Saturday, December 12, 2009
December Goal - Part 4
Two more sketches done. Now I just need to do a cover. I'm working on it at the moment. Of course, that's a very important image, so I'm not going to rush that drawing. Next week I'm going to do a few small experimental drawings since I'm still figuring out how my colored pencil technique works....but then I will start on the final drawings! Yay!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
December Goal - Part 3
3 more sketches done! 3 more to go. I'm starting to lag a little...When setting my goal I failed to consider days that I would be real busy and not really have time to do a whole sketch. As well as to consider Christmas day...when I will not really want to spend my time drawing in my room, alone. So maybe I'll have to push my deadline back a little. But that's ok, because I'm the boss! So I can do whatever I want! I still want to get it done as soon as I can, so maybe just an extra week will be enough. We'll see how it goes. Stay tuned!
Friday, December 4, 2009
December Goal - Part 2
Four color/value studies down, six more to go. Then the final color versions!
I'm wondering if I should have the gusts of snow or not, and how to have them look. I'm also wondering how I will go about drawing it with colored pencil. It's easy to do it digitally! Traditionally...it's a little different. I'll have to do a little experiementing. What do you all think? Keep the gusts of snow (like in the second image)? or take it out? or draw it differently? More stylized? More realistic? Put it in the first image too?
Thoughts and suggestions are welcome for all of these sketches!! Especially since they are still in the sketch stage. Once I do the final drawing, it'll be a harder to make changes without redoing the whole thing.
I'm wondering if I should have the gusts of snow or not, and how to have them look. I'm also wondering how I will go about drawing it with colored pencil. It's easy to do it digitally! Traditionally...it's a little different. I'll have to do a little experiementing. What do you all think? Keep the gusts of snow (like in the second image)? or take it out? or draw it differently? More stylized? More realistic? Put it in the first image too?
Thoughts and suggestions are welcome for all of these sketches!! Especially since they are still in the sketch stage. Once I do the final drawing, it'll be a harder to make changes without redoing the whole thing.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
December Goal - Part 1
I have made a goal to finish off the year. I want, nay, I WILL finish all 10 drawings for my new version of "The Ant and the Cricket", in color! I would have liked to get it all done and even make it into book form before Christmas, but I decided on this goal a little late. If I am doing the math right, I get 3 days to complete each image, which entails making the final sketch, color/value study, transferring the drawing onto the final paper and complete the final colored version. For each image I'll do the final sketch and color/value study in one day, and give myself 2 days to do the final drawing. I think it's do-able, but I have to stay focused and diligent.
So far I have 2 final sketches with color and value studies done for the first 2 spreads. And seeing as it's the 3rd of December, I'm on track!
I will keep you updated on my progress, so you can all help me stay on track!
I'm excited to end 2009 with 10 new drawings!
So far I have 2 final sketches with color and value studies done for the first 2 spreads. And seeing as it's the 3rd of December, I'm on track!
I will keep you updated on my progress, so you can all help me stay on track!
I'm excited to end 2009 with 10 new drawings!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Even though times are rough, there is so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Take a few minutes to stop and think of the things you are thankful for, even the little things. I bet there's more than you thought. As artists we have been given the gift of creating beauty and what a special gift that is! Be thankful for that privilege and use your abilities to their fullest.
I'm still working on my own version on "The Ant and the Cricket". Here's a very rough sketch of the ants feasting on the grain they gathered all summer. I thought it would be appropriate for today.
I'm very thankful for the artistic community I have around me, and how encouraging they all are. Thank you!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
I'm still working on my own version on "The Ant and the Cricket". Here's a very rough sketch of the ants feasting on the grain they gathered all summer. I thought it would be appropriate for today.
I'm very thankful for the artistic community I have around me, and how encouraging they all are. Thank you!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Preserving My Drawings
I have mentioned before that I have had problems preserving the color in my drawings. After a while (sometimes a few days, sometimes a few weeks) the color in the drawing starts to fade. Especially the dark colors. Sometimes it fades so much, it's really not even worth keeping the drawing because if looks nothing like it originally did. Of course, this is terrible! I can't let all my drawings "die" and have no original drawings to show. So I set out to find a solution. I'm still not sure if I have found it, but so far what I have discovered seems to be working very well (YAY!). So for the time being, I will stick with that.
It was a long journey of testing papers, colored pencils, fixatives, varnishes, and other such things to find out what worked best. The first thing I tried was new paper, because I thought the reason the color was fading was because the wax in the colored pencils didn't like the rough texture of the paper I was using (ColourFix Pastel Card) which feels kind of like sand paper. I tried some other textured papers, Arches Watercolor paper, Canson, but they just didn't have the same effect of popping the colors off the page as the Pastel Card. I also really liked that you could get colored Pastel Card so you can have a dark ground color and work from dark to light instead of the other way around.
After some research online I discovered that some of the fading was due to Wax Bloom. Wax bloom is a white haze that appears on colored pencil drawings, especially when heavily worked, as a layer of the wax medium rises to the surface. It tends to appear once the work has been sitting for a week or two. So after this discovery I decided I couldn't give up on Pastel Card because that probably wasn't the problem. It doesn't matter what kind of paper I used, it was a matter of finding the right fixative to stop the "blooming". So I moved on the trying different fixatives and sprays. I have tested fixatives before and chose Kylon Kamar Varnish, which satisfied me enough, but still didn't really preserve the color like I wanted. After talking to a fellow artist who uses the same Pastel Card as me, I was encouraged to try Blair Clear Matte Spray, which is more of a fixative (even though the can doesn't say it is a fixative). I bought it and tested it out and liked the results better than the Kamar Varnish (there was less glare on the paper). Eureka!!
SO...I have concluded that I will continue to use ColourFix Pastel Card, because I love the texture and how the colors just pop off the paper. I like the dark colored paper so when I add light colors or highlights they REALLY pop! But when I want to do a spot illustration, I will use white Pastel Card and use chalk pastel pencils to put down a ground color only in the areas of the drawing, leaving the area around the drawing white (to match the white of the page). For now, I am using Carb-Othello pastels only because I haven't searched for my favorite brand yet. After finishing a layer of pastel, I will "fix" it with a layer or two of Blair Clear Matte Spray. Then I will go in with my Prismacolored Pencils. Once the drawing is finished, I will fix it again with a layer or two of the Blair spray. Then, I will do a final coat of UV Resistant Clear Coating, which also helps with fading. Voilà!! Done, and ready to store with some Vellum paper over it to protect from dust and dirt.
It is very relieving to have found a artistic process from myself, especially after having to watch some of my drawings fade and die right before my eyes.
Here is a (spot) drawing I recently finished using my new process. And I am pleased to say that after 3 weeks, the colors are still just as vibrant as when I first drew it!
It was a long journey of testing papers, colored pencils, fixatives, varnishes, and other such things to find out what worked best. The first thing I tried was new paper, because I thought the reason the color was fading was because the wax in the colored pencils didn't like the rough texture of the paper I was using (ColourFix Pastel Card) which feels kind of like sand paper. I tried some other textured papers, Arches Watercolor paper, Canson, but they just didn't have the same effect of popping the colors off the page as the Pastel Card. I also really liked that you could get colored Pastel Card so you can have a dark ground color and work from dark to light instead of the other way around.
After some research online I discovered that some of the fading was due to Wax Bloom. Wax bloom is a white haze that appears on colored pencil drawings, especially when heavily worked, as a layer of the wax medium rises to the surface. It tends to appear once the work has been sitting for a week or two. So after this discovery I decided I couldn't give up on Pastel Card because that probably wasn't the problem. It doesn't matter what kind of paper I used, it was a matter of finding the right fixative to stop the "blooming". So I moved on the trying different fixatives and sprays. I have tested fixatives before and chose Kylon Kamar Varnish, which satisfied me enough, but still didn't really preserve the color like I wanted. After talking to a fellow artist who uses the same Pastel Card as me, I was encouraged to try Blair Clear Matte Spray, which is more of a fixative (even though the can doesn't say it is a fixative). I bought it and tested it out and liked the results better than the Kamar Varnish (there was less glare on the paper). Eureka!!
SO...I have concluded that I will continue to use ColourFix Pastel Card, because I love the texture and how the colors just pop off the paper. I like the dark colored paper so when I add light colors or highlights they REALLY pop! But when I want to do a spot illustration, I will use white Pastel Card and use chalk pastel pencils to put down a ground color only in the areas of the drawing, leaving the area around the drawing white (to match the white of the page). For now, I am using Carb-Othello pastels only because I haven't searched for my favorite brand yet. After finishing a layer of pastel, I will "fix" it with a layer or two of Blair Clear Matte Spray. Then I will go in with my Prismacolored Pencils. Once the drawing is finished, I will fix it again with a layer or two of the Blair spray. Then, I will do a final coat of UV Resistant Clear Coating, which also helps with fading. Voilà!! Done, and ready to store with some Vellum paper over it to protect from dust and dirt.
It is very relieving to have found a artistic process from myself, especially after having to watch some of my drawings fade and die right before my eyes.
Here is a (spot) drawing I recently finished using my new process. And I am pleased to say that after 3 weeks, the colors are still just as vibrant as when I first drew it!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Facebook Fan Page
So, I made a Fan Page on Facebook. I was trying to hold out on this for awhile since I JUST started a Twitter account, but somehow I woke up this morning, and I just started making a page! I don't think it will be too difficult to keep up, but it's really just one more thing to check and update. However, I know it is good and important for getting my name and work out there for people to see. Networking is a big part of an artist's responsibilities so I'm going to be a good little artist and do what I can. Become a fan and share with your friends!
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