Usually when we colour in, we start with a light background and add colour and shadows to give the appearance of a three dimensional image. Today I want to show you how to work in reverse... instead of adding shadows we are going to be adding highlights. Although this can be done using multiple colours, I'm going to stick with a simple black and white palette.
YOUR TURN: Use the tutorial below to colour an image for your next card.
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For today's project, you'll need a stamp, a piece of black cardstock, a white ink pad and a white pencil. Begin by stamping the image directly onto the black cardstock with the white ink. It doesn't matter if the ink is a little transparent, we'll make up for that with our white pencil.
Very lightly apply a layer of white pencil on the focal point of your image. You want it nice and soft so that you can build up the intensity of the pigment as you work. Leave areas of obvious shadow uncoloured - if you have a look at the bird below, you'll see that I didn't colour beneath her wing.
Now start adding some highlights. The whitest areas of the image will be the places where the light hits directly. In my case, that means the ends of feathers, the top of the head and beak and the end of the tail. You can apply the white pencil in layers to build up the intensity of colour. Don't be tempted to do it all in one go or you will end up with a very obvious division between light and dark... you want it to be gradual.
If you have a close look at the holly leaf below, you can see that I've used individual pencil strokes placed very close together. You can do this by "flicking" the pencil carefully from light to shadow, as though you were doing quick hatching lines. As the pencil lifts off the paper it will leave a tail that gradually fades out... this does take a little bit of practice. For the best results, follow the shape of the object you're colouring.
For the rounded holly berries I started by adding a heavy white line on the side that would be facing the light source. In my case, the top, left hand side. Work from that area down to the opposite side, gradually fading out the pencil by reducing the pressure you apply as you colour.
I added a little more pencil to the border and edges of my images to bring it altogether. As the pencil is so soft and prone to smudging, I finished by applying a single coat of matt spray varnish - hairspray works too!
