easiest way to color in a stamped image??-newbie here
 

I am having my first workshop on Saturday and am trying to decide what I want to get...do I do aqua painters with the ink, blender pens? Watercolor pencils? Watercolor brushes? Markers? Chalk?? ARGH!!!! There seems to be so many choices! I would like to do what is easiest (and most cost effective)...I am in my demo's marker club so I will be getting markers as well....thanks in advance for ANY tips!

Anna in NE

I have used chalks and find them too pale and faint.
I use markers alot, but I find I like to use a small paintbrush and a little container of water to wet and clean the brush in.
I use the lid of my ink pads to pick up color and paint it into the outline image.
This way you can intensify the color or keep it light and watery-like.
With a marker it is only the intense color you get from it.
I vote paintbrushes.
C~

I like using markers and a blender pen. I seem to be able to control the intensity of the color best this way.

I have found it very easy to use watercolor pencils with a blender pen. That way, the stroke marks don't show, and you get a wonderful watercolor-type effect. I'm still practicing with the blender pens, and I'm not sure if I would recommend them unless you've practiced a couple of times. I have the propensity to make blotchy swipes with them. ;-(

I'm partial to painting. However, I'm not sure I like the aquapainters for watercolouring, I may just be too used to using brushes.

I do like using the blender pens. Used with chalks they make the colour much more intense. I use them with the watercolour pencils; first colour as with ordinary crayons then use blender pen to smooth out the colouring strokes and blending the colours together. Ive used the blender pens with the reinkers too. It makes them into "markers". I actually have one set of blender pens for each of the above techniques.

I want to address what one person said about pastels being too faint: They're not to faint if you color the image w/ a blender pen & pastels. It's a FANTASTIC watercolor look, without the mess of too much or too little water when you use a paintbrush.

When using markers, as stated before, they can be too intense, so my upline taught me to scribble marker pallets on a styrofoam plate so that it beads up (this is great if you don't have the pad to squish the lid for to get a pool of ink.) & then pick it up w/ a blender pen (or a paintbrush). You can also scribble watercolor pencil pallets on a scrap piece of paper & then pick up the color w/ the blender pens.

I have had the most positive response to blender pens w/ pastels because they like spending only $25 & getting 49 colors (as opposed to the cost of just 12 pads) & they LOVE how they can get a watercolor look w/o water. A lot of people have never seen or played w/ blender pens & they love how the pastels do not need to be set w/ a spray fixative.

Has anyone used the pure color pencils SU sells to color in their tiles? I am in the middle of making LOTS of tiles for presents and have tried all of the above, except those pure color pencils... I am thinking they may be the best (of course because I haven't tried them and am not completely satisfied with any of the other methods) :?

I dont have an aquapainter (yet) but I love blender pens & ink!
I think it is quick & easy & more suble than markers so that the stamped image shows through.

I also use the watercolor pencils a lot.

That's my favorite!

I too use the watercolor pencils with a blender pen for a lot of my coloring projects.

Another idea would be to get the Stampin' Spots in a color group or two (or all of them). Since you're getting all the markers through the marker club, that gives you an ink pad of every color to go with them, which given you a lot of options on the coloring/background front. I also personally prefer the blender pens to a paintbrush, because I think they give more control. The pastels are great, and very versatile, but they do need to be set to not smear...take it from the woman who trashed a birthday card when the red balloon went everywhere. (All you need to set them is a can of aqua net). The downside of the watercolor pencils (and I do like them anyway) is that it can be difficult to color match them to SU's 48 colors. I've made more than one card I'd planned as Perfect Plum turn out Orchid Opulance, and I know I'm not the only one. Not a big problem, but it can be annoying. They are very mess-free, however, and if you travel, that might make the difference.
If all you want to do is watercolor an image, I'd just wait for the marker club or buy the spots of a "gotta have" color group if you can't wait. If you want versatility, get the chalks. Either way, blender pens. And if you don't have it already, Basic Brown ink. You'll love it.

Kate

My advice would be is watch you demo. She what she is using and try it out. That's the great thing about workshops, you get to try things out. When I first started stamping, I loved my blender pens and chalks. Then I went through a phase where I markered everything. Then water colored. And now I love my aqua painter. And it all started with what my demo demoed. Sometimes it is easier to see something done first. Now I tend to demo watercoloring with the aqua painter for newbies. It is easy and even my seven year old loves it.