Blue Swan
Add Life to Your Whites
Livestream Broadcast:
Saturday, April 10th at 11:00am EST
Recording available immediately after broadcast. Watch at your convenience, as many times as you wish. No expiration.
Join Amy Shulke, a professional illustrator and marker enthusiast for a fun and informative coloring lesson, Vanilla Arts style!
Marker Painting is a completely different approach to coloring with markers.
Amy teaches students basic techniques and color theory based on the way artists use paint. Instead of focusing on "how" to color a selected stamp image, Amy shows you the "why" behind color selection, shade, layering, depth, and form. This provides students with the necessary knowledge to color any stamp image in their collection and every stamp they might purchase in the future.
Take your coloring to the next level-- coloring with independence, creativity, and your own unique voice.
Learn to color whites with big, bold, and beautiful color.
We’re used to adding shade to white objects with gray markers.
It may look dimensional but it’s also boring.
White is a magical color which adopts color from it’s surroundings. Colorful whites are easier than you think!
We’re coloring a swan with bold blues and sunshiny gold but Amy shares her secret for choosing other gorgeous combinations.
Lesson also includes an introduction to Amy’s unique water backgrounds.
Blue Swan is a challenge level demonstration
We welcome colorers of many levels at Vanilla Arts, but basic marker painting techniques are not covered in this class.
Challenge classes assume you’ve mastered basic techniques and are ready for independent work using artistic skills. Read more about Vanilla skill levels here.
Skill Level: Intermediate
We do not recommend this course for first time Vanilla students.
Techniques Used:
- Distress background
- Push & Pull
- Coloring White
- Color sculpting
- Reading photo references
- Overpainting with colored pencil
Course Includes:
- Over 2 hours of video demonstration with Q&A timeouts (for the live audience). Work at your own pace.
- Recipe guide
- Blue Swan digital stamp in three handy formats (PNG, JPG, or quick print PDF)
- Printable photo reference, underpainting guide, detailed color map, and full color sample
WARNING:
Basic computer skills are required to access class materials.
If you struggle with websites, video players, downloads, printing digital files, and communicating in discussion forums, this course may not be right for you.
We recommend that you try our FREE More Than Luck course to get a feel for how our site works and the type of computer skills you'll need to make the most of your learning experience here.
Required Supplies: complete printable supply list included in class package
- High-quality Copic friendly marker cardstock (Cryogen Curious Metallic White for project & X-Press It Blending Cardstock for Distress background process)
- Distress Classic Ink (not oxide): Stormy Sky and Peeled Paint
- Mask It Masking Film (or adhesive backed masking paper)
- Soft rubber brayer
- Detail scissors
- Life Changing Brushes by Picket Fence
- Lawn Fawn Stamp Shammy
- Small spritzing bottle (filled with water)
- Copic Markers
- Artist quality colored pencils (Prismacolor Premier colored pencils use for this project)
- Glassine paper
- Mod Podge brush or Hake dusting brush.
- Clipboard or hard surface (glass mat is recommended)
- Drafting tape.
- Pencil, pencil sharpener.
- Erasers - black and white polymer, white sticky tack, Tombow Mono Zero (round)
(this class is an Intermediate Challenge skilled class
(*click image for more information + enroll)
(this class is an Intermediate Challenge skilled class)
(*click image for more information + enroll)
Your Instructor
Amy is a professional freelance technical illustrator with 25 years of experience in graphic arts. Amy began using colored pencils in 1985 and she started with DeSign markers in 1989. Colored pencils with a base of either marker or watercolor is her preferred process for portraiture and scientific illustration. She has a special passion for teaching crafters and shy artists to stretch their boundaries by adding established fine art techniques to their coloring projects.
Join Amy for fun and highly informative lessons which will not only change the way you color but the way you see color in the world around you.
Course Curriculum
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StartDemo 1: Introduction & Light Temperature (16:00)
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StartDemo 2: Masking & Distress Background (19:58)
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StartDemo 3: Copic Cast Shadow on Swan & Beak (18:16)
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StartDemo 4: Color of White Discussion & Copic for Swan (12:07)
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StartDemo 5: Copic for Swan (14:03)
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StartDemo 6: Colored Pencil detail for Head & Neck and Q&A (17:22)
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StartDemo 7: Colored Pencil detail for Beak and Wings (19:10)
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StartDemo 8: Colored Pencil detail for Background (14:19)
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StartDemo 9: Q&A and Colored Pencil finishing touches (21:13)
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StartDemo 10: Demo 9: Q&A and Masking discussion (18:21)
"It's the OMG moments. That's why Amy's classes rock. She explains things that you've maybe noticed before but never thought much about. I love it!"
"At 62 years of age I have no illusions about becoming a great artist but. I am so appreciative of the change in my perception since taking classes with Amy at Vanilla Arts Co. Now I see the play of colors, the motion and the grace... It's a great way to view the world around me."
"I just love the things I'm learning and can't wait to start the next project. Your images are challenging for me and I like that. I'll never look at another image and how to color it the same again!"