free candy coloring pages!

We are entering into the few weeks leading up to Valentine's day or as I like to call it "sugar season". As much as I love sweet treats, sugar and I don't get along. Instead, I am channeling my cravings into drawings. Today I have a fun FREE candy coloring page for you to download!

Download and have a little fun and relaxation coloring.

Or download the candy hearts and use them as Valentine's Day cards! And keep in mind, you don't have to always color in the lines. You can use your favorite mixed media and messy technique to add color to coloring pages. You can read about all of my favorite ways to color over HERE

Download the candy coloring page HERE

Download the candy hearts HERE

Interested in more coloring pages? Head on over to the shop HERE to view my entire offering of coloring downloads.

P.S. I've got them all marked down for you today!

2016 calendar download for you!

I made a fun free 2016 calendar download for you guys, my way of saying HAPPY NEW YEAR! The pages have black and white drawings that can be colored or left plain. You can download all 12 months HERE 

ENJOY!

a FALL coloring page for you

Fall weather has arrived (at least on the Oregon Coast) and to celebrate I've got a free coloring page download for you today! 

You can download the page HERE

Have fun coloring!

my favorite ways to color and a free coloring download

Coloring is one of the best ways to relax, unwind, meditate and de-stress. The process of adding color to my drawings it my favorite step. It is a big reason why I draw in black and white first and then add color at the end. The coloring stage is the part of my process when I am able to relax and completely zone out!  And today I thought I would share my favorite ways to color.

For those of you "coloring pro's" out there- a lot of this information is pretty basic but I know there is also lot of you out there who don't draw, paint or make art but really enjoy the process of coloring and this post is for you!

I love using markers for coloring- they are affordable and easy to use. While I really enjoy grabbing Lucy's Crayola markers (you can read about how I use kid's marker here) but I also have my own stash of higher quality markers for my coloring projects.

Right now my favorite markers for coloring are the Koi Coloring Brush Pens. They've got a flexible brush tip and are really great for blending and layering colors. I've found that they also work really well on different types of paper. 

For $20 you can get a set of 100 Fibrocolor Markers. They have a nice smooth flow and a tip that works great for coloring small details.  Lucy and I actually share these markers- she loves having a big variety of color choices and I love how versatile they are.

Swiss made Caran d'Adache Fibralo markers are not cheap but they are great middle of road option. They are water soluble and washable- which means you can use water with them and use the pigment like watercolors. I love the bright color options and the pen stroke is super smooth.

When I color with markers I like to use a variety of colors to fill in fine lines and small details. 

But my favorite way to color with markers is to actually layer that color. A big advantage to having a markers in a variety of colors is the ability to layer dark over the top of lighter pigment. 

I always begin my coloring projects by using light colors and then I go over the top with a darker shade. I use this darker shade along the lines- I simply go over the top of the outline with that darker shade. You can even use another shade and the layered colors will blend into something new!

As I have shared in the past, I love using colored pencils to add color to my drawings but I really love mixing colored pencils and markers. I like to start by using my pencils to add a light shade of color. 

Then I go back over the top with markers. Again, I add dark color over the top of all my line work. This is a really quick and easy way to create the illusion of depth!

When I draw in my sketchbook, much of the time I use watercolor paint to add color. While most people tend to use markers and pencils for coloring books and pages, I think using paint is just as much fun! Grab a set of watercolor paint, a fine brush and fill those pages with paint.

My favorite watercolor set will always be the Sakura Koi Box Set. If has a great range of really beautiful and vibrant colors that are versatile and easy to travel with.

I also really enjoy using the Grumbacher Watercolor Pan Sets. They comes in sets of 12 or 24 beautiful colors, the color isn't as rich and vibrant as I typically prefer but I really like using them for light washes of color.

Again, you can go back over watercolors with markers to add darker pigment.

Coloring inside the lines is really relaxing but there are times when I like to forget about boundaries and go wild and messy painting and scribbling to add expressive color. I will use anything from  watercolor paint, acrylic paint, high flow acrylic paint, a variety of brushes and mark making tools, pens, pencils and crayons. 

Instead of working inside the lines, I add color to the entire surface and then go back and select specific areas to add more expressive color.

So there you have it! My favorite ways to color! Always remember there are no rules when it comes to creativity- even the coloring process allows for artistic interpretation and breaking the rules!

I've got a new set of coloring pages called Flower Love (many of them pictured in this post). You can find then over in the shop HERE.

I've also got a free coloring page to download, print and color!  Download the flower coloring page HERE.

Have fun coloring!

new coloring page in the shop!

I cannot believe the response to the coloring bundle that I launched a few weeks ago! I've been busy drawing and I've got a couple more coloring page offerings over in the shop. Five pages of mandalas and five pages of doodles for coloring.

And if you scroll to the bottom of this post I've also got a free mandala coloring page for you to download, print and color. Enjoy!

Download mandala coloring page HERE

kids markers- tips and tricks for adults

Here is the deal...I LOVE kid's markers, specifically Crayola Washable Markers (and no I was not paid to say this). Even in my days before before Lucy, I would grab kid's markers instead of spending lots of money on all those fancy markers. Today I thought I would share some of my favorite tips and tricks when using kid's markers for adult mixed media projects!

Any washable or water soluble markers will work with the things that I share but I really do have a special place in my heart for Crayola Markers. They remind me of coloring as a kid, they come in a really great variety of colors and they are a super affordable way to add color to drawings and mixed media projects. The best part of using kid's markers is that I don't feel guilty when I am hard on them or treat them bad! I am notorious for loosing, ruining and and using my supplies in crazy ways so spending $3.50 on a package of markers is perfect for me.

My three year old Lucy loves to color which means we always have markers around but I also like to keep my own stash on hand. I typically will purchase a few packages at a time and I set one set aside for coloring only and then I use another set for experiments, layering and blending.

Markers and colored and colored pencils are so easy to toss into your purse and head out to create on the go!

Kid's markers are great to use for adding color to doodles and drawings. While they may not come in the color options that fancy illustration markers come in, they still have really nice classic colors that will transform any line drawing into something vibrant!

You can also layer and blend with them which makes coloring WAY more interesting!

I like to start with a light color and then I go over the top with another color (typically in the same color family).

Then I grab the lighter color and go over the top of everything- the two colors will begin to blend together.

I repeat this process over and over again until my colors are blended to my satisfaction!

I like using this blending technique when I am coloring my designs. It is a great way to add depth and layers of color.

One of my favorite things about the Crayola Washable Markers is that they are water soluble which means they will wash out of clothing but they also can be used like watercolors!

Add water to the surface and you can dissolve that pigment and blend it or even paint with it!

I LOVE using this process to transform marker drawings into something that look a little more like watercolors by softening edges and blending the color.

Remember a while back when I shared how to make a watercolor pencil travel palette? Well the cool thing about washable markers is that you can do the same thing!

Simply fill a page with marker pigment. When you are ready to paint, you can pull out your sheet of paper, add water and use the pigment for painting.

TIP: I always use a water brush when I am painting on the go. Because you fill the handle with water, it cancels out the need for a jar of water!

You can toss these pages into your pencil pouch and paint on the go without the hassle of bringing lots of supplies!

Another cool thing you can do is actually wet your paper first and then use the markers to draw onto the wet paper- you get a pretty bleed very similar to a watercolor bloom.

I like to use this technique to create real loose, watery background that I draw on over the top of.

And last, one of my favorite ways to use those markers is when they begin to dry out! I remove the ink and drop it into a small jar of water overnight. The ink will seep into the water and you are left with a liquid watercolors! I add this to spray bottles and misters and use them in my mixed media backgrounds.

TIP: You can even add the ink to rubbing alcohol to create your homemade alcohol inks!

There you go! I hope I have convinced a few of you that kid's markers are GREAT supply for adults!