Blog: Using the Alfresco Kits with Lisa Spangler

Hi, all! I'm here today with a simple but cool technique using that good old favorite: colored pencils! As soon as I saw this Daisy stamp set by Jasmine Jones, I just HAD to try this technique—it's like they were made for each other.

Here's the whole technique in a nutshell: stamp with white pigment ink on kraft paper and then color over the stamp with colored pencils. Yep, that's it! It's a great way to get a different look from your stamps.

I'll walk you through it so you can see my process.

Start by stamping with white pigment ink on kraft. It doesn't matter if your images don't come out perfectly since we'll just be using them as a guide.

Add colored pencils right over top. Use a white colored pencil to add highlights. I like to use rich, vibrant colors for these so that they really pop, but you can use softer colors for a more muted look. I made bolder lines on the edges of the petals using firm pressure. Then to add shading, I hardly used any pressure and then blended it with the white colored pencil. You can alternate back and forth between the white and non-white pencils until you get it how you like it.

For the last step, I first stamped the flower centers in white pigment ink and then overstamped them with yellow. Then I added colored pencils for more detail. I added a bit of sepia to one edge of the center to really make it stand out.

And that was that!