TONS OF COLORING BUT NO IMPROVEMENT?
Have you ever noticed…
Sometimes it feels like adult coloring is harder for YOU than everyone else?
You want to get better at alcohol markers. You want to add beautiful colored pencil details.
Everyone says to practice more.
So you you’re drawing or coloring as much as your schedule allows.
And you’re not doing this half-heartedly. You’ve been practicing up a storm. Some of you have been doing this regularly for months or years.
But it doesn’t feel like you’re learning, growing, or improving any of your skills.
And THIS much practice should pay off, at least a little bit!
In today’s video, let’s talk about the problem with practice.
The thing NOBODY likes to talk about.
“Acorn Variations”. Copic Marker + Prismacolor Colored Pencil on Strathmore 300 Smooth Bristol Board. 6 x 6” by the author, Amy Shulke.
WATCH: POINTLESS PRACTICE?
Latest Video - Months of Practice but ZERO Growth?
(project supply list at end of this article)
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TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE PRACTICE
1. Calling it practice doesn’t make it practice
“Practice” has become an online trend which often results in lots of likes, hearts, and words of encouragement.
So it’s no wonder we like posting projects with #practice in the caption.
But real practice isn’t coloring the same projects you always do. Just coloring is not practice.
In the video, I share why practice is different than coloring and how to start every practice session with the right mindset to improve your skills.
2. Practice isn’t what you see on social media
If you’re a fan of sketchbook flip-throughs on YouTube, Instagram, and Tik-Toc — you’re enjoying a glamorized, artificial version of practice.
Real practice isn’t something you want to hang on the fridge. Practice is messy, ugly, and full of mistakes.
YouTube sketchbooks are art projects, not practice and they set an impossible standard your practice books can never live up to.
In the video, we talk about what real practice pages should look like.
LEARN MARKER + PENCIL COLORING TECHNIQUES
Marker with a dash of colored pencil…
The Blend - A 12 week online course for beginners/intermediates which focuses solely on smooth blending with Copic Markers. Learn to blend or improve your current blending technique with this intensive skill building approach to coloring.
Colored pencil with a touch of marker…
The Point - A 12 week online course for beginners/intermediates which focuses on efficient techniques for Prismacolor colored pencils. Learn to layer colors with confidence and artistry through this intensive skill building approach to coloring.
TECHNIQUES USED IN “ACORN VARIATIONS”
The following techniques can be spotted in the POINTLESS PRACTICE? video:
The color palette for this acorn project is deliberately minimalist. Every acorn is colored with all the same markers and pencils. The practice exercise here is to develop unique colors by changing how much of each color is used.
The acorn nuts are underpainted with a light violet (V22) but the caps use a lighter V20. The caps are overall lighter and softer than the green nuts. Bolder colors can handle darker underpaint.
Green + Orange + Violet = Brown. You don’t need to puzzle over the perfect brown pencil when you can easily make it with the pencils in your hand.
People are intelligent— never underestimate your viewers! It can be tempting for an artist to draw and define every scale on the acorn cap and every stripe on the nut but too much detail often leads to a cartoonish effect rather than realism. Simply suggest details; your viewers will fill in the missing information.
COZY FALL COLOR
Acorn Variations is my latest digital line art for members of my monthly intermediate coloring group, Color Wonk.
Every month, Color Wonk members receive a new coloring challenge plus a full livestream demonstration with audience Q&A.
Receive feedback on your project in our exclusive forums or even personal coaching. Learn easy fine-art techniques to improve the look of your coloring AND make coloring easier!
Acorn Variations digital package is exclusive to Color Wonk in October/November 2024. Access ends November 30, 2024. This project may return as a coloring kit in fall of 2025 at Sketch-Garden.com
MORE AUTUMN PROJECTS
(click the pic for more info)
ADVANCED COLORING
INTERMEDIATE COLORING
WE TEST COPIC INK
BEAUTIFUL COLOR PALETTES
UNDERPAINT RECIPE ARCHIVE
SUPPLY LIST FOR “ACORN VARIATIONS”
