Art Journalling tips on using markers, metallic ink, and opaque white for coloring pages, doodling, and drawing

I've been working on a coloring page to add to the Book of Mysteries journal that I'm starting to build kits for (will let you know when those book kits are ready).

When I finish a coloring page, I can't wait to start coloring it in! And it is a good idea to do that, because I find some oddities here and there that might need fixed before sharing it.  I also like to have some examples of how the pages look when completed with color, to give other artists an idea of what to do with the blank pages.  

Of course, who could stop at just one? These are ADDICTING.     I spent all day yesterday drawing, cutting and pasting, then tinting the pages.   Here is one in more traditional Halloween colors.

And this one is fall toned.

I thought I'd break down the steps to show you how I layer the markers and pens in case you'd like to make one.

First step?  Light colors as an undercoat.  

The more layers the better. I used a soft blue with pale purple over the letters on 'Spells'.

Around the word, I painted in a silver glitter, with my favorite new tools, the Stella Wink glitter pen.

Over that, I used a metallic ink in orchid to do a border of dots.  Then, I redrew all the black lines, and used an opaque white pen to add some highlights to the letters.

Using the white pen to highlight makes a big difference, see how I've used it on the broom too?  Over the pale yellow, I drew some brown lines as shadows, then went over the whole straw area with a darker yellow, and added white highlights over that.

The orchid metallic pen dots on the frame for 'Spells' are repeated on the word 'Hex'.  I like to repeat colors or patterns throughout the piece.

The Wink pens have a thin, brush point and pack a lot of sparkle. I did a layer of the copper over the previously laid down bright green on the word 'Dreams'.

A darker green went over the leaves, and the soft blue was lightly used in the background.  

With a variety of metallic pens, I accented the word 'Dream' , the yellow banner/swirl/thingy, and the stars.

All of these were re-outlined in black afterwards.

It is smarter to redo the black outlining at the end, so you don't smear it, but I have a bad habit of using it on each area as I work on it, then I have to be really careful with the next step. I'd say do the black last!

I have gone over the soft blue with pale yellow.  Here and there, not everywhere, I used a blending pen.  The blending pen was used much more heavily over the orange, where I added it along the yellow under 'Signs and Omens.'  

Notice that there are some skips, where I don't completely cover the background? Some of the paper shows through. This is an old, watercolor trick, and it adds sparkle to the page. If you cover the page 100%, it can look flat.   Those little skips give the page some life. 

Over the yellow banner, I then drew on some Gelly Roll Stardust in clear, and rubbed it with my fingertip. I adore that look, it is something my Sissy showed me years ago and I've used it a billion times since then.  The Stella Wink pens have a similar look, but don't blend as well, they go on more like paint. I love them both, but if you want just a hint of glimmery shimmer in small spots, you can't beat the Stardust in clear.

Also, using a mix of distress markers, opaque markers, and metallic pens, gives the picture a lot of depth.

For the moon face, I first washed soft blue over the shadow areas with a Tim Holtz distress marker, basically following the drawn lines. I colored in the irises with it too. Then used a dark blue over the top half of the irises.  Over the entire face,(avoiding the eyeballs, but  covering the eyelids) I used the opaque, white marker.   I made a dot with that over the bottom right hand corner of each iris (same spot, both eyes).  All of the black was re-outlined, and the pupils were blackened, then with the white opaque pen, I added two little dots to them.

Re-outlining with the black marker makes a giant difference in the completed piece.  I usually work with an art marker, but found that going over metallic pens kills an expensive fine point marker, and the best tool is a uniball or plain, old, ink pen.

Little details can give you big pay off.  I like the way the black and white check really pops of the the page, but one more step...

 

Of drawing a line through the center of the checks with the opaque white pen on this page, adds dimension.  I did the same with the purple letters.

On this one, I drew the banner/swirl/thingy white and accented it with the clear Stardust pen.  The same white opaque marker was used over the purple letters in 'Dream' and over the background colors of soft blue and light blue.  

For this raven, I used grey marker, and the Wink marker in silver, outlined it again in black.  The beak is two layered yellows, with white highlights. The black,beady eye gets a double dot of white too.

(Notice that I'm not all that careful with my edges? Once the piece is done, I cut it out, that cleans the border up)

These are formatted to print out to fit into the journal I'm designing. One blank page, ready to color, will be in each kit.They will also be available as a digital download so that you can print out and color as many as you'd like.  You'll be able to find them in my Etsy shop.  

They start like this. I used pages from a 1930s fortune telling book to make the collage underneath the drawing.

You can also find this Snow White coloring page in the Etsy shop too.

I colored this one the same way as the Spells page, using lotsa layers, and a mix of markers, metallic inks, opaque markers and pens, as well as a blending marker.  I've recently discovered those and really like them.

For this tree, I used gray distress marker, with brown over it, in most spots, then blended it and added white pen.

Notice that the trees behind it are just light gray? When doing a landscape, please keep in mind that the further away something is, the lighter it looks.

The trees along the horizon are done with very soft pastels, and the foreground is done in brighter colors.

I used the blending marker very heavily on the grass. With big areas, it is important to not have lots of scratchy looking marker lines.

Her eyemakeup is done with the Stella Wink marker, but I think I liked her better without it.

For the black hair, I first colored the waves in blue and purple, then layered with gray.  That way, it still has depth and isn't a flat color.

And you can still see the hand drawn lines that make up the waves.  The lace is light gray near the neck, with opaque white marker over it, then outlined in black again. The little bird is blue on top, pink on the bottom, white opaque marker over the pink and the line where the two colors meet. That opaque marker is a wonderful way to blend.

These tips are great for any coloring pages, or also for your own doodling or drawing project.

 

 Remember, layer, layer, layer, for a more arty look.  

Comments

[Kathy]

Karla, I adore all your layers and thank you for all the step by step!

[Teah Barrow]

Thank you for sharing all of your awesome tips. You are the best!

[Karla Nathan]

I hope the tips are helpful, Teah!

[Karla Nathan]

Just adding a second layer will bring a lot of depth to a marker drawing!

[jeanie]

Karla, these are excellent tips -- some somewhat familiar, others new to me. I often steer clear of markers because they seem flat and harder to blend but I've learned some good things here -- enough to make it worth another try! I especially loved the eyes on the moon and Snow White's hair! Looks really terrific.

Now I'm off to review your chalk paint post from long ago. As I recall, you weren't a fan!

[Karla Nathan]

Not a fan of chalk paint at all. I do use it on small projects at my desk, but for large things I prime and use behr paint. And I agree, Jeannie, markers can be hard to blend. Layers help. You can also use cheap, kids washable markers and bland with a wet paint brush.

[Jeannie Mc]

Loved this post! Thanks for the detailed instructions...just discovered the Wink pens!

[Karla Nathan]

Arent they great, Jeannie? I need more colors!!

[Charlotte]

Hi Karla. These pages are wonderful. Even in black and white before coloring they look great. Coloring one of these may help me adjust to the end of summer. Sniff sniff.