Saturated Canary Butterfly Princess

Good Sunday morning to you all! What beautiful weather we have been having down here in the Houston area.  It's been cool and crisp in the mornings and after the sun sets and warm enough for short sleeves during the day... that's pretty close to perfect in my book!

We're getting ready for Thanksgiving this weekend as my son has to return go back offshore Wednesday morning and he's responsible for frying the turkeys! Poor guy... with his 7 on, 7 off schedule, it seems he manages to miss most of the holidays so his family has learned to adapt by celebrating whenever he's home rather than on the actual holidays.

I don't eat much in the way of fried foods but I LOVE me some deep fried turkey!! I have no idea who discovered that method of cooking the big birds but if I could meet him or her, they'd get a big hug from me! It's a southern delicacy (even though Texas isn't considered a southern state) and if you have never tried it, you don't know what you're missing. I even saw Deep Fried Turkey Breast by Butterball in the deli at Walmart the other day. It's not quite as good as home cooked but I tried it and it's the next best thing. The only problem with it is that when you put it on a sandwich with mustard and mayo, lettuce and tomato, you lose some of the delicate flavor that differentiates it from the regular roasted variety.

Anyway, enough about turkey. Today, I have a card for you that I made with one of my favorite Saturated Canary images, Butterfly Princess. I just love coloring her hair and her gown. I have colored her 3 different ways but this is the first time I have actually made a card with her.

Of course, her hair HAD to be red! Hee hee! I am often asked how I achieve the rich color tones on my red haired images so I'm going to list the colors I use. I do vary some depending on the shade of red I want, whether it's more coppery or more auburn but the basics are the same each time. I start with Buttercup Yellow (Y21) and, using short strokes, place it where I want the lightest highlights. Next, I use Acid Yellow (Y08) on the outer edges of the Buttercup Yellow just to begin blending the different colors. Next comes Golden Yellow (Y17) and Honey (Y38) working and blending toward the areas where I want the darker tones. Next comes Orange (YR68) bringing in the coppery tone and finally I use Brown (E08) for the darkest areas around the hair part, in the recessed curves of the waves or curls and also in the area that shows behind/beside the neck.  If I want a more Auburn tone, I add Lipstick Red (R29 or R37) and Cardinal (R59). I even use a little Dark Brown (E49) occasionally to add extra depth. Yes, I use a layer a lot of different colors to the point on the darker reds that my paper becomes completely saturated. Where the ink is heaviest, the paper glistens and looks wet (it actually isn't) which gives the hair a more realistic shine. It might take a little practice if you're not accustomed to using so much ink and so many different colors together but once you get the hang of it, you might want to try the same technique with other hair colors.

So now that my secret is divulged, I hope you'll give this technique a try. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  That's all for today. Again, if you're in the U.S., have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and if not, have a great week! I'll be back Tuesday with a Kenny K card for the new challenge at Tip Top Tuesday. Kenny is sponsoring the challenge and therefore the prize will probably be some free digis for the lucky winner!

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

The Outlawz - 11/14 Wednesday Sketch Challenge 

Until next time...

Happy crafting!
Anniebee