Tutorial - Colouring The Cosmos

Cosmos flowers come in a wonderful range of beautiful colours, including fiery reds and oranges, which is what I want to show you today. I'm also demonstrating the no-line colouring technique that results in images that look hand painted rather than stamped. If you prefer, you can use pencils or paints rather than markers, and you can choose whatever colour palette matches your theme.

1. Start by stamping your image twice with a light coloured, water-based ink. Make sure you select paper that is appropriate for the mediums you'll be using to colour - in my case, I'm using alcohol markers so I've chosen blending card for my base.

2. Select several shades of red and orange for your flowers. You'll want a nice dark shade for the shadow areas and a lighter shade for the highlights. (I chose copic markers YR12, YR14, YR16, YR18 and YR27 for the orange flowers and R22, R24, R27, R29 and R59 for the red.)

3. Start by adding a base layer of the lightest shade. In the image below, I'm colouring a red flower so have started the petal with R22.

4. I prefer to add my shadows first and then work into the highlights, so the next colour I use is the darkest shade of red - R59. Apply this at the base of the petal using little flicking strokes that radiate outward from the centre.

5. Next comes the R29. Again colouring with little flicking strokes, colour over the top of the R59 and make your way further out along the petal. Add a little to the edge of the petal, which will create a "crease".

6. Using the R27, extend the colour further while blending with the R29.

7. Add more colour with the R24, leaving only the highlight area free.

8. Finish with the lightest colour, R22. This will blend the last colours together and leave a nice smooth transition along the length of your petal.

9. Add the R22 as a base for the next petal and start the process again.

10. For petals that are "under" other petals, you want to add the darkest shade along the sides to "push" the petal backward. Remember that dark colours recede, so adding the darkest red will give the impression that the petal is further back than the ones on either side. Continue blending the colours until you reach the lightest shade.

11. Repeat for the remaining red flowers, and then continue the process for the orange flowers.

12. Once your colouring is done, fussy cut both images with a small pair of sharp scissors, leaving a narrow white border.

13. Use a trimmer or guillotine to cut each image in half so that you have four "corners".

14. Use the corners to decorate your card as desired.

Clear Stamps: