Colored Pencil
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I recently
started working
in Colored pencil, as I was looking for a way to add color to my
work and still remain 'portable', so I could bring my work with me when I
go to and from the ship. I had a chance to take a Colored Pencil class in
November 2007 at the Dunedin Fine Art Center, from a well-known artist, CPSA signature member & award winner, Melissa
Miller-Nece. I have always admired her
work, and have taken classes from her in the past, so I jumped at this
chance. Learning from a 'formal' class has some real advantages- I learned a lot of techniques and tips, had a chance to get my work critiqued, and met a lot of interesting people as well. Melissa is a great instructor, too- and makes class fun! |
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| I work with
Prismacolor brand pencils for the most part. I have done a little
experimentation with other brands, Including Derwent Studio, Derwent
coloursoft, Dick Blick, and a few others, but I seem to like the softness
and blendability of the prismacolors the
best. Smooth supports are my favorite- I use Bristol a lot, but also like hot press watercolor paper. For some drawings, I have used paper with a bit more tooth to it- Stonehenge, for example, or Mi-Tentes when I want to start out with a tinted background. |
| Not too long after I started playing with
colored pencil, I discovered a 'method' of working that presented me with
an interesting challenge- The use of only three colors (Red, Yellow, and
Blue) along with a white pencil to blend and highlight. I have had a LOT
of fun 'playing' with this limited color pallete- It is a real challenge,
but with careful mixing, any color can be achieved using just these 3
colors! It is a great way to get 'used' to the colored pencils, and how
the colors interact with each other. T he drawing on the right is the first one that I attempted with this method, Using only a Process red, Canary Yellow, and True Blue Prismacolor pencil, plus a white for the highlights and lettering. I was amazed at how vibrant the colors are, and at the range of color that I could get. |
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These two are also
done with limited colors as well. Blue Glass Marbles was done
with only 2 colors plus white- True Blue, and Raspberry. I switched to the
Raspberry pencil because it is far more lightfast than the process red.
The white highlights are a combination of leaving bare white paper to show
through, and also the white pencil. The other drawing, Peppers, was done with Raspberry, Canary Yellow, and True blue. |
More Colored Pencil Work
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