Simple, Spot Color Style Coloring

I've always loved children's book illustrations. I remember the wide range of styles - from my first love - Leo Lionni - to Maurice Sendak. Those were the first two that came to mind, because they had such a big visual impact on me, but also - I love that those two were both the authors AND the illustrators. Imagine having both of those talents in such abundance!

One of my favorite illustration styles has always been spot color. It's often an imprecise match between fill and outline, and it's something that I immediately think of when I think of the decidedly color blocked illustrations in one of my faves - Madeline.

If you're just starting to color, this is a great way to gain confidence, and add a retro feel to your images. Or, if you just want a very quick and impactful card with line art images - this is for you. It's similar to fashion industry sketches too - so I think it especially lends itself to clothing and hair.

The second I saw this stamp set, I fell hard in love - and instantly had a spot color card in my mind. I knew these little girls had to be mine.

I need to apologize right now to my friend Yoo-Rah, because I have a feeling she is going to *need* these little girls in her life. We have a shared affinity for sweet and whimsical and sort of wistful images of little girls, and she creates such amazing art with them.

I went with a simple holy trinity color scheme for them, and it only felt right to put the girl with the ice cream cone front & center. What a sweet image.

Sweet Dear Friend - Picket Fence Studios [ PFS ] It's Going To Be Okay - Picket Fence... [ PFS ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White [ GNK ] GKD Amalgam Ink Pad- Jet Black [ GNK | SSS ] VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne -... [ ELH | SSS ] Copic Sketch Marker BG02 NEW BLUE [ SSS | MFT ] Copic Sketch Marker R14 LIGHT ROUGE... [ SSS | MFT ] Copic Sketch Marker Y06 YELLOW [ SSS | MFT ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSW | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT ] Absorber - Synthetic Cleaning Cloth [ AMZUS ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Mudder 10 Pack White Buffer Sanding... [ AMZUS ] Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675 [ SSS | ART | AMZUS ] Essentials by Ellen Storage... [ ELH ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two... [ SSS | ART | BLIC | ELH ] Ink Off Cloth [ INK ]

Is that not the sweetest?

It's also true. Do it.

Loveyameanitbye.