You Are So Lovely - Zan Von Zed Ladies of Leisure Digi

Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you.  Live life with gusto.
Dale Carnegie

Zan Von Zed Ladies of Leisure digital stamp, Tim Holtz background die,
Heartfelt Creations stamps, dies, and mold, Cricut cutting and writing features,
 glossy gold card stock, Xpressit blending paper, Copic markers, iridescent sequins

Hey there,

Grayscale coloring can be both amazing and challenging at the same time.  Zan Von Zed, the incredibly talented artist of THIS coloring book where I found this gorgeous digital image, uses light shading in her designs but also leaves open areas,  like the eyes here, for the colorist to use her own skills and imagination. There is occasionally some controversy in the digital art community as to whether this additional shading might be "cheating" since it shows through as light shading in the finished product.  For me, there are definite pros and cons to grayscale.  I enjoy shading so much on unshaded images and the light gray is a little harder to blend with Copics.  And since light source and shading are some of the most important skills a colorist can learn, I don't think it's helpful for beginners to rely on these shadows in their work.  But I like the result I get, even though it can be darker and more intense than my usual coloring.  And since many of my favorite artists use grayscale to differing degrees, some even offering dark, medium or none in their digi shops, I'm all in for the challenges and advantages of grayscale coloring! 

What do you think?  If you haven't tried grayscale, you should give it a go.  Some of the best artists use it to varying degrees in their artwork and many colorists create stunning artwork with it.  Just be aware when you see an unbelievably shaded image colored to perfection,  the colorist might have had some help from the artist. 

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and experiment with some grayscale artistry.

Nancy

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