your process for selecting product for a project?

[scrapperbug2002]

What do you do first? Do you color your image and then pick paper to go with it, or do you pick your paper and then color your image to match teh paper?

How does a card come together fo you?

Just curious!

[ineedthat]

I usually pick an image, then paper to go with it. Then, I make my colors and embellishments, etc. match the paper(s).

[NikiE]

I always choose an image and papers to go with it. Then, I color the image with colors that coordinate with the papers.

[monkeymama]

I don't always use DP, but when I do I color the image to match the papers. If I know I'll be going somewhere where I'll have to wait, I will take images to color. I try to have a "plan" for them so I can choose colors accordingly.

[cjbapp]

Same as the other girls...I pick a theme and colors and then color my image to match perfectly.

Only if I am in a coloring mood do I occasionally color something and then put the card together, but this is maybe one out of 40 or so.

[tiffguam]

I color first! It helps me keep coordinate and balance everything!

[tchk]

I always color the image first. It is the focal point so I build everything else around it.

[smitty2004]

i find my image, my papers, color it, then my embellishments!

[Cook22]

I'd say 90% of the time I choose the papers and then colour the image. I do have some images that I stamped and coloured sitting in a box, but I find them much harder to work with - so I've given up doing it.
On the other hand, the card I made yesterday started entirely from wanting to use some purple Primas I was sent last week, which is why I've left 10% headroom for starting somewhere other than with papers.

[ldsk34]

I always start out with my image. This tells me "what size" card I will need. Then the next step is usually with someone's help, sketch challenge, color challenge, inspiration challenge then I go from there.

[craftjunkiesc]

I almost always choose my image first and, depending on the purpose of the card (holiday, birthday, sympathy, general purpose, etc) I determine what colors to color/stamp the image and for the papers/cardstock to use.
That is unless I've got a particular dp I want to use. Then I choose the image/colors according to the dp.

[buttons2]

In a few cards, I'll start with an embellishment I may have in small quantity and want to "get rid of them". Otherwise, I'll start with a card I've seen in a gallery and go from there.

Wanda

[Rebecca Ednie]

I don't consistently do either! If I colour an image first and my paper doesn't match I might switch papers or distress/sponge the paper until it matches better or colour it with Copics like colouring from white to ivory or to another pale colour. Or of course go with a neutral and jazz it up with background stamps in the same tone or dry emboss. Or I can always make my own DP! Most often I try to colour an image so it can go with almost any paper, for instance, a brown Teddy bear goes with almost any pastel or brown toned paper if you mat it with coordinating CS. A lot of florals go with multiple papers. I have a big enough stash that I always figure out something! Sometimes I do pick my Copics based on the paper though. Especially with pinks. All of the above is for Copics. With watercolours, I always match my colours to my DP first.

[arlenevita]

I tend to color the image first 50-60% of the time.

[Colleen Schaan]

I do both...

Sometimes I just feel like coloring, so I stamp up a bunch of images and color away! (Makes me happy)... then I try later to match DP or cardstock to the images.

And sometimes (especially if I have a specific reason to make a card - birthday or something) then I will pick the image, pick the colors and paper, and then color it.

Both ways work for me... for different reasons.

[Barbarar20]

I do both, depending on the card. If it's a challenge using specific colors, I'll choose the paper first. If it a sketch challenge, I'll choose the image first. Sometimes, if it's for a specific theme or occasion, I might do either. For inspiration or featured stamper challenges, I go with what sparks an idea which could, also, be either image or paper. Have to be flexible, I guess.

[Freebird_Stamper]

I like to color so a lot of times I will color a bunch of images and then file them away. When I am ready to make a card I pull out a colored image and then match everything to that.

[highlandsstamper]

I pick my image, then the DSP, then color the image to match the DSP.

[Miss Boo]

I love coloring. Some days I'll just color images instead of making a card. It's relaxing. So, most of the time I choose the papers to match the image.

[Phantom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tchk

I always color the image first. It is the focal point so I build everything else around it.

Same here. I color the image first. Everything else flows from that.

[jeanne3579]

I always start with the image as I do my cards for the month by theme--design, timepieces, daisies, horses etc. Sometimes I use a single image for each card (i.e. a weed patch) varying the colors, sketch etc. I choose the card stock, ink and embellishment colors to go with the type of card and technique in mind. I do very little coloring as I like to stamp my images in color, but if I do, I color last making everything coordinate.

[InkyFairy]

My cards are mostly "triggered" by the paper or embellishment I am dying to use! I then pick a stamp that I think fits the look I'm going for and then I color it to compliment everything else - of course sometimes, once my image is colored I might go back and make some changes, but generally that's how I do it!

[ink|outside|the|box]

Hmm... I mostly start by making some background paper using a technique I want to try. I sometimes will make a bunch alcohol ink smoosh backgrounds and then use when I need them. Or I decide on my theme first based on who the card is for and see what I can come up with that goes with that theme - so I look over my stamps, emblishments, inking materials or even other things around that would work. Another way it sometimes goes is I want to try a new product or stamp that bought!

So I guess I choose a technique or theme or a new goodie and see where that takes me... ;)

[stampindoll]

I also pick my image, then color it to work with the paper and/or embellishments. But this, like so many other things in a creative life, is not carved in stone.