Whimsy Advent Event Here! Prize available! Plus: Copic Tip

Happy Sunday! I am so glad you stopped by today, because today is Day 20 of the December Advent Event over at Whimsy Stamps! Every day until the 24th, Whimsy is offering up a prize to someone who leaves a comment on the DT member's post who is hosting the contest for that day. Today, that hostess with the mostess is me (even though I'm not really a member of the DT)! So leave a comment here to be eligible for the daily prize giveaway which is the stamp I chose to use on my card today, "Very Present Helpers".
I will choose a random winner on Monday Dec 21, so check back here to see if you're the lucky one!

COPIC TIP: BLENDING FROM VERY DARK TO VERY LIGHT COLORS:

I stamped "Very Present Helpers" with Tsukeneko Tuxedo Black onto Gina K's Pure Luxury cardstock. Now, I love the markings of a Siamese cat, and it was a cinch to do with Copic markers.
I colored the cat's whitish areas using a combination of R000, E0000, YR00 and E30. Then I used some warm greys on the ears and paws: W1, 3, 5 and 7. At first the lines of demarcation between the light and dark fur was very distinct.
So, to get a really soft blend of the warm grey into the off-white fur, I gently brushed the tip of one of the light colors I was using for the whitish areas (R000) onto the tip of the grey (W3). My daughter saw this and she shrieked, "You just ruined your marker!" Ah, but no, darling daughter, I said. ! Not with Copics! You can do that and not worry, because as soon as you start to color with it, the dark color comes off the tip of the light marker! In fact it cleans off completely, leaving no stain! And that is why it is a perfect method for blending from a very light to a very dark color!
So once I had some grey on the tip of R000, I made tiny sweeping brush strokes starting in the grey area and working my way towards the line where the two colors met. I had to touch R000 to W3 several times per paw, and kept making brush strokes until I was happy with how it looked. Here is a close-up:



Perhaps the in the new year, I will have the time to do up a video showing this fun technique. I would like to try!
Here are the rest of the colors I used on this image:

gift: B66, 69 with silver stickles
bow: R81, 83 and blender pen for highlights
R21 inside the kitties ears and on the paw pads
Background: C0, 1, 2, 3 4, RV00, 10, 91, BV20, 45

I made the pink and white candy canes with Sculpey clay. I am happy as can be with modeling clay in my hands. It is fun stuff!
I thank Niki Estes for inspiring me to use ribbon on the corners like that! And I thank Deb (88 keys) from SCS for the ribbon, which she gave me a loooong time ago.
I hope to chat with you soon! Thanks for coming by, and God bless you!