REALISTIC COLORING
IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK
Let’s set aside cartoonish blending combos,
And start using real color.
Fine Art Techniques for Colorists - Intro to Grisaille
"Why does my coloring look so flat?"
You've tried depth & dimension tutorials,
You bought the best blending combinations,
And watched soooo many shading videos,
The class on lighting direction didn't help either.
Pssttt... It isn't the colors you're using or where you put them...
You're just missing the color down below.
REAL CRAYONS
INTERMEDIATE COLORING
MARKER + COLORED PENCIL INSTRUCTION WITH AMY SHULKE
Your skills are not the problem.
You're missing the mud.
When every marker you use is clean and bright, it leads to flat and cartoony coloring.
Let's step-up your color game with grisaille!
Not the grisaille that comes in a coloring kit but adding the underpaint yourself for maximum realism.
Realistic coloring is easier than you think.
All it takes is a little gray!
REAL CRAYONS
$70 USD - Instant Access to all class materials
Professional Illustrator, Amy Shulke shares the secret of realistic shading
Real Crayons will change the way you color forever…
This isn’t a gimmicky colorist technique, I learned the Grisaille method in art school, thirty years ago.
Back then I used it for realistic painting. Now I use it to paint with markers and you can too!
Improve your coloring by improving how you think about color
Intermediate Level
Copic Markers & Prismacolor Pencils
Minimal Supply lists
Maximum Impact
Real shade isn’t darker, it’s desaturated.
Finding the perfect shade color is easier than you think.
THE SHADE OF SHADE MATTERS
In Real Crayons we underpaint our way through the rainbow, easily creating realistic shade and shadow with zero stress.
We’re not coloring crayons because they’re cute…
This is a nitty-gritty lesson covering the biggest key to photorealism.
The best part: We repeat the lesson eleven times; practicing your new underpainting skills on a variety of crayon colors.
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 a color reference 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 crayon" is useless unless you plan to color crayons for the rest of your life. By teaching you to read the form, you can apply today's lesson to an endless variety of objects.
COLOR WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHENEVER YOU WANT
Start Underpainting Now
Color as many times as you wish and invent new color combinations.
One time payment - $70 USD
How Real Crayons works:
Enroll today for instant access to the detailed supply list, line art, photo references, printable guidebook, and full set of 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?
INTERMEDIATE COLORING SKILLS REQUIRED
Beginner techniques like blending and layering will not be covered in depth.
To master these skills before taking Real Crayons, I have two beginner courses. More info here.
AFTER REAL CRAYONS:
Color Real Crayons Now
Learn to underpaint a rainbow of colors with budget friendly colors.
One time payment - $70 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 pencil technique in every demo and most marker people pick it up easily in just a few projects.
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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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