Hello! Been off the radar again. This time because I’ve been rather busy with work and renewing my art studio at home! Moving stuff to the upstairs room and getting stuff set up certainly takes up a lot of time and energy. Although I’ve completed some pieces last week, I haven’t had the chance to write about them. Tomorrow am hoping to resume with the painting and catching up on the blogging!
Get the Coloured Pencils Out!
This piece I did last week. Having read somewhere about an artist combining aquarelle (watercolour) pencils with plain coloured pencils, I thought it would be fun to try this. Both are coloured pencils of course, but the fundamental difference is that whilst aquarelle pencils are water soluble, the plain pencils are wax-based and hence water resistant. Combining the two ought to be interesting. So first the initial outlining using graphite pencil which is not water soluble and hence used for outlining for paintings!
Kawaii Christmas Spirit
I chose a kawaii theme of course. Little One in a Santa costume walking her doggy also in a matching Santa hat! And trees in the background. I wanted to start with something simple for this coloured pencils experiment. Once I get the techniques correct, I’d definitely like to work on something more elaborate. First use aquarelle pencils, a set by Caran D’ache Prismalo. Scribble away and spread the colour with a wet brush but gently to retain some of the streaks, ie hair strands and dog fur. Of course we later go over the lines and streaks using plain coloured pencils. I like the set by Staedler Ergosoft.
Combining the Pencils
I continued “painting” using the aquarelle pencils and enhancing the outlines and shading using plain coloured pencils. Then as mentioned earlier, drew in the hair strands and dog fur with it too, along with other details like the eyelashes and the patterns in the grass and trees. I used a white Uni posca pen for the whites of the eyes, trying to avoid overusing it in this painting.
A Light Transparent Look
I don’t get to use coloured pencils as often as I like. One of the reasons is that I tend to focus more on inks and paints, and thus pencils get cast aside. Perhaps also because I find colouring in with pencils a bit tedious especially for larger areas. Now that I’ve discovered the advantages of aquarelle pencils, though, there is less issue! I also love that light transparent appearance pencils provide. A great change to my artwork, and it’s always good to have variety. I’ll definitely be coming back to this method!
My Kawaii Quarter 