New Illustration and New Video with Crafty Meraki and OLO Markers!

Hi there! I’m super excited today to share this new project with you using OLO markers and a brand new illustration that I created for the Crafty Meraki 2nd Birthday Celebration: New Beginnings! I was so honored when Bindu from Crafty Meraki asked me to create a special illustration for the birthday celebration incorporating a butterfly, which was something new for me!

Here’s a video of how I created this colorful and crisp project:

Watch the video in HD on YouTube HERE.

I began by stamping the image from New Beginnings using Hero Arts Contour Ink on some Hammermill cardstock. (I had a tiny bit of black ink residue on the stamp from a previous stamping session, so the no line coloring ink ended up being a bit darker than normal, but it showed up on a video a little better that way, so I didn’t mind! Normally, the Contour ink is much more subtle.) I then used OLO markers to add lots of color to the images, keeping things vivid and intense with lots of beautiful purples, watermelon pink, and jade green. I added a few black accents using a Micron pen, making sure to add the black accents in multiple spots to keep things cohesive and consistent. Once I had finished coloring the image, I used sharp scissors to cut it out, but you could use the coordinating dies.

For the background, I die cut a stitched frame using the Frame-Worthy Slimline Die set from Crafty Meraki using some more white cardstock. The cardstock didn’t run the full length of the die, but that was not a problem because the bottom of the frame was going to be covered by the floral spray! I stamped a greeting from New Beginnings using black pigment ink, then covered it with clear embossing powder and heat embossed it, then fussy cut the sentiment with my sharp scissors.

Once I had completed all of the components, I popped them up on a slimline card base (3.5″x8.5″) using foam tape. I added a few Melanite Magic gems from Trinity stamps to add some extra sparkle. The iridescence on the gems picks up the pinks, purples, and greens from the coloring beautifully!

Well, that’s all for my project today! Head over to my Instagram to check out the Instagram Hop celebrating the 2nd Meraki-versary! The entire new release at Crafty Meraki is absolutely gorgeous (check it out HERE), so I hope you’ll check it out. So many beautiful new products!

And if you’re interested in the OLO Markers, you can check them out HERE. They’re marvelous tools to have in your craft room. You can also check out my color swatches HERE to see the full color range.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!