Back to the ALTENEW Inspiration Challenge!

Hi all!

Life has been SO very busy these last 6 months, so I haven't participated in any challenges outside of my Instagram hops lately. Well...that's about to change! My studio is in check...finally...my dad is in a place that he is safe and well cared for, and unfortunately our journey with our God-daughter under our roof is quickly coming to an end. It looks like I will have a lot of free time to create this spring!

While working on the current Create 3 Ways Instagram hop, I opted to use Altenew's Acrylic Marker sets 1 & 2 for my technique. I love these markers, they are bright, cover incredibly well and are just fun to use! For one of the cards, I decided to follow Altenew's April Inspiration Challenge colors.

This image is from Altenew's Color-by-Number set. The images are all of beautiful florals, and the numbers coordinate with the Acrylic Marker numbers...if you've ever done paint by numbers, you know how amazing it is to have markers to paint with instead of those little pots! I used this same image for a Guest Designer spot I did with them in July '24 following the colors they prompted. This time, I opted to change the colors to match the challenge.

When creating with paint-by-numbers, I tend to use the color layout as my starting point then add my own creative license. For this magnolia blossom, the colors are layered much how I would do alcohol markers. Lots of feathering of the different colors to achieve the look I want.

After finishing the blossom and leaves, it left the background. The soft buttercup color doesn't compete with the image, keeping it front and center. Added gold splatters from the Metallic Watercolor Pan give it just a bit of shine, the new Shimmer Pastes would be a great alternative to the watercolor pan if you have those instead, just water down a small amount to get the right consistency. Finally, an added sentiment from the Craft Your Life Arched Foliage set and some of the Satin Gold Pearl dots round out this card.

Have you tried out the Acrylic Markers yet? Let me know in the comments what you think of them!

Thank you so much for visiting with me, have a colorful day!