Author: Aynaria

Please forgive all these artsy related posts. I’m hoping perhaps they can help others that might be searching for similar things.

I’m a person that researches a ton before I make a major purchase so it’s no surprise I’m doing the same thing when it comes to colored pencils. Initially, I was leaning towards Prismacolor as my go to colored pencil of choice; however, many reviews are saying after the company was bought out, that the quality of the colored pencils have gone downhill. Because of that, it was back to research once again and I found a few colored pencils that have my interest. Top on the list are the Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils. Unless something comes along that blows these away, this will be the colored pencils that I purchase.

Check out the above video to get a thorough review from both pencils. Also, I have a new artist that I can now follow. You can find her at Lachri Fine Art.

Last evening, after my daughter and I were settled, I pulled out the colored pencils I’d purchased (earlier that day) from the art store where she’s attending Art camp. The brand of the art pencils I’m using escapes me at the moment; however, I’ll update when I have a chance to look at them.

Here’s what I made…

 

This particular House Mouse stamp is called “Pincushion.” Isn’t it adorable?

 

Here’s a plain version of the stamp.

Of course… there’s room for improvement; however, I really love this stamp and I’m slowly getting used to making cards again.  At the last moment, I decided to add a strip of the corresponding envelope paper to the card. I thought it’d match up better that way. Early this morning, I shipped off the card to it’s owner. They should receive it in a few days. Along with this card, I made one for the BF too! However, I forgot to take a picture of that. Oh well… I’ll get him to do the honors and take the picture himself.

Last evening, I did watch a few colored pencil tutorials and I’m finding that I’m not disliking them as much. In fact, I’ve decided when I do decide to make a “pricey” colored pencil purchase. I’ll invest in Faber-Castell’s Polychrosmos colored pencils. From what I’ve been reading, they are amazing, they don’t break when sharpened and they should last me a very long time.

During my “down time” on Sunday, I was able to make a few more cards.

 

Here’s one of the simple cards that I made for my BF. You know something? I’ve had this stamp used to make this card for almost four years.

 

It’s the Berry Happy Hedgehog from the Clear Stamp collection. Remember when I mentioned that we said we would start sending each other hand-written letters? Well… we’ve kept our promise to each other.

This card was  very simple to make and it used one of my clear stamps that I adore. I also made a matching envelope. I wrote my note that evening and mailed it from work yesterday, he should receive it tomorrow.  I trotted off to finance office and paid them the .50 for postage. Last evening, the BF told me that he’d mailed me a card also. I should receive mine tomorrow also. Yeah!

This evening, I have another card to make and that will be for Jennifer. I received a letter from her on Sunday. I must say it was nice to receive a letter from my blogging pal. My cards are not as fancy as hers; however, I’ll have fun making hers and writing her a note.

While I enjoyed making the above card, I must say that I’m not happy with the pencils I used to complete the project. They were actually my daughters art pencils. They’re great, but I really miss markers. My daughter is a talented artist, but she much prefers sketching with pencils.

 

Because of that, I’m finally going to break down and purchase some Copics Markers. I’m looking at the set that has 36. They’re a bit pricey, at $136; however, I have heard nothing but good things about them… and you can purchase refills!

 

I also need to stock up on ink pads and perhaps a few more clear stamps? I’m quite fond of House Mouse designs, so I most likely will purchase a few of those.

I’m nudging you Jennifer! can you recommend some good brands for inkpads and perhaps some clear stamps? I have not purchased either in a few years.