I think it’s important to work like an expert,but it’s also important to go into a cocoon and blow ourselves up into a primordial soup every so often only to re-emerge as an expert again.
The new book looks so exciting, I love the character’s hair colour against the green tiles! The whole palette is exciting! I do the exact same with mixing paint, scanning it, eyedropping, testing digitally then painting on paper. It sounds like a faff but I find it streamlines and speeds up the process. Digital colour mixing is a nightmare (to me, anyway!)
Yes I think it streamlines things too, I find that I switch between digital drawing and handmade drawing a lot. One feeds the other and back and forth.
Ooh I love a sneak peek and these are gorgeous - that’s a clever way to pick the colours- I’ve done Tania’s brilliant course but have been try to digitally mix colours with overlays - will try yours! Thanks Helen xx
Oh yes I love picking digital colours and overlaying them, you get some beautiful results that way. Kind of screen printy. I did that with Drew, Moo and Bunny Too.
The colour workshop blew my head off and was one of the deciding factors in signing up for Freak Flag. That and art club and your video about when your trawled through the Artists and Writers Yearbook... (saw myself there!) I actually started experimenting with mixing palettes in Procreate after watching that video - although it is much more fun with gouache.. but getting rid of the black line in my work has been an absolute game changer!! Often I have to work with clients’ corporate ID colours and I’d add black to outline... not any more.
Oh wow, thanks for sharing that. I am so glad these things struck a cord with you. Yes that colour workshop is a game changer, and dropping black is a revelation for me too!
My problem is I now want to ‘redo’ loads of old projects using new colour magic spells!! Thanks for everything you all do at Good Ship! It’s completely reframed how I work now and I’m rediscovering the joy I used to experience when I did my degree over thirty years ago in the years BACS (Before Adobe Creative Suite)!! See you in the call on Tuesday!
Loved reading this! I’ve also brought an image of the different colors from whatever medium I’m using into procreate and eye dropped them to make color roughs, and to help me know what colors to buy. (The “these are the colors we offer in these pencils or these paints” charts) I hope that made sense 😅
Helen these drawings - and the colour! - are/is wonderful. I look forward to your book(s) and rewatching Tania’s colour module now and finding my way back aboard The Good Ship. I have the opposite problem though, I feel I am never at a point of knowing, that there is an endlessness to everything!
Oh yes!! I think we’re always learning 🥰 Tania’s colour workshop is so fab, I loved it. I find I can’t work with some colours without them looking garish. I tried to draw some pink tulips with a brighter green than I usually use, but I just couldn’t make it work. When I switched to a colour adapted from my favourite colour palette, voila, I created something I’m really pleased with and had quite a few comments about how nice the colours are 🤩 it’s amazing what a difference it can make
Oh yes green can be a tough one. It’s hard to make it sit behind other colours in a scene, plus it’s one of those colours that’s hard to print without going muddy.
WARNING- Today is my catching up on Substack day.. so you might see more comments 🙈 I really love the way you use colors, the bright oranges and the use of blues always stand out for me. I took Tania’s color class exactly with the thoughts as you, fear of what if I lose myself or if I trust myself less.. but NO, on the contrary,it’s helped me to experiment more and be more open to new options.
I think it’s important to work like an expert,but it’s also important to go into a cocoon and blow ourselves up into a primordial soup every so often only to re-emerge as an expert again.
Ha! That’s an excellent way of putting it.
The new book looks so exciting, I love the character’s hair colour against the green tiles! The whole palette is exciting! I do the exact same with mixing paint, scanning it, eyedropping, testing digitally then painting on paper. It sounds like a faff but I find it streamlines and speeds up the process. Digital colour mixing is a nightmare (to me, anyway!)
Yes I think it streamlines things too, I find that I switch between digital drawing and handmade drawing a lot. One feeds the other and back and forth.
I forgot to say how brilliantly helpful Tania’s colour videos are! So practical and demystifying! *goodship fangirl*
Yes she is the Queen of colour!
Ooh I love a sneak peek and these are gorgeous - that’s a clever way to pick the colours- I’ve done Tania’s brilliant course but have been try to digitally mix colours with overlays - will try yours! Thanks Helen xx
Oh yes I love picking digital colours and overlaying them, you get some beautiful results that way. Kind of screen printy. I did that with Drew, Moo and Bunny Too.
The colour workshop blew my head off and was one of the deciding factors in signing up for Freak Flag. That and art club and your video about when your trawled through the Artists and Writers Yearbook... (saw myself there!) I actually started experimenting with mixing palettes in Procreate after watching that video - although it is much more fun with gouache.. but getting rid of the black line in my work has been an absolute game changer!! Often I have to work with clients’ corporate ID colours and I’d add black to outline... not any more.
Oh wow, thanks for sharing that. I am so glad these things struck a cord with you. Yes that colour workshop is a game changer, and dropping black is a revelation for me too!
My problem is I now want to ‘redo’ loads of old projects using new colour magic spells!! Thanks for everything you all do at Good Ship! It’s completely reframed how I work now and I’m rediscovering the joy I used to experience when I did my degree over thirty years ago in the years BACS (Before Adobe Creative Suite)!! See you in the call on Tuesday!
That’s good to hear! It’s been the same for me, reignited my passion for learning new stuff. Yes I want to redo all my old work too 😂
Loved reading this! I’ve also brought an image of the different colors from whatever medium I’m using into procreate and eye dropped them to make color roughs, and to help me know what colors to buy. (The “these are the colors we offer in these pencils or these paints” charts) I hope that made sense 😅
Oh that’s a good idea. You can find painting you like on Pinterest and nick those palettes too, that’s a good trick 😜
Amazing how varying the line color and thickness changes the whole feel of the piece. Love it! And love seeing your process.
Also, my brother is a Taurus. Talk about stubborn! But also, the most loyal human I know. Taureans are wonderful! ♥️
Ah yes stubborn and loyal, that about sums us Taureans up! Changing the colour of the line is a game changer!
Helen these drawings - and the colour! - are/is wonderful. I look forward to your book(s) and rewatching Tania’s colour module now and finding my way back aboard The Good Ship. I have the opposite problem though, I feel I am never at a point of knowing, that there is an endlessness to everything!
Ah thanks Margaux. Ha yes the problem of endless possibilities, I feel that too.
Oh yes!! I think we’re always learning 🥰 Tania’s colour workshop is so fab, I loved it. I find I can’t work with some colours without them looking garish. I tried to draw some pink tulips with a brighter green than I usually use, but I just couldn’t make it work. When I switched to a colour adapted from my favourite colour palette, voila, I created something I’m really pleased with and had quite a few comments about how nice the colours are 🤩 it’s amazing what a difference it can make
Oh yes green can be a tough one. It’s hard to make it sit behind other colours in a scene, plus it’s one of those colours that’s hard to print without going muddy.
was I the only one who read that as 'in depth life changing, sheep stealing?' and had to go back to double check?
WARNING- Today is my catching up on Substack day.. so you might see more comments 🙈 I really love the way you use colors, the bright oranges and the use of blues always stand out for me. I took Tania’s color class exactly with the thoughts as you, fear of what if I lose myself or if I trust myself less.. but NO, on the contrary,it’s helped me to experiment more and be more open to new options.
Ha! I love this, ‘I will NEVER’ 😂 Sounds just like me! Taureans unite!