A: There is beauty all around us, so I'm constantly just observing things - as a colorist, I'm always noticing shadows and highlights, contrasts and color... my designer brain never stops! Some of my favorite color combinations have come from piles of scrap paper on my messy desk and from my never-ending pile of laundry. Sometimes I find inspiration just by asking, "what if...?" and experimenting or pushing what I know about a technique or medium. When I hit a wall creatively, I'll stop and clean my desk and go and do something unrelated, or I'll scroll through Pinterest or watch watercolor tutorials until I feel pushed to create again.

A: Some uses may depend on the size of the design or the strength of the paper - if you decide not to keep your book intact, a framed sheet might be an option. Coloring pages can be used like decorative paper for wrapping small gifts, folding into boxes, or layers on handmade cards, especially pages with repeating patterns. If the area around the design is open, you could die cut tags with a portion of the design, leaving open space to stamp or write a greeting. If you want to keep your book together, an art journal might be a fun idea - try out techniques or add layers of paint or other mediums to enhance the designs, and add quotes or thoughts in the open spaces.

A: What a special project! For the heavier items, I would make some small holes in the backing where they won't show, loop wire around the items in some inconspicuous places, and thread it through the holes to the back. On the back side, twist the wire against the surface, and then pull the ends out and tight to secure them for framing.

A: Yes, I have. The issue is with compatibility between the inks together and with the surface of the vellum. A dye ink is best with alcohol inks, and dye inks tend not to set well on the smooth surface of a vellum sheet. I'd usually use a permanent ink on vellum, and those are not compatible with alcohol inks. I would either choose an ink that can be heat embossed then color carefully in the open spaces, or stamp in a permanent ink and do my coloring on the back side of the paper.

A: I start by creating a horizontal line just above the base of the image, about where the back side of the base would be touching the ground. If it's a person, the line is at the heel or above. The higher the line is placed, the deeper the surface will seem to be (a higher line appears to be further back from the image). Make the line as wide as the image. Shade down from the line, getting narrow as you go down, and rounding the bottom edge of the shadow. Above the line, round the shadow just slightly (a straight, hard shadow line can look like a dropoff) or add blades of grass for an outdoor scene. Where the image is resting on the ground, the shadows will be darker, so add more shading closest to the base or around/between the feet of the image.