Bunny Twila

I was not aware of the stamp company C. C. Designs until Amy from Vanilla Arts used her in Copic Club at Remember When? Scrapbooking in Macomb Township, MI.

We colored two identical images which isn't something we normally do in class. The reason for this is that getting a good blend on complexions is best done wet into wet. Typically in class, we color something, wait and watch Amy, then go onto the next step. The second time we colored Twila's face we worked without pause. The differences aren't as noticeable in this photo as they are in person. The image on the left is okay but the one on the right has a much nicer complexion.

I can't say enough good things about taking classes. The stamp is the little girl by herself. The circle behind her was Amy's addition. Would I use that all the time? No, but what about a card that needs a little something more than just this cute girl on it? Drawing the circle and coloring it is much easier for most of us than fussy cutting the girl to adhere onto colored paper. That white line around Twila is another thing I wouldn't have thought to do on my own. Not only did we learn how to do this (what material to use) but how this can be helpful and where it became a popular art form.

Many Copic technique classes teach three consecutive colors in their blends. That is fine in some things but if you want more realism, learning how to shade with a base coat of a color that isn't simply a darker shade than your object is important. The bunny pajamas (costume?) have texture thanks to a very simple technique. Much of what I learn in Copic classes carry over into other mediums that I enjoy. If it isn't a technique itself, it is how I look at things. The world is full of color and texture that we take for granted in a rush to get through our day. When you stop and really look at things, the detail is amazing.

Most of us tend to look at the same product lines over and over, be it stamps, authors we like to read, or clothes we like to wear. Beyond some of the techniques we used in this project that had nothing to do with this specific image, I never would have seen Roberta's Rascals (Twila is one of them) in the C. C. Designs line.

I have favorite stamp companies but am not limited to buying only them. Could I have lived a happy life without the above image? Sure, but I think Twila with a few changes in complexion, hair and eye color is going to be a cute likeness to my granddaughter. I've already made a list of stamps for Shannon, the owner of Remember When? Scrapbooking, to order for me. Twila and Henry (from the same product line) can represent my grandchildren in things I make for them.