Human Rainbow II: Preclass

Welcome to a celebration of the Human Rainbow! I’m Sandy and I am a huge fan of diversity; maybe it’s part of my squirrel-brain that loves to leap from one medium to another, one style to another….I just love everything that makes life so diverse and unique!

Over a decade ago I had noticed very little attention was being paid to diversity in the industry I was working in – stamping and cardmaking. I began “adapting” images from the drawings to change skin tones, facial features, and hairstyles to reflect a more colorful world. It caught on, at least a little, and I’m so happy I could help introduce more artists to the joy of representing all kinds of people in their art!

In this course, you’ll find five lessons plus a bonus one at the end that’ll take you and your markers on a journey with me into representing different people. I do hope it’ll be as enjoyable for you as it has been for me to prepare the lessons! 

Inspiration in each lesson

The drawings in this course were not made from individual reference photos so we won’t be coloring by using them; however a few images will be included to help you see what to look for in coloring the drawings. (No need to download these, they’ll be provided in each lesson.)

Supplies for class

This video gives you a quick overview of the colors needed, and some ideas for figuring out what color you need if you’re using a non-Copic alcohol marker. Affiliate links below are provided; your purchase helps support the website at no cost to you:

1. Copic Markers  | Refills | Hex Chart
2. Sketchmarker Brush Pro | Refills | Hex Chart
3. Olo markers and refills  | Hex Chart
4. Neenah Cardstock, Solar White(or whatever paper you love)
5. White gel pen or Presto pen (just for highlights on eyes)

Watch the video below for more information and tips:

Suggested prep for class

The course demonstrations are created in Copic markers; but since more people are starting to purchase other brands of alcohol markers, I decided to try to make that a little easier on people and create a “set” of colors to use across all the lessons. They’re in this 2page pdf:

Download and print class color charts 

I recommend printing page 2 on the cardstock you intend to use for this class, then swatch your brand into the blocks so you have a nice color reference for yourself throughout class.

That chart is numbered 1-32; you can indicate your color number in the block, BUT – on the screen in class, the number for each color will be used (1-32) since listing several brands at once would be too chaotic in a video!

Mark your markers

You might want to put a piece of tape around your markers and number them 1-32, then you can quickly grab the one you’re looking for and not need to revisit the chart every 10 seconds.

More free charts

To test your colors, print this chart and make a quick swatch of the colors before starting each lesson – it’ll give you an idea whether you need more or less of different colors. You might also want the Human Rainbow Collection to create your own rainbow chart.

Tips for photographing 

When you finish coloring these images, you’ll likely want to photograph your work to share. Many times it’s hard to capture a real “black” background correctly! Here’s a few tips:

1. Take the photo from a little further than you normally might, and then crop in. If the camera has more things to look at, it can often balance color and light better.
2. Shoot at an angle that won’t bounce window light onto the drawing.
3. Having other objects to focus on may also help your camera to “see” better. Like markers.
4. If using a smart phone, tap the screen on a dark area of the drawing so the color adjusts to seeing that as the black point in the image.

As you work through lessons, feel free to share your work. A few options below are available; note that at this time in early 2023, many students have moved over from Facebook to Artventure, so you’ll find much more interactivity there. Plus I check it habitually all day long, and it’s a great place to ask questions! (And hey, it’s free, too!)