I had a bunch of fun this past weekend in Ohio, with the ladies at Toyrifix.  Between three workshops on Saturday and the all-day Copic Certification Class on Sunday – it was a great creative time!  Thanks to everybody there for making me feel so welcome and to Tammy for being such a great organizer.

One portion of the presentation seemed to make a big impact with the class: the translucent balloons demonstration.  I have to thank Betty for having a GREAT STAMP that I used for the demonstration.  I can draw a couple of ovals, but the stamped image made such a great impact — I'm going to have to look for this image to buy!  Any ideas?

The key to making things translucent, especially when you want to see something specific behind it, as in the case of these balloons, is to:

• Apply color overall to your item.
• Swirl the blender pen around quickly in the center to push the color out to the edges
• Work quickly so that you don't create texture, and don't create a 'puddle' of blender solution on your image
• Apply a lighter saturation of the color of the balloon behind each layer.  For example, if a balloon is colored with BG07, then use BG05 (or lighter) for the portion that is obscured behind another balloon.
• To smooth out the texture (if you get unintended texture with the blender pen), use a '000' 'triple zero' of the associated color.  This adds very little color and evens out the more blotchy, watercolored look that the blender can create unintentionally.
• On the overlapping portion, lighten out and push the color out to the edge
• Create a highlight mark.  This image had one built in to each balloon.  But depending on how 'shiny' the texture is, either lay down the tip of the blender pen and push out color, and/or use a white opaque material, such as Copic's Opaque White.

I liked using this shaped paper for the card, because it reminded me of a cloud.  Then I continued the feeling by doing the emboss-only technique on the card base with the elegant, Spellbinders Grand Border die.  I swiped over this quickly with a Copic Wide marker to make it pop out a bit more.  And then I realized how great that point of the parentheses shape would be to use for hanging off my sentiment.  Isn't it fun when things come together?

Then I turned to another great image: a fairy with wings!  This is 'Lily' from Katie Cotton's, Paper Makeup Stamps.

I used a slightly different technique for the translucency on the wings.  I traced around the edge of the wings with YG11 and the swirls inside the wings with BV000.  These are both very lightly saturated colors so it is easy then to take the colorless blender and pull the color from the edge to the inside to create a more diffused look.  I didn't want to swirl around, as in the prior sample, because I really want the color to stay where it is – just get softer around the edges.  I then flicked BG000 lightly in from the tips of the wings, to make it appear that the background sky was visible through them.  Finally, a Clear Spica glitter pen was applied, and smudged with my fingertip all over the wings.

For the other parts of the card, I colored the Prima 'Say It In Crystals' swirls, that are clear in color, with the tip of my pen, randomly choosing colors that complemented those I'd used on my card.  I had to choose colors that are more saturated, ending in a 7-9 in order for them to POP on the non-porous surface of the crystals.  The nice thing is that you cannot corrupt Copic Markers tips by touching up a crystal with another color, if you so choose. 

The Prima white 'Festive Flower' was colored with a couple of Copic Wide markers too.

On the Copic Creations challenge blog, they are featuring transparent objects this week.  I hope you will take a look, and participate if you can.  I'd love to see what you make!

Supplies:

Hang In There card

• Spellbinder's Grande Heirloom Border die
• Jenni Bowlin Cardstock, Turquoise Label shaped paper
• Neenah Classic Crest cardstock in Solar White
• Spellbinder's Labels Four Nestabilities dies 
• Prima Say It In Crystals Swirls in clear
• Copic Wide Marker BG10
• Copic Opaque White
• Copic Sketch Markers, several, including BG000 for the background (my airbrush is en route back home!  Pretty cool how great and stroke-free you can get a background to be with the markers)

• waxed linen thread

Fairy / Dream card

• Paper Makeup Stamps 'Lily'
• Tsukineko's Memento ink in London Fog (grey)
• Prima Flirty Little Secret patterned cardstock
• Prima Say It In Crystals Swirls in clear
• Prima Festive White flower
• Copic Wide Markers in BG10 and G(21?) I've misplaced it for the moment
• Copic Sketch Markers, several, including BG000 for the background (again, loving the no brush strokes)
• Spellbinders Curved Rectangles die
• Crafty Secrets sentiment stamp from Sweet Kids, Clear Art stamp set
• Spellbinders Grande Lace Border die
• CTMH patterned paper, and solid color cardstock

Have a great Tuesday.  Don't forget to visit Marianne's blog for that great blogiversary prize.  Who knew she would give away FIVE of them?

SL