Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
MissIowa, thanks so much for the link to your card. I might have to break down and buy me some prismacolor pencils. I find I have more control with pencils than with markers or watercolor crayons. Are they super expensive? Where do you get the Gamsol/OMS?
Prisma pencils are under 1.50 each. Somewhere on here is a list of prisma's that match SU's colors. When I got mine I just started with my favorite SU colors and got some blending stumps. I use baby oil. Have used Gamsol too, but have decided that baby oil gives the same look and I don't have to worry about breathing in anything harmful.
I am so glad you started this thread. I have started using alcohol markers (copics, prismas etc) and I love them, but also have trouble with shading. DH always makes fun of me because I don't think before I add shadows, I just do it here and there. (He is very artistic. I need to sit down with him and have him explain it to me). I just had to check out my last card I made on my blog, and it looks like the sun is actually shining on my hedgehogs bottom
I am going to bookmark this thread so I can come back to it later.
I was just on the Prismacolor website and I'm a little confused. They have premier pencils that are "Artists' quality colored pencils for every level of expertise;High quality pigments for a rich color saturation;Soft, thick cores create a smooth color laydown for superior blending and shading;Thick leads resist breakage".
They also have watercolor pencils that are: Artists' quality, water-soluble colored pencils; Pencils can be used with water and a brush to create translucent, watercolor effects; Excellent solubility for a smooth, even laydown of pigmented color; Available in 36 brilliant colors that match Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencil, Prismacolor Art Stix and Prismacolor Verithin Colored Pencil palettes".
I'm assuming because folks are using gamsol, etc to blend that I DON'T want the watercolor pencils. Correct?
See, I start a simple thread and all of a sudden I'm gearin' up to spend more money. How does that happen???
__________________ My Gallery Team Jasper! "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" Mt. 6:21
I was just on the Prismacolor website and I'm a little confused. They have premier pencils that are "Artists' quality colored pencils for every level of expertise;High quality pigments for a rich color saturation;Soft, thick cores create a smooth color laydown for superior blending and shading;Thick leads resist breakage".
They also have watercolor pencils that are: Artists' quality, water-soluble colored pencils; Pencils can be used with water and a brush to create translucent, watercolor effects; Excellent solubility for a smooth, even laydown of pigmented color; Available in 36 brilliant colors that match Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencil, Prismacolor Art Stix and Prismacolor Verithin Colored Pencil palettes".
I'm assuming because folks are using gamsol, etc to blend that I DON'T want the watercolor pencils. Correct?
See, I start a simple thread and all of a sudden I'm gearin' up to spend more money. How does that happen???
Correct~
The watercolor pencils are great but not for use with the odorless mineral spirits!
Wow - what a super thread! I'm so glad I checked this out and will be adding it to my list of subscribed threads as I need help coloring too. I just got my first pack of SU watercolor crayons today and am eagerly looking forward to getting more. Ponygirl - your work is just fab!
I'm about as far away as you can get and still be in this country, lol! I'm just north of Raleigh, NC. Thanks for the suggestion, though!
Shannan, my shading issues are: where to put the shading, in one area or around the whole image; how much shade to apply; conform to the shape of the image or not. Last night I was practicing on TAC's Gerbera Daisy image, and I wasn't sure if I should go around each individual petal, or just around the edges of certain petals, KWIM?
Hi Lisa! (waving furiously)
I too told my husband recently "I need a book on how to color..." He made some pithy remark like "haven't you been doing that since kindergarten?" You are not alone.
When I pull my inks out (I take the color directly from the classic pads with an aquapainter) for a project, I pull them in groups. !
When you say you take it straight from the pad...do you mean squishing the inl onto the lid, or are you touching your brush to the pad itself?
Sorry if that is a silly question.... I have recently been attempting to color with the blender pens and either marker scribled in a palatte or the top of the ink pad...I get too much liquid and it messes up the paper. I would like to watercolor but am waiting on the watercolor paper.
I think that's exactly my problem. I have a hard time seeing in 3D, visualizing how the light source would hit, etc. I think a fair bit of that is wired in.
If you struggle with this it could be Google to the rescue! Use Google images to search for photos of the object you're planning to colour. Like that gerbera you mentioned - just search for gerbera. You'll almost certainly find an image with a flower at the right kind of angle or whatever. Just look at the photo and see where the shading falls. You can copy straight to start off with and then when you get more confident, you can switch out the colours (so maybe colour the flower red even if you're looking at a picture of a yellow one) as it's really the intensity of colour and where the highlights and shadows are that's important. OK, this technique is not going to work for gnomes and fairies :lol: But pictures of people would do just as well in those cases.
If you struggle with this it could be Google to the rescue! Use Google images to search for photos of the object you're planning to colour. Like that gerbera you mentioned - just search for gerbera. You'll almost certainly find an image with a flower at the right kind of angle or whatever. Just look at the photo and see where the shading falls. You can copy straight to start off with and then when you get more confident, you can switch out the colours (so maybe colour the flower red even if you're looking at a picture of a yellow one) as it's really the intensity of colour and where the highlights and shadows are that's important. OK, this technique is not going to work for gnomes and fairies :lol: But pictures of people would do just as well in those cases.
Wow, great idea!!
__________________ My Gallery Team Jasper! "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" Mt. 6:21
If you struggle with this it could be Google to the rescue! Use Google images to search for photos of the object you're planning to colour. Like that gerbera you mentioned - just search for gerbera. You'll almost certainly find an image with a flower at the right kind of angle or whatever. Just look at the photo and see where the shading falls. You can copy straight to start off with and then when you get more confident, you can switch out the colours (so maybe colour the flower red even if you're looking at a picture of a yellow one) as it's really the intensity of colour and where the highlights and shadows are that's important. OK, this technique is not going to work for gnomes and fairies :lol: But pictures of people would do just as well in those cases.
Location: Currently, in the United Arab Emirates--about 45 miles north of Dubai, in Ras Al Khaimah
Posts: 394
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by stamphappy1650
I learned about coloring by reading about real watercoloring. If you seach on the net you can find plenty of resources that talk about the basics. For me I found that once I understood how water colors react on paper, then it was easier for me to make the tranisition to using our techniques. One thing I did learn from a class, is that less is more. Sometimes we overwork a piece by adding more and more colors and it just get worse.
Also, I rarely color with markers unless it just a small piece. I'm prefer a good watercolor brush and for watercolor mediums I love Peerless papers. I also use the cheap watercolor pots, next is watercolor pencils, and last are crayons. I ocassionly will use my classic pad as a souce.
some basics are -
test your colors on a scrap paper - some colors will make mud
let the paper show through - you dont have to color every inch of paper
colors change as they dry - test them on a scrap piece of paper to see how they look when they dry
if you are really doing watercoloring - use watercolor paper, nothing gives you the same look
practice - practice - don't just color when you make a project. Play a bit and if you have a practice piece that you like, jot downsome notes on what you did and keep it for future reference
Shading is like other have said - start with your lightest color
If you use watercolor paper it is more forgiving than cardstock. If you get too much color, you can blot it with a paper towel. If its already started to dry, add some clear water with your brush and blot it.
I tend to like vivid bright colors, but I start with a light application and then add more colors. It is so much easier to add more than take it away.
If I want to use my markers as a medium, I color them on my paint pallete and pick the color up with a damp paint brush. I have a lot of trouble with an aqua painter - I always get too much water. Blender pens are ok but not my fav. I just really like a good paint brush - they cost more but are well worh it IMHO.
I took your advice about using a paint brush, instead of aqua painter---used water and reinkers. I think it came out O.K.---don't know how to link it here, but wish you would check out my gallery and tell me what you think. Thanks for the help. I'm REALLY enjoying playing with my new found way to color!!!
Cindy, I looked at your gallery and didn't see a poinsettia card. Any suggestions?
Okay, here's an update. My dear, generous friend dropped off a 12-pack of prismacolor pencils yesterday. I thought I was borrowing them, but after the fact, she told me they were MINE!! I played a little last night (I say a little because I was busy chatting on facebook - seriously addictive) with less than stellar results. I didn't find that the color blended easily. I was using mineral spirits but I think I need to switch to baby oil because I was feeling woozy after 10 minutes, even with the window open. Any suggestions from you prisma-talented ladies?
__________________ My Gallery Team Jasper! "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" Mt. 6:21
Location: Currently, in the United Arab Emirates--about 45 miles north of Dubai, in Ras Al Khaimah
Posts: 394
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't see it on today's gallery, but when I click on my name to go to my gallery, it is there----Don't know why it isn't showing up on today's gallery yet.
I bought Prisma pencils when I was home a few weeks ago. Still haven't decided wheither I like them or not. Have only used them with SU blender pens---can't say they are any better than the SU pencils or the inexpensive General water color pencils I'd been using. Don't know if it's me or the pencils!!
I want to say - what she said!
I have learned - mostly through threads like this one - to become much better at this skill by practice. I took the suggestion a year or so ago to buy a watercolor pad and stamp lots of images so that you can practice coloring anytime or even on a trip. (This was my favorite 'take along' on trips for quite awhile!) While not an expert it helped me to improve and get a feel for what I like. Having tried watercolor crayons, and gamsol/prismacolor pencils, my now favorite way to color is with an aqua painter and re-inkers or SU! markers. The markers work great if you scribble the color into a plastic lid and pick it up with the brush, and I like the depth of color I think is similar to Copics.
Here are a few samples: Blessings
Okay, here's an update. My dear, generous friend dropped off a 12-pack of prismacolor pencils yesterday. I thought I was borrowing them, but after the fact, she told me they were MINE!! I played a little last night (I say a little because I was busy chatting on facebook - seriously addictive) with less than stellar results.
Forgive me if this is obvious but do just check that they're Premier and not watercolor or Scholar pencils. Once you have that possibility out of the way, can you show us an example maybe? Some colours actually seem to blend more easily than others I find - I've always found blues a bit more stubborn than reds, for example. So although it sounds a bit daft, maybe try with a few different pencils from your pack and see if you get different results with different colours. Are you colouring something with a large open area and trying to pull colour into the white space or are you doing more detailed stuff?
I, too, am learning how to color. I find that with the prismacolor pencils and gamsol, one important thing to keep in mind is that you have to lay down enough color in the first place in order to move it around the paper with the Gamsol. I was only lightly coloring images and it seemed the Gamsol did nothing. Then I read about coloring "harder" (laying down more color the first time) and it worked much better.
Holy h*ll! I've been offline, out Christmas shopping for a couple of days to find that this thread has grown by leaps and bounds! It might be cold and dreary outside, but we're all bringing color into our lives in our own little ways. Santa better be bringing lots of arts and crafts supplies for stocking stuffers, that's all I've got to say...
Disneywed: I take the color directly off the ink pads. I find that trying to pool it in the lid a) takes too much time and b) is inconsistent.
Lisa: who knew that there were zillions of kinds of Prismacolors? LOL! Can you cherry-pick a couple at Michaels and decide which type you like before you invest?
MissIowa: too much shadow under my big behind these days, personally! I love your butterfly card, too. I love how smoothly all the colors blend.
Yup, they're definitely premier. I will practice and link - might not get it done for a day or two. Of course I started with blue!
How "wet" does the stump need to be? It sounded on the tutes like it should just barely be damp, but I wasn't getting anything!
Of course you picked blue! LOL That's the hardest one to blend, IMO. You might try reds or browns first to start. That way you can get the hang of it and then move on to blues.
Your stump needs to be pretty saturated, at least enough to move the color around. A little sponge in a jar works great, you just push your stump against the sponge to absorb the OMS. I also find that if I use stumps from Taiwan, I get a much better result. The ones from China aren't as soft and don't seem to move the color around very well.
OK, sounds like the blue might have been part of your problem Lisa - have another go with a different colour and see if you get on any better. Your stump should have enough OMS on there that you can see it's a slightly darker colour but not so much that it's soggy! I've never had a problem with the stumps I have which are ones made in China but lots of people seem to prefer the Taiwanese ones.
Blueheron is right that you might need to press harder and lay down more colour than you're used to.
Great ideas and tips! I still struggle with my coloring! But it's so much fun, that I want to keep practicing! I tried using prismacolor pencils and baby oil but the bottom of my image looked like the bottom of a bucket of chicken from KFC when I was done... any tips on that? I also have SU markers, watercolor pencils, an aquapainter, and blender pens.. I think I have most everything, but haven't nailed down my *technique* yet... argh!!
Prismacolors are my absolutely favorite way of coloring. I use them 99 1/2% of the time. You just always use light pressure, and go from light to dark. You can always lay color down with any medium but it is harder to lighten once you go dark. I thought you gals would like some good places to buy them at lower prices. S0 here you go:
Prismacolors are my absolutely favorite way of coloring. I use them 99 1/2% of the time. You just always use light pressure, and go from light to dark. You can always lay color down with any medium but it is harder to lighten once you go dark. I thought you gals would like some good places to buy them at lower prices. S0 here you go:
Great ideas and tips! I still struggle with my coloring! But it's so much fun, that I want to keep practicing! I tried using prismacolor pencils and baby oil but the bottom of my image looked like the bottom of a bucket of chicken from KFC when I was done... any tips on that? I also have SU markers, watercolor pencils, an aquapainter, and blender pens.. I think I have most everything, but haven't nailed down my *technique* yet... argh!!
Sounds like you just used too much oil. Maybe try again using less? And the best way to learn is practice...and IMO...learn how to do it wrong, that way you know what happens! At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it ;)
