I have had this sweet Coffee digital stamp set from Mo's Digital Pencil for quite some time now, and finally got a chance to get it inky. I thought this would be an especially fun card to send to a friend who shares my affection for a good cup of coffee.
I printed the image in black on X-Press It Blending Card, and colored it with the following Copic Markers.
I used a lot of different shades on this one, so I could achieve some good depth in the shadows and great contrast from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights. Making your image look realistic and pop off the page is all about light source & contrast.
One of the very best tools you can get your hands on to help you understand lighting placement is the Shadows & Shading book, written by the fabulous Marianne Walker. It is a MUST have!
This book will help you to understand basic shading & the rules of lighting. You'll also learn to break down complex images into basic shapes that can easily be colored, and learn some shadow color theory as well.
It includes four clear light guides to help you plan out your shadows & highlights.
I used the Linear Light Guide to color up the image on my card today.
The angle I place the guide at represents the direction the light (in this case, the sun) is coming from. So, for my image, I chose to have the light source coming from the upper right corner. Therefore, I colored the image with most of the highlights on the right and the shadows on the left. Look at her skin for a clear illustration of this.
If you struggle with light & shadow when coloring your images, or simply want to be a better colorist, I highly recommend the Shadows & Shading book!
Before I go, here's a look at the inside of my card.
The patterned papers I used on today's card are from Jen Hadfield's Warm & Cozy collection. I'm kinda into that collection lately. ;)
Thanks so very much for stopping by today, friends!
Have a beautiful day!
~Cindy