January 6, 2014 The impossible is possible

To say "I can't" is to make the possible impossible

Quote for the day:    "Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."
                                Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC); Chinese philosopher & reformer


        The post label, theme and quote are a part of what helps to make one great. That is not to say I am great but striving to be who I am. To be anything else would be a lie. Greatness is to be determined by others not myself. The fact that these posts are happening is a bit of trust in "If I say I can, then I can." I have looked around me and seen the beautiful work done by different crafts persons and feel awed and inspired. It is what drives the "I can" attitude. The need to inspire. The need to make others feel good about themselves and to try the impossible and make a difference. You may not be good at your effort but if you don't try you will never know. If you can, you can also improve.

        I got into coloring because my wife was making cards to send to our military, the terminally ill, shut ins and any other person(s) in need of support. Since I have always loved to draw and color it was the least I could do to contribute. It is a way to give back. You can check out  her blog at http://ribbonchallenged.blogspot.com/ . 

        Today I have decided to revisit some of the cards done from artwork colored by me in the past. They  have all been posted previously on Ribbon Challenged. It has been fun getting here but it is also important to remember the lessons learned. There are some different types of artwork that are enjoyable for me. The house mouse collection is one of them. They can be simple and/or complex. For me the challenge is how small some of the detail can be.         

E25, C3, E30, W1, C5, E99, W00, E07, E19, E0000, RV00, T2

        The above card was a fun card to do. Color choices were simple and extra shading was also very simple. There was some detail but nothing too complicated. It makes you want to go get a cup of nice warm chocolate on these cold winter days. Mmmm Good!
       

        (Sorry! Didn't write the colors used down for this image. It was one of the first done)

        This was one of the earliest House Mouse images I had done. It was fairly simple but some repair was needed with a fine black pen where the stamp did not complete the image dark enough. If you stamp you know what I mean. Annoying! Still fun though. COOOFFEEEE! Good wakeup serum!

        The next card is more challenging as you will see by the number of colors used. Remember, all of this is on a card that has a maximum long side of 4.5".

YG41-YG67 (Towel), C0 (Paper Frame & Shadow), BG72 (Wall), BG70 (Floor), E93 (Thumb Tacks), E31 - E43 - E30 - E000 - RV000 - T2 (Mice), T4 (Weight Bars), C2 (Cage), T4 - B28 - B34 (Weights), B18 (Large Letters), B59 - B18 - V28 - YR18 - Y24 - YG09 - R08 (Numbers)

        I broke this one down to illustrate the detail that went into the coloring of the image. This was not a 1 or 2 hour coloring job. Some images look deceivingly simple. If you allow yourself to be intimidated by an image you will miss the satisfaction of solving a puzzle. I love doing puzzles. The more pieces the better. I just do like you do with a puzzle, put the marker down, walk away and resume later. Every once in awhile there is an AAAAAAAAHHHH moment. Simple! Walk away! Resume later.

(Sorry! No colors recorded for this image either)

        If I remember correctly this image has close to if not more than 30 different marker colors in it. I know there are more than 25 since I blended some to get the desired colors. My better half says I am a brute for punishment. I Love The Details. After all the details are what make the image interesting. No details, BLAH image. Yawn image! Zzzzzzzzz! On the next post I will share some favorite but very difficult stamp images to color from Thomas Kincaid. Until then, HAVE FUN. ENJOY YOUR CRAFT.