Always & Forever~

Inside: The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

Seems like it has been a while since the last Thomas Kinkade release but it's finally here and this image is being released on Friday, May 16th. Hometown Pride, and the coordinating sentiment, Land of the Free are available at Cornish Heritage Farms.

Small town America is captured so elegantly in the image. I can imagine wide streets with tree canopies extending all the way across the street, sipping sweet tea on the porch watching the 4th of July parade from the comfort of a nice comfy chair. While I can imagine it, it's nothing like the residential area I live in or grew up in.....but I can sure see myself there.

This image was colored in with chalks and highlighted with Souffle pens and a white gel pen. I finally found the technique that works for me when it comes coloring in these images. It's surprisingly quick and easy. Tip: use flat paintbrushes, in assorted sizes, to apply the chalks. It's much more precise than some of the tools that come packaged with chalks. I sealed the chalks with a matte sealer to prevent smudging when it was finished.

When I work with these images I like to keep the card base simple so the image is truly the focal point and isn't competing with patterns or an abundance of embellishments; here a simple striped ribbon (May Arts) and silver brads are the only embellishment. I kept the Prism paper (Baby Blue Light) unadorned. The image is matted on Blush Red Dark in keeping with the patriotic theme. The Always & Forever sentiment is part of Mona Lisa Moments Script Essentials by CHF.

ETA: I uploaded a second picture that shows the supplies used to stamp and color this image in.

ETA again: A few asked questions in their comments, so I will try and answer them here.
The image was stamped in the Versafine ink and let dry. The chalks were used to color in the image, referring to the stamp decal for the colors. After the chalks were applied, the white gel pen (Ranger Inksentials) and Souffle pens were used to add highlights and opaque color. It is not colored in as one would do popping pastels, it's more as if I was painting, but using the chalk medium and applying it dry. Clean the brushes between color applications by wiping on a dry paper towel. As far as time goes, the image itself was done in less than 30 minutes.

V.~