Paper and Fiber Arts



Welcome to my mixed media blog. Thanks for stopping by.

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Venetian Neighborhood Using Three Different Coloring Techniques


This Hero Arts stamp is an amazingly detailed large stamp that is perfect for many types of coloring techniques. I could have chosen more but stuck with three very different ones to showcase very different looks. And one of them is kind of a failure.


The stamped image is a Venetian neighborhood. I wanted something with an old-world, vintage vibe because Venice has an old-world charm.  And because Venice is known for its canals, the first choice was a water tie-in - watercolor.  This was done on dry paper. If it had been wet on wet, it would look different. Experimenting and playing are part of the process.


Using Prismacolor colored pencils to color this card front took a bit of time. Or it could be that I was coloring while watching tv and I am not as good at multi-tasking as I thought! Coloring can be as time-consuming as you'd like. Many times, I use Gamsol when using colored pencils to blend the color.  This time, I did not use anything to blend. It gives a more cartoony look to the card. That is ok because I wanted to use a very modern-looking Catherine Pooler 'hello" die cut.

Hero Arts Venetian Neighborhood Stamped Image

It is funny how the backdrop to the card can make the card appear to be a different shade. I'm showing both to let you see that photography can trick us into thinking something is not necessarily as it appears in real life. The background of the card is actually a very pale blush-tan color, not pink as it appears above.


The last card was an experiment. I debated showing it because it isn't what I normally want to show on here. But, it is important for me to remember that even 'failures' have merit. The lesson in this card is that tiny lines are difficult to color with pastels if you expect to stay inside the lines. The end result is very messy and sketchy. If that is the look you are after, great! Pastels are messy. They just are. Ultimately, I decided to embrace the mess and accept that this card gives an old-fashioned, found-this-in-an-attic-trunk kind of vibe. To fix the pastels, I used clear gesso. This made the cardstock curl. The front is glued to a side-folding 4.25" x 5.5" card base. The card base helps to tame the curl but, as you can see in the photo below, it still isn't flat.
 


Whatever materials you use to color your creations, enjoy the process and have fun!



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