The number one thing that I see people get frustrated about with their colouring is doing flicks (most commonly done for hair). I wanted to do a little post to encourage you to take that pressure off yourself when you are next colouring and remind yourself that we are not aiming for perfect, we are aiming to learn and you are doing that every time you pick up your markers or pencils, even if it does not quite feel like it today :)
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1 - My 100% most important tip I can give you is: Do not focus on how thick your flicks are. Period.
When I see colouring for feedback, generally people are so focused on the thickness of the strokes, that the actual technique gets forgotten about. However, thickness purely comes with practice - it will not happen with your first practice, your third practice, your 50th practice. It requires ongoing, regular practice and every time you do this you will see improvement in your control over your markers and therefore your flick thickness. I can still see differences in my strokes even now from just last year. The key is, if you have technique down pat, it will not even matter how thick your strokes are.
2 - Practice Technique (revisit your classes!)
Like I mentioned before, the technique is so much more important than your thickness. By technique, I mean that separation, the lightsource, and the colour depth. It is so incredibly important to keep practicing techniques that you find hard - it is only hard because you don't yet have that practice in. Revisit your videos, look over the theory booklets - every time you do this you are embedding that technique in your brain - as humans we learn mainly through repetition so this is super important.
Not in class yet? Check out our FREE Markers 101 class for some basic information over at www.kitandclowder.com - or our Skin and Hair class will give you the most in depth break down, or even our Monthly Classes will help you grow (the mermaid in this picture is from this month's class)
3 - Separate, separate, separate
Did I mention that above? ;) The trick to getting texture is not in the thickness of the stroke, but that you are actually leaving a gap between placing them down. See Step 2 above and revisit your class material as this is super duper important :)
4 - Relax your grip and be confident in your strokes
When we are concentrating so much, our strokes become a lot more forced and shorter. When you are next flicking, check how hard you are holding the marker, soften that grip, and then also speed up how fast you are colouring. When we work quicker, we have less time to "think" it through and our strokes become a lot more fluid.
5 - How you hold your markers can make a big difference
When I personally do my strokes, I hold my marker with my thumb and index finger, resting on my middle finger. This allows me to have the marker higher off the page for a softer finish. This may not work for you, but since we had an explanation video for this many have said it helps so why not have a go
^_^ You can see this in our Markers 101 free class videos aswell.
When I personally do my strokes, I hold my marker with my thumb and index finger, resting on my middle finger. This allows me to have the marker higher off the page for a softer finish. This may not work for you, but since we had an explanation video for this many have said it helps so why not have a go
^_^ You can see this in our Markers 101 free class videos aswell.
6 - Ask for help
Not quite working how you want it to? Make sure you take a quick photo and send it through to get some help! When you feel like it isn't working, this is the best way to improve your technique as it may be something little that we can chat about to just tweak. Don't ever feel nervous and that you've messed up - learning is all about experimenting and sometimes making mistakes - it is not about being perfect <3
7 - Take that pressure off and remember to have fun!
Learning new things can sometimes push us and unfortunately when we are focused so much on trying to be perfect, this is when we can start to feel frustrated. It's important to manage your expectations and remember that if your colouring does not look like mine or someone else's, this is more than ok. You are now putting in that practice that we have done previously to get your colouring where you want it to be. Your flicks will come much more naturally if you relax and have confidence in your strokes :)
And even if your next practice has strokes close together and the lightsource is a little off.. please remember that this does not stop your work from being beautiful! <3 Make sure your celebrate your efforts today, and then keep practicing tomorrow :)
