Monday, March 3, 2008

Anyone Can Color! - A Prismacolor Tutorial

Anyone CAN color!!!! (said in my best Ratatouille voice!)

Warning: THIS is a long post (If blogger was mad at me before....I am sure they are really loving me today!)

I have been working on this tutorial for awhile and decided to get it together today because I have been getting a lot of coloring emails and questions.
This quick tutorial is designed for those who are not quite comfortable with their Prismacolor Pencils YET or who would like some answers to basic questions. I am not a professional but I get results that I am happy with with little effort. Sometimes it is the little "tricks" that make such a difference.
There are lots of tips and pointers throughout that may or may not help you. These are the things that help ME most and I am happy to share them with you.

****One of my favorite coloring techniques is mixing coloring tools---esp Prismacolor pencils and Copics...but for this tutorial--I only used Prismacolor pencils!

Coloring Supplies:
-Prismacolor Lightfast pencils (they come in a silver tin-My Favorite Things sells a set of 48 on their site.)
-Odorless Mineral Spirits (Gamsol is one name brand (Inky Antics carries this), Gina K also sells odorless mineral spirits at her store.)
-Metal pencil sharpener (I picked mine up at the local Hobby Lobby. It is small, made in Germany and sharpens these pencils perfectly. If you have these pencils already, you know they can be temperamental!)
-blending stumps (my favorite are the ones Made in Taiwan and they are No. 2 size)
-sanding block (Stampin' Up!)
-Brilliance black stamp pad
-Sakura Stardust gellyroll pen (optional)
-Any stamp that is a chunky image (I used this adorable angel from High Hopes)
-White card stock (I use SU's Whisper White)

First, stamp the image on your cardstock. (I prefer Whisper White cardstock from Stampin' Up! because the color moves easily on it!)

Then, start with the lightest color you will be using and outline the section to be colored. I used the flesh tone to outline her face, neck and arms. Just outline the image. I added a bit of pink (just moved the pencil in a circle for this) to her cheeks!

Then, I sharpened the tip of the stump I was going to use to blend the color. (I have a stump for each basic color so that the colors will never blend. But when you sharpen the end, most of the remaining color will be removed.)

Then, dip the point in the odorless mineral spirits. (I am pretty liberal with this step. I make sure the whole tip absorbs the liquid.) Move the stump in clockwise circular movements pulling the color toward the middle of the image. This allows the darkest color to remain on the edge and creates a natural highlight in the center of the image. When the color stops moving, time to re-dip your stump!

I wanted my angel to have an heavenly glow, so I took my yellow pencil and outlined the whole image in yellow. I chose to do this step next because if you are going to do some sort of shading with pencils on the outside, you want to do it before you color the image--esp if the color is lighter than the image!


I used my blending stumps to move the yellow outward in small circles---this makes the color look like a glow!
Next, I used my pink pencil and outlined all the parts of the image that I wanted pink.

I use my blending stump to pull the color toward the inside of the image. You can see on her wings how the color leaves a natural highlight (It is so easy to achieve nice results!)

I colored the green sections and then outlined the jeans with blue. You can see how I added a bit more blue in the center of the legs because this part of the image is thick and I wanted to be sure that there wouldn't be too large of a highlight.

After blending the blue, I colored her hair, the watering can and her shoes. I added two shades of brown to the can to show you how you can even blend two shades to get an even more professional look.


After I have the image as I like it, I chose to use my Sakura gellyroll pen to add some shimmer to the angel's wings and the hearts. I love the look this gives - a little bit of shimmer adds a lot!


Here is a close up of the image with the gellyroll accents. (Sorry about the camera angle on this one---but in real life, this looks beautiful!)

The image is finished. Now I just have to create a card with it. (Tip: If you know what designer paper or cardstock you would like to use...keep them close by so you can color the image to match. For this sample, I just colored the image and then I went back and found some designer paper that would match close enough.)

Here is the finished card!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Believe me, If I can color, SO CAN YOU! I would love to see what you create, so be sure to send me a link if you create a card using this tutorial!
Materials used: Stamps-High Hopes; ink-brilliance black; cardstock-white, blue, celery (SU!); Designer paper by Basic Grey; Prismacolor pencils; odorless mineral spirits; blending stumps; sanding block; tab punch (SU!); sakura stardust gellyroll pen; small circle punch (SU!); silver brads (SU!); flower; button; dimensionals (SU!).
Coming next: another MFTeaser--ohhh..you're gonna love this one! My Favorite Things is releasing two new stamp sets on Wednesday night right after the Cocktail party on Splitcoaststampers from 8-10 p.m central time.
Thanks for stopping by!

65 comments:

Jeni Glee said...

Thank you so much for the tutorial! Your instructions are so easy to follow and that card came out so beautifully! I am going to give this a try!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous Card! Fabulous tutorial! You rock!

Carla said...

Carolyn, thanks so much for taking the time and effort to make this tutorial! I have been learning to color for eight years, and I still don't have it down perfectly. I will drag out my Prismas and try again; it has been over a year since they saw the light of day. Your card was adorable, too-those High Hopes stamps are so cute!

Jana Weaver said...

beautiful card...LOVE the image and the tutorial! Thanks!! I'm just getting the hang of these things so it's nice to read how others use them.

Niki Estes said...

Great tutorial! Do you ever have problems with fumes when you use the gamsol? Mine is suposed to be odorless, but I get a headache when I use it.
Thanks!

Chris Scrappin and Stampin in Texas said...

Great tutorial Carolyn. I have a huge box of the Prismacolors, but no mineral spirits, so I NEVER use them..I will have to break down and buy some. Every time I go to Hobby Lobby, I forget to look...Great job!!

Chris Scrappin and Stampin in Texas said...

Great tutorial Carolyn. I have a huge box of the Prismacolors, but no mineral spirits, so I NEVER use them..I will have to break down and buy some. Every time I go to Hobby Lobby, I forget to look...Great job!!

Bernice said...

Thank you so much. That was very clear.

Minneapple

Unknown said...

GREAT tutorial...and I can see that you put a lot of time into it. I really should break out my Prismacolors and give it a whirl. You make it look so easy! :-)

Melanie said...

okay, I really AM going to go open that bottle of mineral spirits udring naps this afternoon and finally take the prismaplunge! Thanks for the tips/inspiration!

Lee said...

Gorgeous card!! Prisma pencils are my FAVE coloring medium!!! But I did just get my Copics.......LOLOL!!!

Dawn Easton said...

Thanks for the tutorial Carolyn! I haven't coloured with Prismapencils for a little bit, and I love the look! Your colouring is fabulous!!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the great tutorial.

Laura lok said...

wow great tutorial I hadn't heard the tip of sharpening the stump before. you make it look so easy going to have to give it a try again must be the paper I am using

Christina Fischer said...

GREAT tutorial, and adorable card!!

Anonymous said...

You make it look so easy! Thanks for taking the time to post this. Your card is fantastic!

Bee's Zen Garden said...

WAOW! Your coloring looks so awesome and you make it sounds like it's so simple! :-)... I guess I'll have to try that! :-)

Thanks for the great tutorial! ♥

WannaB said...

Thanks, Cammie for your tutorial. I use the prisma pencils, but had no idea how to sharpen the stub. Love your work.

Anonymous said...

Carolyn - Thank you so much for this great step by step tutorial! I'm looking forward to trying this!

larue said...

Wow, thank you so much. You make it look so easy and so lovely.

Mindy said...

Primsa pencils are my all time FAVORITE way to color. I am trying to branch out and learn new things...but I keep going back to my first love!

Pegg S said...

Great tutorial! Thanks for taking the time !

Anonymous said...

Very nicely done Cammie! Your card was great....I love that little angel image! Good job!

Rita said...

What a great tutorial! Thank you so much Carolyn! You covered some things that I was wondering about since I'm new to coloring with Prisma pencils. This card is beautiful! Luv the look with the gellyroll pen!

PaperSunshine said...

Awesome tutorial! I am wondering though, I have the Stampin Up water color pencils and I use the blender pens, is it the same thing? I am sure I can color the same way but is the pencil similar, can I use Gamsol with the SU ones? Or should I dump them and get Prisma? Thanks so much!

Create It Simply said...

GORGEOUS!!!!

Juanita B said...

I'm so sorry Carolyn, I was trying to unsubscribe to one blog because I have too many to read in a day. I deleted ALL of mine by mistake.

Your tutorial is wonderful! Nice clear photos and very good instructions. The card is adorable, I especially like the difference the Sakura pen made. TFS.

Anonymous said...

Thank you. i have to have really good instructions as i am a bit dense. i appreciate you taking the time to do this! vicki

Unknown said...

OMG Carolyn, this is a stunning tutorial, you did such a great job. Makes me want to break out my pencils tonight!!!

Jackie said...

Thanks so much for the tutorial, she is just adorable. Is it possible for Gamsol to lose it's effectiveness? I can't get my colors to stretch that far or blend that well and they used to, I think. I wish Michaels or AC Moore would sell the stuff in smaller quantities - I don't need a quart!

Judy Rozema said...

How fun this was to "watch" you create such a gorgeous card - and you make it look so easy! I don't have pencils, but will definitely have to try some! Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Very nice tutorial Cammie! You do an amazing job coloring - thanks for the tips!! :)

Anonymous said...

GREAT tutorial! I love the step-by step, and seeing which blenders you like. I'm still trying them out and deciding what I like and what I don't--but this helps a lot! Thanks for sharing this!

Elizebeth said...

This was a wonderful tutorial, thank you for taking the time to do it! Your coloring is beautiful!

Rose Ann said...

Awesome tutorial, and your card is fabulous too!!

Maureen said...

all I can say is "WOW"!!! beautiful tutorial...can;t wait to do it!! love the card!

jjcreations said...

Wow, the card is fantastic. Thanks for the tutorial. Joan

Swamp Tulip said...

Great tutorial. Thanks so much for sharing.

Teresa

Judi said...

Wow, great tutorial! Thanks so much for sharing that!!! Love how the card turned out, so cute.

Libby Hickson said...

Thanks for the great tutorial - your coloring is gorgeous! I've been using my pencils for a while now & love them - but duh - I usually do the outer shadow last, and it sometimes smears the image - thanks for making me realize to do that before coloring in the darker colors!!! (my brain is very slow sometimes...!)

Anonymous said...

That is such a sweet card! I wondered how you got that look with the pencils. Thanks you so much! I need to go shopping!

Janine said...

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW !!!
What a great instructional post !!
Thanks !! I love my Prismacolor pencils but don't use them enough. Thanks so much !!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the tutorial, it was great. I copied it and put it in my Technique folder.

I visit your blog every day, love it! A great place to learn and be inspired!

Unknown said...

Thank you Ms. Carolyn for this coloring tutorial... I know that I will be referring to this post often in my first attempts at coloring... I just need to get all of the right supplies now!

Anonymous said...

I'm sure this tutorial took you some time to create and I'm enjoying the wealth of information. You make coloring look super-easy and uncomplicated. TFS your knowledge with us. The finished product is just adorable! TFS

dpkennedy said...

Great tutorial and your card is adorable!

Nancy said...

Awesome tutorial Thank you Cammie!

Anonymous said...

Great tutorial, simple, straightforward, clear presentation. Really good job, girl! Thanks for using my angel design too! That was a really kind gesture on your part, as I know you could have used one of your own. Bless your heart! You are a Sweetie!
Crissy

Anonymous said...

Fascinating tutorial! I use Prismacolors to draw my paperdolls, but for blending I use the "colorless blender" that they have -- I've never tried the way that you do it. And I really like the tip about having a different blender for each color... if I had a dollar for each time I've had to use Photoshop to fix up a smudge of red that made its way into a field of white...

Jennifer Buck said...

Very cute! Great tutorial! TFS:)

Anonymous said...

This was wonderful! Thank you.
~ jess k

Charmaine (CharmWarm) said...

This is just gorgeous, Carolyn! Fabulous tutorial too! I miss my Prismacolors. . .haven't used them in a while.

Elaine said...

Great tutorial...Thanks!! Now can you do that on video?, lol!

Val said...

Thank you for a wonderful tutorial! It was very helpful in figuring out how to colour effectively!

Shazza said...

great instructions. Am thinking of buying some of these pencils, love the stamped image
Sharon

Anonymous said...

Very easy to follow your tutorial. Very cute stamp and card!

B said...

Not sure if you still keep track of older posts and comments...

but I have a dumb question - do you pour the odorless mineral spirits in a smaller temporary container or just in the original container? If you do, then can you dump the remnants down the sink when you're done? Seems like a bad idea... given the warnings on the bottle I have...

B said...

Okay, now that I've actually gone and tried this I want to thank you again for the tutorial! :-) I had almost given up on coloring and now I'm loving it!! It's like a new found love!

Here's my first go at it - obviously still have a ways to go but if you had seen what I was doing a year ago when I first started stamping...

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1138569?cat=500&ppuser=143261

Okay, thanks again! Hope you have a great Thanksgiving filled with lots of tastiness!

debra said...

It was a pleasure to read this tutorial and also has given me lots of inspiration to go and by these and give them a go, if i get chance to do this right and make a card i will upload, bit nervous as never used these before but with your guidance and excellent work it can't be that bad
Thanks Debra

Anonymous said...

You did a great job with your tutorial and I think it will be easy to follow. Is Gesso the same thing you used> I have always loved to color & still do as it relaxes me so much. Thanx for haring your technique

Crazy Creations said...

Hi I read this and you have the light ones I just got 120 prisma premier can you do the some thing and also only color you big stamps not detailed.Thank you Sarah K makeacard@yahoo.com

Bobbie Lynn said...

I've finally found a blog that uses prisma pencils. Love the coloring you did on the card and thanks for showing your technique.

Traci S. said...

Hi!

This is my first visit to your blog. I came here through to see the cards the DT made for Gina's Birthday, and I also saw your tutorials.

You are wonderful at teaching...let alone your beautiful coloring! You used easy to understand sentences, and the photos helped so much. Thank you so much for doing this! I am sure my coloring will improve...it can only improve! lol

Thank you!

He IS Able,
Traci S.

Judy said...

I am seeing this years after you posted. I found this to be very informtive. Thank you for your easy to understand steps. JudyOR

Donna/Mom/Unci said...

Thank you so much for giving this tutorial. You're very talented...not only in coloring, but also, in teaching. You make it look so easy. I'm a beginner, but praying my enthusiasm will help me along, speedily. I create my own drawings/picture, and have been using colored pencils on them. It's not enough. That's why I was searching, and I'm so thankful I was lead to you. Again, thank you for sharing your GOD-given talents.