Tag: featured

Artist Editions and a sneak peek at the 2023 Creative Companion

November 7, 2022

Hello, coloring friends, it’s time for another shameless plug for my Artist Edition books, and an announcement about the 2023 Creative Companion coming out very soon on Amazon! Plus, I’ll have a few brand new designs coming out soon for Christmas. 😉

First, since my Artist Edition books are printed by a small press and shipped to me in big, heavy boxes, I only offer them a few times a year. I work alone (draw, create, and ship) and shipping is a really big, messy undertaking. My dining room becomes filled with boxes of bubble mailers, tape, books, rolls of stickers, thank you cards and shipping labels so I can process all of my preorders as quickly as possible. It takes me about 8 minutes to pack up a book, write a thank you note, and attach a label and stickers from start to finish (a little RCC trivia for you). Though the whole process can be a bit overwhelming at times, it is also very exciting to drop off all of those packages at my local post office (and the UPS store which is a bit of a drive) knowing that the books will be in their new homes in just a few days.

Why the Artist Editions? Are they better? If you don’t mind what everyone calls “Amazon paper” (which I don’t mind at all with certain colored pencils) then the Artist Editions might not be a big deal, but if you are picky about paper, the Artist Edition books are a step up. In addition to heavier paper, my Artist Edition books are also spiral-bound which helps them lay flat for coloring, and the Charts book has tabbed section dividers.

The Artist Edition of Birdy is a 9″ x 9″ square, spiral-bound, soft-cover book printed on heavier 80# / 120 GSM paper. The Amazon version has the same content, but measures 8.5″ x 8.5″ square, is not spiral-bound, and it is printed on thinner paper. If you have or want this version (it is less expensive than the Artist Edition) keep in mind you can always makes copies of the pages onto your favorite paper (for personal coloring use only, of course, since my work is copyrighted).

The Artist Edition of the Big Book of Color Charts has multiple upgrades from the original, less-expensive Amazon version. The Artist Edition includes tabbed section dividers, spiral-binding, and heavier 80# / 120 GSM paper. Pages with charts for watercolor pencils, inks and markers have a black backing which helps lessen bleed-through.

The Artist Edition also includes additional notes about the colored pencils (information about the sets), pastel pencils, watercolor pencils, inks and markers; revised color names for brands that have changed their color names & numbers (since the original book was released on Amazon); new designs to color; and the new Derwent Chromaflow colored pencils have been added as well. There are blank charts at the end of the book (for extra brands or sets you may have that are not in the book, or for organizing colors and color combinations the way you prefer) and expanded room for the color family charts. You can learn more about this book here.

This will be the last time I print the Artist Edition of the Big Book of Color Charts and the new Artist Edition of Birdy this year. Both books can be preordered here as well as here through my Etsy shop, and they will begin shipping this month – just in time for the holidays and gift-giving season! Both sell out fairly quickly, and I won’t be printing either of these books again until late spring, 2023, most likely.

My next big project is to focus on coming up with new artwork for a future coloring book (and downloadable PDFs, too). Plus, I need some time to paint! I’ve got two big empty canvases sitting in a lonely corner of my studio just waiting for splashes of color. I don’t know about you, but I need to do more art!

For those patiently waiting (thank you!) for the new 2023 Creative Companion … it’s almost here! I should be receiving my author proof tomorrow, and if everything looks good, it should be on Amazon by the end of this week. I am looking forward to taking mine apart so I can punch holes in the pages and insert them into my Franklin Planner.

Here’s a sneak peek at the cover (and spine) and a few pages from the book. It is the same 6″ x 9.25″ format as the 2022 Creative Companion (small enough to fit in a bag); has around 20 designs to color; monthly calendars for 2023; plenty of room to write, make lists, create and track special projects, and more.

It is a semi-structured Organizer and Art Journal meant to be personalized by the user, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

I have a blog post about an earlier Creative Companion showing how it can be used, and a link about how it can be deconstructed to fit into a binder.

That’s all the excitement for now! I’ll be posting announcements on social media when the 2023 Creative Companion is available on Amazon, but if you can always peek at my Amazon Author Page to check for yourself. You might even see it before I do!

Happy coloring and cheers to all things creative!

Prairie Birds

September 7, 2022

Check out the new collection of products featuring Prairie Birds! The line art was originally created for my newest book, Birdy, and while waiting for it to be finalized and printed, I started working on a coloring of the Prairie Birds using a mix of colored pencils, watercolor pencils and gel pens. I then digitized the art on my iPad so it was easier to resize for a variety of products.

While I am smitten with the sling chair (alas, not in my budget right now), I ordered a tote bag, water bottle, laptop sleeve and coffee mug for my own personal use in my studio and for little trips. I am sure you’ll see the mug on my desk before too long. Many of these products (just a few are featured below) come in different sizes, and some, like the water bottle, have additional options as well.

Check the prices occasionally because items go on sale at Society6 all the time and they offer special discounts for subscribers. Please note that these products are all made to order, and they typically ship within 3-4 business days from several facilities around the country.


A little about the company … Society6 makes all of its products on demand. Artists (like me) submit their designs to create a collection, and when a customer orders a product, Society6 then produces it using the artwork and ships the products directly to customers (not to me). A bulk of each item’s price covers the cost of the item itself, but every artist makes a modest commission on the products sold using their designs, too⏤which is pretty cool.

I have ordered products from Society6 multiple times and have always had a great experience. If you do have any issues with their products, however, they have a great return policy (though a few items, like furniture of course, are not eligible for returns).

I just got an email saying my laptop sleeve already shipped!

Off I go to give my little studio space a good cleaning. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Birdy: A Fanciful Bird Coloring Book by Ruby Charm Colors - Artist Edition

Preorders now open for Birdy: A Fanciful Bird Coloring Book

August 26, 2022

I am excited to announce that the Artist Edition of my newest book, Birdy, is now open for preorders! Shipping begins mid-September, so grab a copy early if you want to be sure to secure one. Quantities are limited as this book is independently published and being printed by a small press.

The Artist Edition of Birdy is a 9″ x 9″ square, spiral-bound soft-cover book printed on heavier 80# / 120 GSM paper. It is 140 pages.

My goal for this book was to create birds with an imaginary flair so you can color them any way you like. Imaginary birds open the door to a colorful world that begs for creativity. Don’t be afraid to color on the wild side!

Each design is printed on one side of a page so you don’t have to worry about ruining artwork on the back side. I also included two versions of each of the 28 designs because, based on years of feedback from colorists like you, some enjoy working with black line art (which can be easier to see) while others prefer lighter grey lines so they can more easily color over (or even recolor) the lines and add more of their own details. You don’t have to color both versions—my goal is to simply give you options. And if you prefer one style over the other, you can use the extra page for testing out your colors!

For eight of the designs, I created a special dark (or night) version so you can color with a black background, and I threw in few extra designs as well.

Please note: the less expensive version of this book will be available on Amazon.com soon. It is smaller (8.5″ x 8.5″) and is not spiral-bound. The paper is not as thick as the Artist Edition, but can still bring hours of coloring enjoyment!

The Artist Edition of the Big Book of Color Charts!

July 9, 2021

Update: The Artist Edition of the Big Book of Colors Charts has sold out twice since first publication! It is now available again in limited quantities and won’t be reprinted until fall, 2022.

July 9, 2021: Well, it’s finally being printed as we speak and I am so excited! The second author proof I received in the mail is a gorgeous beast of a book and I can’t wait until my shipment of 150 book arrives at my door on July 22 so I can start sending them out on Friday July 23. What a nerve-wracking yet thrilling milestone, especially considering the year I have had so far!

❤️ BIG LOVE ❤️ and massive thanks to everyone who kept encouraging me to keep going and get it done⏤you are all amazing creatures and I appreciate you!

You can learn more about the book here and if you already know you absolutely need this beast you can snag it right here as a pre-order. Shipping starts Friday, July 23!!

Hello, Chromaflow!

June 16, 2021

I heard about the Derwent Chromaflow colored pencils through a friend who had ordered a set and said she was quite happy with them. Once I got the pencils in my hands and did a quick swatch chart of all 24 colors, I put them to the test by coloring a few of my designs on charcoal and black card stock. And it was so much fun!

UPDATE (13 May, 2022): In addition to 12 and 24 color sets, Derwent now includes sets of 36, 48 and 72 Chromaflow colors!

After a quick review of the pencils, I’ll share some of what I have colored with them so far … and I’ll give you the low-down on how to:

win a set of Chromaflow pencils!

A hearty thank you to Derwent , via Blick, for kindly sending me a few sets to give away! My first giveaway starts today (Wednesday, June 16, 2021), and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Be sure to see the rules for entering at the end of this post and keep your eyes open for more giveaways this summer including more Chromaflow sets, a set of Derwent Drawing Pencils, a set of Derwent Watercolour pencils, AND a spiral-bound Artist Edition of the Big Book of Color Charts which includes a chart for the Chromaflow pencils. And a little more good news … Pre-orders for this special Artist Edition are right around the corner in my Etsy shop!

About the Derwent Chromaflow Pencils

Derwent’s new Chromaflow colored pencils come in sets of 12 and 24 colors (pictured above) and have round, black barrels with a fairly creamy 3.5mm core. The ends of the barrels are dipped in color to match the cores and the name and number of each color is printed on each pencil. Here is what is included in each set:

Set of 12: Sun Yellow, Flame, Scarlet, Blush Pink, Lilac, Denim, Blue, Basil, White,
Natural Brown, Grass Green, Black.

Set of 24: Sun Yellow, Flame, Scarlet, Blush Pink, Lilac, Denim, Blue, Basil, White,
Natural Brown, Grass Green, Black, in addition to Foliage, Golden Sun, Violet, Salmon,
Magenta, Amber Gold, Strawberry, Light Blue, Raisin, Turquoise Green, Platinum, Burnt Sienna.

I love the colors overall and feel there is a nice mix of bright colors (Grass Green, Magenta, Scarlet and Yellow), and colors that are a little more muted or natural (Golden Sun, Burnt Sienna, Raisin and Foliage). Of course, like many people have already expressed, I would love to see even more colors in this collection eventually⏤partly because they are a decent value for beginners and experts alike⏤and partly because I am a color junkie. I am always craving more colors, though truthfully, I found I could do a lot with these 24 colors by simply layering and blending, and these pencils performed fairly well in that department.

As with any colored pencil, paper quality and texture does make a difference. Very smooth papers are not ideal for most colored pencils (including the Chromaflows). Smooth paper can make layering difficult, sometimes impossible. On paper with a little more tooth, however, they perform quite well and I can typically get between 3 to 5 layers depending on how heavy-handed I am working. They work nicely on the paper Amazon uses to print my art journals and coloring books, and on one of my favorite card stocks made by Recollections and sold through Michaels. The Chromaflow pencils leave a little more pigment crumbs on my paper than other pencils, but they are easy to dust away with a small brush. I have not noticed much (if any) wax bloom.

The Chromaflows lay down a lot of pigment without a lot of effort and they feel nice in my hand. The barrels are not lacquered as nicely as the more expensive Derwent pencils, but that’s probably part of what saves us a little money. I tend to color with a lot of pressure at times, and I did break a few of the tips I had sharpened to a super fine point for detail work, but that is not unusual for me. I can be very heavy-handed. These pencils sharpen beautifully and I have had no issues with the cores breaking. They sharpen to a fine tip very nicely, and when they are more blunt, they can lay down a lot of color fast. I feel they fall between the Derwent Coloursoft and Procolour pencils in regard to core softness / hardness. They work well with a few of the blenders I tried, and with other pencils and watercolor pencils. All-in-all, they are versatile and affordable and I am happy to have them in my coveted pencil collection.

Most of you know I am madly in love with the Derwent Lightfast colored pencils, but they are expensive. I am still working on completing my set of 100 colors and use them for colorings I plan to turn into art for products and prints. The Lightfast pencils are great for professional artists because of their beautiful color range and exceptional lightfast quality, but perhaps overkill for those who simply love to color. If you are on a budget and want softer, creamy pencils instead of the run-of-the-mill, off-brand colored pencils that can typically be quite hard and not layer well, then the Chromaflows might just be the ticket for you.

Coloring with the Chromaflow pencils

Now comes the fun part⏤coloring! While this is not a step-by-step tutorial, you can see how I start building my layers and work in my colors. For this particular piece, I wanted to keep my overall color palette somewhat limited to more accurately reflect what the Candytuft in my garden looks like, but in a more loose and “painterly” way with pencils. It’s a little departure from my usual coloring style.

After printing my new Candytuft flower design on 65# charcoal grey cardstock, I used Foliage (naturally) as a base layer of color for the leaves and stems in the design. From there, I started building more colors. You can see how readily the Chromaflow pigments fill larger areas and how, when sharpened to a fine point, they work well for details, too.

The next video is a continuation of my coloring process. Some of you might notice I wear an artist’s glove on my right hand when coloring. I started using one when working on my iPad creating line art, but soon realized it worked well while coloring with pencils, too⏤especially when it is warm and my hands get a little sticky. It keeps oils (from hand lotion, etc.) from smudging my paper and minimizes some of the color lift from my pencil work. Using a glove really helps, and my hand does not get hot at all while wearing one.

Also appearing in the video (though very briefly) is a Tim Holtz Distress Blending Brush which I use just for keeping my paper clear of debris. It’s a round brush that retracts into its own nifty cylinder so the bristles stay neat.

Here is the finished piece, Candytuft. This design can be found on Etsy, though you can also now go straight to the source and purchase a PDF right here at RubyCharmColors.com!

Once you download the PDF, you can print it on your favorite paper⏤and as always, my PDFs come with a bonus grey-line version of the design if you prefer less emphasis on black lines.


Win a set of Chromaflow pencils!

Thanks to Derwent and Blick kindly sending me several sets of pencils to give away, I’ll be holding multiple contests and giveaways between now and the end of summer, 2021!

The first giveaway for a brand new set of 12 Chromaflow colored pencils starts today (Wednesday, June 16, 2021, and the winner will be chosen on Wednesday, June 30, 2021!

Here are the rules:

  • Follow my blog, give this post a like, and let me know your favorite Derwent pencils in the comments section of this post.
  • Find the two RubyCharmColors videos posted above on YouTube, give them both a thumbs-up, and let me know your favorite flowers to color in the comment section under one of the videos.
  • Visit the new Ruby Charm Colors PDF Shop, scroll to the bottom of the page and subscribe for special announcements. You can always unsubscribe down the road.

Participants who complete the three steps above by midnight (EST) on Tuesday, June 29 will then be entered into a random drawing, and the winner will be announced here and on Instagram and Facebook at noon (EST), Wednesday June 30th.

Winner will also be contacted via email and will need to provide a physical mailing address so I can ship the pencils. Winner will be provided a tracking number when their pencils are shipped.

** Please note that although I received pencils from Derwent via Blick, I do not work for either entity and this contest / giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Derwent and/or Blick (aside from providing the products to award a winner), Instagram or Facebook.


Blick has a wonderful selection of art supplies for coloring and more, and I typically only link to products I have personally used and like to use. As a Blick Affiliate, I may earn a commission if you choose to make a purchase through my website and/ or blog using links to specific products on Blick’s website. This does not affect your shopping experience or your privacy, but earning a small commission does help me continue my work as an independent artist. Thank you!

DIY Ruby Charm Colors Bookmarks

March 1, 2021

What could be better than combining your love of coloring with your love of books and reading? And aside from using these DIY bookmarks in your own books, they make wonderful handmade gifts, too. They are a lot of fun to color and assemble, and I’ll show you the basic steps I took to make my very first one which turned out like this:

I highly recommend printing your bookmark page on heavier paper. I use 65# white card stock by Recollections which can be purchased at any Michael’s craft store, but I also like a few other brands as well. Card stock is nice to color on and you can use some watercolors too (with just a little buckling depending on the amount used), plus the card stock just feels sturdier⏤like a bookmark should feel.

Don’t forget to check your printer settings to be sure the entire image fits on your page. You want to be sure you can see the guide lines (and the little scissors around the edges). After you print out your bookmark, get busy coloring! I prefer to color the entire bookmark first, before making any cuts, but you can do whatever you are comfortable with. If you decide to color before cutting, you can easily test your colors in the margins since the excess paper will be trimmed away. You might recognize the color chart on the left⏤it is one of the Holbein pages from the Big Book of Color Charts. I used mostly Holbein pencils for my fish bookmark.

In the photo below, you can see how the bookmarks are laid out. For each sheet, you have the option of making 2 two-sided bookmarks (when two of your colorings are back-to-back and folded), or, you can cut along the fold line instead and make four individual bookmarks (with black backs).

If you choose to make four bookmarks but still want a sturdier feel, you can always tape or glue scrapbook paper or some other type of heavier paper to the back side using double-sided tape (or glue if you prefer).

Each bookmark sheet has simple instructions and I included cut and fold lines for guidance.

Once I had the fish side of the bookmark colored, I colored the other side (the octopus). The fold line runs down the center between the two:

I also did a little blending and burnishing with the Caran d’Ache Blender Bright which should also help protect the bookmark. And of course I had to add some gel pen embellishments. I can’t help myself.

Once the octopus was colored, I cut along the right (outside) edge of the bookmark.

Then I cut along the left side (toward the center of the paper). Make sure you don’t accidentally cut along the fold line unless that is your intention.

Next, trim off the bottom and top pieces:

Once the edges are trimmed, I used a ruler and a fairly dull x-acto knife to gently run a straight line down the fold line. Make sure you do not cut all the way through the paper⏤all you need really to do is make a dent in the fibers of the paper itself so it is easier to make a clean bend and fold. You could use a proper paper folder tool like this one from Michaels, but any fairly blunt, hard edge will do.

Next comes the paper folding. I wrapped my hand over the card to get it to bend at the fold, then laid it down and carefully pressed my thumb down all along the folded edge to give it a good crease.

Once your bookmark has a good fold, it’s time to get out the double-sided tape. You could try glue but that can be messy and tape works great.

I covered the back of one side of the bookmark with double-stick tape and didn’t worry about going over the edges since that can always be trimmed. The important thing it to get a good seal along the outside edges.

Press the insides of your bookmark together and apply firm pressure all over the bookmark to get that tape to really stick. I tried not to rub back and forth too hard because I didn’t want to smudge my pencil and gel pen work …

I then grabbed a hole punch and added a piece of yarn so my bookmark has a tail. The yarn is about 8″ long so I folded it in half, pulled the folded end through the hole in the paper so I had about an inch or so long loop, then fished the two “tails” of yarn back through the loop I created and pulled it snug. Easy!

Almost done!

Since I want my bookmark to last a while, I decided to cover it with some sort of protection. First, I tried Mod Podge on the octopus side of the bookmark (after removing the yarn tail) and I ended up smudging the turquoise gel pen I used for the tentacles. Not terrible, but not great. It did not smudge the metallic pens I used thankfully. I used “Furniture Matte” Mod Podge (which is pretty thick) so I am wondering if maybe the regular Mod Podge would have been better? I also could have thinned it with a little water, but didn’t.

The next thing I tried (on the fancy fish side) was Liquitex Gloss Medium & Varnish. It did not smudge any of my colors at all, but since I didn’t use the turquoise gel pen on this side of the bookmark, I can’t be certain that wouldn’t have smudged, too. I also got a lot of paintbrush lines using both mediums but I don’t mind the texture too much. You could try a sponge or roller sponge for different texture, or slightly thin your medium with a little water for a smoother surface.

If you do plan to use a final fixative, be sure the test it out on a scrap of paper using the same pencils, gel pens, etc. you used on your bookmark to be sure it doesn’t get ruined. The safest best is probably a good spray fixative (using several coats on each side) but I just used what I had on hand. Lamination is another option worth trying if you have a laminator or don’t mind running to your local office supply store to have them do it for you.

My friend and design tester, Paula Stone Leach (who is also an admin for the RubyCharmColors Facebook group) printed her bookmark page on watercolor paper and used brush pens and watercolors (can you tell by the pics which paints these are?) to complete her coloring. I love how soft and painterly her bookmark looks!

Below is side two of Paula’s fishy bookmark (so beautiful!) and she told me she had no issues scoring and folding the watercolor paper she used. Wouldn’t this make a lovely handmade gift for someone who reads a lot?

Paula also colored the rabbit design using a mix of media including Caran d’Ache Neocolor II watercolor pastels. I am really loving her bold red swirls!

I currently have 6 different themed sets in my Etsy shop (Animals 1, Animals 2, Bugs, Birds, Ocean 1 and Ocean 2) but the best deal is the bundle. You can get all six sets of bookmarks (24 different designs in all) for the price of 5.

These colored bookmarks can make wonderful handmade gifts. Pop one in an envelope and send it to a friend or family member to let them know you are thinking about them and spread the joy of coloring and reading!

As always, happy coloring and crafting, my friends!

UPDATE! Check out my friend Lora King’s fully colored sheet of bookmarks – so inspiring!! Lora is also on my coloring team and an admin in our Facebook coloring community. If you love coloring the Ruby Charm Colors designs, this wonderful community has a lot to offer in terms of inspiration, coloring techniques, art supplies … just plain fun. If you join, be sure to answer the simple questions so we know you are not some rotten bot. 😉

Animals 1 colored by Lora King