Happy 4th of July
Like to wish everyone a Happy and Safe 4th of July weekend! I have no big plans but just plan on spending time with family.
New Work In Progress
So I started a new colored pencil piece last week. I am working on it in-between design projects. It is a very special portrait to me, as it is of our cat, Arden. He disappeared several years ago during a rainstorm and never returned. It has taken me a long time to finally decide I could draw him and I thought it would be great practice for me to help get back into using my colored pencils again, being as when I was in school last year, I didn't really have a lot of time to do what I love most and that is drawing with colored pencils.
When I draw fur, I don't have the patience to draw really every line like some colored pencil artists do. I draw mostly the shapes that I see, which gives an illusion of fur. I usually use a lot of various colors. Sometimes, I will use more than 50 colors for one piece. It just depends on the subject and background. For this particular piece, I am using Prismacolors and one of my other favorite brands of colored pencils Tombow Irojitens. I love Irojitens colors. I am using masking fluid for the whiskers.
I always start off with the eyes. I have been told by other professional artists I should start off with the background first, then work on the body and then the eyes last. I have tried that method before, but I find it easier for me to judge and scale the whiskers and fur with the eyes done first.
Originally, I had every intention using Alyona Nickelsen's products (Colored Pencil Texture Fixative, Powder Blender and she gave me a gift of the final fixative) that I purchased on this piece, however, I totally foobared my attempt. The paper I am using is Canson Mi Tientes on the smooth side. Before I started applying layers of color to this paper, I sprayed a layer of the Colored Pencil Texture Fixative just to see what it would do. This particular fixative, which I have discovered is not meant for regular drawing paper. As you will find out if you buy this product, as I did with experimentation, it sprays on very wet and will buckle your paper as it dries. And you know Alyona, does stress that in her video that the products are not meant for regular drawing paper. I just figured Canson Pastel paper would be okay to use cause it does have a textured surface. Artist, Lisa Clough, had a similar problem and came up with and idea to solve the dilemma by applying some thin watered applications of gesso to the drawing paper's surface, but I only discovered this solution after I started work on this piece. Anyways, I hate to throw away paper, so I did tape this piece down to help straighten out the buckling after I sprayed it. But really for Alyona's products, you need a more durable thick sanded pastel or gesso paper or a pastel board such as Ampersand Pastelbord. So I plan on using her products using a non-absorbent pastel board or paper and will be giving her products a review on my next piece.
Here is a video by artist, Lisa Clough , giving a demonstration on how to use Alyona's products and a review on Alyona's colored pencil products. These products produce a look very similar to pastels. So real excited to get my paper and using these products.
I thought I would share this wonderful demonstration by artist Emmy Kalia on how to draw fur using colored pencils. Her method, which is different than mine, achieves more realistic fur. Enjoy!When I draw fur, I don't have the patience to draw really every line like some colored pencil artists do. I draw mostly the shapes that I see, which gives an illusion of fur. I usually use a lot of various colors. Sometimes, I will use more than 50 colors for one piece. It just depends on the subject and background. For this particular piece, I am using Prismacolors and one of my other favorite brands of colored pencils Tombow Irojitens. I love Irojitens colors. I am using masking fluid for the whiskers.
I always start off with the eyes. I have been told by other professional artists I should start off with the background first, then work on the body and then the eyes last. I have tried that method before, but I find it easier for me to judge and scale the whiskers and fur with the eyes done first.
Originally, I had every intention using Alyona Nickelsen's products (Colored Pencil Texture Fixative, Powder Blender and she gave me a gift of the final fixative) that I purchased on this piece, however, I totally foobared my attempt. The paper I am using is Canson Mi Tientes on the smooth side. Before I started applying layers of color to this paper, I sprayed a layer of the Colored Pencil Texture Fixative just to see what it would do. This particular fixative, which I have discovered is not meant for regular drawing paper. As you will find out if you buy this product, as I did with experimentation, it sprays on very wet and will buckle your paper as it dries. And you know Alyona, does stress that in her video that the products are not meant for regular drawing paper. I just figured Canson Pastel paper would be okay to use cause it does have a textured surface. Artist, Lisa Clough, had a similar problem and came up with and idea to solve the dilemma by applying some thin watered applications of gesso to the drawing paper's surface, but I only discovered this solution after I started work on this piece. Anyways, I hate to throw away paper, so I did tape this piece down to help straighten out the buckling after I sprayed it. But really for Alyona's products, you need a more durable thick sanded pastel or gesso paper or a pastel board such as Ampersand Pastelbord. So I plan on using her products using a non-absorbent pastel board or paper and will be giving her products a review on my next piece.
Here is a video by artist, Lisa Clough , giving a demonstration on how to use Alyona's products and a review on Alyona's colored pencil products. These products produce a look very similar to pastels. So real excited to get my paper and using these products.
Colored Pencil Resource
Keep on creating everyone!
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