August 13, 2018
8 Comments
Elaineabella here, in a sort of contemplative mood! I’m still in a bit of a funk, pulling together my samples and other behind the scenes stuff for the next Stamping Bella release, and trying to do a little creative jumpstarting on myself in-between it all. It just so happens that colouring can be a very good activity both to help keep your creative toe in the water, and to give your hands something to do while your brain picks over everything. I can recommend it!
Today I thought I’d open up a discussion with you about how we approach colouring. As with so many things, there is no one right or wrong way, and it very much depends on the individual, our preferences and also on what we’re hoping to achieve as an end result.
I’ve always been envious of card-makers that have the ability to mix and match patterned papers to create a perfectly coordinated yet still home-spun effect. Even more of the card-makers out there that manage to create a perfectly coordinated coloured image to go with the papers. It gives me a warm, cosy feeling looking at the photos of their cards and projects. Let’s not get started on the card-makers that also manage to create perfectly staged photographs to show off their cards. The green-eyed monster may break free! Just kidding – I love seeing their creations, and their beautiful photographs, and I’ve accepted that it just isn’t me.
I’m an impatient, fidgety creator that has an abundance of ideas and nowhere near enough energy to execute even a fraction of them. I get an itch to colour something, and want to sit and colour it, not sit and plan the perfect card. I grab my stuff, go with colours that come to me as I look at the image, and then work out the details later. I used to regret this every time I sat down to make a card with my coloured images, resolving to take a different approach next time, to be “better”. Sometimes I would actually try, only to find that the process sucked all of the joy out of it for me. Now, instead of trying to force myself to be someone else, I go with it. I don’t buy endless pads of pretty papers that make me feel bad when none of them match my colouring (I have a small collection of paper pads, and allow myself to feel like the planets have aligned when they match). Instead I keep things simple, and use neutrals, or use my Copics or Distress Ink/Distress Oxide collection to create coordinating coloured layers.
Over the weekend I felt the itch to colour one of my favourite Tiny Townies – Tiny Townie Hattie loves Halloween. I stamped her up, grabbed my coloured pencils and headed for the dining table for some relaxing colouring fun.
Hattie was stamped on hot pressed watercolour paper, then coloured using Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils with Winsor & Newton Sansodor blending solution.
Little Hattie is such a cute witch. She may have turned out a little Hermione Grainger-ish, because I’m currently listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks while colouring (again). Not that Hermione would be found riding a broom…
In fact, this isn’t the first time I’ve coloured Hattie using pencils. Here’s one from last year, equally unplanned, just an experiment playing with pencils on toned tan paper.
Both versions of Hattie will make it on to a card soon, in spite of the fact that I had no plan when colouring her, no papers in mind. Just me, flying by the seat of my pants as always, and that’s okay!
Now, I’d love to hear from you! How do you approach colouring? Do you get stuck in, with no plan, or are you more meticulous? How do you feel about it?
~Elaineabella
I always colour first then spend hours choosing co-ordinating papers to make into a card. Maybe I should try picking my papers first then colouring…..watch this space!
I’m very envious of all those perfectly matched cards but sometimes we just have to go outside our comfort zone on colours and patterns to make something magic. ??
I am one of those that pick the paper for the card and then color the image to coordinate the paper. It works fairly well for me. I also look at images and use their colors and just change say red to blue to coordinate with the paper.
like you Elaine i colour first then worry about my patterned papers later. most of the time it’s luck more than management but as long a there is some kind of colour match somewhere on my chosen paper I’m happy. note to self: stop buying paper pads when you don’t really need them…. nope that didn’t work.
happy colouring
Ann. x
I’m a bit of the all of the above…? I stamp and cut out a bunch of images for when I just want to color. No card in mind, just color. Or I will stamp and not even cut out yet, just color. Sometimes those become single layer cards, sometimes they get cut out.
If I am making a card for the sake of a card then it depends on the card
– If I am making a birthday card for a close friend, I am picking the stamp and the colors based off what they love (favorite color is purple, purple it is!);
– If I am making a last minute card like a co-workers going away (they leave tomorrow??!!), I will maybe look through papers and pick a color theme for an image, or look through my stash of images pre-colored and look for a paper that is close enough or I just wing it and color a background too. Basically whatever it takes to make a card quick!
– If I am trying to do something new by trying one of the layout or color challenges it’s a little more ‘planned’ because there is something specific I am trying to do and in some cases it also means the colors are already picked for me, but since it is one I wouldn’t have thought of I do it to try something new.
Overall, I think I am still more of the wing it type. Sure it may mean that I am not always that efficient and that some of my colored images may not become a card too soon or cards that then start from scratch from not having a pre-colored image, but as long as I enjoy any/all of the approaches, I’m good.
Hi Elaine! I am more like you. I will color an image and then look to see if I have any paper that will go with the image…I used to buy a lot of papers, but have gotten away from that. Now, I will either make some kind of background paper for my image, or look to see if I can find any digital paper to go with my image. If all else fails, I simply use my ink pads to create a background paper. I have quite a few images colored up just waiting to be made into cards….in case I need one in a hurry. Thanks for sharing your thought process! 🙂
How do I approach coloring? I’ve been coloring since the 60’s & then there was the time between when I got to old to color ABC’s & Barbie to my first adult coloring book which I guess is when they were first invented, in 1981. I still have that book. I guess what I do is decide what I am going to color first & then decide what I am going to color with (pencils, markers, gel pens, etc.) I usually stamp on white paper but sometimes I stamp on plain colored paper. 99% of the time it’s white. When I color, I am very picky about where the colors should go. I’ve been told by a guy who does pencil & chalk portraits & someone who does 18th century paper marbling, that I am an artist because of my coloring. They both said my colors are exactly where they should be & my coloring is beautiful. Who would know but 2 artists? As for background paper, it depends on the what colors I am using in my coloring & what the occasion is. I have Christmas paper, birthday paper, stuff like that but if it’s just a thinking of you card then I can use any paper I choose & I have plenty to choose from. I don’t have a die cutter so I can’t do any of that but I can layer paper & go all out when I color. I also love to use embellishments like sequins. I love to color & I love to stamp & I love to make cards!
Elaine, thank you for your confession, hope you feel much more craft able now. I’m an ocd surviver , if that sounds better than suffer. So I have the everything has to be flowing, matching, all displayed on my desk in order thing going, then I sit trying to work out what to start with, sounds easy but it’s not, it’s horrid. I would adore to be more like you, just grab colours & make it work, find papers later kinda gal. Your work is fantastic & we would never know of the turbulence you face when we drool over them. Hold your head up high & be so proud of your work, we are for you. Oh if you come across any ideal plan from anyone can you please copy me in, thank you in advance.
I have you all beat! I buy the beautiful paper and then don’t use it! Just look at it and color up my image and forget the paper! LOL