Hellebore

Artist's Notebook: It Doesn’t Take a Lot of Color to Create a Rainbow (Copic Marker, Colored Pencil)

Artist's Notebook: It Doesn’t Take a Lot of Color to Create a Rainbow (Copic Marker, Colored Pencil)

I love color.

You love color.

Color, color, color. It’s all about the color. The more, the better!

But I’m always a little sad when I see Copic Marker tutorials or colored pencil classes that use a mile long list of supplies. And I’m even sadder when I read online posts from people who sincerely want to start coloring but they’ve talked themselves out of it, because they don’t have enough colors yet.

Folks, you don’t need to own the whole rainbow.

In fact, it’s better if you don’t.

Control Freak Tips: How to Color with Loose Artistic Style (Copic Marker, Colored Pencil)

Control Freak Tips: How to Color with Loose Artistic Style (Copic Marker, Colored Pencil)

Do you micro-manage your markers?

You’re not alone. There’s something about Copic Marker and especially colored pencil that seems to attract persnickety people. We like control and we want to regulate our colors, so we choose the most controlled version of all art mediums.

Because really, who trusts a drippy paintbrush and all those weird little tubes? That stuff gets messy! Markers and pencils are safe.

And yet we dream of painting. Painting with wild abandon.

Today, let’s look at tips for coloring with passion and freedom.