DO YOU HIGHLIGHT EVERYTHING
WITH WHITE?
It’s fun to add highlights with white gel pens or white pencils.
But did you ever notice how artificial it looks?
Fine Art Techniques for Colorists - Intro to Highlighting Dark Values
White gel pens are a gateway drug…
White highlights are often the first technique colorists learn.
Even before you knew how to blend properly, you were already a pro at drawing little white commas on everything.
And it was fun, until one day in a rare moment of clarity, you were shocked to see how cartoonish it looked.
There’s more to depth and dimension than little white dots and dashes.
Psstttt… there’s something more realistic and it’s even easier than gel pen!
HELLO, COOKIE!
INTERMEDIATE COLORING
MARKER + COLORED PENCIL INSTRUCTION WITH AMY SHULKE
Some highlights are white…
But if you look at the objects in the room around you right now, most highlights are anything but white.
Especially when the object is deep, dark, and nearly black— like this chocolate cookie.
There’s a time and a place for white but how do you know when and where?
White should not be your default highlight color.
Let’s look at what works better.
HELLO, COOKIE!
$45 USD - Instant Access to all class materials
Professional Illustrator, Amy Shulke shares the secret of deep, dark color
It’s all about the values
It’s a bit ironic, but back in art school, Color Theory classes were pretty boring. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d end up teaching it.
But here’s the difference— instead of parking you in a warm, darkened auditorium at 7am with no coffee, I teach Color Theory in practical ways, guaranteed to wake up your coloring!
Improve your coloring by improving how you think about color
Intermediate Level
Copic Markers & Prismacolor Pencils
Minimal Supply lists
Maximum Impact
Put down the white pen. It’s the wrong color.
CUSTOM HIGHLIGHTS, PERFECT SHINE
In Hello, Cookie, we explore the message you send with your highlighting technique.
Is this cookie wet? Is it made of plastic? Or is it matte and dry?
We’re not coloring a cookie because it’s cute…
This is a nitty-gritty lesson covering the story told by your highlights.
And because this is an Amy-Lesson, I've packed a bleepin' truckload of color theory into every part of the project.
Your finished project becomes the springboard for a lifetime of realistic coloring.
IT'S TIME FOR A NEW KIND OF CLASS:
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SKILL
Control markers and pencils with accuracy. When the mechanics of coloring becomes automatic, your mind is free to concentrate on the important aspects of art.
COLORING IS EASIER WHEN YOU'RE NOT WORRIED ABOUT TECHNIQUE
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VERSATILITY
What we do with markers and pencils isn't magic. Coloring Theory should work with watercolor, pastels, or any other medium. It's not about the product, it's how we use the color.
COLOR IS UNIVERSAL. COLORING LESSONS SHOULD BE TOO
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INDEPENDENCE
"How to color a cookie" is useless unless you plan to color cookies for the rest of your life. In learning to analyze surface texture, you can apply today's lesson to an endless variety of objects.
COLOR WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHENEVER YOU WANT
Begin Realistic Highlighting Now
Color as many times as you wish. You’ve got forever access!
One time payment - $45 USD
How Hello, Cookie! works:
Enroll today for instant access to the detailed supply list, line art, photo references, printable guidebook, and demonstration videos. No waiting.
Consult the photo reference while you color along with the video. Guidebook contains Work-In-Progress photos to check your progress plus helpful descriptions and tips.
Don’t just color the project once, test what you’ve learned! Can you color the same project on your own? Can you change the color palette while still retaining the same depth and dimension?
STRONG INTERMEDIATE COLORING SKILLS REQUIRED
Beginner techniques like blending and layering will not be covered in depth.
To master these skills before taking Hello, Cookie!, I have two beginner courses. More info here.
HELLO, COOKIE! IS AN INTERMEDIATE’S CHALLENGE LEVEL WORKSHOP
MORE COLOR WONK PROJECTS:
Color Hello, Cookie! Now
Learn to highlight with realism — telling an accurate story with your highlights
One time payment - $45 USD
Quick Questions:
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This workshop is taught at the intermediate level.
We will not cover beginner techniques such as marker blending or how to layer colored pencils.
To learn these beginner skills, please see our beginner Copic Marker course, The Blend
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Immediately and Forever! As soon as you're through the enrollment and payment processes, the class material automatically opens for you.
This workshop is 100% FULL ACCESS from the moment you enroll. Work at your own pace and take as much time as you want to complete the lesson.
Save your log-in info for forever access to the workshop materials.
Questions? Email us at info@vanillaarts.com
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The line art is included with the printable workshop materials.
No secondary or outside purchase necessary.
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Sorry but no. You must be logged into your account here at Teachable to view the videos.
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This is a self-directed workshop with no forum access or feedback from Amy or the Vanilla Team.
For more community support and feedback from Amy, please consider joining the Color Wonk community.
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No problem. Colored pencils are much easier than markers!
I don’t do anything fancy with pencils, anyway.
We cover the parts of the pencil technique in this demo demo and most marker people pick it up easily in just a few projects.
To learn my pencil technique in-depth, learn more about The Point here.
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Sorry, but no. We’re doing fine art techniques which require artist grade alcohol markers. Despite what you’ve heard or read, inexpensive markers are not the same as Copic and Olo.
Inexpensive markers can not handle the kind of heavy layering and color mixing we do in my lessons.
If you absolutely must use student or craft grade markers, then I’m the wrong instructor for you. There are other instructors who can teach you to use them.
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In my own work, I substitute colors all the time— but this is a class and you’re here to learn.
Not all markers and pencils behave the same way, even when the colors look similar. It’s a matter of chemistry and at this intermediate level, it’s safe to assume you’re not adept at making the correct chemical substitutions.
But here’s the important part: every substitution you make increases the difficulty of the project. Fighting with your art supplies will distract you from the lesson goals.
For your benefit, I highly recommend sticking to the recommended colors. They were chosen for a reason.
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This is a one-time, single payment purchase with no additional billing.
We use the Teachable platform to process your purchase. Teachable uses Stripe to accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover payments. We do not accept PayPal deposits but you may use a PayPal debit card.
Several major currencies are accepted but prices are listed in USD. VAT is automatically charged where applicable. We absolutely can not waive VAT charges.
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If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact me at info@vanillaarts.com within the first 48 hours for a full refund minus processing fees.
Note: A refund withdraws you completely from the workshop. You will lose access to the course panel, all materials, and any associated forum.
Repeat refund requestors will be blocked from participation.
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