Do you draw arrows?
Are you one of those people that starts every coloring project with a little tiny arrow in the upper corner of your paper?
Why?
No really. I sincerely want to know.
Why?
Because someone told you to.
Correct?
Because that's supposed to remind you which direction the light is coming from and somehow if you just remember that key fact, your coloring will be full of depth and dimension.
And yet you still have shading problems, right?
Yep. Drawing an arrow in the top right hand corner of your paper doesn't solve much if you don't understand what it means. And frankly, I'll bet the person who told you to draw that arrow doesn't really understand what it means.
Look, I don't know who started this idiotic idea of arrows and directional light charts. I've seen 'em all. Clear acetate versions, penetrating line versions, even one that involved the earth with a little pink equator going around it.
If those things actually worked, I could have saved myself four years of art school tuition and fees.
Sunlight charts and arrows are snake oil. They don't teach you diddly-squat about how to shade objects for depth and realism.
Yep, it's no wonder that you're confused about shade and shadow. You basically bought the Brooklyn Bridge. Instead of teaching you how to shade, all that tutorial gave you was a headache.
The secret to depth & dimension...
The secret to shade has nothing to do with which direction the sun is coming from.
I know that sounds strange, but that's because you've been brainwashed.
When the sun goes down, do you suddenly turn into a pancake?
Does your dog flatten out at the stroke of midnight ?
Oh... so you're still three dimensional when the lights go off?
That's because the shape of an object is completely unrelated to the lighting conditions around it.
I teach beginners, people who have never picked up a marker before in their whole entire lives, I teach them to color with depth and dimension and we do it all without a single arrow or sunlight chart.
You can learn it too. No advanced degree necessary. No mathematics, no rulers, and most especially- no arrows... just you, me, and a few Copic Markers.
End the confusion about shade. Join one of my Push & Pull classes. It will change the way you color forever.
Three live sessions in april:
Remember When Scrapbooking in Macomb, Michigan:
Wednesday, April 12th from 1 to 3:30pm
Thursday, April 13th from 6 to 8:30pm
Lesson: Push & Pull Technique for Depth
Stamp Sets: a collage of Chirpy Chirp Chirp and Happy Easter by Lawn Fawn
Medium: Copic Marker & Prismacolor Premier Pencils
Skill Level: Absolute beginners through intermediate colorers. No drawing skills necessary.
RSVP: Call 586.598.1810 to reserve your space or to order the class stamps or Copic Markers.
Bee Creative Retreat in Oxford, Michigan:
Wednesday, April 26th from 6:30 to 9:00pm
Lesson: Push & Pull Technique for Depth
Stamp Sets: a collage of Chirpy Chirp Chirp and Happy Easter by Lawn Fawn
Medium: Copic Marker & Prismacolor Premier Pencils
Skill Level: Absolute beginners through intermediate colorers. No drawing skills necessary.
RSVP: Purchase your space here. Sorry, no walk-ins.
Want the Online Version?
I teach the same Push & Pull technique in my online workshop called "Flutterby".
Flutterby is 1.25 hours of fully narrated video instruction plus learning aids and printables. Flutterby uses my original digital stamp, designed especially to help you learn and practice Pushing and Pulling.
My classes are thorough! I don't do "watch me color" videos. Instead, I break down the techniques and explain what we're doing every step of the way.
My goal isn't to teach you how to color butterflies. I want you to leave the course knowing how to layer and shape objects for maximum depth. That's not just a butterfly lesson it's an every-stamp-you-own lesson!
Forever access, instructor feedback, work at your own pace.
Join me for a class that clarifies the shading process
We'll burn the arrow charts in a bonfire afterwards.
