What's Your Style?

Card by Aga Bailey

Card by Claire Todd (colored by Jenee)

What is your coloring style? I tend to color using lighter colors. I feel I can control and blend them better than the darker tones. My girlfriend, Aga Bailey, does fantastic coloring using the darker colors. So, I copied off the above card made by Aga as a sample of using darker colors. Last night I colored my image (pretty much like her's as I was working on technique, not originality). I had the colored image (as well as the print off of Aga's card) sitting on my craft table when my daughter, Amber, and my granddaughter, Claire, stopped by. Claire is 7 years old and loves to craft. She saw the image and the sample sitting there and asked me if she could make the card. Since I really had no plans for the image (as I said, I was working on coloring so not thinking about the finished product), I gave Claire free reign.

Other than helping tie the bow and helping punch the white snowflake strip used in the middle (my craft table is high, so Claire couldn't get the leverage needed to work the punch), Claire put this card together herself. She picked her papers and the ribbon, glued, placed and completed everything. I had to laugh as she was picking out her papers. She pulled out a piece of red and white gingham but decided it looked "too picnicy" (don't you just love that term?). She pulled out several rolls of green ribbon, but they were "too light and got lost with the background." (Hum, can you tell she's spent a lot of time with me in the craftroom?)

Before she left, she used my ProMarkers (which she prefers over my Copics because the tip is more ridged) and colored another image. Then she asked if I would print off some images for her to take home with her. Lastly, she raided my envelop of already colored images and took some of those (as samples and ideas for her own coloring).

 We didn't get to spend a lot of time crafting this summer. She went out of town several times to compete in Tai Kwon Do tournements, and with both of her brothers being teens now, they have kept the family busier. School started back on 1 August, so the routine is even more hectic now. I sure do miss my little crafting buddy.