Updates, Colored Pencil Tip & Art Resource of the Week

Hi Everyone,
So all week I have been getting ready for school, which starts Monday  :)
I have been practicing up on my keyboarding, and I got some of my books and school supplies. I am awaiting my pell grant to get the rest of my books.

I have been suffering with tendonitis all week. Pulled some tendons in my left wrist/arm while lifting heavy things. So my wrist has been wrapped up in a brace. A constant ache shooting from my wrist up my arm. Fortunately, it is not my drawing hand :)

Updates

So I am working on the details of the cougar. Either the sale of the original or a print will be a donated to http://www.wildcathaven.org/ Which is a 501(c)3 non-profit, no-kill, ‘last hope’ sanctuary for big cats. It is located in Sherwood, Oregon. 

Colored pencil on Canson Mi Tientes. I am thinking I might change the one ear. I am not happy with it, but not sure yet.

On the portrait of Frans and Trish I have transferred the sketch to the paper and started working on the background. I Just starting applying colors using a light pressure, so kind of hard to see what I have done in the scan.

Colored Pencil Tip of the Week

Protecting colored pencil artwork is important to prevent UV Rays, wax bloom, and damage to your artwork. There are several products out there that artists use, but as with all products I advise to test first, before you apply the sealant.

When you apply the clear acrylic coating, you will not have to put your artwork under a glass frame. If you use just fixative, you will need to put your artwork under a glass frame.

The workable fixatives are great to prevent wax bloom, seal the work, yet still allow you to continue to work on the piece. You want to spray a thin coat, otherwise it will fill the tooth of the paper, creating a glass-like surface, making it hard to apply any more layers of colors.

Krylon UV Resistant Clear acrylic coating does not work well with watercolor pencils or works that you have combined with color pencil using some type of wet method technique. The colors change drastically.

• Krylon Workable Fixatif 
• Sennelier Delacroix Fixative for Pencil and Charcoal
• Lascaux Fixative for Pastel Charcoal and Graphite (forms a lightfast non-yellowing seal)
• Golden Archival Spray Varnish (provides a protective layer)
• Krylon UV Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating (protects against harmful UV light rays)
• Krylon Crystal Clear Varnish Spray (seals and does not yellow)

     

Art Resource of the Week

A wonderful colored pencil demo by Alyona Nickelsen
http://www.artistsnetwork.com/articles/art-demos-techniques/colored-pencil-nickelsen

I hope you all have a great upcoming week!

Take Care and God Bless!

Keep on Creating!

www.mooresartgallery.com

Tombow Irojiten Review, Colored Pencil Tip of the Week & Art Resource of the Week

Updates

*News I am now licensed with PSP Tube Stop http://www.psptubestop.com

So I had a pretty busy weekend and I didn't get much time in to draw, but I do have two new colored pencil works to share.

The first is a rough sketch of a couple I am doing a commission portrait for. I will be doing this probably all in colored pencil. I might use watercolor pencil or graphite for the background. I am not sure yet. Still playing around with ideas.

The second piece I am working on is the beginning of a donation piece.

Colored pencil on Canson Mi Tientes.

Reference photo courtesy of Karine Aigner Photography

www.karineaigner.com

Irojiten Colored Pencil Review

So I got the Tombow Irojiten Colored pencils a few days ago. I only ordered 4 colors, because using the 4 colors gives me a chance to explore and to decide if I like the brand or not. I chose 4 colors that I would normally use a lot in my works. But before I go into detail in what I discovered in my explorations, I would like to share a bit about what I have learned about this brand of pencil.

Tombow pencil company was established in Japan in 1913. Irojiten is Japanese and means "color encyclopedia". Irojiten is a beautiful white enamel pencil that comes in 90 colors. At Dick Blick, they are available in open stock, they are priced $2.39 each http://www.dickblick.com/products/irojiten-color-pencils/ . They are also available in three 30-pack volume sets - Rainforest 30-Pack, Woodland, 30-Pack, and Seascape, 30-Pack. And available in 5 pack pencil sets - Primary, Soft Primary, Fluorescent, Cool Gray, and Sepia . The prices for the sets range online from $8.54 - $53.99 per set. The pencils are wax based. No information yet on lightfastness test.

 

Now for my own explorations of this pencil. I have to say first, I love the range of soft to vivid colors that are available in their palette. Their palette of soft colors available is what caught my eye, as I tend to use a lot of soft colors in my colored pencil works. 

The lead is neither soft nor hard. If I were to compare them to a particular brand of pencils I would say they are similar to Prismacolors' Verithins, Prismacolors' Artist Grade, and Derwents' Coloursoft pencils. I would place them in the semi-hard category. They are definitely not as hard as Prismacolor Verithins, but they are not as soft and creamy as Prismacolors' Artist Grade pencils or Derwent Coloursoft pencils. They have more of a color selection compared to the Verithins. In addition, a handheld sharpener works great in sharpening these pencils to a point.

Applying light pressure, I applied one layer, then 2 layers and then 3 layers of color. I then applied a Copic colorless blender marker to see how the colors would blend. The single color did not blend as smoothly as the multiple layers of color. Next I applied a colorless blender pencil to the layers and then used a blending stump. I discovered some of the colors needed more layers in order to stand out well. I didn't have to constantly brush away pencil debris like I do with Prismacolors pencils. The Irojitens blended well with other colored pencil brands and they work great for small details. I will be ordering more. I love the color palettes. I think these will be great for working on my small miniature works and small details.

Art Resource of the Week

As I love to take photos but I haven't since my camera went on the fritz over a year ago :(, I have to share this photographer's community. Some amazing beautiful photography.

http://500px.com/

I hope you all have a great week!

Take Care!

Keep on Creating!

Carol Moore

www.mooresartgallery.com

New Colored Pencil Artwork Bear Crossing, Color Pencil Tip & Resource of the Week Using Graphite with Color Pencil

Hello Everyone,
Sorry, I haven't posted in a while. I have been so busy canning, doing projects around the house and getting ready for school. I head back to school Sept. 24th and will be majoring in Web Development/Design. I am so excited!

I went today with my mom to the Oregon Brews and BBQs http://www.oregonbrewsandbbqs.com  . It wasn't quite what I expected. The BBQ was good though and it was for a great cause - cancer awareness. Which I am very fervent about supporting with my works and donations. Which by the way I have to share this song by Martina McBride. It just touches my heart and brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it "I'm Gonna Love You Through It"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYNOXRifXKQ

New Colored Pencils 
I ordered a few of the Tombow Irojiten Color Pencils the other day. Should be arriving in the mail soon. I am anxious to try them out. Never tried them before. They have 90 colors and come from Japan. I love the pastel colors available which appeal to the choice of colors I like to use in my palette.

New Colored Pencil Artwork
So this piece is basically done. I just have a few more areas to darken in the water. I used several colored pencil techniques on this piece. Some did not work quite well, due to the paper I was using - Strathmore Aquarius II. I would say this paper is great for watercolor pencils, but in my opinion not the best for colored pencils.
Title: Bear Crossing
Medium: Colored Pencil and Watercolor Pencil
Paper: Strathmore Aquarius II
Size: 8.5" x 12.0"

I will be working on the tutorial for the rocks and will be starting a new portrait for a very special couple next.

Colored Pencil Tip of the Week
Working with Graphite and Color Pencil
Well I hope everyone had fun with my last post's excercise. I think it is a good excercise to practice blending colors.
This week I want to share some tips/techniques on when you combine graphite with colored pencil. As most of you know, graphite can be very messy. Here are a few tips to keep the graphite from getting your colors muddy.

• Lay the graphite down first and then spray with fixatif
• Blend the graphite in areas that have only dark colors
• Use Derwent's Graphitint (soft watersoluble graphite with color)
• Use Ampersand Clayboard (Great for graphite and colored pencil. The clay coating reduces smudging and smearing and it is great for details)
• Use an artist's bridge, tissue or cloth to protect paper from smearing and smudging

     

Other Resources:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8300527
http://www.ampersandart.com/tips/graphite.html



Resource of the Week
I thought this was such a neat idea to tint mason glass jars different colors and them use them to store your colored pencils or pastel pencils :)

Check out the tutorial here http://go.tipjunkie.com/dc/1972/www.momtastic.com/diy/168908-diy-tinted-mason-jars-in-rainbow

I hope you all have a great week!

Keep on Creating!

God Bless and Take Care!

Carol

www.mooresartgallery.com