Coloring Books - More ways to “art”
Using coloring books to practice highlighting, shading and other art techniques while just having fun. Kerby Rosanes is my favorite coloring book artist right now and DeDe Willingham taught me this technique through her YT videos.
Art, like everything, is all about practice, practice, practice (Marsha, Marsha, MARSHA!). Replacing mental filter now...
I am not the kind of artist who loves one medium to the exclusion of everything else. If I was forced to label myself, I guess I’d be a mixed media artist. But I don’t love any single art supply, paper or medium to the exclusion of others. My only rule so far is that everything should be non-toxic, since I usually wind up with art supplies in my hair, on my arms and even in my mouth. Don’t ask.
So when I see YT-ers promoting low-cost and low-risk ways to experiment and practice using different materials, I’m usually all in. One of my earliest discoveries on YT was DeDe Willingham, who streams a live chat show on Monday and Wednesdays. She has been an artist and/or had artistic jobs her whole life and I appreciate her casual and chatty approach. I also admire her ability to multi-task live for 3 hours while simultaneously doing a whole variety of art. I have learned a whole lot from her…so, Thanks Dede!
While there are many coloring book artists out there on YT, I basically use DeDe’s approach, using Kerby Rosanes’ coloring books, which I buy from discount online bookstores and the thrift store. The books are so fantastical and fun and a treat for the eyes. Essentially, Dede’s technique is to use washes of matte paint as an initial layer, shade with colored pencils, then highlight with paint pens. You can browse her videos to hear her explain everything in greater detail and watch her actually do it. She provides all kinds of tips, suggestions and recommendations.
If you’ve never tried coloring with colored pencils, the main issue is that wax builds up quickly, making it harder to shade. But using a paint wash serves as a middle “tone” or color, so you can use fewer colored pencils, specifically for shading and highlighting.
My shading skills definitely need improvement (I should probably find a class for that somewhere) but I really appreciate how easy this is for a beginner to try. I’ve only completed a handful of pages - they do take some time. But you can always put them aside and come back to them later; they don’t have to be finished in one sitting.
I’ll admit, I think this process makes me feel like I’m a sophisticated artist.
