Missouri State Quarter Coloring Page (A Redo)

It's been about 18 months since I finished coloring pages all 50 state quarters using different art materials. And for that whole time, I've been unhappy with the inks I used for the Missouri quarter. At the time, I didn't have better color choices, so I went with the ones I had, knowing they weren't what I wanted. I have some new ink colors now, so I gave them a test run by redoing Missouri's quarter. As before, I started with a base of ink, then added Prismacolor colored pencils on top. 

In addition to using different inks, I changed the colors for the text and the border. I added some golden browns to the river since "The Big Muddy" is actually a yellowish-brown as it flows by Gateway Arch. It's not perfect, but I'm much happier with this version. 

There's one more state quarter coloring page that has been bugging me. I'll share the redo tomorrow. 

Trio of Floral Cards

We had a cardmaking workshop after church last weekend. I made three cards using the same layered stamp set. It's fun to see how changing out the small details can significantly alter the card's appearance. The muted colors and subtle sentiment of this sympathy card...

... give a completely different look than the bright colors and bold sentiment of this thank-you card. 

The backgrounds on the first two cards are just ink. For this Hello card, I did a quick sweep of ink directly on the die-cut, then added details and shading with Prismacolors (affiliate link). 

I have very little experience with layered stencils and it was fun to experiment with different techniques.  Cards are great for trying out new skills and taking risks. I'm looking forward to playing with ink on cards again soon!

How to Draw an American Lobster

I feel sorry for lobsters. 

I literally can't think of another animal where every craft project, sign, or other visual representation portrays it as dead. A red lobster is a dead lobster. Can you imagine if you wanted to make a cute chicken craft and instead of this 🐓, the only options looked like this🍗? It seems... rude. So today's craft honors the living version of Maine's state crustacean, the American lobster. 

My lobster, while realistic, is not intended to be a scientific drawing with every feature exactly perfect.  This is the level of detail I'd use with the 4th or 5th graders who are most likely to be studying their state symbols. I chose to use watercolors, which is the easiest way to mimic the mottled colors of this fascinating animal. Affiliate links below. 

How to Draw an American Lobster

Materials: 

• watercolor paper
• pencil
• watercolors
• colored pencil

Steps: 

Start by drawing the main part of the lobster's body in the middle of your paper. I'm struggling to describe its shape; the best I can come up with is a stubby carrot or an elongated guitar pick. 

Next, draw the abdomen. There should be six segments, not four like I drew (sorry). I was looking at a photo of a live lobster while drawing and it looked like four from that angle. 

Add the tail fan - two segments on either side of the middle segment. 

Now draw the claws. An American lobster's claws are asymmetric. The larger one is used to crush its prey. The smaller claw is for holding or tearing the prey. A lobster can be right or left "handed" depending on which side has the crusher claw. 

Time to add legs! The lobster actually has ten legs, but you've already drawn two of them (the claws). There are 8 "walking legs" along the body of the lobster. The first three pairs have small claws, but you don't need to draw that level of detail unless you want to. 

From the angle we've drawn, one pair maxillipeds ("jaw legs") are visible near the lobster's mouth. There are two other pairs that are hidden in this view. The lobster uses them to pass food to its jaws

I've also added the eyes, antennae, and smaller antennules. If you won't be painting your lobster, draw them now. Otherwise wait until after painting. 

I said before that a red lobster is a dead lobster. That isn't quite true, as approximately one in ten million lobsters is red while it is alive. Read this article to learn about other rare colors! Most American lobsters are a mottled greenish-brown color, so that's how I chose to paint mine. 

I painted the lobster itself, let that dry, then painted a watery background. When that was dry, I used a brown colored pencil to outline the lobster and add some details. I used a black pencil for the eyes, then went back to the brown pencil for the antennae and antennules. 

I learned so much about lobsters in the last 24 hours! I love how much I learn with practically every craft project I do. 

State Name Art: Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Dakota

It's Round 3 of State Name Art! This time, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, and South Dakota. As before, I love how different they each are. It's great fun figuring out how to place the letters of the state in its silhouette, then deciding what scene to add. Affiliate links below. 

State Name Art

Materials:

• Bristol vellum
• Flair pens
• colored pencils
• microtip scissors
• colored cardstock
• glue stick

Steps: 

Print or trace the outline of the state onto paper. I like to use Bristol vellum when working with colored pencils. I made the outlines using graphics from PicMonkey, but you could also draw or trace your own outline. 

Use a pencil to sketch in the letters of the state. Sketch lightly so you can make adjustments if necessary. Some letters will have missing parts or distortions; that's not a problem as long as the state name is legible. Outline the letters with a Flair pen, then color in all spaces that aren't part of the name.  

Lightly sketch a scene across the white space of the letters, choosing an image that represents the state. When you are happy with what you've sketched, fill it in with colored pencils. I drew a horse in a pasture for Kentucky...

... Gateway Arch for Missouri...

... sunset over the mountains for New Hampshire...

... and a buffalo grazing for South Dakota. 

Cut out the state and glue it to colored construction paper. 

I'm continuing to have a lot of fun with these. This makes 12, which is a far cry from 50. I'll keep taking them four at a time until it's not fun anymore.

State Name Art: Kansas, Delaware, Iowa, and Nevada

I finished a second batch of State Name Art. This time, I made Kansas, Nevada, Delaware, and Iowa. I love how they're completely different from each other and from the four I previously made. Affiliate links below. 

 

State Name Art

Materials:

• Bristol vellum
• Flair pens
• colored pencils
• white Posca pen (Nevada)
• microtip scissors
• colored cardstock
• glue stick

Steps: 

Print or trace the outline of a state onto paper. (Bristol vellum is my favorite when working with colored pencils.) I made the outlines using the graphics on PicMonkey, but there are plenty of places to find outlines. Students can draw their own outlines or use pre-prepared tracers. 

Use a pencil to very lightly sketch in the letters of the state. Make adjustments until you are happy with the letters. Some letters may be distorted or have missing parts; that's perfectly fine as long as the state name is legible. Outline the letters with a Flair pen, then color in all spaces that aren't part of the name.  

Lightly sketch a scene across the white space of the letters that represents the state. When you are happy with what you've sketched, fill it in with colored pencils. I did sunflowers for Kansas...

... the beach for Delaware...

... a cornfield for Iowa...

... and a night sky in Nevada. After coloring this scene with colored pencils, I used a Posca pen to add the stars. 

Cut out the state and glue it to colored construction paper. 

I had a lot of fun with this latest batch of states. Figuring out each one is very satisfying. As I said before, I have no intention of doing all 50, but I'll keep going for now! 

State Name Art: Ohio, Idaho, Montana, and Maine

It's no secret that I love name art. Over the years, I've shared 47 unique ideas for creative projects using my name (or yours, if you aren't named Cindy). Today's craft is a little different because it features the names of states inside their silhouettes. This would be such a fun project to do with a class of 4th graders studying their home state, or with fifth graders who are each working on a different state report.

For my samples, I chose four states with distinct shapes to see how well my idea would work. I started with what I thought would be the easiest (Ohio) and worked my way toward the most challenging (Maine). It took a bit of creativity to fit the names legibly, but figuring it out was so much fun! I'm really happy with how these turned out. Affiliate links below.  

 

State Name Art

Materials:

• Bristol vellum
• Flair pens
• colored pencils
• microtip scissors
• colored cardstock
• glue stick

Steps: 

Print or trace the outline of a state onto Bristol vellum, or the paper of your choice. (Bristol vellum is my favorite when working with colored pencils.) I made the outlines using PicMonkey graphics, but there are a lot of places to find outlines. You can also have students draw their own outlines or use pre-prepared tracers. 

Use a pencil to LIGHTLY sketch in the letters of the state. Make adjustments until you are happy with the letters. Don't be afraid to have missing parts of letters (like the M in Montana) or distorted letters (like the E in Maine) as long as the state name is legible. Outline the letters with a Flair pen, then color in all spaces that aren't part of the letters.  

LIGHTLY sketch a scene across the white space that represents the state. When you are happy with it, fill it in with colored pencils. I chose fields and a classic red barn for Ohio...

... forests and a mountain for Idaho...

... a sunset behind the mountains for Montana... 

... and a lighthouse on a rocky shore for Maine. 

When you are done coloring, cut out the state and glue it to colored construction paper. 

I had so much fun making these that I will definitely be doing more! I have no intention to do all 50; I learned just how much work it is when I colored in all 50 state quarters coloring pages. It took me eight months, working on four at a time. On the other hand, never say never! 

The Fifty States By ColorIt: Missouri

I have a new coloring book that I absolutely love and I'm so excited to share it with you! The Fifty States by ColorIt is everything I want in a coloring book (affiliate links here and below). The hand-drawn illustrations are gorgeous, the thick paper is very high quality, and the spiral binding on top means the pages lay flat. 

I love that each of the designs features so many of the official state symbols. I picked a random page to color first, which happened to be Missouri. The design includes the state animal (Missouri mule), state bird (Eastern bluebird), state dessert (ice cream cone), state flower (hawthorn blossom), state game bird (Northern bobwhite), state grape (Norton), state insect (honeybee), state monument (Gateway Arch), state musical instrument (fiddle), state tree and arboreal emblem (flowering dogwood), state tree nut (black walnut), plus the state seal and state flag. 

I colored the page with Prismacolors. They performed beautifully on the thick, smooth paper. I am really happy with how my page turned out and can't wait to color another state!

How to Draw a Fleur de Lis

Mardi Gras (literally "Fat Tuesday") was first celebrated in the US in 1703, brought to Louisiana by French colonists. Once a holiday for Catholics to indulge before the penitential season of Lent, Mardi Gras is now beloved by many who have no connections to the religious aspect of the celebration. One of the main symbols of Mardi Gras is the fleur de lis. It only takes a few simple steps to draw a colorful fleur de lis that looks like it's popping up off the page. Affiliate links below. 

Draw a Fleur de Lis

Materials:

• paper
• markers (green, yellow, purple)
• colored pencils (white, medium grey)
• colorless blender

Steps: 

Lightly sketch the basic shape of a fleur de lis on paper, using a regular pencil or the grey colored pencil. There is one center portion, shaped like a pointed spoon, bent spoons on either side of the first spoon pointing left and right, and a oval band connecting them. You can make your spoons more or less pointy or bendy than I did. Use the markers to color the center spoon and the connecting band yellow. The left and right spoons are purple and green. 

With the white color pencil, draw guidelines along each element. You're basically splitting each part in half, plus adding a chicken foot at the bottom of the yellow spoon. Draw your lines lighter than I did; I made my lines dark so you could see them in the photo. 

The next step is to lightly color certain sections of the spoons and oval white: the left of the yellow spoon, the top and left of the purple spoon, the top and right of the green spoon, and the top of the  oval.  

Use a medium grey pencil to shade the remaining sections: the right side of the yellow spoon, between the chicken toes on the yellow spoon, the bottom and right of the purple spoon, the bottom and left of the green spoon, and the bottom of the oval. The pencil in the photo below is too light. I switched to a medium grey and recolored the sections, but forgot to take a photo. 

Use a colorless blender to even out the color. 

Finally, add white highlights as shown. 

After drawing your own fleur de lis, you might enjoy this article about the connection between the fleur de lis and Scouting America. There's some interesting information in the comments as well. 

Creating Your Own Coloring Page from a Photo

Technology makes it incredibly easy to make your own coloring page. Pick a photo you like (one you personally took or that you have the rights to use)...

... and then use a photo editing program to convert it to an Edge Sketch. I used PicMonkey, of course. PicMonkey is a Shutterstock property, so a subscription includes access to a library of millions of royalty-free photos. 

Print your coloring page on good quality paper, then start coloring! I used Prismacolor colored pencils on Neenah Bristol Vellum. You can use the original photo as a guide for the colors, or you can color it any way you want. 

You could use this technique to make a coloring book of images from a special vacation or event. It would make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves to color. 

50 State Quarters Coloring Pages Featuring Ink and Prismacolor Colored Pencils

Remember the state quarters coloring pages I shared back in July? I colored those with my Ohuhu Kaalas. I chose four more states and challenged myself to color them using something different. Can you tell what I used? 

It's a bit of a trick question, because I actually used two different art supplies to color these. First, I used blending brushes to cover the large areas with dye-based ink (affiliate links here and below). 

Then I used Prismacolor colored pencils to blend colors over the ink base. That part was the most fun. My least favorite part was adding all of the leaves on Connecticut's Charter Oak. 

I had so much fun with these coloring pages and am eager to keep going with more states. I'm going to color the next batch with a different medium, but I'm not sure what that will be yet. Stay tuned!

American Gothic Santa and Mrs. Claus

I don't know what made me think of it, but I thought it would be really fun to change Grant Wood's American Gothic couple into Santa and Mrs. Claus. Indeed, it was a lot of fun. 

I started with a printable coloring page of American Gothic from the Amarillo Museum of Art. I used my lightbox and a black Micron pen to trace part of the image onto Neenah Bristol Vellum (affiliate links here and below). As I traced, I left certain areas blank where I wanted to change the design. For example, I elongated Grant Wood's dentist's chin because I wanted Santa to have a beard. I changed the pitchfork to a candy cane and left the upstairs window empty so I could add a Christmas tree. 

Here's what I had when I finished tracing and turned off the lightbox.  

I finished drawing in the details, then colored the whole thing with my Prismacolor markers. It'd been a long time since I'd used them; I'm using Ohuhus for everything now. 

I've never seen the Clauses looking less jolly, but I'm sure they'll perk up as Christmas draws near. They could do with some fattening as well. Ho ho ho!

In My Sketchbook: Doodles on Paint Swatches

Here's the latest in my sketchbook. 

I used a pencil and a ruler to make a grid, then filled in each square with one of the newest Folk Art paint colors. Aren't they pretty?

When the paint was dry, I added doodles to each square using a coordinating paint marker or colored pencil. Since I'm left-handed, I worked from right to left. I filled in the squares in the upper right with paint markers. I'd expected the paint pens to work really well on paint, but they didn't. So I switched to colored pencils, which produced much better results.  

When the doodling was done, I used a Sharpie to draw the grid lines to better define the squares. Sharpies work well on paint... until they don't. I had to use a second Sharpie to complete the lines. 

I had a lot of fun making this, and it was relaxing as well. And now, not only do I have my new paint colors swatched, but I have an idea of how they look with colored pencils. Plus, I have a reference for doodle ideas in the future.