Since 2020 and the resulting changes that were brought about by COVID, I have moved from painting large canvases to working smaller, and in mediums other than oils.Painting and drawing in a sketchbook becomes a creative practice that is extremely portable - it’s quick to pick up at any time, anywhere.
I’ve seen a number of artists working with coloured pencils, both water soluble and conventional oil or wax pencils, adding them to watercolour sketches. Over the years I’ve done a couple of coloured pencil drawings but have never felt pleased with the results. Looking at these now, I realise that the clumsy results are mostly because I have been impatient and worked too quickly and with too much pressure. I had also been working with pencils that were quite hard - one tin must date back to my school days! The manufacture of coloured pencils has seen many changes as new formulations are developed. Current pencils are buttery soft which makes blending a joy. In support of my new venture I decided that I needed to treat myself with a new set of Caran D’Ache coloured pencils.
It’s been a steep learning curve trying out my new pencils. I have had to test how various papers change the appearance of the drawing. I decided to make use of the many references for portraits available through the Museum app. Staying with a portrait theme eliminates the dither of trying to find suitable subject matter. The Caran D’Ache pencil set I chose was the set of 20 for portraits. I am working in an Epsilon sketchbook which has a smooth white surface.
Here are a few of my first attempts..
Muse: Avonlea Sunshine from the Museum app
Muse: Teri Babayeva from the Museum app
Muse: Tammantha M from the Museum appMuse: David Epstein from Museum app
Muse: Stuart Goss from the Museum app
Muse: Gina Hawes from the Museum app
Muse: Gina Hawes from the Museum app
