A Colour Experiment from the Handmade Institute

Some of you may love the solid image stamps (and so do I!) but be a little bit afraid of the line-art image stamps because, well, you need to colour them in, and how do you do that?

Fear not!  Here at the Handmade Institute, we have spent hours in the lab experimenting with various methods to bring you colouring satisfaction.  Or something like that.

I have stamped some images  on watercolour paper (not SU!, as I needed a large sheet)  with Jet Black Stazon ink.  I coloured them using watercolour crayons,  an aquapainter, blender pen, pastels, markers and classic ink pads.  Each gives a slightly different look, so your choice will depend on the effect you want to achieve.

Here is my very scientific chart, with the results:

By way of contrast, I've included the butterfly (a solid image) which I coloured with watercolour crayons directly to the rubber, and spritzed with some water.  The purple one was perhaps a little too wet!  Well, it was an experiment, right?

This cute little hippo from Pun Fun was the perfect choice of a line art image to colour.

 

First I used my Watercolour Wonder Crayons, with my aquapainter on the blue, and with a blender pen on the purple.  At present I only have the crayons in Soft Subtles and Bold Brights, but I think I will be enlarging my collection as I found them easy to use and they blend beautifully.  You can scribble on the paper directly, or take colour from the bottom of the crayon with your aquapainter/blender pen; I did both.

Next I tried using ink from my Stampin' Spots (full sized pads work very well too, you squeeze the pad a little before you open it and then you end up with a pool of ink on the lid for you to use as a palette).  I simply smeared a little ink on the plastic "clam shell" stamp case and picked up the colour with my Blender Pen (Left side).  It is quite easy to use, although I noticed the paper "pilling" a little as I tried to blend the colours together.  Not enough to be too annoying, but in the interests of science I'm telling you what I found.  The quality of the paper may be a factor there. I like the control you have with a blender pen; it is easier to keep within the lines and you don't need to wait as long for things to dry between each coat of colour.    On the other one, you see the difference when I used my aquapainter; much more "watercolour" in effect.Its a little messier and blurred, but that is the nature of watercolouring.

This is the most vibrant image - I used my markers to add a line of colour then blended it with the aquapainter.  It is my current favourite colouring technique.  Unfortunately I was a little messy here (I was watching TV at the same time!) but again, that adds to the watercolour look.

Yes, you can use Stampin' Pastels to colour directly with a cotton bud or sponge dauber, but here I tried using my blender pen on the left and aquapainter on the right.  I have to say it is perfect for a subtle look.  Very difficult to get a deep colour on your image (except with Pink Passion, wow that looks bright!) but if a soft look is what you are after, then it is perfect.  Would be lovely on a baby card, or a wedding card perhaps?

So there you have it!   I certainly haven't exhausted the colouring methods - I didn't try watercolour pencils because I don't have any.  Rest assured if I get them I will subject them to the same scruitiny!

I hope you found this helpful.  What is your favourite method of colouring and why?