Accents of White - CTMH Technique Blog Hop

 You may have arrived from visiting Katy Taylor, be starting here, or have just stumbled in! Welcome!! Follow the links to hop from blog to blog for techniques, tips, and artwork!

This month we are featuring Accents of White in our monthly Technique Blog Hop. The White Gel Pens are fabulous!! I did not use any kind of white pen before we started carrying these, but I know many others have been clamoring for them for years. Close To My Heart is so awesome about listening to our requests, but they also wanted to make sure to find a quality product and reasonable price point.

Z1513 White Gel Pens

Like I said, this is all new to me.  One place I found coloring tips was in THIS video from CTMH's Facebook Live workshops. All their videos (and my few) are now listed on a separate blog PAGE. Please let me know if you find any broken links. It REALLY helps to see coloring technique in a video.

I also checked for other videos but did not find too much. One person said there was not a general consensus about storage of white pens. I am storing mine horizontally because they fit in my old Marker Cubby. The only other thing I do is wipe the tip off before and/or after use. I have not had any issues.

WHAT I KNEW BEFORE this blog hop was that you can use them to lighten the part of an image that receives the most light (from the imaginary light source). First I tried this on the Bear's scarf, but it just looks like icicles to me (great technique, wrong application). On the Reindeer, I tried this on the hat. I don't think it looks "right" either but you get the idea. 

WHAT I LEARNED was that you can go over parts of an image...on the Reindeer, I went over the *s that were stamped in black to change them into white *s!  I also added white to the ties on the neckerchief, so they look more like loops. 

The best part about this technique is that you can use it to fix mistakes! I went outside of the lines a bit on the Panda's scarf but going over it with one of the white pens made it disappear!! (I stamped on White Daisy Cardstock.)

It's so nice that the pens come with all three sizes! It doesn't take long to realize that SIZE MATTERS.  On the Fox, I did faux stitching on the scarf. The smaller size on the middle stripe looked too small. I like the other, thicker lines. (I also tried accenting the eyes - apparently this is not a thing. 😄 Neither above nor below improved the look.)

You can also see the difference on the Penguin's scarf. Left:  The first pen was too big. Right:  This time the smaller pen worked much better. I also like the one \ added vs the V marks.

When I added dots to the pom poms, I thought if the large hat ball looked good using the 1.0 size, then the smaller side balls would work well with 0.5. Nope. The small dots are too hard to see IMO. Which is another tip:  START SMALL. You can always go over accent marks with a larger pen.

I thought adding extra lines to the Panda's collar made it look furrier.  I also filled in the holes for the strings so that they looked like...holes. 

I embellished my card using the Snowflake Loose Sequins. It was really nice to have the Quickie Glue and Pick-Up Tool!  You do need to be quick with the Quickie Glue! It was perfect for sequins but if you need more than a dot, it will dry before you get anything attached. The Pick-Up Tool is out of stock right now but coming back soon! You can find it on page 91 in the Core Catalog.

My card pattern is from the Hip Hip Hooray Workshop, a VIP exclusive! I colored the adorable critters from If Snowflakes Were Kisses images using the TriBlend Markers. 

Here are colors I used:

for Wisteria - Hydrangea Blend

for Glacier - Vintage Blue + Aqua Blue

for Mulberry - Antique Pink + Dusty Purple*

Muted Brown

Ice Grey Blend

*There is no official matching formula, yet, so I used the Swatch Chart to figure out the mix. Also, here's the Marker Color Chart link.

For more White Gel Pen ideas, check out the Wonderland Cardmaking Kit , (but check it out soon, they're almost gone!) Then join us for the Facebook Live event where I'm sure we'll hear even more about these.

Head over to see what Melissa Robinson has created. She also has the list of all this month's participants in case you get lost or find a broken link.

How do or will you use White Gel Pens? Please leave a comment below!!

PRODUCTS USED

  

Z4390 If Snowflakes Were Kisses

D2059 Stamp Set only, no dies

X7274B Wonderland Paper Pack

Z4319 Snowflake Loose Sequins

 

Z1512 Quickie Glue Pen 

TriBlend Markers