Monthly Coloring Series - February

Check me out! All on time and everything! I am hoping that by the end of February I can be back to my normal schedule and posting at least weekly. My husband is keeping a close eye on me so that I don't over do it!

For those of you just joining me, I will be coloring one image each month, using the Power Poppy digital flower images, found HERE. If you missed any of the previous projects, see the links at the end of the post. 

February's project is so special to me, because tulips are my favorite spring flower!

I do not have tulips in my yard or garden because they don't "winter" here. Since it's not cold enough for them to have a dormant time, the only way to keep tulips is to dig them up and put them in cold storage, then replant them. Gloria ain't got time for that! I could just buy pots of them, but...instead my husband brings me bunches of cut tulips all during the spring, starting with my birthday on February 2nd! 

I love this bouquet of various colors of tulips, which inspired my coloring. 

I love these colors together, but it was hard to find the correct pinks! I find Copic pinks very difficult to blend. This combo turned out very nice, with lots of shadow and highlight. I usually have a hard time leaving enough highlight, but I was careful with the pinks to do so! 

The Tulips in Hobnail Pitcher digital stamp set I used for my February image is currently a $6 download. This image is also part of a clear set called Loving Tulips. 

I actually purchased this image a few years ago, and colored it once before to make a card, which you can see HERE. 

Using Adobe Illustrator, I created my panel at about 5 1/4" x 5 1/4". I rotated the image slightly and sized it at approximately 4 1/4" wide. I ended up having to size this guy a few times to make it all fit into my square die. The "February" sticking out there threw a monkey wrench into the works!

The finished panel is 6 1/8" x 6 1/8". I have used a stitched square die to cut out the main image panel (which measures 5 1/4" x 5 1/4"). My plan is to display each monthly image at my desk, as shown below.

I am using "Great Vibes" as my font, which I sized at about 45pt. I printed the panel onto Hammermill 100# cardstock with my Epson ET-3700 using black ink. (So far, I have had excellent results using Copics with this printer ink and paper combination.)

My image is colored with a combination of Copic Markers and Prismacolor Pencils. I first lay down the Copic markers, and then go back and add depth and highlight with the pencils. I finish with more highlights using a white pencil or a gel pen.

You probably know that tulips rival roses for the sheer number of colors and styles in which they bloom! I think pretty much any color you can think of would be fine! I chose a bright pink, pale yellow, and a peachy orange for my bouquet. Tulips also have lovely green leaves and stems. I wanted the pitcher to look like dingy pottery, something old and well loved. 

Here are the color combinations I have used for the finished project (listed in this order: Copics, then Prismacolor Pencils by name):

Pink: R39, RV19, RV17, RV10, RV000; Crimson Lake, Process Red, White
Orange: YR16, YR14, E93, E01; Cadmium Orange Hue, Salmon Pink, White
Yellow: Y15, Y13, Y11, Y00; Canary, White
Leaves: YG01, G99, G46, G43, G29; Chartreuse, Green Ocher
Jug: C05, C03, C01, BG78, BG75, BG72, BG70, Y26, E81; 70% Cool Grey

Background: W03, W01, W00, B000, B000), Colorless blender

My cardstock panels are black, dark pink, and pale pink. I added a twine and a button, plus some enamel dots for decoration. 

I started this project series back in September 2018. (There is a bit of August peeking out of the pile...sneaky peeky! You will have to wait for it!!!) If you missed any projects click the month below. 

January

SEPTEMBER. 

OCTOBER.

NOVEMBER.

DECEMBER

Thanks for stopping by! I will have a new image Friday, March 1st!

Digital image: Power Poppy Tulips in Hobnail Pitcher
Cardstock: Hammermill 100# Digital Color Copy; dark pink, light pink (unknown); WorldWin Papers Midnight
Markers: Copic (see list above)
Pencils: Prismacolor (see list above)
Gel pen: Sakura Gelly Roll White
Twine: unknown
Button: stash
Enamel dots: Echo Parck Celebrate Easter, Simple Stories Emoji Love
Die: Elizabeth Craft Designs Stitched Squares
Tools: We R Memory Keepers Guide Layers
Adhesive: ATG tape, Scor-tape, hot glue