Colouring Merry Mischief with Stampin’ Blends

This week’s Live was a little different because I didn’t make a card. Instead, I settled in for a full colouring session with the very cute Stampin Up Merry Mischief Bundle

These gnomes are much larger than they appear on the stamp case, which was a lovely surprise. The open images give you plenty of room to play with your Stampin’ Blends, add shading and create lots of little details without the colouring becoming too difficult.

I coloured three of the gnome images during the class, including the one holding the giant cookie. Yes, it is definitely a cookie and not a pizza! It pairs with the sweet Christmas sentiment included in the set.

My Stampin Up Merry Mischief Colour Combination

I chose four main Stampin’ Blends colours:

Pumpkin Pie
Melon Mambo
Granny Apple Green
Hydrangea Hue

Pink and orange are always great together, while Granny Apple Green brings in a fun Christmas feel. Hydrangea Hue rounded out the palette beautifully and gave me something a little different from the blues I have used recently.

I also used Secret Sea for the boots and smaller details, Light Smoky Slate for shading the white areas, a Colour Lifter, Crumb Cake for the cookie and a Light (SU700) Stampin’ Blend for the skin.

The images were stamped in Secret Sea ink rather than black. It still gives a strong outline, but I really like the slightly softer look it creates.

Creating Shadows and Highlights

Before colouring each image, I decided which direction the light would be coming from. This helped me work out where to place the darker colour on the noses, hats, clothing and accessories.

I generally started with the Dark Stampin’ Blend, added the Light Blend and then worked back over the join using small circular movements. Once the ink had settled, I added another small amount of the dark colour where more depth was needed.

Don’t panic if the colouring looks patchy while it is wet. Stampin’ Blends often look quite different as they dry, so give the ink a moment before deciding whether it needs another layer.

For the white beards, hat trims and pom-poms, I added very light flicks of Smoky Slate in the shadow areas. I then worked over those marks with the Colour Lifter to soften and fade them. This keeps the areas looking white while still giving them some shape.

Adding Texture and Dimension

The circular colouring motion was also useful for creating texture on the cookie. By leaving a few small gaps and allowing some areas to receive a second layer of ink, the surface looked more like a baked cookie rather than one flat block of colour.

I added extra shading beneath the raised edge of the cookie and underneath each chocolate chip. Such a small detail made the cookie look much more dimensional.

A white gel pen was the finishing touch. I added curved highlights to the gnomes’ noses, small highlights to shiny details and random white dots to create a fun patterned effect. Keep the pen upright when adding dots and allow the ink to dry before touching it, as it can smudge.

And if your marker slips, don’t worry. The Colour Lifter can remove some of the ink, while a white gel pen is very handy for restoring a small white area.

The coordinating Merry Mischief Dies cut around the main stamped images and also include a mushroom to build, gift accessories, bells and other playful pieces. With these brightly coloured gnomes ready to go, I now have lots of possibilities for Christmas cards, gift tags, fun folds and interactive projects. These guys in particular will be used for my Merry Mischief Stamp Camp