Thursday, June 20, 2013

Inktense and Crafty Secrets

Good morning to you my crafty friends!  
The other day I mentioned that I had purchased a new toy......and here it is! In all of its 36 pencils glory!
They are Inktense pencils and I LOVE them!  One might assume they are a typical watercolor pencil, but alas, they are not. I've watched many You Tube videos gathering information about these little numbers.  They contain pigment (ink) which is extremely vibrant.  They do move with water, but only once. If you don't move quickly the "ink" becomes permanent.  You can dump an entire glass of water, and the "ink" won't move.  The other tip I learned is that when applying multiple colors, you want it to dry first before applying your next color.  I highly recommend watching a few videos to get yourself acquainted with this very cool product.  My friend and fellow "Dirty Girl," Dina Kowal has a great one! ;)
So here is my very first attempt at using my Inktense pencils.  I used a daisy from the Flower Garden Digital pack from Crafty Secrets.  Once the Sunflower was to my liking, I cut it out.  I added glossy accents to the center and sprinkled it with black Flower Soft. The cute vegetable paper behind the flower is a also from Crafty Secrets.  It is part of the Digital Garden Papers line. 
I wanted my sunflower to have a bit of sparkle, so I "painted" some gold Stickles from the center out. I used a couple Spellbinder's dies to matte the image.
I have been practicing with my camera and decided to take a tour through my backyard. I used my 70-300mm lens on macro to take these. 

When taking close ups of flowers I use the timer on my camera and placed a black piece of paper behind the flower.  If you use the timer setting, it eliminates camera shake! ;)  And the black paper makes the flower pop a bit more.  

It is supposed to be a beautiful day here in Chicago, so Cortney, Kyle, and I are planning on spending the day in the pool.  I love watching my girl become free in the water.  Her only real chance at getting those legs to move. 
Enjoy your day and thank you so much for popping by for a visit!

9 comments:

Melissa said...

These look fun.... hope you have a great time at the pool.

Pamela said...

I too have just fallen in love with Inktense Pencils! I could not afford to purchase an entire set at once and am buying them a little at a time, beginning with my favorite colors to blend together! I love the flower you posted - Beautiful!!!

Regina Easter said...

oh Michelle, these projects are just gorgeous...question for you, what lens are you using to take pictures of your cards...are you using the 70-300mm lens on macro
also are you using a light box? inquiring minds want to know....I have a mirco lens but may need to get another one plus I made a light box, but it isn't working for me....hugs fabriccutups@prodigy.net

Linda said...

Beautiful card, Michele! My husband got me Inktense pencils for Mother's Day and I love them too!

Linda said...

Pamela ... My DH got me the smaller set at michaels and used a 50 % off coupon. Total cost was under $20

Marcy said...

Your Inktense coloring is beautiful, Michele, and your photos are stunning!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful card. Love the pencil work. Great photos, too.

Darlene said...

Thanks for all the info on these pencils Michelle! Your card is BEAUTIFUL and I LOVE your photography ... gorgeous flowers! Hope you had/have a nice day at the pool! The closest thing to a pool for me today is power washing the driveway! LOL!
HUGS from OHIO!

Unknown said...

I love Derwent pencils. I think I have most of the sets. The Inktense are my favorite of course. One other pencil I find as a MUST have is the water soluble sketching pencil. Your sketch lines just disappear into your work as you water color. Another set I find helpful is the pastel pencils. I use them to highlight my colored images. They're buttery soft and add just the right amount of color.