Coloring Without Limits
This week, I want to talk about colored pencils and coloring without limits. You can color without a preconceived idea, without outlines, and without sketching.
You only need to feel drawn to one color first. Recently, purple-blue has called me.
What to Draw?
Have you ever been thinking about what to draw when everything in the world seems to be drawn already? Maybe you too have wondered whether you draw a face, a bird, or a flower, and if so why. But there is always a secret path in art – the possibility to deviate from the traditional path at the very beginning and see what appears on paper freely.
I have a small colored pencil journal where it’s easy to make a spread now and then.
This was a quick and fun little project.
Choosing Paper with Colors
The smoothness of the paper affects the coloring experience. Single strokes are better visible on smooth paper.
My colored pencil journal has very smooth paper, and I find it less effortless to color than a rougher one.
But when I want the colors to shine more and achieve a little blurrier and thus a softer result, the paper is better when it has some tooth.
I currently have a pad of Fabriano Accademia drawing paper and it’s very nice with colored pencils.
I keep my pencils organized by color. All brands are mixed in one box. Some are watercolor pencils, some are regular, and all of them are in the same mix.
Just Start! – Two Tips
Bring the pencils to a place where you can see them often. And then …”Just start!”
Sometimes it’s easier said than done. When getting started feels like a chore, I have two tips for you.
First, let the color do the talking. Pick a pencil and examine it’s tone. Color lightly first, and then bring in more layers. Every color has a spirit. Connect with it like it’s your pet or an angel. You don’t need to rationalize why you feel drawn to this or that color. Find the pencil that resonates the best with your current self.
Second, give the color at least two other colors as friends. Often one color is very little, but when it’s side by side with two other colors, art will appear. A shape that has only one color is flat but with two other colors, it becomes much more lively.
Colored Pencils Say This All The Time
I know many colored pencils complain that they always have to create something figurative and realistic. They envy paints who can roam freely on paper and how people only smile at their tricks. Colored pencils are too often squeezed tightly and pressed hard against paper at the very beginning. They have to follow strict discipline and are under pressure to produce something that looks real. And when they try to do exactly as they are told, the result is stiff. “Nothing like what can be achieved with paints,” their owners say which makes the pencils sad. If they could choose they would be coloring without limits.
I believe in free education when it comes to colored pencils: “Make what you want and enjoy!” I often say to them. “Imagine that you are something more than just pencils!”
My pencils jump out of their boxes and do all kinds of silly marks. They are like paints.
Without Limits – Imagine You Are More!
In art, it is terribly important that we imagine to be more than what we are. Be more skillful, more innovative, more unique, and more important. Then, at that very moment, the pencils, life, and fantasy cannot be separated. The colors speak inside us and the art steps in.
Love of Coloring Without Limits
When I was a child, colored pencils often kept me company. They still bring me joy and I want to keep staying their advocate.
Get 20 % OFF from the classes Intuitive Coloring and Fun Botanicum!
The sale ends on Sunday, May 5, 2024, at midnight PDT.
Using White as a Color in Painting and Drawing
In this post, we explore the color white and find ideas on how we could change the way we use it in art-making.
I posted this painting about a month ago, but I still had to fix it! You might not notice the difference, but it matters to me. I have changed the center of the painting so that it is more abstract.
A long time ago I thought that it doesn’t matter if I don’t like some detail of my work or if I don’t like some of my work in general. I thought there would always be someone who would like it.
But the longer I’ve been painting, the more important it has become that I have to be a fan of my own work. When you are a beginner, quantity is more important than quality. But I’ve been working for a long time and the equation has thus turned the other way.
I know some would prefer the more realistic flowers, but I don’t! I have too much reality around me, especially now when the weather has been too cold to be spring.
Living in a White Country
This painting is also special because it has so much color that is difficult for me – white! There is far too much white here in Finland. Even if now is the end of April, we got a lot of snow a couple of days ago!
I think white is a terrible color because it is full of emptiness.
Finnish people usually have white walls and white furniture, but our home is full of colors. I love to display my paintings on this yellow wall.
Not One White But Many Whites
In the recent painting, I wanted to play with pastels and show the side of white that is often not talked about.
For an artist, there is not just one white. There is a warm white that holds the promise of the sun. There is a purple-toned white that falls in love when it sees a deep cold red. There is a white that allures you with a hint of sweet mint. So, many whites, not just one Finnish white!
It’s exciting to mix various whites and then see how the pastel colors slowly begin to appear. You need a lot of white and just a little bit of color to get the toned whites and pale pastels.
Titanium or Zinc White?
The most common white in paint tubes are Titanium White and Zinc White. In oils, you have to be careful with zinc white because it can cause crackles. I mostly use only Titanium White. I would love to use Zinc White because it’s more transparent. In this painting, I have tried my best to bring the soft transparent effects mostly with Titanium White, but it’s not easy!
In acrylics and gouache paints, you can use Zinc White more freely.
When White is Not Needed
Beginners think that adding white on top can fix everything. Ten years ago, I was madly doodling with a white gel pen. What went wrong, got covered with white circles. But white also can make the piece busy and destroy depth. Here’s a quick example of the small collage piece that I made in 2014 (here’s the old blog post with the video too). The first is the old piece and the second is a photoshopped version showing how I would fix it now.
When I tone down the white, the image gets clearer and the depth grows. The highlights in the central parts get more attention and it’s easier to know where to look. I wish someone would have pointed this out to me back then. It took a lot of time to realize this!
If White Were a Person …
I am pretty sure that if White were a person she would say: “I have much more potential than you think. Stop seeing me as a blank background or a quick fix to a piece that lacks contrasts!”
What’s your relationship with White?
Painting Moss and Coloring Green
This week is dedicated to moss and all the shades of green!
Inspired by Moss
For some gardens, moss is a bad thing, but my husband and I always get delighted when we see moss appearing. It’s like velvet, an ancient treasure, woven hundreds of years ago and still vivid and strong.
Last month, I read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book called The Signature of All Things. The protagonist Alma was a moss researcher and the space where she worked and stored her samples felt inspiring because it seemed to be a world of its own. The Finnish title for the book is Tämä kokonainen maailmani – “this whole world of mine,” and I think it describes both the book and moss brilliantly.
Making of The Echo of Moss
In this painting “The Echo of Moss,” I have wanted to express the two sides of moss – how it enables life but also gently connects us with death. Watch the video to see how it progressed step by step!
I painted this piece in oils in two separate sessions. There was a week of drying time between them. I am not always that quick, but this time I was in the flow state before making the first stroke. Probably because the subject felt both inspiring and familiar, and I love the color green.
Painting and Coloring Moss
Moss is not difficult to paint or draw. You only need softly colored variegated green in the background and then randomly placed dots or short lines on the top. Here’s an example in watercolor.
This piece is a sample from my watercolor class Magical Forest which has a lesson on painting moss.
When working with colored pencils, color a variety of greens in different directions so that single strokes are not visible. You can use browns, blacks, yellows, and blues in layers to get a wide range of warm green shades. No outlines are needed.
To get natural-looking spotting, close your eyes and tap your pencil randomly on the paper.
Green Green Green!
Green is my favorite color nowadays. “Every painting can’t be green, Paivi, we want variety,” I said to myself before I started painting this one. I was just like my mother who used to give permission and then remind me that it can’t be expected to happen regularly. “Yes, mother, but I want to be a goddess of green!”
“Everything is green,” said my husband when I asked him to take this photo.
“It’s intentional!” I said to him.
I hope that this post inspires you to explore moss and different shades of green!
P.S. Speaking of color, one of my classes, Planet Color, is retiring on Sept 30.
If you are a beginner in painting and want to use acrylic paints more, for example, in your art journals, check this class! Planet Color is now more than 50% OFF before it goes away! >> Buy here!
Colored Pencil Blogger – A Video Blog Post!
This week, I have a video blog for you. It’s full of art inspiration, especially if you want to fall in love with colored pencils.
Stories and Inspiration – Watch the Video!
I decided that I have blogged about colored pencils so much that I can call myself a colored pencil blogger!
The video is longer than what I usually record. Is a 30-minute video too much? Tell me what you think!
Links to the Related Blog Posts
Posts about the colored pencil projects shown in the video:
- Coloring Page
- Angel
- Butterflies Journal Spread
- Hearts and Flowers Journal Spread
- Frozen Heart Journal Spread
- Drawing that I showed just quickly
- Previous video project
Posts about the paintings shown in the video: