Card Making with the Flippin' Awesome Penguin Stamp | Sheena Spotlight

Stamp the Penguin
Position the main penguin slightly off-centre and towards the lower part of the cardstock. This leaves space around the character for the background details and gives the overall design a more balanced composition. Ink the stamp thoroughly with black ink and use a stamping platform to create a crisp impression. For the two colour variations, stamp the design twice so both backgrounds can be prepared in the same way.

Add a Soft Stencilled Background
Stamp the penguin onto copy paper, cut around the image and use repositionable adhesive to create a simple mask. Place the mask over the stamped penguin before using the poinsettia stencil.

Use a soft, neutral grey-green or blue-grey ink rather than a strong colour so the background doesn't compete with the main image. Apply the stencil lightly and selectively rather than covering the whole panel. Pick out individual swirls, flowers and foliage, varying their placement around the penguin and leaving some areas blank. The aim is to create a subtle 'shadow stencilling' effect that adds interest without becoming too busy. Remove the mask and add your chosen sentiment, followed by the small decorative flourish from the stamp set in the corners.

Create a Muted Colour Palette
The Cosmic Shimmer inks are naturally bright and vibrant, but a small amount of Charcoal Black quickly transforms them into softer, more muted tones. Mix Mediterranean Blue or Tuscan Teal with black for deeper denim and teal shades. Firecracker Red becomes a rich rusty red, while French Mustard is already naturally softer and needs very little adjustment. For shading the penguin's white areas, mix black with a small amount of Dark Walnut and plenty of water. This creates a warmer grey than using black alone and works particularly well with the Scandinavian-inspired palette.

Colour the Penguin
Begin with the lightest shading around the edges of the penguin's white tummy and face. Keep the mixture extremely diluted, using only enough colour to create gentle dimension. Once dry, paint the black areas of the flippers, feet and face. Use stronger black in the shadows and soften it with water towards the highlighted areas. The shading already built into the stamped artwork provides a useful guide for where the darker colour should sit. Move on to the clothing, using the muted blues and teals for the coat and the rusty red for the hat and other details. French Mustard adds a softer yellow accent without introducing another overly bright colour. Keeping the overall palette limited helps all the colours work together and gives the finished card a more coordinated look.

Ground the Character
A simple line beneath the penguin stops him from appearing to float on the page. Use a waterproof fine liner to sketch a loose snowy ground line, then add a little diluted blue-grey shading directly beneath his feet. This creates a subtle shadow and gives the character somewhere to stand.

Bring Back the White Details
Once everything is dry, use a white gel pen to restore small snowflake dots and decorative details that may have been covered during colouring. You can also add a few fine white marks to the fur trim. If the first layer dries slightly translucent, simply add another layer once dry for a brighter white finish. For a little festive sparkle, finish selected areas with glitter.

Turn the Same Colours into Pastels
There's no need to mix a completely new palette for the second card. Simply return to the muted colours already on your palette and add considerably more water. The same inks become soft pastel versions of themselves, giving you an entirely different look while keeping the colours beautifully coordinated. It's also a useful way to make the most of the ink already mixed on your palette – particularly when creating several Christmas cards at once.

Finish by layering the panel onto coordinating cardstock. You can even use one of the same inks around the edge of plain card to create a perfectly matched mat before assembling the finished card.