How to Do Rainbow Line Art

Rainbow line art allows you to add color to your drawings, either on the computer or on paper. The basic principle of this type of art gives you a solid background of white or black and adds a line drawing which features all of the colors of the rainbow. To create this effect, you generally need to create two layers to your drawing -- one for the solid background and one to house the rainbow colors.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Crayons
• Black tempura paint
• Scissors

Instructions

Computer Art

1. Use Photoshop to draw your own rainbow line art. Open a new file and use the gradient color editor to select a rainbow of colors. Apply that gradient to your entire page. Add an additional layer to the page in white or black. Keep the page set to the second layer and use the eraser tool to draw your picture. The colors underneath will show through the white or black where you used the eraser, effectively creating your rainbow line art.

2. Open Java drawing software to create rainbow line art from your drawings. Draw the picture you want onto the white page in black. Uncheck the box next to "Lock Alpha" to allow you to use multiple colors. Select the airbrush tool and the color with which you want to start. Spray a rainbow of colors across your drawing to create a rainbow effect. You can then leave your background white or change it to another color or pattern.

3. Use Adobe Fireworks to create rainbow line art from existing photographs. Open the photograph you want to use for the rainbow line art. Change the size to 350 by 220 pixels for the best results. Click on the "Properties" menu and select "Filters." Hold the mouse over "Other" and choose "Find Edges." This will turn your photo into a line drawing with colored lines. The background is black. If you want a white background instead, click "Invert" from the "Adjust Colors" menu.

Paper Art

1. Color a piece of paper in rainbow stripes using crayons.

2. Paint a thick layer of black tempura paint over the crayons. Don't water down the paint at all or it won't stick to the crayon marks. You may need to paint a second layer after the first one dries.

3. Wait for the paint to dry completely.

4. Scratch the surface of the black paint with a sharp object, such as the edge of a scissors, to remove areas of the paint. Use the sharp object to draw your line art. The color will show through from the back wherever you scratched away the paint.