Welcome! I just spent the last six hours coloring a planter of succulents from a photo that I took in a home improvement store last weekend. So there is no way that it isn't going to become a post, even if it isn't a stamped image! I'm headed to Pittsburgh this weekend to teach my last Copic Certification classes of the year, as well as a Coloring Flowers Workshop. (The rest of my 2017 classes are all Copic Workshops.) Of course that means that I'd like to have a few new pieces in my portfolio.
When we were plant shopping this past weekend, I was intrigued by several flowers, as well as a little planter of succulents. And while I have a lot of floral images in my portfolio, I didn't have any succulents. So, succulents, anyone?
Before I show you three progression images, I wanted to give a shout out to the Copic Coloring Flowers Color Foundations book by Marianne Walker. The coloring foundation series is basic enough that someone should be able to pick one up, follow the instructions, and successfully complete several images, while learning many general Copic principles along the way. They really are a great resource for learning the basics, or even for teaching your own students. Marianne shows many helpful hints and tips that will make it worth your while to read and practice.
I took pictures as I worked, and the Copic colors that I used are listed on the side of my page. I worked first in pencil, and them went over the lines that I wanted to keep with a Copic Warm Gray 0.5 Multiliner. The 0.3 Multiliner size is actually my favorite size--it's a bit smaller than the 0.5. I need another box of 0.3's, so I went with a 0.5 here. (I will post a large format picture at the bottom of the post with ALL of the Copic marker numbers showing. You should be able to click on it to get a full-sized version if you'd like.)
The tricky part of the succulents that I've colored above is that green and red are complimentary colors--or colors that are across from one another on a color wheel. That means that if you mix them, they can easily turn muddy. But if you FLICK the colors on and don't over-blend, you should be fine. Again, put the ink down, and move on.
Here it is a couple of hours down the line, with most of the background added, as well as the small-leafed succulents on the right. I used a Copic Warm Gray 0.1 Multiliner to add a crackle texture to the dish.
Here I have finished that large succulent on the bottom. It had a lot of blue-greens, blue-violets, and blues in its leaves, as well as some warmer greens toward the center. I think that this was my favorite part to color, with those red-tipped succulents in the back left being my second favorite. I chose to leave some of the background out at the top of the image because it was cluttery and did not enhance my finished image. Other than that, I stuck pretty closely to my photograph except in areas that it really just didn't matter (such as the pebbles in the dish).
Here is a higher resolution copy so that you can see the markers that I used; if you click on it, you should get a full-sized version.
Are you ready to try some flowers or some succulents on your own? Even if you don't draw, keep in mind that there are many apps that turn photos into line art for you, such as the free Tracing Memories app for iPhone and iPad. That particular app will give you some of the shading as well, unless you lessen the detail and lighten the lines enough to get rid of the shading. Don't let the drawing part stop you from branching out with your Copics and trying something that appeals to you. And be sure to check out Marianne's Copic Coloring Flowers Color Foundations book if you could use a little assistance!
Thanks for stopping by,
