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Pre-Colored Images for Easy Cards

December 20, 2019 12 Comments

Hey crafty friends, it's Amanda from Pear Blossom Press again. Have you played with the new Mine Workers set yet? I stamped out all seven of these cuties several times and colored them one night while I was binge watching TV. Then, I cut them out with my ScanNCut to have them ready for cards.

Do you color images in advance, or as you need them? I really like coloring separately from actual cardmaking. It is a different creative process for me. I find it relaxing and it gives me something to do in my down time. It's also easy to take coloring supplies on the road when I travel. Especially, if I pre-stamp my images and then just take a clipboard, markers, colored pencils, and a sharpener. Plus, I don't have to worry about taking all of the tools needed to create a complete card; just coloring essentials.

I have moved all of my Copic markers to a craft tote with dividers (I added plastic cups to be additional dividers). I don't sort my colors by specific number, I sort by color families; it's easy to find and replace the markers that way. I can stack my pencils and clipboard on top of the tote and carry it to the couch, the car, or even an airplane. There are probably fancier solutions, but this is working nicely for me now.

With my cute little Mine Workers all colored and cut out, I have half of the work already done when I sit down to make cards. For this card, I opted to only use one character and layer him up on a die cut gem, with a sentiment underneath to ground him. The grouping seemed a little small, so I put it on a blue banner* and layered it onto pattern paper to fill up more of the negative space. A few flat-backed gems finished the card off. And it only took a few minutes to complete since I started with a pre-cut and colored image.

I love the way this birthday card turned out. You could easily swap out the character and sentiment to suit any stamp set with a smaller focal image. It's a great template, and I'm filing it under 'quick & easy.'

For more inspiration with this set, you might like this article. You can also find the sister post to this on my blog today. Head on over for more great ideas and to find links to the specific products I used.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back soon with another fun card featuring the new Mine Workers stamp set.

*Here's a quick tip to create perfect fishtail banner ends. Cut a rectangle to the size you want your banner to be, then use a square die, turned sideways, to cut the tail. You can do this with virtually any size rectangle, as long as you have a large enough die.

12 Responses

Amanda Stevens

December 29, 2019

Thanks Gab! The clipboard is from one of Kathy Racoosin’s coloring classes. She gives them to us and they have her top 10 coloring tips silk-screened on. She has them available for sale now too.

Ashley, I have had the SNC eat some of my images, it makes me cry, but it’s very rare so I usually risk it and color first. If you prefer to cut first, you can use a piece of masking tape to hold your images while you color. Sometimes, it’s hard to hold the little pieces.

KC, you’re right! You might want to try empty toilet paper tubes to sort if cups are too big for your container.

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Gab

December 20, 2019

I love your clipboard! I want to get one too! I love to colour while I’m travelling and I too use my Scan n Cut to cut them out when I get home!

Ashley Benoit

December 20, 2019

You are my hero for this tip on making the fish tails. I love the look but struggle to make them even and good looking. I have even considered buying an expensive punch that does that job.
Do you always colour your images before cutting them with the scan n cut? I have heard horror stories of people spending alot of time colouring images and then having their images damaged when they cut them. What do you do to prevent this?

KC Wong

December 20, 2019

Love your idea with your markers! I just bought a bunch of alcohol markers and have them in box, standing up (the stand I had bought earlier doesn’t fit the new pens). But they keep falling over as I pick colors, and the pens like to “mingle” too. The cups are a great idea! Or maybe just heavyweight cardstock tubes could work and be a bit festive. Thanks for the inspiration! I also love to precolor and have them ready for my next “creative frenzy”.

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