A FREE Valentine coloring page Giveaway for you and some coloring tips
drawing, free images, how to's 
Last week, at craft day with Beth, I decided to draw a Valentine coloring page similar to some I have done for other themes like Birds, Halloween, and Snow White. In the past, I've included them in art journal kits and swaps too, these are ideal to color and add to a book.
Plus, I simply and sincerely LOVE to color them myself!
My process usually starts with rifling through vintage books to find text to fit my theme, then creating a collage from it.
"Sunlight and Shade" a book from 1885, had a lovely font and sweet text that fit right in with Valentines.
See what I mean?
Mostly, it is just background that gets colored over, but I try to single out special words. This time, inside of hearts.
When I color my own copies, I leave those words as is, or accent with a clear, Stardust Gelly Roll pen, so they stand out.
(I ADORE those pens! They leave a sheer sparkle that is subtle and sweet)
As I color the pictures, I use multiple tools. There are some tips HERE for the variety that I use for my pages: markers, glitter pens, colored pencils, and white opaque inks
And HERE are some tips for roses.
For faces, I recommend colored pencils. Markers can be harsh. Ink, even more so. Of course, there are wonderful Coptic markers that you can use for blending and get a good result, so if you are doing lots of coloring pages with faces and skin tone, it is probably worth it to invest in those tints of markers. But they can be pricey, and I feel like using pencils along with the markers and inks gives the finished piece more interest.
And you can call it "Mixed Media". Which sounds more impressive than coloring.
Not that I am bashing coloring!
I love coloring.
Im just saying that the more detail, layering of color, and mix of materials that you use, the more interesting the picture is.
I cannot do without white opaque markers, sometimes for a little dot of highlight (like in the lovebirds' eyes), or over another color (like in the large, pink flower above), or under a color (like in the blue flower above), or on its own (like the rope braid on the frame above), or outlining words (like on the word, LOVE)
I also used a wide tip, white opaque marker on some of the background behind the word LOVE.
My biggest and best tip, though, is to finish off with a fine tip, black marker or pen to go over some of (or most of) the lines after you've colored the page.
For me, going over the outlines with black, sharpens up the drawing and makes it pop.
Would you like to give one a try? As a thank you to my readers (and shoppers) I'm offering a free download of the drawing/collage that I've done if you'd like one.
Email me at:
karlanathan@sbcglobal.net
I'll send you the PDF to print over and over to color as many times as you'd like (I've finished three and am working on a fourth right now, they are addictive!)
When I print them, I use a quality paper, either matt photo, or a matt brochure, not just plain copy paper. Copy paper can make the marker bleed, and sometimes it tears.
