Sometimes you see an image that you just know that you have to color. That’s how I felt about Va Voom by Penny Black. Every time I stopped by The Queen’s Ink, I’d picked up the stamp and then put it back down. Picked it up. Put it back. For weeks. Finally, I decided that it was a sign – I needed to color this stamp. So the next time I picked it up, it went home with me.

This image has such an exuberance that it needed bright colors. Frankly, I loved the way it was colored on the stamp packaging so I just decided to go with the flow. Sometimes it’s nice to just color without worrying about color schemes (although I did modify – albeit slightly – the colors of the flag). For the sentiment, I added one of the new Letter It clear stamp sets by Ranger.

A note about the coloring – that B34 in the list of colors for the scooter is not a typo. I’ve been experimenting with underpainting – applying in a base color for shadows and depth before overlaying it with the final color (in this case R37 and then R35). I think it gives a more realistic dimension to the curve of the scooter and is certainly easier to blend than using an even darker red like R39. I’m still experimenting with the technique, but liking the end results. If you want to see the technique in action, take a look at the beautiful work of Amy Shulke of Vanilla Arts Co.

So, is there an image that you absolutely have to color (but haven’t yet)? Apparently there’s now vacancy at the top of my list!

Supplies

Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were provided by a store or the manufacturer for free or at a discount. All other items were personally purchased. Read more.

Paper: Neenah Solar White #110; Mini Pack Paper for Markers by Copic (*); Sunshine Three by Authentique
Stamps: Va Voom (*) by Penny Black; Celebration (*) by Ranger
Inks: Memento in Tuxedo Black by Tsukineko; Versafine in Onyx Black by Tsukineko
Copics: E000, E00, E21, E11 (skin); Y32, Y35, Y38 (dress); B00, B02, B06 (bow); Y32, Y35, Y38, R35, R37, B00, B02, B06 (hat); W1, W3, W4 (dog); B00, B02, B06 (dog’s sweater); B34, R35, R37 (scooter); W2, W4, W6 (tires)