Friday, October 13, 2017

Spread Your Wings




Happy Friday friends!  A few months ago Marcy illustrated a beautiful design for her son’s school graduation called Monarchs and Milkweed.  It’s a gorgeous picture of the stages of a monarch butterfly as well as the milkweed they lay their eggs on.  I printed it up a few weeks ago intending on creating something special with it, but I wasn’t sure which direction I would go with it.  I printed it quite large and just couldn’t bring myself to cut it down at all, or after all the work of colouring to make it into a card that I’d have to give away :).  So, instead it turned into a larger piece, about 7 inches x 7 inches, that I could put on a small easel to display.  

Our printer was acting up on me, so, instead of the grey ink I wanted it to print in, it came out a more rust shade, but it seemed to work well with this neutral palette.  




I think the different stages of the monarchs and milkweed are so striking.  I coloured the image up with Copics, but came in and added some details and the background with Prismacolor Pencils.  



When it came to the black parts of the caterpillars and the butterflies I used a black glittery Spica pen to add in the details.  Not only does the black pop against the other neutral outlines, but it also adds a touch of sparkle.  I’m hopeless at capturing sparkle when photograping my creations, but you get the idea.  


Such a beautiful image that reminds me that transformation still happens, all the time, and that it takes some work to spread your wings and fly.  I hope that thought is a good encouragement to you today.  

Now...we’ve got a fabulous challenge going at Power Poppy in case you missed it called Mini and Mighty that you’ll want to check out HERE.  Enter and you could win a $50 Power Poppy Shopping Spree!

Also...hold onto your hats....NEXT WEEK starts our Happiest Holiday 2017 Release at Power Poppy and it’s going to WOW you.  Marcy’s in rare creative form and we’re really looking forward to sharing it all with you.  Sneak Peeks start October 15!  


Christine Okken
Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker


7 comments:

Ann said...

Lovely card and I'm sure the black spica touches are lovely in person. Spica pens give such a nice sparkle.

Patti Willey said...

Wow! Absolute Art! So beautiful! Looking forward to those Holiday sneak peeks too!

Conniecrafter said...

Cool image with all the stages and your coloring is just beautiful!

Helen said...

Love this design and your great rendition of it. tfs

Leslie Miller said...

Ohhh, that's beautiful, Christine, and it makes a lovely piece of home decor. I can just imagine it displayed under a lamp where the spica pen can catch the light. I do see it a little bit in your photo and it's such a nice touch!

CherylQuilts said...

Ooh, Christine, this is exquisite! What an amazing piece of artwork, and I definitely think this is perfect for your home on an easel or even in a frame. Your coloring is fabulous, and I love how you've added a soft background with the pencils. This is truly a beautiful image Marcy drew, and I love your thoughts about our transformation...may we always be in continual transformation more and more into the image of Christ. Beautiful post and encouraging, sweet friend! Hugs and love! xoxo

Unknown said...

Beautiful