Real Dimension with Red and Green Alcohol Markers
There are thousands of dimensional coloring tutorials out there.
āDepth and dimensionā are buzz-words in the coloring community. Everyone wants to color with more depth and more dimension.
The problem is, these terms are badly misunderstood by most colorers, including the instructors promising dimensional results! Sure, what youāre coloring looks better blended than without the tutorialā¦ but does it really look realistic?
And psssttttā¦
Have you ever noticed, dimensional coloring tutorials often lead to uncanny, odd, and cartoonish results?
Itās because youāre coloring depth and skipping the dimension!
Draw & Color: Dimensional Poinsettia Petals with Copic Markers & Prismacolor Pencils
Watch now at YouTube!
(Recorded on November 14th, 2023)
Last Monthās Livestream
If youāve ever wondered why gray coloring feels lifeless, Iāve got the answer. Colorers have misunderstood gray and grayscale for years, letās look at why.
In this live session, I draw and color a realistic gray and black witch hat from scratch, taking your gray questions and offering tips.
No digital stamp, just me, some markers, my bare wits, and a few pencils!
Resources for Real Dimension: Poinsettia Blossom
Poinsettia Photo Reference
I use a combination of photo references during the drawing and coloring process.
My primary drawing reference is one thatās free for you to use, courtesy of Pixabay.com
Tips for Dimensional Coloring
TIP: Depth = Distance. Dimension = Form.
Donāt confuse depth with dimension! The majority of ādimensional coloring tutorialsā are actually teaching depth, not dimension.
TIP: Look for digi stamps and line art drawn with dimension.
Imagine pressing one of these poinsettia petals flat with a hot clothing ironā¦ Donāt purchase stamps which are drawn with flattened petals or leaves. You canāt add a lot of dimension to something drawn purposefully flat!
TIP: Why are opaque pencils a must-have for florals?
Watch the livestream because Amy explains this in detail!
Poinsettia Blossom Digital Stamp
Color along with me!
Drawing and then coloring live has one major disadvantage: Once Iāve colored over my drawing, I canāt turn it into a digital stamp for you!
The day after the livestream, I sat down to recreate the original drawing. I moved a couple petals to improve the balance but otherwise, āPoinsettia Blossomā is a near-exact match to the original.
Color along with me using the replay video. Push when I push, pull when I pull. Itās all great practice for your future independent projects!
F supply list of markers and pencils used during the livestream at the bottom of this page.
And hey, the printables from a retired poinsettia themed class is available in my Kit Shop. The class package includes a THREE blossom poinsettia stamp plus the booklet with photo references and supply guide. This was a watercolor class but the basic color info is similar for Copic. The pencil portions are exactly the same whether youāre coloring over watercolor or Copic.
Note: Video not included with purchase. Itās a retired class and todayās livestream teaches the same concepts with greater clarity.
Related Reading
Take a Class
Amy has classes featuring gray and grayscale coloring technique
Or focus on blending skills
Supply List
(to be updated after the livestream)