I just love the new Stampin’ Blends markers from Stampin’ Up! I coloured this bird, from the Best Birds stamp set,  using the markers. They colour beautifully and blend together for shading and depth of colours.

Learn more about the Blends here. 

See how I coloured the bird below and all the products I used below.

I  think this would make a great masculine birthday card.  Or you could change the saying and make it a “thank you” or a “thinking of you” card and perhaps even a “sympathy” card.

I like the sparkle embossing folder on this card as it kind of reminded me of bird tracks.  To get this look, I first attached the two panels (the Cherry Cobbler and the Basic Gray).  They are both 4″ x 2 1/2″. And then I ran the front of the card through the Big Shot.  This works best when the card is prepared as an 11 x 4 1/4″ size and then scored and folded at 5 1/2″.

This is how I coloured the bird:

1. First, I stamped the image with Memento Black ink.
2. Then I used the light Cherry Cobbler Blends marker to colour the bird’s breast.
3. I used the colour lifter to blend out the Cherry Cobbler near the bird’s tail.
4. The Dark Cherry Cobbler Blends marker was used to add some darker highlights near the bird’s belly.
5. I blended out the dark and light colours together using the light Cherry Cobble Blends marker.
6. I coloured the bird’s head with the light Smoky Slate Blends marker
7. Then I added some highlights on the wings, head and tail with the dark Smoky Slate Blends marker.
8.  Use the light Crumb Cake Blends marker to blend the Smoky Slate and the Cherry line and to add some “brownish” colour to the bird.
9. I used the dark Daffodil Delight Blends marker to colour the beak and feat.
10. The light Smoky Slate Blends marker was used to colour a little batch of ground under the bird.
11. Finally, I used the Colour Lifter Blends to blend out the ground patch.
12. And the last touch was to add Wink of Stella to the Bird’s breast. It doesn’t show in the photo, but it is an elegant and subtle shimmer and still fine on a man’s card  ; ).

See all of the Stampin’ Up! colours and the Blends I used below and click on any of the images to shop online.