Chinese Lunar New Year is January 28 this year according to the lunar calendar. This is the year of the rooster and to celebrate, I have designed this rooster coloring card for the Creative Scrapbooker Magazine blog. In Chinese astrology, the rooster symbolizes keen observation and practical thinking. Roosters also represent a need for control and perfectionism which is a fitting description of the colorist in us. A rooster is a male chicken and it is very colorful as you can see in this picture.
I used Tombow Dual Brush pens and the blending technique I discussed in my previous post to color this card. Click here if you need a refresher. I also used a bit of pointillism to create some texture on the feathers around the neck and body. I talked about pointillism in this blog.
My goal is to capture the beautiful colors of the bright red comb, the dramatic variation in feather colors: orange, yellow, green, blue, all in one little creature. I also added pattern to a couple of feathers to make it more interesting.
The plum blossom is one of the most beloved flowers in China and symbolize perseverance and hope as in the midst of winter, plum trees blossom while withstanding the harsh winter. It brings hope that spring will come. Plum flowers are usually red or pink in color and is a favourite Chinese Festival color. Here I first colored with a very light pink and darkens the middle with a darker pink.
Lastly, I colored the ground a yellow / gold to symbolize prosperity for the New Year – a land covered in gold.
I decided to leave the rest of the background white because I don’t want to distract from the brilliant color of the rooster. What do you think? Would you color the background?
Free Download
All in all, this is a card that portrays happiness, prosperity and hope for 2017. Who wouldn’t be happy to receive this unique card?
Get the free download by visiting the Creative Scrapbooker Magazine blog now and Happy Coloring!
January 15, 2017 at 8:58 am
Compared to the real rooster photo, this is just WOW. You Totally captured the colors in that bright, vibrant rooster Betty! LOVE!
January 15, 2017 at 4:18 pm
Thank you Kelly!
January 15, 2017 at 10:00 am
I just adore your rooster! He is so whimsical and you captured his beautiful rainbow of colors perfectly! Thank you so much for your inspiration and I look forward to giving this guy a try:) I just received the full set of Tombows thanks to you and your fantastic tutorial a few weeks ago. I look forward to playing with them!
January 15, 2017 at 4:18 pm
Thank you Peg! I am glad your are inspired and I am sure you’ll enjoy those lovely Tombow pens!
January 15, 2017 at 2:15 pm
Thank you so much for this great card and for partnering with Creative Scrapbook Magazine to deliver it to us!!
Blessings,
Melitta
January 15, 2017 at 4:17 pm
Thank you Melitta, I am glad you like my card, means a lot to me!