One of my students over at My Creative Classroom got me hooked on THESE gorgeous fairy stamps from Janlynn. I purchased both the Willow and the Lavender ones and got right down to business. I want to share my results for the Willow stamp with you today as I discuss how I was able to color the image (that is mostly green) with a handful of greens, grays, browns and yellow.
It's a long post... bear with me!
In this photo you will see how I based the general background of the image. I used a very light color to give the whole image that under-glow.
Next I tackled the skin. I wanted it to be a bit "dirty" since that is how it looked on the stamp image, but I still wanted it to look angelic. I used a combination of tan, pink and gray.
The wings were next. I wanted that yellow glow to show underneath them... yet they still needed that mottled look. I did very little blending so as not to lose that effect.
Next I added the hair. I normally blend more than this, but with an image as detailed as this, I didn't want to lost those finer details, so I didn't blend a whole lot. I wanted the hair to be reddish brown but still have the golden undertone.
Then I started with the overall greens. Each area of the image is a different shade of green... and trying to come up with the right combination of colors that all worked together was an interesting challenge. Here I'm making the center leaves a bit more yellowish and bright... I figured that I could go over them with a Warm Gray when I was done if they didn't work.
And then...I moved to another area of green! The focus on this area was a muted gray green... very different from the vivid look of the previous greens. Notice how the leaves are very close in color and pattern to the wings.
Next I added the base for the background. Notice that I also added the base for the water. This is just the beginning step and looks a bit weird at this stage. I also finished off her dress... I made it just a tad bit darker than the surrounding leaves.
When I started adding the super dark background, it really started coming together. I again used a combination of colors to get just the right tone and to make sure it worked with all of the other shades of green I had previously used.
The toughest part for me was the water. Once the background was done and the water was based, I needed to start building depth and make it reflective. Here I'm just adding and blending to add more contrast.
I finished the water off with some darker ripples and then added the highlights to contrast. I found out that using a gel pen made it look too "stark" so I added the gel pen and then quickly wiped it away with my finger before it dried. That makes a nice dry brushed look and I was very happy with it.
And here is my final image... A STUDY IN GREENS next to the actual stamp. I didn't quite capture the depth of the actual stamp, but I think I came pretty close. It was my first attempt with this image and I'm happy with the array of greens I was able to create.
Now I just need to work this into a layout! I sometimes have more fun just coloring the images and I forget all about creating finished projects - I hope you don't mind!
Hope Your Day Is Filled With Color!
Colleen
