Hi everyone, today I want to share a few helpful tips that make my coloring experience easier! We’ll be working with September’s new release stamp called Simply Sunflowers designed by Angie Blom! This is a GORGEOUS background stamp that’s perfect for coloring! And it’s ideal for fall cards!
Since it’s September, the month where fall weather hits, I decided to choose fall colors for my sunflowers. Now, that being said, there is no reason why sunflowers have to be yellow and brown! Let’s talk more about coloring. Below are my top tips to help coloring be enjoyable.
1. Choose a color palette that is pleasing to you. Who cares if it doesn’t look realistic!
2. Use no more than 4 alcohol markers within the color palette of choice. For example, if you choose to color in blue, choose blue markers ranging from light to dark. Every brand of marker is different in how the colors are made to work together, so take the time to understand how your markers work together so you can create beautiful colors!
3. Good quality cardstock makes color blending much easier! It can make a huge difference in blending! I use XPress It paper. I tested my markers on 3 brands of paper and found XPress It to blend the most smoothly. Also, permanent black ink will not bleed with alcohol markers, so use a good quality permanent black ink that gives you a crisp, solid image.
4. Break down your coloring and focus on one small area at a time when color blending. This way the ink stays wet, and your blending will be much smoother.
5. Choose a dark color for shading and then 2 more colors in a medium and light shade. The light shade will be for highlighting and blending all 3 colors together smoothly. I go over the entire area once with my lightest color to ensure it is blended smoothly. Don’t over-do it with the lightest color because you could erase the darker colors in the process. Play with this technique until you become comfortable with it.
6. Once your coloring is finished, go back in with a colored pencil to add shading where needed. Go in with a white colored pencil to enhance the highlighted areas. You wouldn’t believe what a difference this makes!
7. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done! Don’t sweat the small mistakes you might find, because chances are no one else will notice them but you. Rather, enjoy your beautiful creation!
Now, let’s apply what we’ve just talked about on these sunflowers!
Once I decided on my color palette of yellow and brown, I grabbed my Copic markers in Y15, Y17, YR07 and YR09 for the petals, E49 and E39 for the stamen, and YG63, YG67 and G21 for the leaves. I stamped the sunflower background onto XPress It cardstock using permanent black ink. I used a stamping platform so I could stamp the flower a couple of times and get a crisp, solid image.
I colored one flower at a time, focusing on each petal of the flower using all 4 markers. Then I repeated the process with the stamens and leaves.
Once my coloring was finished, I went back in with a dark blue colored pencil and added more shading. Then I went in with my white colored pencil and very lightly added white to make that color even brighter. The drastic difference between the shading and highlights really helps those flowers come to life!
Finally, I added Mica splatters over the flowers, coving the center area where the sentiment will go. Then I added a Hello 2-layer die from Chic Script Salutations in the middle, trimmed down the card panel, and placed it over black card base.
Coloring really doesn’t have to be that difficult! With good quality tools and a few helpful tips, you can enjoy the coloring process and your hard work! Thanks for stopping by today! To shop the Simply Sunflowers stamp and the new release, click here.