Friday, January 25, 2013

A Challenge, Some Hair, Some Skin, and a Recipe

I've completed a card for the Outlawz Creative Freebie Challenge.  We're given two images to color.  To qualify for the next challenge and two more images, you just need to color one or both of the images and post your project.

I wanted to try a new hair color combo and a new skin color combo, and I also wanted to try fur on the bear.  The bear is cute, but it's not furry to me.  So I'll have to keep working on that.

What I want to show you in these pictures is that there is no set way to color.  You learn the basics by learning what others do in videos, on blogs, or in tutorials, classes, and what you read in books.  After that it's up to you.  If you want to do flicks or circles, if you want to start with your light color or your dark color, if you want to start with the skin first, or the hair first, these are all choices you make to bring a coloring to your liking.  You're the artist.


Here goes.


I started with the light and colored the entire area with YR21.


Then I used the darkest color, YR24, and colored in where I felt the darkest areas were.


 And lastly, I used the medium color, YR31, to fill any the areas between the dark and light.

 
Some folks would stop here.   I didn't.   I went over the entire area with the lightest color, YR00.
 
 
Once that's done, you just have to work with it, tweak it here and there, to make it your own.


I used the same technique on her clothes, started with the lightest pink.

Think of coloring like a recipe.  First you make it according to the directions.  Then add a little of this, a lttle of that, not so much of this, not so much of that and, voila!  Now it's your recipe.  Coloring is no different.   Sometimes you have to make it over a couple times before you get it just right.  If it's something you enjoy, you'll try again and again to get it just right.

I really hope this helped to inspire you to continue coloring.  It is so fun and relaxing.  Who doesn't color?  We're been coloring since we were small children.  Bet your coloring now looks better than when you were five.  LOL

Here's my finished card.


*NOTE:  Trina pointed out that I had put the colors for the jacket in this image and not her hair.  I have corrected them.
Hair - YR21, YR24, YR31, YR00
Jacket - R81, R85, R83

As always --
Thanks for stopping by!
Challenges Entered:

 





13 comments:

  1. I appreciate that you took the time to show us your coloring techniques. It really does help us, who are having difficulty with simply coloring.
    Your card definitely is an inspiration.
    Thanks Sweetpea!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your coloring is magnificent! Thanks for sharing your technique and your art with 613 Avenue Create! Hope you visit again next week :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great tutorial! The end result is beautiful! And yes I love to color...since I could hold a crayon LOL! Thanks for playing in our neighborhood this week at 613 Avenue Create!

    Kathi
    Co-Owner

    my blog
    http://kathiscreativetherapy.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your coloring is awesome and I thank you for sharing with us at 613 Avenue Create. Good luck and visit our neighborhood often.

    Lesia
    Would love for you to visit my blog at:
    http://www.memascrafts.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is a lovely tutorial & I love to practice my coloring. It takes a little of the pressure off when you describe it. :) Thanks for playing in our neighborhood at 613 Avenue Create. We look forward to seeing you again.
    Hugs~
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fabs tutorial! I bookmarked it for later! Thanks for stopping by our house at 613 Avenue Create! We look forward to your next visit!
    Hugz,
    Chana

    ReplyDelete
  7. PJ, do you have some pics of you coloring her hoodie? I'm pretty sure you're a Copic girl, so the colors listed above would be for her clothes and not her hair...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks, Trina.
    You are so right. These are the numbers for the jacket in the order I used them. I have made the correction on the hair colors. (YR21, YR24, YR31, YR00)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very nice tutorial, cute card!! Returning the favor and stopped by to say "Hi!"
    Alice B.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Did you see that you won this week over at Scrapbook Stamp Society Challenge blog?
    Also, hope you will come back to play at the besties challenge blog and join the site too.

    Smiles Sher

    ReplyDelete
  11. Woooo Hooooo! I'm off to shopping :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. She is lovely! Those are my favorite colors to use on hair! Thanks for the tutorials!

    ReplyDelete