How to Upload More Colors to Color Pallet for Cricut Maker

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Allow's talk about drawing and writing with Cricut. If you lot know me, you know I beloved to create cartoon designs with my Cricut. You tin create mitt fatigued accents on all of your Cricut projects including pen and ink illustrations and coloring page designs. If yous love the expect of hand fatigued art, but don't want to depict it yourself, let your Cricut motorcar do the work for you!

Are you new to Cricut? Start here: Create with Cricut – an overview of all things Cricut and Cricut machines.

Drawing and Writing with your Cricut Machine - get started guide from Jen Goode — Drawing and Writing with your Cricut Machine – get started guide from Jen Goode

Drawing and Writing with Cricut

Today nosotros're talking about Drawing with your Cricut automobile – the basics to get started. I talked nearly this a chip when the Cricut Explore get-go came out. Now we're looking at Explore Air 2 machines and the newest version of Design Space… a few things have changed. In that location are easier options and more Brand-it-Now project ideas to choose from that include drawing and writing. There are also more designs and fonts available specifically for cartoon and writing with your Cricut.

If you're interested at where we started, Take a look at the outset article I wrote on how to draw and write with Cricut Explore

Please share your questions!

I will exist sharing a number of manufactures about Drawing and Writing with your Cricut, this is just the beginning. So if you have a question and don't see an answer here, it'due south coming! Delight feel free to leave me a comment and so I can help detect you an answer!

Materials you need for this tutorial serial

Cricut motorcar – any of the Cricut Explore machines, Cricut Maker or Cricut Joy should work fine.
Cricut Design Space – Information technology's helpful to accept an Cricut Access business relationship and so you can use the fonts and features I am using. I will be sharing a variety of sheet layouts, some include complimentary images and some do not. You lot tin can ever replace paid images and fonts with those you already own from your library.
Cricut Pens – You tin can use the pen that comes with the motorcar. I apply the basic black in most of my projects(.iii, .iv or midnight are great). If you would like to be able to use the different styles of writing, you will demand to buy the boosted Cricut pens and pen sets.

Using Cricut Pens

Allow me start off by clarifying, I usually draw with my Cricut. I draw far more than than I write. So, I tend to talk nearly "drawing" far more than than I talk nearly "writing". However, when I share these tips and information, the ideas generally use to both drawing and writing. Then please keep in mind that if I say drawing, the tip volition probably work for your writing as well.

Learn how to use the Cricut Pens to describe and write

This article is the outset in a total series of cartoon and writing articles using a Cricut machine. Here are all of the manufactures in the series. Start at the beginning, or jump effectually to the topics that interest you.

How to use the Cricut Pens to Write Fonts
Drawing Designs with Cricut Basic Shapes
Making Avant-garde Font Designs in Cricut Design Space
Converting a Cut Blueprint to Describe with Your Cricut Auto
Using the Weld Tool to Edit Designs to Draw in Cricut Design Space
How to Draw Multiple line Art with Your Cricut
How to Describe Layered Designs with Your Cricut
How to Print, Cut and Describe with Your Cricut
Cartoon Coloring Pages and Cards with Your Cricut
Choosing the Right Cricut Pen for Your Cricut Project
Using Cricut Pens to Add together Fine art Accents

Start at the offset – Today we're going to talk nigh:

Types of pens yous can use and how they draw/write
Tools bachelor in Cricut Pattern Infinite – The Writing Palette
Finding designs to draw
Additional Tips

Let's get started drawing and writing with the Cricut

Y'all can convert well-nigh whatever cut design to a drawing design or add drawing elements to any project. I like to play with the designs and encounter what looks good as a drawing. Feel free to examination dissimilar looks with your cutting files and encounter what happens if you catechumen them into drawing designs. Just remember, what you run across on screen is generally what you're going to go on newspaper.

Types of Cricut Pens

Each Cricut machine comes packaged with the standard fine point black ink Cricut pen. You can create a ton of great designs with merely this one pen. I utilize this same pen for 90% of my projects… mostly because I just dearest black line fine art. And so don't worry if you don't have all the pen sets. Play with the art ideas using the pen you have, when you lot fall in love with the drawing capabilities of your Cricut, you can always buy more pens!

You tin can also buy a variety of other pens for your Cricut car.

Standard fine tip pens come in a wide range of colors. The fine betoken tips are perfect for calculation accents to your piece of work or creating drawing just designs. The tips are minor enough to draw fairly small detail while creating a nice crisp line. I use the .three and .four black tip pens for just well-nigh everything, including my had drawn art… it'southward a fantastic fine point black pen. The "Midnight" pen is a fine signal.
Glitter pens are more than like a brawl signal pen with a nice glide to the ink so you get a fun glitter emphasis with a consistent line.
Calligraphy pens come in a variety pack with a few different sizes including up to 2 calligraphy pen neb sizes. This volition allow you to create a fancy calligraphy look in your Cricut pen fine art.
Metal pens have a scrap bigger beak and draw more like a minor marker. These nibs are the "medium" labeled pens.
Infusible Ink Pens and Markers offer a whole new reason to use pens with your Cricut machine. Infusible Ink is a heat set ink that allows y'all to create all kinds of custom designs for your projects. Read more than about Infusible Ink and Infusible Ink pens here

A annotation about off brand pens

Yes, you lot tin use off-make pens with your Cricut. I've tried a number of unlike brands of pens. I've spent countless hours roaming the arts and crafts shop aisles looking for other pens that might fit into my Cricut machine. There are adapters and I know people dearest their other pens. I'm a large Cricut fan, and so I do try to stay on make. I'grand here to tell y'all friends, the ink in the Cricut specific pens is fantastic and they fit the machine perfectly. Off brands either don't fit or the ink doesn't always flow as nicely OR the ink bleeds. I recommend sticking with the Cricut make in this case. With all the color choices, y'all don't demand to hunt for other pens. That said, please let me know if you've found some writing tricks and pens you love. I'thou always excited to larn more than new ideas!

Let's practice and test our Cricut pens!

Here's a canvas I fix up for you to examination out how your pens perform. If you take Cricut Design Space, the font is included. I'm also using a doodle border paradigm set y'all can get while in CDS. Go to the Pen Example Canvas in Cricut Design Space.

Tip: sometimes Design Space hits a snag and says the project isn't available. Merely close your Design Space window and try again. If all else fails, bulletin me and permit me know then I can attempt to help.

The Cricut Writing Tool Palette

To create a cartoon or writing line in Cricut Design space, you only need to designate the line as "describe". To do this:

Select the image layer y'all want to draw. Click the layer icon, whether it's a pen or scissors or printer. The palette volition popular open that then allow you to select "draw" for this layer. You tin then choose a pen colour for that specific layer of the pattern.
Yous tin can choose the color you want the design to show up on screen. If you desire all images, for example, to exist fatigued with the same black pen, make sure you lot are selecting the same pen and colour option for every design in your finished slice.

The current version of Design Space includes a color selection display that allows you to esily select a colour you've already used. You lot can still select a colour from the larger colour palette.

When you set up your Cricut to create your projection in Design Space, you will be prompted to change your pen colors as needed. Every color you select for each design layer, will result in an on screen message letting yous know when to switch your pen colour while the Cricut is drawing (or writing) your design.

Writing palette options in Cricut Design Space

Finding designs to draw

You tin can turn simply about whatsoever line into a drawing design. Many of my own designs I've created for the Cricut library include for a cut design and a describe line. The depict line in many cases tin not be used every bit a cutting shape. See the image above of the flower? Y'all can convert the cut line to describe, but if y'all gear up the describe line to cut, you'll end up with a bunch of scraps of paper and not a pretty blossom.

To discover my designs (JGoode Designs branded art) in Design Space, click on "images" on the left side of the screen when you lot are working on your canvas. So in the upper correct, enter "jgoode" in the search bar. You should see all the images available that I have created. You tin can likewise click on "image sets" to find my currently bachelor design sets, all of them include images created to specifically draw. View my projects available in Cricut Blueprint Space.

Designs to draw with your Cricut — Designs to describe with your Cricut

Tips: Drawing and Writing with Cricut Machines

Adhere the drawing lines. To continue a layout together, attach the drawing lines together. Grouping lines volition not result in a specific layout, grouping just lets you motility the pieces effectually your piece of work canvas together.
Designate drawing line placement. To dictate where drawings are placed on your layout, there are two choices:
1. Adhere the drawing to the layout on your canvass layout. I like to create a background paper on my sheet and attach the drawings in that location. Also, if you are working on a specific shaped cut pattern with cartoon, brand sure you attach the drawing to the cut blueprint.
2. Move on the Sail before cutting. If you don't take a specific cut pattern to attach the drawing, you tin can move the drawing effectually on the final mat view. Only make sure to identify your paper on the mat in coordination with where you lot envision the drawing to appear.
Pay attention to how lines wait on screen. How lines appear on screen is how they volition appear on your paper. If designs are overlapping… the pen will draw overlapping lines. Currently, at that place is no direct way to cut out portions of lines, so make sure to pay attending to how the lines appear on screen.
Test the different pen types before using on your project. Testing out pens ahead of time allows y'all get an idea of how night the colors are and how they appear on different papers. For instance, gold glitter isn't virtually equally bold nor obvious as gold metallic… so play with the pens on paper to come across which you like for which employ.

Drawing and Writing with Cricut - a guide by Jen Goode — Drawing and Writing with Cricut – a guide past Jen Goode

Help for you

I've created a writing with your Cricut automobile practice design canvas you tin use to do your skills drawing and writing with your Cricut Motorcar. You lot tin can play with the dissimilar shapes, practice switching from writing to cutting to printing and see the results you lot get.

More than Help and Ideas for Drawing and Writing with your Cricut Machine

Check out the Series! I've finally finished this 12 part series, beneath you will find a list of the topics to choose from. Each lesson includes a project canvas y'all tin utilize through Cricut Design Space to help you practice the techniques AND make a fun project. I'd honey to hear what y'all think. Please let me know if y'all take any questions or you get stuck along the fashion. You can also terminate by the 100 Directions facebook page and say hello!

The first in this series is this get started guide with all the tips and tricks you demand to get started using your Cricut machine and the Cricut pens. I besides have a basic Cartoon with your Cricut tutorial as an overview to help y'all learn how to add drawing and writing to your Cricut projects. The series includes 11 additional lessons touching on different uses and techniques.

You lot do not necessarily have to learn these techniques in guild, yet I tried to lay out the various methods in a simple to avant-garde order.

How to apply the Cricut Pens to Write Fonts
Drawing Designs with Cricut Bones Shapes
Making Advanced Font Designs in Cricut Design Space
Converting a Cutting Blueprint to Depict with Your Cricut Machine
Using the Weld Tool to Edit Designs to Draw in Cricut Design Space
How to Draw Multiple line Art with Your Cricut
How to Draw Layered Designs with Your Cricut
How to Print, Cutting and Draw with Your Cricut
Cartoon Coloring Pages and Cards with Your Cricut
Choosing the Right Cricut Pen for Your Cricut Project
Using Cricut Pens to Add Fine art Accents

Using Your Cricut Pens – Tutorials and Example Projects

Take a look at the full list of Cricut Pen projects. You'll notice a wide diverseness of projects you lot can brand with your Cricut and Cricut pens.

How to Upload More Colors to Color Pallet for Cricut Maker