Hello Friends, How is your holiday weekend going? I hope you are seeing some warm weather and sunny skies. I have been as busy as a bee helping a friend re-accessorize her house. What I do is move all her accessories, maybe furniture and pictures around plus do some de- cluttering. Such a good feeling to see the results and they are so grateful.
As I promised I am here to share with you how I like to color my hedgehogs .
Start with your lightest color (E50) and fill in 80% of your image. Notice that I try to stay away from the center of the belly.
From the outside edges you want to bring some color into your image. I like to call it sweeping. When you sweep you push down your broom and as you being to sweep you lift the broom up. This is the motion that works best with your marker. Sweep a darker color (E31) from the edges into the center.
Take the light color again that you started with (E50) and sweep it over the color that you just laid down (E31) to blend the colors. Add your color to the cheeks. As a rule I always use (RV10) on the cheeks I color.
Sometimes I add a little (RV10) to the hands and toes and stomach.
Sweep more E31 into the image from the outside edges into the center still trying to leave that white spot in the center.
Add some darker color to the “needles” on the hedgehog. (E25, E17) Just a quick flick of the brush tip should do the trick.
I felt that I needed more color so I swept in some color with E31.
I swept the entire image with E50 to blend the colors.
Usually I don’t use the colorless blender (0) to remove color on my image but, today I did. I wanted to lighten up the belly and it worked beautifully. I just swept with the brush tip from the right side towards the belly.
( I always have a starting point where I place my tip and it’s always at a line) Does that make sense??
I always make the eye a little larger and the nose too.
If you click on any of these photos you can see them larger.
Many times I have to leave my studio in the middle of a project so it gives me the opportunity to give my image a second look. I decided to add more color to the “needles” on his body.
I hope you find this information useful and if I didn’t explain something well enough or if you have a question please send me an email. You will find it in the upper right hand corner of my blog.
Did you happen to catch my give away in my last post? Enjoy the rest of your holiday if you live in the US otherwise have a happy Sunday. Hugs, Kathy
P.S. Next week I hope you will stop by I will be featured on the Penny Black Blog tues, wed and thurs.
kristina proffitt says
LOVE that sweet hedgehog, my friend! YOU are a master copic colorer! Is that even a word? Ha! Love you! Hugs!
Deirdre says
That hedgie is ADORABLE. Thanks for sharing your technique.
Cathy P in AZ says
Don’t you just LOVE Hedgie in all forms? 🙂 Your coloring is ALWAYS fabulous! Thank you for the tutorial, Kathy!
Kelly Massman says
LOVE the hedgies–they are my favorite Penny Black stamps!! TFS the tutorial–I could never color as well as you in a million years, though!
Sarpreet says
wow! thank you for the tutorial. I appreciate that. I also love that you do what i do, leave the card and images and look again at it later to spot what you can do to improve the card.
Vicky says
Thank you Kathy for the tutorial! I love and use distress ink to color BUT after being one of your fans I currently have about 100 copic markers and I keep adding. Woot Woot! So any help on them is very much appreciated. I like the way you explain them (like the broom)! Keep them coming!
6 wacky women says
Fabulous tutorial, Kathy
Your coloring is awesome!!
Karen x
Frozenstamper says
Love those PB Hedgies! Nice color selections, too!
Cathy A says
just adorable!
Cathy A says
sorry I hit return too soon, great tutorial
donna mikasa says
Thanks for the great tutorial, Kath! It’s always a treat to watch you in action! Your coloring is always so fabbie!! Hope you’re having a glorious weekend! Big hugs to you!
p.s. I couldn’t comment earlier this morning. Thought I would be the first! Glad I came back and Blogger was kinder….xx
Jan Hunnicutt says
Hi Kathy, Thanks for your wonderful tutorial on Hedgie coloring, I’m going to try that today 🙂
Happy Memorial Day weekend!
Thanks again, jan
Paula says
Superbly detailed, especially about the leaving the belly white – I’ve not really thought of that before. Making the eyes & nose larger really helps to emphasize the characterful nature of these little images – another aspect I’d not thought of. Thanks for this – made me really think.
Paula (PEP)
Tina M says
thank you so so much for this tutorial! my daughter and me of course LUV HEDGIES! she is planning on getting her own little pet when she moves out(can’t have one here with mini schnauzers)and the collection of stamps is still growing!!!
thank you again!!!
hedgie hugs,
Tina and Ashton
Arlene says
Fantastic tutorial. This is really useful to me. Thanks so much!!!!!!!!
Paulette Still says
Kathy, you are so sweet to show how you color the hedgehogs with your copics. Your coloring is always so good. You make me want some copics so bad. LOL I love the PB critters, especially the hedgies and typically color them with my aqua painter and SU dye reinkers just because it’s so loose and forgiving on middle aged hands, but your techniques of coloring w/copics seem loose as well, so I’m glad you explained how you do it. We enjoyed a lovely sunny and breezy day today. 😉
Virginia L. says
YAY!! You color rock star!!That was an awesome tutorial!!I had the luck to color with you one time..it was simply magical 🙂
Andrea6760 says
Kathy,
Thank you so much for the hedgehog tutorial. I adore the hedgehogs, but always wondered if they should be brown or gray. You just solved that for me..LOL I also use E50 as my go-to color for skin tones but I use
E93 Tea Rose as my color for rosy cheeks, now I will try the RV10 instead.
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend!
*Hugs*
~Andrea
Dawn says
finally able to get in to comment Kathy. Thanks for sharing the tutorial.
scrappinmommom says
Thanks so much for the tutorial on the hedgehogs. I have so many PB hedgehogs and would love to know more about the Copic. Which do you use? I have seen them used but know there are several styles of them. I don’t live close to any major store so I do most of my shopping online. Your tutorial really makes my little hedgies look incomplete. I have used water color pencils, etc. Just never gets the look that I want. So very happy I have found you and hope to see many more tutorials.
Thanks again for sharing.
Anonymous says
It’s wonderful…
kisses
Domi
Jan says
Cute cute cute! I am getting more confidant about layering my Copics since you’ve been encouraging me! Love the hedgies!
Tiffany says
Wonderful little tutorial, cute little guy!
judkajudi says
Amazing tutorial. You are so kind to share your technique! It is so helpful. I love your amazing work here and at Penny Black! Hugs.
MarcyK924 says
Thanks Kathy! I love hedgies and I learned I don’t use enough color or depth. Loved your tutorial!
Julie says
Really great tutorial – thanks for taking the time to put it together and to share it with us!! x
Kimberli Sarsfield says
Wonderful tutorial! It’s so nice to have it stepped out since I’m newer to Copics and not that good right now. Your cards are absolutely amazing!
Created by You says
Fabulous step by step tutorial! Thanks for sharing!
Hugs,
Sharon F.
Linda McClain says
What a great tutorial! I’ll have to pull this out next time I ink up one of my Penny Black hedgehogs.
Holly Young says
E gads, thank you! I was having such a difficult time coloring hedge hogs LOL!
Unknown says
Kathy, thanks so much for the tutorial on coloring this little hedgehog with Copics. It was very informative. I just saw your cards on the Hero Arts blog and discovered your blog. Love your cards.
Thistleberry Cottage says
Thank you for the great tutorial. I am very new to Copics and am now searching for a good paper to use with them. What do you suggest?
Sharon Hayes says
Kathy, I have just purchased the Hugs stamp set from Penny Black. I have been coloring the hedgehogs and experimenting. I am so happy to gave found your tutorial. I am off to try your Copic suggestions. Thanks.
Barb Eckes says
Thanks for the tutorial on the hedgehogs. They are so stinkin’ cute and I love there fluffy little bellies.