The Great Gnome Experiment

Card 1:  I have seen some really well done coloring on kraft so gave it a go.  I learned that the colors had to be a step or two above my normal (e.g. DR5 instead of DR3).   I ran white chalk ink over the wood grain background and used a cotton swab to fill in his beard and eyebrows.  It still seemed on the drab side until I got to work with the pigment pen to add details.  The dots of the die make it a bit more interesting too.  For the "tree" I punched out a bunch of Martha Stewart medium branches.

Card 2:  I decided to use the colors from Card 1 on my usual white background to compare the difference.  Um, wow.  The blue in particular screams BLUE now, doesn't it?  I also tried my hand at creating a masked scene with the fencing.  Like.  I went bolder and darker with the wood grain to balance the boldness of the gnomey. For the grass of both cards I practiced flicking the marker so it tapered at the end (sometimes!).

I'm entering Card 1 in  Totally Papercrafts #204 CAS, Dream Valley #74 No Designer Paper, CAS-ual Fridays CFC127 Over the Edge, The Crafting Cafe Embossing, Cute Card Thursday #306 Something New (Technique) 

Card 1 Details:  PTI kraft cardstock, Hero Arts Everyday Sayings, Sakura Gelly Roll white pen, Spectrum Noir markers, Recollections gnome, MFT pierced rectangle dies, Martha Stewart medium branch punch, Memento Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa, VersaMagic Cloud White, gold Smooch (buckle), Memory Box butterflies die, Paper Studio embossing folder

Card 2 Details:  PTI white cardstock and "feel better" sentiment, Sakura Gelly Roll white pen, Spectrum Noir markers, Recollections gnome & fence, MFT pierced rectangle die, Memento Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa, gold Smooch (buckle), Memory Box butterflies die, Cuttlebug Woodgrain embossing folder