My apologies for any confusion if you saw an earlier draft of this post- I’m learning how to use my phone to do posts and it’s a little… limited. (And tricky.) But yay! I got it to work and uploaded pictures from my phone! (I may need to do some editing before uploading next time though- sorry for the file sizes.)
While buying Christmas gifts I treated myself to a coloring book and pack of 48 colored pencils. This top one is a small pattern on the frontispiece. Since it was a holiday gift to myself and the leaves looked holly-ish I gave it a Christmas theme. :}
It took me maybe an hour and a quarter to finish and I had a few thoughts:
- I totally missed an opportunity; I should have copied it and then I could do the same pattern in several different colors/patterns. I *might* get myself a second book just for masters. I might also be getting ahead of myself here.
- I am slightly disappointed in the color pencils- there is a serious dearth of reds. If I want a maroon or a burgundy I have to try and blend it myself. I may eventually splurge and buy a larger pack for more options (and then I’ll have duplicates of the most common colors).
- Colored pencils are misleading. The pencil looks green but is named “tan”. The color is neither what I think green or tan should be. I will probably make myself a color swatch guide going forward.
- If I’m going to do this regularly I need to invest in some pencil holders, maybe like these. I may have given myself a blister, I’m so unused to using a writing implement for long periods of time. I still have a writer’s callous, but I gave it a real workout.
- I need to lay a thick sheet of paper or shin cardboard in-between pages. The color may not come through, but the page beneath the one I’m drawing on gets embossed in the process.
On the plus side, it was fun and challenging and I just zoned out and colored for a hour, which was pretty much what I was aiming for. I’m also hoping that coloring will strengthen my hands a bit- my handwriting is really decaying. I managed three whole holiday cards and while I may still send cards to everyone who sent us one… even with effort my handwriting is barely legible. My fingers and elbows ache a little, and I’ve had no tremor (which happens if I get muscle fatigue in my hands), but even better I didn’t have any numbness, which usually crops up when driving, holding an eating utensil, or leaning on my forearms at my desk. Fingers crossed (hah! I did a pun) that this new, fun hobby is also maybe a little therapeutic. ;}
Update: Yep, finger tips are tender. I made myself a swatch reference sheet to keep in my pencil box- I occasionally have trouble telling shades apart, but there are at least two pencils that I swear are the exact same color. I also added a #5 note above as well.
Redefining "Good" 