Sssshhh! Christmas is Coming...

This last week or so, I've been trying to start plans and preparations for (sshhh!) Christmas. I've decided to hand make our Christmas cards, as I've done for the last few years. This year I'm working on black paper, to add a little sparkle, and on tan paper, which is helping me to learn how to shade with colour pencils.

I'm not sure why coloured paper lends itself more easily to working with coloured pencils, but you can see on these tiles how much more effective the colours are, as opposed to white paper. It seems to really make the drawing pop off the page and I'm so pleased with the results. These drawings will be great on Christmas cards, probably with added glitter if my kids help!!

I have used Eni Oken's Glow on the Dark technique for these black paper snowflakes. There's also a turquoise gemstone in the middle of the top picture.

The blues on these two pictures aren't showing up as well as in real life, you'll have to take my word for it that they look great!

This week I have also drawn a large snowflake mandala, the template of which is listed on Etsy. Children and adults will love to colour this, giving you an hour of mindful relaxation during the crazy chaos of Christmas. You can use blues like I have to make a snowflake or you could use reds and greens, turning it into a Christmas wreath. There's a turquoise gemstone in the middle of this one too! Get my guide to drawing turquoise stones here...Turquoise Guide

Get the snowflake mandala download here...Snowflake

My Coloured Snowflake Closeup

All the wintry designs together