This week I indulged in a favourite technique I haven’t done for quite some time. I took some photos and put together a step by step No Line Colouring tutorial for you.

What is No Line Colouring?

No Line Colouring is a colouring technique that you can do with any medium – I’m demonstrating it using Copic Markers and coloured pencils, but you can apply the same principles to whichever medium you prefer.

How do you do it?

Instead of stamping an image using black ink, you use a pale colour of ink that blends into the colouring giving the impression of “no lines”. The result is a softer, more natural look.

I’ve done a fair amount of No Line colouring in the past, but haven’t made the time to do it more recently. I’m glad I took the opportunity to do so this past weekend, as the process proved quite therapeutic. Because there are no bold outlines to do the work of defining each area of the image, it requires a little more thought and concentration to colour and shade each area to create the form and define areas. The key to this technique is using shadows and highlights to separate and define details. As such, my brain spent less time wandering and more time focusing on the task at hand.

Susie the Succulent Card

Here’s the finished card featuring my “No Line” coloured image:

Stamp Used: Stamping Bella Tiny Townie Susie the Succulent (coordinating Cut It Out Die also available).
UK/Europe readers: Tracy at Dies to Die For has the stamp set in stock here: Susie the Succulent, along with the coordinating Cut It Out Die.

When choosing the image it just had to be Susie the Succulent – she’s one of my favourite images. If you are new to No Line colouring you might want to start with a simpler image that has less small detail areas. Or you could just jump in and challenge yourself – you have nothing to lose and lots to learn from the process!

No Line Colouring Step by Step Technique featuring Stamping Bella & Copic Markers

Other Supplies Used:

I took some photos during the colouring process and have popped them into a basic, quick guide for you. You will find a list of the Copic Markers I used towards the end of the post.

No Line Colouring Tutorial:

No Line Colouring Step by Step Technique featuring Stamping Bella & Copic Markers

A closer look at the finished colouring:

No Line Colouring Step by Step Technique featuring Stamping Bella & Copic Markers

Copic Markers Used:

Background: C2 plus 0 colourless blender in a Mini Mister.
Skin: E000,E00,E11,E93
Hair: E41,E43,E44
Succulents: G00,YG41,YG45,R30
Pot: RV91,RV32
Tights: W00,W2,W4,W6

I also used a mixture of Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils and Prismacolor pencils to smooth out the colouring, refine the details, and add extra shading.

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you have enjoyed today’s post as much as I enjoyed creating it for you.

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