Magical Beauties Speed Art Video: "Dragon Shaman" Timelapse Coloring Page Creation

Click the "YouTube" logo in the video window to view at full size.

I've been busily working to finish up my "Magical Beauties" book, and have been recording my desktop as I create each drawing.  Most of them start with a hand-drawn sketch - sometimes it's just a very rough thumbnail to jot down some basic ideas - other times I'll refine the sketch with more details.

The sketch is then scanned into my computer.  I also often gather reference images of things I want to incorporate into the design.  These are placed in an Adobe Illustrator file and I begin building my finished art by using Illustrator's Pen tool to draw lines and shapes.  

Each image is composed of many of these lines and shapes that are carefully tweaked and placed to create the final design.

I use some simple grayscale shading to clarify the image, indicate depth and overlapping elements and offer colorists some guidance for tonal shading.

Each image for "Magical Beauties" features naturally pleasing symmetry, plenty of opportunities for creative color play and striking characters that spark your imagination and result in gorgeous finished pages.

The first half of this book in now available as a printable download at the following link:

Magical Beauties Print Pack #1

When the second half is finished, I'll release Print Pack #2, and combine all of the images into a single print book that will be available on Amazon.

New Release: Adult Coloring Book Treasury 2!

I'm very excited to announce that the new Adult Coloring Book Treasury 2 is now available!

This book is a great way to discover new artists, and at only $6.89 for 130 images - it's an unbeatable value!  

I've got two images in the book - one form my "The Lumina Chronicles" coloring book, and another from my new "Magical Beauties" print pack.  

Buy it now on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Adult-Coloring-Book-Treasury-Illustrations/dp/0997595922

Interview on Self Discovery Radio About Adult Coloring!

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to be interviewed about the Adult Coloring Phenomenon and my journey as an artist on Self Discovery Radio:

Self Discovery brings you insightful, liberating, intuitive people from around the globe.

I was pretty nervous at first, and my voice sounds a little weird because I kept forgetting to breathe! 

But the hosts were very cool and made me feel at home and I think we had an interesting conversation. I was very happy to have the opportunity to express some of the things I've discovered and really love about coloring.

You can listen to Part 2 here.  This is the part where we get to talking about coloring:

This is Part 1, which focuses on my journey as an artist:




This page aggregates a bunch of info and links about me and my work, including some stuff about Calliope The Wonder Wagon, a gypsy wagon that my husband and I built together:

https://selfdiscoveryradio.com/2016/04/30/16-19-the-gypsy-mystery-and-calliope-the-wonder-wagon-with-cristina-mcallister-pt2/

I hope you enjoy the listen and that I did a good job representing the Coloring Community.

Creating A Coloring Book- Part 3: From Sketch to Finished Artwork

I’m working on my next coloring book, and I thought it might be fun to document the process on my blog as I go along.  

In Part 2, I talked about my process of conceptualizing my book and exploring what ideas I wanted to include in it, and designing my world and the characters that inhabit it.  During that phase, I produce a lot of sketches of my ideas and page compositions that come to me.

Here in Part 3, I'll be transforming my sketches into finished artwork.

My method for this is to scan my hand-drawn sketches into my computer and then basically trace over them and add to them by creating vector art in Adobe Illustrator.

  Er...what kind of art...?

https://signalizenj.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/vector-vs-raster/

So -there are two general kinds of 2D digital image - pixel (aka raster or bitmapped) and vector.  Pixel images are made up of tiny squares of color (pixels) on a grid, that create an image.  Vector images are made of...er...math...?  It's difficult to describe.  It's just magic, okay?

Here's a better explanation:

 http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/32597/whats-the-difference-between-pixels-and-vectors/

On a practical level, what it comes down to is that when you want to create or alter a pixel image, you would use a brush tool to lay down colored pixels, and an eraser tool to eliminate pixels.  It's similar to painting with actual paint. 

In a vector image, each line and shape is a separate entity that can be manipulated in a variety of different ways without having to erase and redraw.  You can change an entire shape's color with a single click, as opposed to having to select and paint pixels.  

You can very easily move things around, manipulate lines, adjust and tweak and experiment until you get it perfect.  You can also very easily do things like duplicate shapes and flip them, which is very handy for creating symmetrical images, which I love. 

 A picture is built by creating and layering these individual, fully-editable shapes and lines.

It basically gives me complete control over every aspect of the image, and allows me to experiment and adjust things along the way.  

Hand sketch - Final artwork - Coloring test

Vector images are generally more "graphic" in style - smooth lines and gradients, more precise and "clean" looking, while pixel images tend to be more "painterly" - textured, can have "brush strokes" and mimic photos and traditional art techniques and mediums.  Having said that - there are artists doing photo-realistic and/or painterly work with vectors and very graphic work with pixels - artists tend to do whatever they want with their tools!

But for me, creating an image with vectors is a very enjoyable process that results in very satisfying final images.  And it works very well for coloring book art because you can get lovely smooth lines and shapes for colorists to fill in.

This one started with a VERY rudimentary sketch!

The level of detail that I put into my initial hand-drawn sketches varies a lot.  Sometimes I'll just do a super basic, almost stick-figure-level sketch that does little more than indicate a basic pose or composition.  In those cases, I already have the rest of the details pretty firmly in my mind and feel confident that I can fill out the drawing on the computer without needing much guidance from a detailed sketch.

Other times, I'll spend a lot of time on a sketch - working on poses, filling in little details, refining things and exploring with my pencil at that stage.  Some sketches are a mixture of detailed and rudimentary visual "notes to myself".  Sometimes I'll include actual written notes to myself like "shorten neck", or  "mandala wings" or "Healer making medicine w/ plant's help.  Scientific stuff!  Lots of bottles and jars".  

 I just want to create a foundation upon which to build my vector shapes.

After I scan them in I'll often do a bit of tweaking in Photoshop.  Sometimes something needs to be a bit taller or wider than I originally sketched it, a limb needs to be a little longer or shorter, or maybe I'll adjust the size and angle of the head.  I can do this quickly in Photoshop (which is a pixel-based program, btw.  The sketches are converted into pixel images when I scan them.), by "cutting out" a part of the sketch and rotating it or adjusting the size.  It chops up the drawing and makes it look crappy, but nobody but me is seeing that stage. 

For symmetrical images, I'll usually just sketch out half of the drawing, then in Photoshop I can copy that half and flip it to create the mirror-image half.  Easy peasy!  

Symmetrical image - only sketch half and mirror it  

I open the sketch in Illustrator and put it on a separate Layer that I can turn on or off, make transparent, etc. Layers are kind of like transparent sheets of paper stacked on top of each other that you place your shapes on.  You can make each layer invisible or change it's transparency, lock it to "freeze" it so you can select other things without effecting that layer, move it around in the stack to move things above or below other things.  Layers are wonderful things!

Then I start building up my image on different layers.  For the art in this book, I've generally been organizing my layers into Foreground, Midground and Background.  Using layers helps to keep things organized, makes it easier to navigate all the shapes and can help to create a sense of depth.

Sometimes I stay very faithful to my original sketch, but more often than not, some ideas are tossed, new ideas come up.  Sometimes I try several different options until I find the one that works. 

This phase is the most labor and time-intensive.  It's me spending hours making lots of little things and putting them exactly where I want them until the artwork looks finished to me.   

Once I get everything in place and it looks good, I'll print it out on my laser printer and test-color it.  I've found that this step is really valuable.  It helps me catch any mistakes or weirdness that I might have missed and gives me a feel for how well it colors.  Is there too much open space in this area?  Are these shapes way too tiny to color?  Is the image legible - can you tell what things are?  

Also - I get to color!  :D

As I color, I'll make little notes on the back about any mistakes I've caught or changes I want to make, then go back into the vector image and correct them.

And that's that!  Artwork finished!  And then I do it 24-30 more times with the rest of my sketches!

Next step - Layout! (stay tuned for Part 4!)

A Glimmer In The Darkness

I'm still plugging away at my Utopian paradise (see previous entries: "Creating a Coloring Book Parts 1 & 2), but I've been waylaid by another idea for a book, and got super inspired, so I've been focusing on that recently.

That's one of the perks of self-publishing...I can switch up my projects if I want to because no one is imposing deadlines on me.  Yay!  I've finally gotten to the point where I have the luxury of working on the things that are actively stimulating my creativity - which truly does bring out my best work.

I've been seeing a lot of gorgeous pages from the "Midnight" books: "Midnight Mandalas", "Midnight Garden", etc.  What makes them distinctive is their black backgrounds, which really make the colors pop!  The results are so striking, I got to thinking that it would be fun to try my hand at something along those lines.

I've also been hearing requests for simpler images with bigger colorspaces, for folks who get hand fatigue or have trouble seeing the super-intricate stuff (both of which I also experience), or for those who aren't into getting really fancy and/or want something quick and easy-breezy, but that still turns out beautiful.

Turns out, coloring with transparent colors (such as markers and most gel pens) over a page with a lot of black facilitates these attributes because you don't have to "stay in the lines" when the shapes are surrounded by black.  Thicker lines in between colorspaces also has this effect.  So I've been utilizing those principles when designing pages for this book.

I'm playing with creating elegant, stylized images with simple shapes and lines.

My basic theme is "things that glow", and there's a lot of variety within that category to explore!

There are a few pages with some more intricate bits, but even those can be simplified by coloring multiple spaces a single color - and they still look great.  Also - if you DO want to get more elaborate with them, you can certainly use your colored pencils to do blends, or get in there with your gel pens and add doodly bits to embellish.

I've been enjoying the effect of doing most of my basic coloring with markers (I've been using Crayola Supertips), and then using gel pens over that to outline things with metallic, or add some glittery sparkle to some areas.

I may do a video about the techniques I've found that create cool effects on these pages.

The artwork is also going fairly quickly, since they are simpler compositions.  It's a nice break from the more elaborate artwork I've been doing, which takes a long time!  I've got about half the drawings done so far, and I think they are turning out pretty cool!

What do you guys think?  Would you enjoy coloring these images?
Let me know in the comments!

Video Tutorial: "Coloring SuperVibrant Mandalas"

This tutorial is aimed at adult fans of coloring books who don't have any formal art training, but want to improve their coloring skills.
Follow along as I color the "Mesmerizing Mandala" page from my "Windows to the Soul" coloring book, using some basic principals of Color Theory to maximize color intensity and create a vibrant color scheme that's brilliant and balanced.





Print version of the "Windows to the Soul" Coloring Book is available on Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/p2nbsd3

Downloadable Digital Edition available on my Etsy Shop:
http://tinyurl.com/nlj2ewq

Music by Kaminanda:
https://kaminanda.bandcamp.com/

Coloring Book Demo/Tutorial Video: Serenity Mandala from the Sacred Beauty Coloring Book

This video is the first in a series of tutorial demos for grown-up fans of coloring books. 

I believe that the more confident and familiar you are with coloring techniques and how colors work, the more satisfaction you'll get from your coloring, and the more you'll be able to fully develop your own unique sense of color.

This series of videos shares some tips, techniques and methods I use when hand-coloring, that I've learned or discovered over the years. It's aimed specifically at coloring book colorists who don't have much art experience or training, but want to improve their coloring skills.  
In addition to some essential colored pencil techniques, I offer some methods for making great color choices and creating harmonious color schemes, and demonstrate some "special effects" that you can use to take your coloring pages to the next level.

It's not a "How To" - because there's no One Right Way to color. But my hope is that this info will help you to create your own unique and beautiful results that will enhance your coloring experiences.

Please Share, Pin, Like, Comment...Yaddayaddayadda! 

#adultcoloringbooks  #coloringbooksforgrownups  #coloringbook #coloringdemo  #coloringtutorial  #colored pencil techniques

Windows to the Soul; A Mesmerizing Coloring Book

My second coloring book is now available!

Eyes are innately mesmerizing and infinitely expressive. They are, as they say, the “windows to the soul”. 


For this volume, I created 30 all new, original coloring pages integrating an eclectic variety of art styles, motifs and moods. Each of them frames mysterious eyes that seize your gaze…inviting you, challenging you to infuse them with vibrant color.


Featuring a variety of colorful themes including fantasy, steampunk, traditional cultural art styles, decorative mandalas and designs inspired by nature, this coloring book offers something for everyone, and is full of ample opportunities for fun and creative coloring.

 After I made my first coloring book (“Sacred Beauty; An Artful Coloring Book”), I knew I was hooked.  
I love designing coloring pages, and I love coloring them.  

I wanted to do another book, and I was pondering what kind of themes and imagery would make for fun, relaxing and engaging coloring experiences that would result in beautiful finished pieces.  

For me, coloring feels very much like doodling.  There is some thought that goes into it in choosing colors and creating color schemes, but it is also somewhat mindless, in a good way.  It reminds me of knitting, or…doodling.

For as long as I can remember, when mindlessly doodling, I‘ve drawn two things:  spirals and eyes….often in combination.  Not faces or anything that made sense… just these weird little abstract designs with eyes surrounded by decorative flourishes.  

  
I’m not alone in this habit.  Apparently, it’s a Thing.  Lots of people doodle eyes; angry, evil eyes, intensely gazing eyes, cartoon or anime eyes, realistic eyes, alien eyes, you name it.  I tend to draw serene eyes surrounded by lots of swirls and spirals and dots.  

Once I'd connected coloring to doodling, and explored the whole "eye doodling" phenomenon,  I realized that I'd found the basic theme for my next book.  

My next step was to think up a bunch of different designs, which was actually pretty easy.  My Muse was on board, and I started sketching like a madwoman.  

I thought about things that would offer opportunities for lots of color choices...things like butterflies and flowers and animal patterns and stained glass and mandalas.  I thought about things that accented eyes - masks and helmets and makeup.  I thought about various traditional art styles that would work - like Dia De Los Muertos face paint and Maori warrior facial tattoos.  I also wanted to make this book more appealing to male colorists, since my first book was pretty feminine in nature.  So there is a steampunk design featuring ornate mechanical bits, a grizzled warrior, a pirate, even a creepy alien.  Something for everyone, and every mood!
 I also wanted to offer a variety of levels of intricacy, so some of these designs are simpler and others are packed with details.  

The artwork is accompanied by "Inspirations" and "Trys".  
The Inspirations are basically keywords that you can enter into a Google image search to find loads of visual reference for inspiration and ideas.  They are things I referred to when creating the designs, and coloring them myself.  I encourage you to utilize these - and to take some time to study the images that come up.  Getting familiar with different color combinations will add to your own inner library of ideas and help you develop your own sense of color.
The "Trys" are suggestions for various color scheme ideas to explore, or coloring techniques to apply.  They are totally optional - but I wanted to share some of the possibilities that I thought of while designing and coloring the imagery.

"Windows to the Soul" is available as a print edition from Amazon:

and as a downloadable digital edition from my Etsy Shop:

I'd love to hear your feedback on it, and see your finished colored pages!  Please feel free to comment here, or post to my Art of Cristina McAllister Facebook Page.  And please post a review to the Amazon listing page - those reviews really do make a huge difference!

COLORING BOOK!!!!!

I've published a coloring book!
It's available on Amazon at the following link:
http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Beauty-Coloring-Cristina-McAllister/dp/1516976134/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

You can also download a digital edition from my Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/246343169/sacred-beauty-coloring-book-digital

Several weeks ago, someone posted an article about coloring books for grown-ups on Facebook and I was intrigued!  It has become a hugely popular activity, and a bunch of really cool coloring books have been released in recent years.  These aren't the cheesy, simplistic cartoon character coloring books you remember from childhood, but gorgeous, complex designs that offer a fun, engaging and relaxing creative experience.

I realized instantly that my artwork would be PERFECT for coloring!  After all, when I created the original artwork, I basically made black & white designs and then colored them in Photoshop.  So converting my full-color artwork into color-able pages was simply a matter of going back to my black & white files and doing some reworking.

As I re-evaluated my drawings with hand-coloring in mind, I realized that I really enjoy designing coloring pages!  And I really enjoy coloring, which was something that mostly bored me as a kid.

I published through Createspace, Amazon.com's Print On Demand Self Publishing platform, and found the process to be surprisingly quick and easy.  Within 3 weeks, I had put my book together, uploaded it and it was listed on Amazon.com.  Amazing!

The response has be incredible, and people really seem to be enjoying the book.  I'm working on getting my wholesale distribution set up, hopefully in time to get some books in stores for the holiday shopping season.
And I'm working on my second book, which I think is going to be even better!