First Attempt At Colouring a Black and White Portrait
I have two black and white sketches of myself. The first was done at an art shop at a seaside. I paid for the black and white sketch. I didn't want to pay extra for it to be done in colour. Besides, we were driving on to Cornwall and wanted to reach it or at least nearer by nightfall.
The sketch lay forgotten, lost, for years. Then one day, I checked inside a large cardboard tube to see what was inside. I found a couple of old travel posters. One, Two. Then, inside was a sketch. It was me! From years ago.
I framed it and put it on the wall. Every now and then I looked at it and thought, what a shame it wasn't in colour.
I am a very colourful person. I have blonde hair, blue eyes, red lips when wearing lipstick.
Later, I looked at another black and white sketch, of me, done more recently, not even framed Again, I thought, what a shame it's not in colour.
I considered colouring it myself. I do coloured drawings of people.
I didn't want to spoil it. I thought, I'll take a photocopy and try out the colours.
I was standing next to the printer. I wondered, how can I print it out the same size? I shall have to take each half of it.
I put it into the printer and out came the copy, in black and white. However, it wasn't half the picture. It was the reverse. It was the whole picture but a quarter of the size, not even A5, but printed on only half the sheet.
I didn't mind. That was even better. Less time and trouble to colour.
I tried out the colour and was pleased with the effect. I did the red blue of the eyes. The blue of the eyes. So as not to distract, and make it more interesting, I looked for another colour for the background, to contrast with the yellow hair and make it stand out, pale green.
I wondered what the effect would have been if I had matched the background to either the blue eyes or the red lips.
Second Double Trial Of Colouring a Black and White Portrait
Then a day later I went back to look at the framed black and white sketch. Because of the heavy frame, it would be a nuisance to take down and put back. The frame would not fit into the printer.
I had my mobile phone around my neck suspended in a pouch. I took a photo of the sketch. Nothing to lose.
I printed the picture. By mistake I printed it twice.
I was happy to have two copies. This time I could try out two colours.
I first tried a red background. I used a watercolour pencil. I originally intended to add the water later, which is my style, very vivid. But I thought the paler red of the pencil alone was a more natural background.
Next I tried the blue to match the eyes. As I had expected, the blue background drew your focus to the eyes. The red drew your attention to the lips.
The blue was a bit streaky. I went over it several time to try to even out the colour. The result was a darker background.
I showed it to my husband and asked, "Which do you prefer, the red background or the blue?"
His reply was totally different to what I had expected. He said, "I prefer the red. The blue draws attention to the yellow (band) across the bottom of the picture.
I could now go back and colour one of the bigger drawings. But I am still hesitant to alter somebody else's sketch.
However, I am very happy with my smaller coloured versions. I can frame one of them to give to somebody else. I can keep it as a reminder. I can use this technique again on my own caricatures before finishing them, or to produce two copies in different colours.
I can give somebody an original coloured version, but keep another for myself.
I have done these on plain thin copy paper. It would buckle if I added water. But I could print on heavier paper.
Heavier paper is okay in the printer, so long as you don't want it printed double sided which runs it back through a roller, which could crease it or jam in the
You can buy coloured watercolour paints in little pots, or boxed sets of tubes, or a set of lozenges, or the coloured pencils and then add water. I have bought several sets. Whenever I see a new set by another manufacturer, especially if it looks good value, or is reduced price, or small size, convenient to carry around, I buy it.
What is the difference in price?
I tend to buy cheaply. I bought water colour pencils and scraper boards from Wilko in London, England. You will find sets in the art book departments of large stationers such as WHSmith in the UK, and art shops worldwide.
You will probably find several more in Mohammed Mustapha's in Singapore.
Useful Websites
Good value fun
I haven't tried this company but they look good for
Expensive and professional and large size sets.
See my other blogs:
travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com
for example
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-worlds-best-dragons.html
dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com
