Tiny Prismacolor Tutorial

I'm not professional at all, but Prismacolor Pencils are a wonderful, inexpensive, forgiving tool to color images with. Their main drawback is that the wax in the pencil "lead" slightly decreases the color value of the inked image. They are easy to travel with, and great for shading.

This tutorial is to show how the Dahlia flowers were shaded on this card.

Select an image which has been inked with a dye base ink, so the ink will not smear (I don't care for pigment inks, hybrid inks or embossing powders (unless a very, very sharp pencil will be used to color near the raised areas of the EP).

Choose your colors by scribbling on a piece of the same color paper as your image. There should to be a significant difference in the colors so that the shading is effective.

For the dahlias below, three colors were used:

• lightest shade - Lemon Yellow (Jaune Citron) PC915
• medium shade - Sand (Sable) PC940
• darkest shade - Sunburst Yellow (Orange Solell) PC917

NOTE: I begin at the "6 o'clock position"for each layer when coloring detailed images, so I won't forget where I started. This is helpful if coloring in a room which is not well lit.

Color with the medium shade in all the areas where a shadow might be cast. Exaggerate the shadow so that it is bigger than desired.

Using the lightest shade, begin covering the image at the "6 o'clock position" of the flower, including the area previously colored with the medium shade. Color lightly and with compete coverage.

Next, beginning at the "6 o'clock position", apply the color of the darkest color in the shaded areas and even some of the tips of the flower petals. You may press harder to achieve stronger color if desired.

Finally, beginning at the "6 o'clock position", apply the color of the lightest color on top of the previous layers. Burnish with this layer, covering with a thick coat of color on each of the flower petals. At this point it is important to press the pencil going in the direction of the petal (the length of the petal). This last application is just as if you were using the "blender pencil". It blends the bottom layers with the top coat, giving a nice waxy finish, and wonderful shading.

Try using assorted colors, like blues, reds and purples in the veins of green leaves.

One more TIP:
Colored pencils are a unique medium. They should not be confused with markers. Therefore, your final result will not appears as if water colors, solvent inks, or other mediums were used. Expect colored pencil results - not results from other types of mediums. They really are a gorgeous coloring medium, and I enjoy them very much. I also enjoy applying chalk over them on occasion for even more intense shading.

Hope you enjoyed this tiny tutorial - I am no expert, that is for sure!

(please click on any of the photos to enlarge, and see more detail)

stamping hugs,