Slow Progress in Colored Pencil

I've started a new colored pencil piece, and after working in oil for so long, I am surprised at how slowly I am progressing. I work in layers in order to achieve the complex yet subtle skin tones, and typically start in darker colors, working toward mid-tones, and finishing with the lightest colors. I repeat this process many times throughout the drawing, as needed.

Here are a few snapshots of my progress thus far. The first is the drawing with only dark umber. The next two shots have some red and blue added. In the final photo, I have decided to start working the mid-tones and lights one section at a time, and have done most of the work on the father's face.

My process is somewhat similar to how I work in oil in that I create an "underpainting" as the foundation for my drawing, but very different in how slowly I build color, and also because my initial drawing and underpainting must be more refined in colored pencil. In both, I tend to work very quickly throughout the entire process. I think people would be surprised to see me work - I don't slowly move the pencil or paintbrush carefully rendering details, but rather move quickly and intuitively, trying not to worry too much about details until the very end. The "mistakes" I make are corrected with each subsequent layer, and the overall artwork ends up looking realistic.

Recital Drawing - In Progress

I've been making slow progress (enjoying the warm weather and busy with other stuff too) on a new colored pencil drawing of children at a recital. In the progress photo shown here you can see that I am working left to right in order to avoid smudging the pencil on the sanded paper. This makes it difficult to judge the piece as a whole, but my plan is to make final adjustments once I've laid down most of the pigment (and the pencil is less smudgy).

This piece started off as a really rough 3x4 grid drawing on 18"x24" paper, based on a 6"x8" photograph divided similarly. You can see here that I really haven't gotten any details down, but rather just made markings to place the composition elements. I don't like to start with too many details early on because then I get bogged down and lose sight of the overall proportions.

After getting the basic drawing down, I start creating contours with a dark green, red, or blue. I work very quickly in order to get the basic impressions of the drawing, knowing that I will be laying down various other darks, mid-tones, and lights later on, thereby continuously refining my drawing. Another reason I like to work quickly in the initial stages is to allow my subconscious mind to work and get a more intuitive depiction of the people or objects, rather than slavishly copying a photo in a more mechanical fashion. 

Drawing Magazine Article

I am so excited to be featured in an article in the Winter 2010 edition of American Artist Drawing magazine! The article talks about my path to becoming an artist, as well as some of the techniques used in my hands and self portrait drawings in colored pencil. You can subscribe to Drawing magazine on the Artist Daily website or order a copy of the Winter issue here: http://www.interweavestore.com/Art/Drawing-Magazine/Drawing-Winter-2010.html

Ampersand Pastelbord vs. Rtistx 280 Panel

Autumn Lace

12"x16"

My latest piece shown above is very similar in concept to Botanical Lace, which I blogged about earlier. However, Autumn Lace was done on Ampersand Pastelbord, whereas Botanical Lace was done on Rtistx 280 panel. Because the pieces are so similar, it is easy for me to compare the supports. For both pieces, I created the background leaves by first applying “blobs” of color using Caran D’Ache Neocolor II watersoluble pastel crayons. I then went over the background with colored pencil, “finding” leaves in the abstract shapes of color. I find that I work more intuitively when I start with basic shapes and create detail as the work progresses. (That being said, I sometimes like to create pieces where control and precision is evident from the beginning, and I will be starting such a piece next). Both the Pastelbord and Rtistx 280 panel seemed to accept the watersoluble pastels very easily. The biggest difference I found was in applying the colored pencil.

Though I like Pastelbord for its durability and gritty surface, rendering smooth surfaces can be difficult as the surface is not as uniform and finely textured as the Rtistx 280 panel. The leaves ended up looking much smoother in Botanical Lace, and I found myself fighting the texture in Autumn Lace. Some of my pieces seem more suited to Pastelbord, such as Adorned with Pride, where I allowed the texture of the board to show for the background, and I also used to my advantage in creating the texture of the skin and clothing. But for creating softer looking portraits such as of children, I prefer the Rtistx 280 panel.

Portraits on Sanded Paper

Recently I completed the two portraits shown here using colored pencil on a smooth sanded paper designed for pastels. I hadn’t spent a lot of time working with sanded paper before, but these two portraits have convinced me that there are some definite benefits to working on this surface.

I find it very easy to work quickly, and the color goes on smoothly and can be smudged like pastels. This can be very desirable for achieving smooth skin textures; very appropriate for women and children. Also, I also find that this surface is very conducive to achieving realism, and I find that I tend to use fewer layers of color than when working on paper or Pastelbord. Though many layers aren’t necessary on this surface, I sometimes like the effect of layering color to create complex colors and textures, so I will continue to also use Pastelbord and paper when deemed appropriate for the subject.

Why I Don't Use Detailed Line Drawings

In my last series of blogs, I provided insight into my process for creating detailed realistic art using water-soluble pastel crayons and colored pencil on board. You may have noticed that the first two images were very rough, and that my initial line drawing did not have many details. This is for a very important reason – I strongly believe that meticulously measured line drawings of a person can inhibit the artist’s interpretation of the subject, and lead to uninteresting portraits.

This is one reason that I like to use water-soluble pastel washes under the colored pencil – it forces me to apply color loosely, and leave the careful rendering to the final stages of the painting. In every portrait that I create, my goal is to render the subject as they see themselves (or as the client sees them), and also to inject some of my own interpretation into the piece. I’ve noticed that some of my favorite portrait painters follow a similar practice, starting with loosely painted blocks of color to define the contours, light, and shadows, and moving the paint around to refine the portrait until it is not only a realistic rendering of the subject, but also one that seems to tell a story.

Different Techniques for Different Surfaces

Recently I’ve received questions about my technique with colored pencils on various surfaces, so I thought I’d touch on my experiences working on different papers and boards. When I first began using colored pencils, I purchased a set of 120 Prismacolor wax-based colored pencils, Canson Mi-Teintes pastel paper, and Strathmore medium drawing paper. Both of these papers have a texture that allows for many layers of colored pencil, as long as the color is applied lightly. I soon learned that I could let the texture show through in my drawings by keeping my pencil point somewhat blunt, and working with light to medium pressure, so that the pencil grazed over the bumps and only deposited pigment on the peaks of the textured paper. This can be a neat effect for rendering rough objects like rocks. However, this texture can be undesirable when drawing smooth skin or shiny objects. I learned that there are basically two methods for getting around this. The first method is sometimes referred to as “burnishing”, and entails applying the color using heavy pressure so as to flatten the texture, forcing pigment in the peaks and valleys of the paper. The result is that a lot of pigment gets deposited at once, and it can be difficult to layer any color on top. The other method is to use a very, very sharp point that can actually maneuver into the paper's peaks and valleys, thus depositing a more continuous line of pigment. This method also allows for layering, but it can be very time consuming.

Next I decided to try Strathmore Smooth Bristol Board, which is a heavy-weight paper with a smooth surface. What I like about this paper is that you can still use a blunt point to achieve a subtle texture, but it also allows for very detailed work. However, it’s easy for the colored pencil to look streaky on this type of smooth surface, so you must work very carefully and slowly in order to create smooth looking contours. Even though this paper takes fewer layers than a more toothy paper, I have found that you can apply several layers if you work with a light enough pressure. This is a time consuming process, but the end result can be well worth it as you can achieve very complex colors needed for skin tones.

Recently I have begun working with Ampersand Pastelbord, which is a clay-coated hardboard panel with a very grainy surface. I like to work on this museum-quality surface for many reasons, including how quickly the colored pencil pigment builds up to create vibrant color. In addition, I’ve found that it easier to avoid a streaky look due to the unique texture of the board’s surface. Probably my favorite thing about Pastelbord is that it accepts so many layers that even lighter colors can be relatively easily applied on top of medium to dark tones. The drawbacks I’ve found are that it chews up the colored pencil very quickly and can smudge if you are not careful. In addition, it can be more difficult to create fine details.

All in all, I think that each of these surfaces has their merit, and I will continue to use them for different projects. My most recent work shown above was done on Canson Mi-Teintes pastel paper. This piece can be seen in more detail here, where you can see how I used the texture of the paper to help in rendering the sand.