Inspire Me Monday:

Hi all and welcome to another Inspire Me Monday with yours truly, Amy Shulke. Let me ask you a question Power Poppy fans. Do you want to improve your colored pencil technique? Have you tried a few colored pencil projects only to walk away feeling like you never really got the hang of it? I mean, it looked so simple after all. Let me tell you, colored pencil is deceiving. Those little wax-laden pencils are sneaky! Since this guest post is all about colored pencil, let me share my first six tips to help you get off on the right finger with this craft. You need to get a grip! If you want to read my step-by-step approach on improving your pencil grip, just click HERE for a post I wrote on the topic.

Now let's get to the heart of this post and some additional tips that I wanted to share to light up your world -- literally. I took Power Poppy's Cuppa Cupcake and wanted to do a little experiment with this sparkler-laden delight. I wanted to print and color it up all aglow on black. Let me share the finished project, then I'll get to some tips on how I got the job done thanks to the help of not only a few photos but some key tools as well. (Stay tuned to the end because I'll have details on an upcoming class where I guide you through the entire process.)

Tip 1: To start, the realism here is created by all those folds and shadows. So, tip one is to use a photo reference to help your eye see that detail. The purpose of photo references doesn’t have to be to match color. Here, I’m using the photo to guide me into more realistic folds and waves for the frosting. I’m looking at lights and darks here. It’s not about blue, it’s about shape and shade.

Tip 2: Next comes the pleats and making sure they really stand out on that dark paper. In my experience, tutorials for pleats don’t really work. If you think about it, objects like skirts and cupcake wrappers are wrapped around a body/cake. That changes the perspective of the pleats. In the center of the cupcake, you see into the pleats. From the sides of the cupcake, you see the sides of the pleats. So it doesn’t work to simply color every other line. Stop trying to hack the shape with a technique. Just pull out a photo reference and color what you see. It’s so much easier and the pleats will have an accurate structure.

Tip 3: This next tip is all about having success on dark colored papers. Unlike many tutorials for coloring on colored paper, I don’t recommend basecoating everything with white before adding layers of color. You’ll fill up the tooth too quickly that way. Instead, choose pencils that have opaque cores. By picking your pencils wisely, you’ll get glowing color but also lots of layering potential!

Tip 4: What you see, is not always what you get. Many times, we see a highlight and assume “Hey, it’s a highlight, it must be white!” But that’s not often true. The polka dots on my red cup are very white but the highlights are not. I’m using layers of red and white pencil to create light red highlights which feel crisp in some spots and soft in others, but they are never pure white, anywhere. Also, resist pulling out that white gel pen. You just don't need it!

Tip 5: I'm sure many of you feel you fail at colored pencils simply because these coloring tools shed colored bits of dust. It’s heartbreaking to brush it away with the side of your hand and accidentally leave colorful streaks. That's why I use a small hake brush to frequently dust my project but any soft clean brush will work. In travel situations, a well-cleaned makeup brush from an old blush compact will often do the trick. 

Tip 6: So, you're done coloring. You've just worked your way through a cardio version of coloring. You step away and love what you've accomplished.  Please, oh please, oh please oh please, do not use hairspray to seal your work. Colored pencil projects require a sealant coat to preserve the color and help bond the pigments to the paper. That’s what artist grade fixative does. It preserves the life of your artwork. There are some online who swear by hairspray. I am here to tell you that the only result you'll get with this spray is bouncy, beautiful windproof goddess locks. Trust me. Hairspray is NOT for art!

So, now that you've witnessed a few of my tried and trusted colored pencil tips, who's ready to celebrate? Join me on Saturday, July 13th as we ditch the markers and focus solely on the pencils. As you've just seen, dark paper adds drama and intensity to your coloring projects but if you've ever tried coloring on intense colored paper, you know how dull and dingy the colors can look. I'm here to help you make sure your colors stay crisp and true. It's more than just technique. It's matching your supplies and making sure they are up for the challenge. Keep in mind, this Power Poppy Live Stream lesson will work for black, navy, deep purple, pine green, chocolate brown and even some deep grays. 

Oh, did I hear you're not a fan of pencils? Well, I say why not give it a try! Improving your pencil technique will help your Copic coloring since these mediums together equal beautiful results.

Just click HERE  to learn all about the upcoming class, sign up and grab that supply list! All class participants receive 20% off the Cuppa Cupcake digital stamp!   Can't make the live class? No worries! This Cuppa Cupcake lesson will be available until December 2019!

Thanks so much for stopping by and joining me this Monday. Hope to see you for my colored pencil challenge a.k.a. my next Power Poppy Livestream class this coming Saturday!