Tombow 100- Hey There Good Lookin'!

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Tombow and asked to participate in Tombow 100 for Tombow's Centennial Year.  The company is celebrating by offering bloggers a chance to make something with a few Tombow products that they provide. After a project is made and posted, Towbow will make a $100 product donation to the Council for Art Education.

I thought I better give the products a whirl so I checked out the Irojiten Color Dictionary colored pencils to see how they would react with gamsol... Love it!  These were beautiful!  And in a lovely box.  You know I am used to children's sale pencils so this was a real treat!  These were "Light Grayish Tone 1" so they were quite pale and muted.  And perfect for shadows on die cuts to give dimension!

Next,  I tried out the markers, described on the package as 'dual brush pens'.  I used something like this years ago and wanted to see how they would react with the pencil marks I had just blended... thinking this might be the perfect way to create a printed "fabric" on die cut characters' clothing!  I had remembered that a while back, in the interview I did with artist Jayme McGowan, she had suggested that paper-crafters make their own patterned "fabric" for characters' clothing because sometimes printed papers are too recognizable.  (You can see that interview by clicking here.)  I thought this was the right project to try that!

The gamsol and pencil created a slight resist but could be used together with the markers!

I started my Tombow 100 project by cutting a camera-wielding lady from Cricut's Pack Your Bags (page 39, cut at 5") from flesh-colored paper and her dress from plain white paper.

I started by shading the white dress with Tombow Irojiten Color Dictionary colorpencils, color 'Sea Fog,' to give the garment some dimension and look like there was a body under it.  I used gamsol to blend it in.

I used the Tombow's Dual Brush Pens to create a border print on the dress.  I loved the fluidity of these markers!  Even on a tiny die cut, they really were fun to use!

As subtle as it is, I can really see the difference that putting down that layer of blended pencil makes, especially compared to the plain die cut!

Next, I worked on the character's skin.

I used color 'cork' for shadows and gamsol to blend again.

For her hair, I made two identical hair cuts, using the second to add layers and a chunk in the back.  I used the brown dual brush pen to add darker marks for a little texture in her hair and stray strands.

I decided that she would be photographing her paper husband and I liked the sunbather on Cricut's Pack Your Bags for this too.  (Page 60, cut at 7-3/4).  He is supposed to lying down, but I like him because it looks like he is posing when you stand him up!

I hand-cut a white shirt for him, colored with the Tombow dual brush pens.  I used shadowing for him just as on the female character, but I also added a little chest hair using the dual brush pens. Shadowing for the skin was done with color 'cork.'  Shadowing on the shirt was done with 'Sea Fog.'

I also added a little red ink, applied with a sponge to give him a touch of a sunburn. No worries, it doesn't bother him.  He still thinks he's a stud!

I wanted to make them at a frame-able size, so I cut a base at 5x7.  I added ripped layers, adhering with the Tombow Stamp Runner they sent me.  I added several layers of kraft paper, colored papers, and white paper to make it look like they were outside at the beach.

I stamped it on and also tried it as a roller.

OK- I will admit it.  I love my ATG so I had to make myself try this.  Can I just admit that I really loved it?  The roller application was just fine-- nice and small and would be much less cumbersome for someone like my daughter to use.  It was smooth and flawless to use, which is surprising because what drove me to an ATG in the first place is how troublesome some glue runners are.  What I really loved though, was the stamp application.  It sets on end and you just push down to get a nice, "stamp" of adhesive applied.    Perfect, easy, and permanent!  When this runs out, I will be refilling it!

I applied the characters with feet glued flush to the paper, but head and chest lifted with 1/8" dimensional foam dots.

I had so much fun making this project!  Thank you to Tombow for sending me a fun box of stuff to get my creative juices flowing!  It has been a while since I have made paper characters so it was a nice little mental vacation!  I like that the products allowed me to make die cuts unique!  The quality of the products was fantastic-- they were a dream to use!

Thank you for checking my blog post today!  You can also find me on Instagram, on Pinterest, and on Facebook.  Many of my previous projects are in my Project Gallery.

Lastly, in one of the emails I received from the folks at Tombow, they attached a press release with this info for anyone else who may be interested in taking part in Tombow 100:

"Bloggers who are interested in participating in the "100 Days of Tombow" movement should contact Barbara Pritchett, public relations coordinator, who will facilitate the provision of the "100 Days of Tombow" Starter Kit, containing Dual Brush Pens, Irojiten Color Pencils and the Stamp Runner Adhesive.  Every submission for the "100 Days of Tombow" blogging program will result in a $100.00 product donation to the Council for Arts Education."  And this contact info was provided:  Barbara Pritchett, EOS Marketing & Communications for American Tombow.  barbara@eosmarketing.com, 404-949-3778 (office).

Happy Crafting!

It's getting a little bit personal here!

Oh, this crazy, busy summer!  I finally got some time off and worked so hard on a project for an online class I took from Stacy at Big Picture Classes.  Honestly, I took it because I was afraid I would miss the emails and lessons from a daily-prompt-style phone photography class I took in July.  This class, however, was much more thought-provoking and really required time that I didn't have.  The class was called i.scrap and it was an Introspective that used 9 photos that referred to nine "I" statements (I know..., I am..., I went..., I believe..., well, you get the idea) along with journaling to capture a period of time.  I thought I wouldn't have time to finish my project until fall but then I got some unexpected time off and I immersed myself in it.  What I finished with was so personal, so true and honest, that I decided not to share it.  Can you even believe that scrapbooking can be so raw?!  The journaling I did surprised even me!

So... I don't have a project to share and I know it has been a long time since my last post.  I thought I would be upset about that, but I think I am still in the glow of loving the final, finished project so I am just basking in that! And I love that I made something that seems a little more than just decoration, something really meaningful to me.  Have you had that experience with papercrafting or memory-keeping?  It really is a first for me!  I used to journal all the time, but this is something different because those were intended only for my daughter and only to share in the unknown and far-away future!  This is something that is in my family room!  I got a taste of this around Christmas when I completed an assignment for Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas.  One day's prompt asked that we write a letter to our future selves.  Mine had me in tears.  I crafted a hidden pocket to keep it in that most people would look right on past but it would be there for me to find... or for someone who really cared about details and hidden treasures.

I wanted to share another workshop they are having at Big Picture Classes:  The Big Idea Festival.   No, I don't work for them and, no, I don't get a discount for mentioning them, but this is free and it promises to provide more personal, thought-provoking memory-keeping.  Since it is FREE, I feel very little guilt suggesting that you join me!


They promise 30 prompted lists to celebrate your childhood memories and daily doses of inspiration over the course of 10 days.  I have never participated in this before so I offer no personal guarantees, but it sounds like a creative and interesting start to a meaningful memory-keeping project!  Here's a link for more info: click here.  When you register, you can enter a refer-a-friend code.  This is mine:  C02EB594.  It will allow you a future 10% off on a class you pay for, if you decide to take other classes from them sometime down the line.  (I got 10% off of the i.scrap class I took because I had earlier entered a friend's code when I signed up for that Phone Photography class!)
And speaking of stuff to share to save money, I read about Groovebook on Sarah Hamer's blog and decided to try it myself.  It is a photo printing subscription service that prints from a smartphone.  They will print and ship 100 photos a month, for $2.99.  They are bound but are perforated for easy removal and have the date and time printed above them.  

You select which photos to upload and how many of each, up to 100 total.  I selected both 4x6 and 4x4 just to test it.  This is a 4x4 black-and-white from Instagram.  It is just printed with borders on the sides.

I tried it thinking I would just cancel after I got the first book if I didn't like the photos, but I'm keeping my subscription.  The paper is thinner than what I am used to, more like the weight of a glossy magazine cover, but I like the print quality, {cheap}price, and ease.  If you want to try it for free for the first month, I received this coupon in the back of my book... just sharing the love!

Unless I have a specific project in mind, I find that my phone photography pics stay digital.  I like this because I have real photos to share, keep, craft with, all without much expense or effort.  If you want more info about the service, click here. 
That's all I have in my crafty file for today.  So... what's on your creative agenda?