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A voice of record for the Arts and Educational communities
Vol 5 No 4 Through March 27, 2010
Paint Box Section
Tips&Techniques
HowDoIt
Tips&Techniques
HowDoIt
Colored pencils let you 'paint' without a mess
Colored pencil works are actually called “paintings,” but they are paintings made without the smell and messiness of oil or the drips of watercolor. If you want a clean medium and/or enjoy drawing more than painting with a brush, you may find that colored pencils are perfect for you. Colored pencils are also a good way for beginning artists to learn about color harmony. They’re clean, compact, and will work on almost any surface.
Begin with a small set of the best pencils you can afford. Later, if you wish, you can buy individual colored pencils to expand your set. Berol Prismacolor is one of the best brands for all-around use. Don’t buy pencils intended for students or children. The colors will be wimpy and you’ll have to work twice as hard to produce strong color. With good colored pencils, made specifically for artists, the colors are rich and easy to apply.
Where there are pencils, there must also be erasers. With colored pencils, erasers are used for more than just removing unwanted passages. Erasers can tone color, soften harsh areas, and make highlights in dark area. Try different kinds of erasers to see which you like best. Avoid pink school erasers or other colored erasers which can harden over time and even stain your drawing surface.
To mix colors and create darker values, you must layer colored pencils. Do this gradually to get the best effect, and keep a scrap of paper handy to try out tones and values before going to your “good” paper. You can mix colors by cross-hatching them over one another, or by scumbling (making random scribbly lines in a tight pattern). As you use the pencils, you will discover other methods of color mixing.
For dark tones, use black with either indigo, tuscan red or burnt sienna layered lightly over it (black by itself can look “dead”), or make dark values by layering colors. For example, put dark green or burnt sienna over indigo blue until you are satisfied with the darkness level.
The best way to make colors look bright is to put them next to contrasting or complementary colors. Brightness also depends on your drawing surface. If your paper has a lot of tooth (little valleys) more brightness will glow through.
White pencils won’t lighten your colors or make areas white. If you want the color to be light, use very little pressure when you apply it, and reserve the white of your paper for white areas. White and other very light pencils are often used for a procedure called “burnishing,” in which the artist goes over part or all of the work with a white pencil, using some pressure. Burnishing blends and strengthens the colors. Some artists burnish over their entire painting as a finishing touch. You don’t have to burnish, but you might want to try it to see if you like the effect.
There are endless ways to work in colored pencil, but here is one technique to try. First, lightly sketch your subject with graphite. (If you prefer a very detailed drawing, do it as lightly as possible.) Then determine the shadow areas and lay them in with black, making all your strokes go in one direction, shading darker or lighter as needed. Begin with a light touch and layer to deepen the shadows -- don’t try to get the final color in one go. Over the black, layer either tuscan red or indigo blue, depending on whether you’re going for a warm or cool look in your painting. Adding another color over the black will keep the black from deadening your picture.
Once the shadows are laid in, add the local colors of each object. Again using a light touch, make your strokes all go in the same direction, and go right over the shadow areas with the local color. The idea is to let underlying colors show through. Use as many thin layers as necessary. Finally, put in highlights by erasing (you can also reserve the white of your paper for highlights). If you want to burnish the painting, or parts of it, with a white pencil, do so after all the other color is laid in.
Colored pencils are made with a wax binder to help the color flow. If you use light to medium pressure, the wax won’t affect the color. If you like to apply lots of color with lots of pressure, you may get “wax bloom.” “Wax bloom” is simply wax rising to the surface of the drawing when color is heavily applied. It might show up a few hours after you apply color, or it may appear a day or so later. It gives the drawing a dull, flat gray appearance. It’s not a problem. Just use a tissue to carefully rub away the waxy film. To prevent it from coming back, spray the drawing with a couple of light coats of fixative.
After any varnish or fixative is dry, frame your colored pencil painting under glass to protect it.
Trio show to evoke the creativity connection
Opening Friday, April 9 at the Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio, "Hands Mind Eyes" exhibit is about how humans create art. Three Auglaize county artists, Anna Fisher, Mark Poppe and Jodi Knoch will be showing their works that represent their process.
On view through June 9 will be ceramic art, painting and photography.
For more information, see www.riversideartcenter.org.
‘The Irene Series’ rebirths at an Ohio art center
In 2003, the Red Paper Series began its bloom at the Town & Country Fine Art Center in Kettering, Ohio when new artist member Irene Davenport became stricken with cancer. Although Irene is not around today, throughout her illness she kept doing her watercolors. There are testimonies of many people who have been touched because of the series provided the courage to create again. Photographer Bob Martin is one of them, who was a cancer survivor said, "The reason this gallery has survived all of these many years is because the Spirit of God is in this place." The series gave him a joy that was missing in his life.
All through Irene’s final care, she told everyone that her art is what got her through her pain. This thought inspired a pastel artist and Charter Member of the gallery, Lucille Nagy Carroll to begin a series of pastels that were to be created on Red Paper. She then decided to take this inspiration and spread it to others. She approached gallery members to see if they would like to teach a series of free classes to people with life altering illnesses in Irene's honor. The Red Paper Series continues to be one of the very best outreach programs supported by Town & Country Fine Art Center.
The Series are 6- 8 weeks of classes given for free at the Center. Various artists and members of the Center, donate their time, materials, and talents to participants with life altering illnesses. Each class runs for approximately 2 hours. The instructors make their art come alive to people who have never created before and to some who have forgotten their creativity. All these things are done in the hope that they, like Irene, may ease their pain through art. There are lectures, demonstrations, and hands on learning depending on the instructor's preferences.
The upcoming classes are: April 7 - Karen Benedetti - Interpreting Words Pictorially - Students will make a collage of paper and acrylic medium. Everyone will then choose an inspiring word and incorporate that word or the meaning of that word into a collaged image.
April 14 - Trish McKinney - Watercolor Gratitude Cards - She will instruct student's in the joys of watercolor and lead them in a journey to words of gratitude. Each student will then interpret those words onto a card to themselves.
April 21 - Leonard Williams - Drawing - Try It Out! An introduction to drawing with charcoal and pencil. Try it, ya might like it.
April 28 - Bonnie Kuntz and Ardis Macaulay - Spontaneous Imagery - Students will experience group meditation and create their own, "Personal Symbols Dictionary". Imagery will be used to construct a series designs describing a life problem, it's resolution and the intermediate steps in between. Student's will conclude with the development of a Group Movement Analog that encapsulates each person's experience.
May 5 - Sharon Stoltzenberger - Loose & Fast - Birds and Animals. Watercolor wildlife, birds and animals - Sharon will introduce students into the exciting world of painting and drawing animals. Students will also be instructed in the use of loose and fast watercolor!
May 12 - Lynn Herron - The Beauty and Power of Colored Pencil. The Instructor will demonstrate and discuss tips, techniques, and concepts you will need to work with colored pencil. The class will progress from initial sketch to the finished painting, with a one-on-one assist when permitted. All are welcome, from beginner to advanced.
May 19 - Jana Song Bobo - Jewelry Making. Learn to make knots and create bracelets. Will use beads to add color and interest in design. No special tools required, materials provided.
May 26 - Rosie Huart - Bookmaking & Poetry. In this class participants will make a handmade pocket journal book out of lunch bags. We will collage, paint and do some creative writing on the pages. Participants will walk away with a formula for writing a poem and a book that has a pocket to hold affirmations, notes, letters, etc.
For more information, call the Town & Country Fine Art Center at 937-293-5381.
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