak peek today, I chose to work with Caroline...I think she is just gorgeous in all her baby-belly glory! The "You Glow Girl!" sentiment used on this card comes with Caroline...she also comes with a baby bottle accessory stamps and an additional sentiment that says "Expecting a package?" The sentiment was stamped with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink and matted on Spellbinders Fancy Tags. The pretty pink and green papers are from Prima. Finishing touches include machine stitching, pink pearls and some crocheted trim.

So, does anybody else struggle with colouring pinks?? I find pinks to be such a challenge! The R80 range was too intense for the look I was hoping to achieve, and they definitely did not match the design paper I had chosen ahead of time, so I needed to reach for a softer range. I ended up experimenting a lot to try to achieve the desired depth with my shading...but this proved to be difficult with these colours. I didn't want to add grays, as I knew they would likely "muddy" the soft pink hue. I tried some deeper pinks...but they were too red, and I was at risk of loosing that soft pastel pink shade that I wanted to keep. I added a touch of E99 to see if that would work...it helped a bit, but I only applied it with the tip-to-tip blending method so as not to completely alter the colour. After much time and effort to increase the depth of shading without altering the soft pink, I just decided to leave it alone before I ended up with a big mess, lol. To be honest, I'm not entirely thrilled with my colouring of the pleats of the pink portion of her gown...but that just means that I have some "homework" to do. :) I am going to have to work with my pinks until I become more comfortable with them and figure out some combinations that I really like. (Improving on weak areas always requires working outside your comfort zone. While it may be frustrating at first, in the end you will be glad that you spent the time to grow in these areas. Don't be afraid of making mistakes...it's often through those mistakes that we can learn the most!) Thankfully, the green part of her gown was much more cooperative! With darker colours, I always find it easier to build the deepest shadows without fear of "muddying" the colours. I often add a bit of gray marker (C5, C7 or C9) to the deepest shadows. In the end, I went in with my black and dark brown Conte Crayons applied with a paper blending stump to try to add just a wee bit more depth.

Copics: Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, Y21, Y26, E31, E33, E37, E39, YR31 Gown: R000, R00, R11, R20, R89, E99, G20, G82, G85, G99, C9, additional shading done with black Conte Crayon

Want to see more??? Then the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog is the place to be...you will find a list of links to the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests who also have previews to share with you today featuring the brand new "Everyday Girls"!!

Please join us for one more round of previews tomorrow during our weekly challenge...and then again on Sunday for the official release day Blog Hop!! You know there will be gorgeous projects galore to get you inspired...oh, and I'm pretty sure Kimmie will be offering up some pretty sweet prizes as well!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today friends!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Caroline" and co-ordinating sentiment

Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Prima

Embellishments: Pearls, crocheted trim, machine stitching

Tools: Spellbinders Fancy Tags