Garden Party : A Coloring Book

I have a bit of exciting news! If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen a few posts about it over the last few months. Earlier this year, I set out to create a coloring book overflowing with florals!

This book has been such a joy to create, and it’s finally complete! Garden Party is 24 pages of hand-drawn botanical illustrations. Flowers, butterflies, teacups, citrus, and even a few books!!

I am beyond excited about all of this and hope to create many more!! But I’ll be really honest with you; I am going to take a little drawing break because I am dying to color every single page. They’ve been taunting me for months. haha!

I have received a lot of questions from everyone about when it will be available, what format it will be in, how to buy a copy - so I wanted to give you all an update. After much thought (and loads of advice/support from this wonderful coloring community), I’ve decided to release the pages digitally.

Illustrations will officially be available for purchase and download on January 15th. You’ll get the option for both light and dark lines. And you’ll be able to purchase the whole set or individual pages. Everything will all be available from my new online store - right here on AmberLovesColoring.com!! Easy peasy.

Once I have more information on the pre-sale of the book, I’ll send out an update. Right now, I am anticipating late Spring 2022. But I am just so excited to share this with all of you that I jumped ahead of the printers a bit. haha!

Stay happy and healthy!! ❤️

Adventures in Chalk

I’m doing something a little different for this post. The lovely people at Chalkola reached out to see if I’d be interested in trying their chalk markers AND sharing a set with you. Well, only one of you. But still. Sharing. Haha! (See end of post for Giveaway details)

Chalkboards are one of my favorite things. And I won’t lie, I would have one in every room of the house if it weren’t for the chalk dust. I love leaving rude, heartfelt notes for the mister. (There may or may not be a chalkboard in our kitchen right now that suggests he smells of old cheese.)

As a result, I’ve tried a ton of chalk markers over the years. All of which either weren’t inky enough or didn’t wipe off cleanly. And I can say with all honesty these are pretty great markers! They’re pretty inky, but not in a messy way. They actually blend nicely if you want to do some kind of art. They come in a fairly decent range of colors too! And I like their little chalkboard, but you can use them on any non-porous surface. All in all, these were quite fun to play with!

Chalkola also make other kinds of markers, if you’re interested in such things. I haven’t tried them, but their acrylic markers are very intriguing. Haha! I’ll let you know if I give those a try.

I hope everyone is enjoying this little peek of autumn (or spring, depending upon your location)!!

Stay healthy and happy out there!! ❤️

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** This post is sponsored by Chalkola. The opinions and text are mine.

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Giveaway details.  If you’d like to enter to win a set of 30 Chalkola Chalkboard Markers all you have to do is:

• Follow Chalkola on Instagram 

• Subscribe to Chalkola’s YouTube Channel

• Follow me on Instagram (if you don’t already) 

• Click here to enter for the drawing once you’ve finished

You’ll have until October 30th, 2020 to enter.  I’ll post the winner on my Instagram on October 31st (and send you a message to collect your address for shipping so don’t worry about missing my insta post.) Task completion is on the honor system, so let’s do our best.

Also, if you’d like to buy these or any other items from Chalkola, I have some discount codes. Yay!! 

• AMBERB10 for Chalkola

• CHALKOLA10 for Amazon (US, UK, Canada) 

Progress: A Coloring Story

Five years ago, I discovered Johanna Basford’s Enchanted Forest, and it was so wonderful. I was so excited and proud of my coloring! And you know what, I still am!! So, today I’m going to share it with you guys, along with 2 other versions of the same page. (Yes, I do have 3 copies of Enchanted Forest. haha!)

Many of you have messaged me about your colorings and how they aren’t “as good as mine” or how you wish you were “more creative.” And I get it. When I scroll through Instagram, it can be a little intimidating. I’m over here hobbling along with my markers, and Irena (@black_aneri) is doing artistical magic on every post. haha!

But, I always remind myself that practice means progress. Seeing my first coloring again really drove that concept home for me. It gives me a bit more appreciation for my colorings. I started here, with my 20 count Crayola Markers. And I loved every second!! Hopefully, it’ll help you guys when you compare your colorings to mine (or anyone else’s, for that matter.)

My skills have evolved over the years through practice and yours will too. Every coloring isn’t a winner, but every coloring leaves me feeling like a winner. If that makes sense? For me it’s about the joy of coloring and not always the finished product.

I mean let’s be honest, I love ending up with a beautiful coloring but sometimes I get a hot mess. haha! And because of that, I think it’s good to keep in mind that we all start somewhere. And we all have different styles. And we all keep practicing. And I’m pretty thankful that this is one of those things where the practice is the most fun bit!!

Stay happy and safe out there! And keep coloring - just for the fun of it!! Even when you know it’s going in a really questionable direction. haha!

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Book: Enchanted Forest by Johanna Basford

Supplies:
2015 Crayola
2016 Shinhan Art | Copic | Stabilo
2020 Shinhan Art | Copic | Posca

Top Five Spring Downloads

Hello! It’s been quite a while since I’ve made a post - I’m sure you’ve noticed. Haha! I thought I’d jump back into things with a little list of a few of the fun coloring downloads that are available right now. If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve probably seen me repost about them in my stories, but I thought it’d be nice if they are listed in one convenient place. haha!

Eilidh Muldoon

• Flourish | The queen of coloring books, Johanna Basford, has released a 12-page book for download. It is full of super cute little toadstool houses, bugs, flowers, and even a turtle!

• Eilidh Muldoon | Even though she has a new baby at home, Eilidh Muldoon found time to draw a couple of awesome pages for us to color. It’s a departure from her architectural themed books (Check out this post about her books) - they have a bit of a fairytale feel. Castles, Mermaids. Such fun!

• Masja van den Berg | Masja has created a beautiful peacock illustration for us to color! I highly recommend checking out the coloralong the amazing Evi (@e.m.c.p) put together for this spring. She’s posted so many wonderful versions of this illustration!

• Oana Befort | She doesn’t have a coloring book that I’m aware of, but her illustrations and paintings are gorgeous! And don’t get me started on the paper goods! This wrapping paper is amazing!

• Rifle Paper Co | Speaking of amazing paper goods, Rifle Paper has some of my very favorite stationery!! And they have created some fun cards and things you can download and color!

Masja van den Berg

And I have a few tips for printing:

Oana Befort

• I recommend thinking about the kind of paper you like and the medium you plan to use. I like to use inky ink markers, so I usually print my pages on watercolor paper. Bristol works well for ink too; I just prefer a toothier surface. I would also imagine you’d want a bit of toothiness for colored pencils as well. 

• If you are able, I also highly recommend lightening the lines in Photoshop or something similar before you print. It really makes a difference if you like to white out the lines. I find that you can easily draw the lines back in, but trying to remove them is harder.  

• If you are in a place where sourcing specialty paper is a chore, there’s always plain printer paper. It’s not complicated or fussy, but it does a fair job - especially if you are using colored pencils. (I always want to call them map colors. Just me? Probably.) And there is something to be said for keeping things simple and stress-free.  

• All of the files above are of excellent quality, you just want to be sure you downloaded the file and not the preview. If you just zoom in like 2-300% and it’s still basically clear, then you’re good to print.   

• Most of these are PDF files, and the settings might be a bit wonky. I like to double-check the page is set to the right direction (portrait or landscape) and that you select “Fit to Page” or “Scale to Fit.”

Flourish | Johanna Basford

With all of the uncertainty in the world right now, it’s nice to know we can still tuck into some coloring with our favorite artists (even if we can’t always have new books delivered.) I hope you guys find some comfort and joy in coloring these and any other illustrations!!

Thank you do much to all the amazing artists that shared their work with us!!

Stay healthy and happy out there!! ❤️

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**This post is not sponsored by these artists or their affiliates. I just really enjoy these things and want to share them with you.

Floral Inspiration

I receive a lot of messages about the colors I’ve chosen and questions about how I came up with the flowers and their palettes. So, I thought I would share a bit about my process and my favorite places to find floral inspiration.

More often than not, I am pulling from memory when it comes to selecting colors. BUT, most of those memories are due to a bit of a love affair with botanicals. Flowers. Greenery. I love it all. And because of that love, I do a lot of research on flowers. I have books, Pinterest boards, Instagram Collections, and of course, there’s always Google. Not to mention I’ll jump at any chance to visit a botanical garden!

When it comes to books, my go-to for inspiration is The Flower Color Guide by Darroch and Michael Putnam. It’s a fantastic book with tons of photos and information about flowers. The information on blooming seasons is perfect for Leila Duly’s The Flower Year and Rita Berman’s Seasonal Books. This book is meant for flower arranging, but honestly, it’s ideal for coloring. There are even little swatches of each flower in the back!

Sometimes, getting books shipped around the world can be a bit of a challenge, so you might check out your local library. I’ve found the library usually has amazing botanical books with the most gorgeous illustrations. The British Library (and their Flickr) and US Library of Congress both have digital archives online that are open to the public, as well.

If I am at a place where I know exactly what flower I want or what color but am unsure of the realistic options, Pinterest and Google are the best resources. Just search for any kind of thing and so many wonderful options come up. And even if you find something you can’t use for this coloring, you can totally save it for the next. Between Pinterest and Instagram, I definitely hoard floral photos online. haha!

Instagram is generally my favorite place for inspiration and a treasure trove of beautiful photos. I follow so many amazing florists and farms. (As I share this with you guys I really am beginning to think I might have a problem. haha!) Here are a few of the accounts that I super love and highly recommend:

@fairynuffflowers

@farmgirlsk

@kewgardens

@tulipinadesigns

And of course, a trip to the florist or garden center is always a great idea! I’ve mentioned it on Instagram a few times, but I have fresh flowers delivered through a subscription service with The Bouq Co. I don’t know if they are available outside the US, but I really can’t get enough of their service. Flower delivery day is one of my favorite days! If you can, I totally say do! It’s hard to have lush, beautiful gardens in Texas with the heat and lack of rain/natural water, so the florist (Bouq or local) is where I get most of my flowers.

In fact, my latest delivery of lovely sunflowers inspired my newest coloring. And I am coloring in my Hanna Karlzon book, Summer Nights, for the first time. This is a great book - many, if not all of you, already own it. I’m a little late to the game on this one, but so glad I finally ordered a copy!

So far, Summer Nights is amazing. I absolutely love the paper. I’m not a huge fan of coloring faces, but who knows, I might give it a shot one day. For now, I’ll stick to what I love, flowers. This sunflower is a mix of browns and yellows. I love how simple the colors are while still having some depth. It’s rare that I use the same four shades for every flower, but I really like how it turned out.

I hope this post helps you find a bit of floral inspiration!!

Happy Coloring!!

Sky: Cool Greys 1-5 Sunflowers: Shinhan Art Y44 (85), YR32(84), BR103(182), BR98 (177) Leaves: Copic YG97 (173), YG95 Faber Castell equivalencies in parentheses.

**This post is NOT sponsored by any of the people or businesses mentioned in this post or their affiliates. I just really enjoy these things and want to share them with you.

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Book: Summer Nights by Hanna Karlzon

Supplies: Shinhan Art | Copic | Posca | Stabilo