Lovin' Letraset!

It's Saturday- my favorite day of the week (even though I begin to miss my Simon family!)! Hello and thanks for stopping by today!


Today I'm going to be sharing a more in depth look on our newest members to Simon Says Stamp: Letraset ProMarkers! ProMarkers are twin-tipped, with a fine bullet nib for detailing and a wider, chisel shaped nib for coloring in larger areas. The chisel nib can also provide a further variety of line widths depending on which side is used.

Their ink is non-toxic, and alcohol based. When an ink is alcohol based, it can be considered permanent. This means that you can use these ProMarkers on any surface- glass, acetate, plastic, ceramic, wood, metal, etc! I love how in the ribbon picture above, ordinary white ribbon was transformed into the exact shade you need! The gems also took the ink wonderfully, making them able to match perfectly with colors your using in your project!

Something that you could kind of notice on the ribbon was the way you can blend the depth of colors. ProMarkers are known for their excellent and different blending techniques. The first example showcases their translucent quality- great for layering and blending! Going over the same spot repeatedly gives you a darker tone, useful for adding depth and shade. The second and third give examples of combining colors. If you combine the colors while they are still wet, you can create different colors and it will create a softer effect. Combining once the inks have dried will give a distinct and sharp area of different colors. A special ProMarker named the Blender Marker is sold separately to help specifically blend areas seamlessly if you don't want to play around with the drying times.

This is an example of a ProMarker Blending Chart for JUST the Blue Hues! Letraset's website has a downloadable version you can use: just click here! to go straight to it to begin using now!
Letraset ProMarkers work best on this Letraset Bleedproof Paper. The paper is lightweight, but specially formulated to prevent the markers from bleeding. Besides that, the paper is bright, bright white and smooth to give your markers the best quality finished result!

Thanks for reading all the details about the ProMarkers! Now it's time for some fun! I just love this tutorial by Jill Czajkowski on Letraset's website. Jill is a talented and experienced illustrator- but breaks down this cute project so anyone can do it!

You start with an image stamped with an ink that will not smudge! In this image, she used Almond O819. Jill recommends selecting your dark and light tones first, and then laying them out in front of you from 1st marker used to last marker used.

Jill used Sandstone O928 to shade in where shadows would be on the raccoon. Then, going back to the lighter shade O819, she used thick broad strokes to soften the dark, hard edge. She suggests always trying to use the lighter color ON the darker one.
Always being conscious of her "light source", Jill is going to now add gray into the mix. Using Gray CG06, she's doing the same type of technique used with the darker beige. After the gray is added in, she then goes back to the lighter Almond O819 to blend in the harder lines.

The laying continues and you're finished! Don't be afraid to layer your warmer, neutral colors back over your darker colors. This will warm your form and your lights/shadows will blend together more smoothly. By layering, you are able to apply layers of color that work with one another to create a form with much more depth and life. Use broad, quick strokes for a painterly effect!

Thanks for reading & have a safe rest of your weekend!
-Michelle

Pin It
SUBSCRIBE TO: This Blog | Our Newsletter
WE'RE SOCIAL: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Google+
TAKE THE CHALLENGE: Simon Says Stamp Challenge! | Vintage Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge