Here's everything you need to know about this picture
Full disclosure: Okay, let's be real: I love the stuff I share, and sometimes I get a little kickback if you buy it. But don't worry, it won't cost you extra and it helps fund my coloring obsession! Win-win!
This coloring page is from the devotional
Regaining Hope
I made some mistakes...
Coloring skin to make it look realistic has always been a challenge for me. I've been told that the darker the skin, the more challenging it is.
Here's what I learned!
Don't try to use a color formula! Color formulas were one of the techniques that was suggested to me, but it can look very unnatural. Do two things instead.
1. Swatch your flesh tone pencils on one sheet of paper.
2. Find a reference image.
Once you have that done, you can use your new color palette to match the tones in your reference photo and get a much more natural looking final image.
For color inspiration I used a
Color Palette
Sarah Renae Clark has hundreds of color palettes!
These help your images have a more cohesive look. For this image, I used palette #76 from Color Cube 1. Find out more here
I printed my coloring page on
Vellum Bristol Paper
There are several benefits.
Printing your coloring pages on high-quality paper gives you a better coloring experience than coloring directly in a book. Thicker, textured paper can handle more layers, allowing for deeper color saturation, smoother blending, and cleaner details. It also holds up better to markers, pencils, and mixed media, resulting in a more polished and professional-looking finished piece.
For everything you ever wanted to know about choosing the right paper,
click here.
You can get printable coloring pages here.
I taped the borders of my image with
Washi Tape
There are several benefits.
It will protect the borders of your image, giving you cleaner lines and keeping you from coloring over the bible verse as I've done in the past. Also, it can protect your table. When you color outside the lines your color on your tape instead of your table.
Painters tape is another good option.
I intended to color majority of the page was colored with
Arteza Pencils
I used the set of 48 (as shown) but...
If I were to order this again, I would order the set of 72 in order to have more color variety, such as skin tone colors. Since I ordered the smaller case, I needed more variety and had to pull from other brands, which you'll find below. Check it out here.
I get minimal breakage with this
Pencil Sharpener
My pencils would break in the sharpener all the time...
but this pencil sharpener grips the pencil to keep it aligned just right. You also can adjust the angle of the point so your pencils are sharpened just the way you want them.
This smaller sharpener is just as good.
I needed additional colors, so I grabbed my
Prismacolor Pencils
These are softer, and able to lay on the page with minimal damage to the tooth of the paper.
These pencils are a favorite among artists for their exceptional layering and blending capabilities. Their softness allows for effortless application, reducing hand fatigue compared to harder pencils. I always pull these for coloring skin.
For the details, like the hair, I used
SJ Star-Joy
These are harder pencils.
This means they keep a sharper point and can handle details without constantly sharpening your pencils.
To save time on the skin, I used
Gel Crayons
You can get great coverage, much faster with these.
These save your hand from fatigue, reduce coloring time, and are far more affordable than high-quality pencils. Because you can layer colored pencils over them, they work especially well for laying down a base layer in larger areas, saving both time and effort.
I use the rough side of the Caran D'ache Palette to lay and blend my colors. Then I use blending brushes to lay the color on the page.
These are a budget brand of Gel Crayons which can get a little clumpy. If you want the best, check out Faber Castell Gelato Paint Sticks.
For details, such as eyelashes, I used
Micron Fineliner Pens
These are precise archival pens that create fade resistant, waterproof, bleed free marks for drawing, artwork, journaling, and more.
To brighten and smooth the pencils I used
Prismacolor Blender Pencils
This may not be necessary if you naturally color with a heavy hand.
Many artists just use the colored pencils themselves to blend. I tend to have a lighter hand, so blending tools are my preference.
Another great option are blending stumps.
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