Fuzzy Fur Watercoloring

(originally posted HERE on August 5, 2010)

Here is a coloring tutorial for the fuzzy fur of this Koala Bear, latest release at Doodle Pantry.  Their fur is quite varying in shades of gray.  Here is how I get the look using Tombow markers and a waterbrush on watercolor paper.  Allow for periods of drying time though.
Materials needed for coloring Koala:

• Koala Me digital image from Doodle Pantry
• 90 lb. Canson watercolor paper and laser printer
• Tombow markers N65, N75, N15, 177, 992, 899, 800
• Waterbrush with reservoir in handle
• paper snips
• craft sponge wedge

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1. First, go ahead and make your mask that you will need for the sponging of the sun/sky behind him. Print a second copy of your digital image sheet on plain white copy paper.  See how his fuzz sticks away from his body? When you cut him out, cut down the MIDDLE of the little fuzzy hairs that stick out along the edge of his body, so essentially you are cutting off the outside edges of those hairs.  Also cut in the middle of the other lines, NOT outside of the lines. Set the mask aside.

2. Begin by adding the lighter gray N75 to the areas on his face as shown.

3. Blend using the waterbrush and don;t worry if it looks a little blotchy, this is just the shadowing of the undercoat. The outter parts of his ears and his chin are generally white, so I left them with no color on them. ALLOW TO DRY COMPLETELY.

4. Once the face is dry, use the writing tip point of the Tombow marker and add short strokes of hairs with the SAME N75 marker color. Start in the areas of the shadows and work your way inward and all around the head until desired coverage is attained.

5. His head should look approximately as shown below. I know he looks a little scary at this point, but we fix that later, I promise.

6. Now is a good time to add the light pale pink to the center of his ears and the very  bottom tip of his nose, if you want a little pink on him. Go ahead and blend that lightly with the waterbrush.

7. Using the darker N65 marker writing tip, apply the same very short and light strokes of hair around the head, starting in the areas where there is darker hair coverage and moving inward, making the strokes lighter as you go inward.

8. Now he looks even scarier than before. 

9. Using the waterbrush tip, use short, gentle strokes, brushing in the same pattern as you drew the hair lines, and very little water flow, you do NOT want puddles of water coming out. You want just enough that makes the paper slightly damp as you brush it over the hair lines you just drew on the Koala bear.  Do NOT "try" to blend, just brush over the hair lines starting at one side of the head, and work your way around, using short strokes in the same direction of the hairs.   Stay away from the areas that you want to remain mostly white.

10.  If you've done it correctly, you will get a gentle softening of the hairs you drew, but not a total blending together of them, like below. Allow to completely dry.

11. Once the face is dry, you can add the black on his nose. Don't add too much, the black is a very strong color.

12.  I tried to leave the pale pink color on the end of his nose, but the black took over.

13. Now, following the same steps and rules as we did for the face, do the same for the arms and body.  Think about where your shadows will be... under an arm or chin, on the backside of an arm behind something else, in this case the branch. Below is the result.

14. Put removable adhesive on the back of your copy paper "mask" and put it down carefully lining up the image.

Note: I chose to mask my image and sponge the "sun" prior to finishing the coloring of the branch and leaves.  However, you may want to choose to finish coloring the rest of the image first. It is personal preference.  And I suggest that if you are new to watercoloring with Tombow markers, go ahead and finish the coloring prior to masking and sponging.  Reason being that IF water from your waterbrush touches the sponged ink around the branch or leaves, it WILL pull that color into your image, and you don't want that.

15. This is just the basic masking technique.  Using the sponge with ink color on it (I used pumpkin pie by SU), dab the sponge STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN, do NOT swish in a circle pattern, and do NOT swipe back and forth.  To get the depth of color that I have below, I kept adding more ink to my sponge and dabbing up and down in the same spot until it got as dark as I wanted.  Then I moved over a bit to the next area and dabbed up and down on that area, and so on.  Here, I have created a "sun" behind the Koala bear.

The reason for dabbing up and down and not swishing or swiping, is so that the skinny edges of the copy paper mask that you cut out don't get pulled up by the swiping motions accidentally sponging onto the image underneath.  I have done that before and ruined an entire image, so I learned from personal experience to just be patient and DAB with the sponge.

16. Next I did the SAME thing except with a marigold ink color around the pumpkin color.

17. Mask removed too reveal the soft sponged sun background.  If you completed your branch and leaves prior to sponging, you are done.  If not, you can finish it now.

18. On this image, after removing the mask, there is a TINY spot inbetween bear and branch that should be the orange color, so I came in with a matching marker and just colored it without blending.

 

19. Finished main image.

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Finished Card:
After taking the photo above on step 19, I added some darker shading of the branch to the image, as you can see in the closeup photo below.

The tiny tags in the photo above are punched using SU's new jewelry tag punch out of CDS hot cocoa cardstock. I then glued them down to CDS wild ginger cardstock and using snips, cut a thin border out around them. Then I glued them on a final layer of CDS spring leaf, also cutting out a thin border.

CARD SUPPLIES:

• IMAGE: Koala Me by Doodle Pantry
• CS/PAPER: 90 lb. Canson watercolor paper, CDS spring leaf, CDS wild ginger, CDS hot cocoa, Basic grey max & friends DP
• INK: Pumpkin inkpad, marigold inkpad, Tombow markers N65, N75, N15, 177, 992, 899, 800
• ACCENTS/TOOLS: waterbrush, sponge, snips, MS frond punch, EK border punch, SU jewelry tag punch, SU mini flower punch, PTI ribbon, Basic grey button, Kaiser pearls, linen thread, sewing machine, glue dots, foam pop dots

I hope the tutorial was a little useful for you.  I also hope it was easy to follow.  I value your feedback!  Either comment here or send me an email laurie@doodlepantry.com
THANKS for stopping by (again) today!

White wash watercoloring

(originally posted HERE on July 20, 2010)

Good morning!
This tutorial is a sort of "white wash" technique with watercoloring on watercolor paper.  Pretty much, all that is different than regular watercoloring, is that you are applying a VERY SMALL amount of color and then leaving MORE areas white or a diluted version of the color.  What you end up with is what appears to be a nice crisp, almost "white-washed" looking image.  This type of coloring is great for water or ocean themed images, but it can also look great on a country type image.
WHAT YOU NEED:

• Waterbrush with water reservoir in handle
• Dye ink based markers
• 90 lb. Canson watercolor paper
• Stamped image in waterproof ink OR printed digital image

Let's get started.  I have mostly just shown you the photos of my progress, with a few notes when needed.

I used my Stampin' Up! markers this time, as I just got them in and decided to give them a try. I was surprised that they worked VERY well for watercoloring on this particular watercolor paper.
Colors I used are Marina mist, Crumb cake, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede, and a little Early Espresso on the feet.

(ABOVE) Start by adding just a TINY bit of the blue color in the ares shown around the pelicans. For a "white washed" look, that is ALL the color you need.

Begin to blend using the waterbrush and move the tip outward away from the edges of the pelicans. The color will get lighter and begin to disappear to further you move away from the color.

Keep blending all the way around, along the lines of color you placed.  You want it REALLY light.

See how very light it is?

IF you want a little more contrast, you can add just a VERY TINY amount of the blue color along the edges where you started, but don't blend that color out too much.


Here you can see above, the blue area is finished.  Allow to completely dry.

I added the peach parfait to just the lower half of the beaks.

I personally think I added just a tad too much of the peach color, I needed a little less.  This would have been much more "white washed" if there was a little less of the peach on the beak.  See what you can learn from my mistakes? LOL
After the beaks were finished, and I added just a teeny tiny bit of the marina mist blue color to the tips of the beaks. You can hardly see it and I did not blend it out.  Some pelicans have a bit of blue streaks on their beaks, so that is why I did that.

Above you can see that I started with the Crumb cake marker on the pelican body.  I just added small amounts of color where I thought there would be shadows or color variation on the feathers.  You need to leave A LOT of white areas.

If you want a tiny bit more contrast, take the soft suede marker and just add a few streaks in between the wing feathers, and do this before blending.

Above, begin blending by touching the crumb cake color and moving the waterbrush tip outward into the pelican's body. This color blends out quickly, so you will be left with a lot of white.

When I got to the wings, I went all around them first with the wet brush, and then quickly swiped over top of them. Wipe off your waterbrush tip before moving to a new area on the pelican body.

Above, I used the soft suede color on the wood areas, and I just traced over the already printed lines in the wood, and then made "shadows" of color under each pelican.

When you start to blend, this time, start just off the actual marker lines and move toward the line of color, grab the color and move back away, with the color blending out.

As long as you have just a SMALL amount of the soft suede, this color will blend out quickly too leaving you with a nice white washed look.

Continue with each line of color on the piling and dock. Make sure your waterbrush doesn't have too much water flowing out. You want it flowing enough to grab color and pull it into the paper, but not so much that is begins to puddle on the paper.

FINISHED IMAGE!
The finished card and supplies is pictured HERE.
Thanks so much for stopping in today!  I hope you enjoyed this easy tutorial and I hope you are inspired to create!

Coloring Woodgrain

(originally posted HERE on June 11, 2010)

COLORING TUTORIAL WITH TOMBOW MARKERS AND WATERBRUSH

Wood grain doesn't have to be hard.  However, when the wood grain lines are drawn in the image for you, it makes it a little easier.  If you have no wood grain lines in your  image, you can improvise by just coloring in waves on your piece.
WOOD GRAIN COLORING TUTORIAL:
1. On Willie's fence, I started with the 942 light brown color and just colored every other section or so. Really, there was no rhyme or reason to where I chose to put the color.  Note: I decided to get Willie all colored and waited for him to dry before beginning the fence.

Below is steps 2 - 5.  I began at the left (probably because I am right handed) and I glided the waterbrush over each section, just ONCE.  Make sure your waterflow is just right before you beginn... meaning you don't want too much flowing out but not too little.  What should happen when you brush it, is that your color blends and feathers out as you move, and water should not "pool" or "puddle" on the paper.  It should provide just enough wetness to look like it got misted.
You do NOT need to let this dry before moving on.

Below are steps 6 - 9.  Next I added the Tombow 947 color , and just in thin lines inbetween the first color. Again, started at the left and brushed over each section of the 947 color.  Some of the sections, I went over twice and moved the brush into the lighter sections to blend them.
NOTE: For this particular application, you really don't need to be perfect. Wood grain is a natural surface and it is never the same, and colors always vary, so you don't have totry to be perfect here. Just add the water and watch it blend... blend more if you want, or leave some places a little less blended.  I did not spend a whole lot of time here, just run the brush over.
You do NOT need to let this dry before moving on.

Step 10- I add the Tombow 899 color to just a few spots and in very thin lines. You don't have to add this color, it really was just to give a little extra variation in the wood look.  I think it enhances the contrast and makes it look more real though.

Step 11-Now blend the darkest color, run over each section only once or twice at most with the waterbrush.  You can see below that I didn't even get some of it all the way blended... some of it looks off the lines, some of it looks blotchy... this is OK for wood grain, it just makes it look more natural.

Here's my finished card::


SUPPLIES:

• IMAGE: Willie Worm (free for newsletter subscribers as of June 10, but for sale on July 1)
• CS/PAPER: Canson 90 lb watercolor paper, PTI melon berry, not quite navy, DCWV Whimsey DP
• INK: Tombow markers 942, 947, 899, 526, 873, 856
• ACCENTS/TOOLS: Spellbinders octagons and ovals, waterbrush, sewing machine, PTI ribbon, SU button, linen thread, basic grey pearls, MS frond punch, ticket corner punch, foam hexes, glue dots

Thanks for visiting today!  Also, thanks so much for all your support, it means so much and I am sincerely grateful!

Full scene color tutorial

(Originally posted HERE on June 5, 2010)

I have a mini tutorial on how to color the image, Lemon Ants by Doodle Pantry. 

WATERCOLORING TUTORIAL

Things I cover in the tutorial:

• WHAT COLORS TO START WITH? 
• WHAT ORDER TO COLOR AN IMAGE?
• HOW TO USE TOMBOW N15, BLACK

My general rule of thumb is to start with the lightest color within the image, and that is how I colored this Lemon Ants image.  Also required is a little patience.  :o)  That is pretty hard for me, but since my craft loft is a bit on the warmer side, my drying times are very short compared to a cooler climated home.
MATERIALS USED:

• 90 lb. Canson watercolor paper
• Laser printer to print image
• Waterbrush with water reservoir
• Tombow watercoloring markers

First, I begin with the lightest color, which is the sky.  I apply the color as shown below using Tombow 491.

Using the waterbrush and gently squeezing the reservoir to release the water into the brush tip, I blend out the color of the sky by brushing the tip along al the blue areas, and allow the paper to dry COMPLETELY.  Since this is a very light color, I am not too concerned about spreading color over the ants legs or very small areas of the image, since once it is dry, darker colors can be applied over without too much of the 491 color blending in.

Now using the next lightest color, which is the lemon color, 062, add the color to the lemon and leave an oval where there is no color applied, and this is where your light source is reflecting off the lemon.  This just helps to give a more 3 dimensional look to your image.

Add a little darker yellow to the areas of the lemon where there may be some shadows, similar to below. I used Tombow 985 because I wanted a more intense contrast of darker to lighter color on the lemon.

Below, using the waterbrush and gently squeezing the water from the reservoir, begin blending the lemon by starting to brush the blank area on the lemon where you had no color and work in a circular motion, moving outward.  You will see the 062 color feather in and pull itself into the oval area where you had no color since this is the action that water has when mixed with the ink in the Tombows. Once you touch the 062 color, continue moving the waterbrush in a circular and outward motion until you get too the edges and touch the 985 color. You will see the color being pulled from the edges into the wet area of the lemon.  If you feel you need a little more 0062 yellow in the center, simply run the brush tip quickly from the outer edges of the lemon, using circular motions spiraling back to the center.  That should spread the color inward.

Below, If you want to add even more lifelikeness to the lemon, while the lemon area is still damp from the water, add more 985 yellow to a few of the dimples in the rind.  As you touch the tip of the  brush of the marker gently to the paper, as long  as the paper is still wet/damp, you will see it begin to feather out into the paper.  If you wish to blend a little more, then just use the waterbrush tip to quickly run it around the lemon one more time.
Allow to dry completely before moving on to next step.
HINT: When you use the waterbrush over the same area twice or three times, I recommend moving that brushtip as quickly as possible.  If you move too slow, it is possible too much water will pool out onto your paper and create undesireable results.

The next colors are the greens.  Apply your color with BOTH the lighter and darker greens prior to blending.  Blend the greens using quick motions of the waterbrush and stay within the lines.  Allow to completely dry.

I next added color to the ant tongue and mouths and the ground, and blended the ground out using the waterbrush.  Allow to completely dry.

ADDING and BLENDING black (below).
What I lke about the N15 Tombow black color is that it is true black and can be blended, and even after blending, it still looks black, just a lighter version of black.  As you can see on the ants below, I only added the black color to the lower third of each ant body section, all the areas where each body section meets, and the lower half of each foot.  When using the waterbrush to blend, touch the tip of the waterbrush quickly and move as quick as you can with as steady a hand as you can. Start adding the water to the areas of the body sections where there is no N15 color and move toward the N15 color. Once you reach the N15 color and touch it, go to the edge of that section and move the brush back to where you started, all the while keeping a moving motion of the brush within the are that you are coloring.
Blending with the N15 black DOES take practice.  Try on some scraps first.
Allow to completely dry.

Finished image panel below.

That's it for the tutorial!  I hope it was a little useful and that you are inspired to go create!
:o) Thanks for visiting today!   Hope you have a blessed weekend!