Pssttt… Hello? I’ve got a question…
Remember that one kid in school who always asked weird questions and the teacher just sighed,
“That’s a great question for later…”
I was that girl.
But hear me out, because 99.999% of the time, my question had something to do with why.
All these years later, I’m sharing my super-power with you.
One day, I’m at work but I’m actually on the internet…
I’m clicking around one of those hobby message boards, the kind we used to have back when AOL was totally rockin’,
And I read the dumbest thing ever:
“QUICK TIP: If your Copic Marker runs dry, give it a quick refill with distilled water!”
Now I’m sitting there in a studio with 6 other artists and we’re all holding a Copic. I figured they’d be totally outraged too. But no, they shrugged went back to work.
Three days later, I’m still grumbling and my cubicle mate gently suggests:
“Maybe you should teach people the right way…”
Welcome to the thing that happened when Scott tried to get me to shut up.
My name is Amy Shulke
Amy Shulke, Illustrator & Photo Avoider
Here’s some old photos of me because I’m too busy to get headshots taken.
I'm a Technical Illustrator — a fancy way to say that I’m trained to draw objects in the clearest, cleanest way possible. BFA Illustration; I've studied art in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Grand Rapids, Michigan with lots of science classes in the mix. I’m a weird combination of left-brain nerd and right-brain geek.
Basically, I draw and color the stuff that goes into textbooks, instruction manuals, and that “So you have a Hiatal Hernia?” pamphlet at the doctor’s office.
See? All those years asking why is actually a career option…
I’m not doing anything magical here,
YOU CAN COLOR LIKE THIS TOO!
What makes my classes different?
Experience
With art school and 30 years in commercial illustration, I’m not teaching techniques learned from a colorist who heard it from another colorist…
The coloring telephone-game creates a disconnect between the techniques we use and why we use them. I never teach students how without sharing why.
No Marketing
All lessons include my hand-drawn original line art, custom created to teach specific skills. I’m not on design teams; my classes are not sponsored by craft companies. I’m not here to sell you products.
Every class has recommended supplies but when there are alternative products or colors, I’ll tell you. You’re here to learn something, not buy more stuff.
Student Driven
Every class starts from a question or common issue with a previous lesson. I’m not just teaching, I’m learning from you what to teach next.
During demonstrations, I deliberately verbalize my inner doubts and confusion. We all stumble, no matter how long we’ve been coloring. And I erase. A lot.
Your Amazing Potential
Too often, colorists assume there’s a big divide between coloring techniques and painting, drawing, or “real” art.
I disagree. Every colorist is born with above-average art instincts— you’d be on the golf course right now or digging in the garden if you didn’t have artistic potential.
You already know many of the techniques artists use every day. You do some of these things better than many artists. The difference is your approach:
Coloring is what you do with your hands.
Art is what you do with your mind.