The Importance of Surfaces

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Colored pencils will lay down on pretty much anything. I haven’t run across anything yet that won’t accept them to some extent. I’ve seen them used on glass, plastic, wood, metal, fabric, drafting film, and of course paper. For me, the real trick is to match the right surface with the right pencil. There are some surfaces that just don’t like some pencils. For example, I started a piece last night that I may have to scrap because the pencil brand and the paper I chose are not ideal. I hadn’t used my Derwent pencils in quite awhile so I decided to use them on the project. I had spent hours sketching an original piece (not a reference photo) on a sheet of Bristol smooth paper then proceeded to use my Derwent pencils. Disaster! These pencils are a harder pencil than my usual Prismacolor, therefore they need more tooth on the surface to work well. I was able to get two layers down before they started to just move the pigment around instead of laying down more color. For this reason they would not blend correctly and its a mess. I’m hoping I’m not too far along that I can’t salvage the piece with my Prismas. I’ll keep you posted on that.

So that shows that the main concern with your choice of surfaces is what kind of pencils you will be using or if you have multiple brands of pencils then you can choose your surface based on what effect you want. The amount of tooth the surface possesses is the primary question. Now, for those of you who don’t know the term “tooth”, it basically refers to the amount of texture the surface exhibits. No mattter what medium you are using, the tooth of the surface is what causes the pigment to transfer from the instrument (pencil, brush, etc) to the surface. The depth of the tooth determines how much is transfered. Examples on the extremes of tooth would be glass and wood. Glass has virtually no tooth and selection of the colored pencil is essential. Softer pencils like Prismacolor work fine, but even then its difficult. You can use techniques like heating the surface and practically melting the pencil onto the surface or you can frost the glass (etching, sand blasting, etc) to create tooth. I’ve not done this myself but it sounds like something I may try in the future. The other extreme is rough-cut wood. It can be done, but it will chew through softer pencils like they are butter. Using a harder pencil or knocking down tooth with sandpaper are some options.

Something else to consider with surfaces is there acidity. Acid will cause the surface to breakdown over time and destroy the piece. That is why you see “acid-free” on so many art and crafting materials. Wood is not acid-free and would need to be pre-treated before starting you project. This can be done with various materials such as gesso that is used to prepare canvases for painting. I have dabbled in this but haven’t done anything serious yet. As an aside, woodburning enhanced with colored pencil makes beautiful projects.

What I really wanted to discuss is paper. That is going to be the most common surface used, especially for beginners. When I first started, I didn’t realise how important the surface was to the success of my painting. I got so frustrated by not getting the results I wanted. There are several reasons why the paper is so important. First of all, by nature colored pencil art consists of many layers of pigment therefore the paper must be stout enough to handle repeated layers and must have enough tooth to accept multiple layers. There is lots of layering, blending, and burnishing with this art form so the paper needs to be able to take it. Cartridge or printer paper is not going to cut it. Construction paper is not going to cut it. This is where you don’t want to skimp or go cheap. I suggest buying the largest pad of paper you can afford and cutting it down to the size you want for your project. I do this all the time. I usually use a brand called Strathmore 300 series, but I also use Canson and Stonehenge. Occasionally I use Fabriano Black Black. It is suppposed to be the blackest paper on the market and so far I haven’t found any superior. By far my most used is the Strathmore 300 series or 400 series. What I use is actually considered a “board” rather than just paper. I is a thicker, sturdier 2-ply surface. It is, of course, acid-free. Bristol board comes in two surfaces: smooth and vellum. To be honest, I can’t tell the difference. It is a smooth surface but with the right pencils it will hold multiple layers. I’ve been able to lay down up to a dozen layers and it was still going strong. However, the reason I can use this smooth a surface is because I usually use Prismacolor pencils which are softer and easier to lay down. I have not had luck with this paper using Derwent or Faber-Castell. I haven’t tried but I’m assuming Luminance would be about the same. If you go to http://https.//www.strathmoreartist.com they have a great resource for explaining all the different papers they produce.

Choosing the amount of tooth you want for your project often depends on the subject matter and the desired final result. I like realism and strive for a painterly effect or photo-realistic result. That’s why I want that smooth surface. Otherwise, I will be spending many painful hours burnishing and blending trying to get rid of the tooth of the paper to get a smooth realistic look. You know how, when you were a kid, you would color in coloring books and you could still see specks of paper through the crayon? That’s the tooth showing through. You would have to basically crush the paper to get rid of that. I don’t like to see that in my pieces so I use smoother surfaces. That being said, I know plenty of colored pencil artists (better than me) who use watercolor paper, drawing paper, sketch paper, and so on. Ironically, Strathmore has a colored pencil paper that I don’t see anyone using. I tried it and hated it, so there you are. If you check out the stuff in my gallery, almost everything is done on Strathmore Bristol smooth paper. The one exception I an think of is this one where I used the tooth of the paper to make the background look like burlap or some other rough fabric. I had to use some special techneques to make the guitar look smooth and the colors to blend so well.

So to summarize, consider the pencils, the subject matter, and the desired out-come in order to choose the ideal paper for your project. These artists papers can be purchased at art/craft stores such as Hobby Lobby or Michaels, on-line stores such as Dick Blick or Amazon, and occassionally at Walmart or other discount stores. Remember, with paper you will get what you pay for. DO NOT FALL FOR WISH OR ALIEXPRESS! Personally, until I’m familiar with a paper, I like to buy locally so I can feel the paper. Once I’m familiar with it then I’ll get it wherever I get the best deal. Hobby Lobby and Michaels has Strathmore paper on sale quite often.

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Prismas and Polys and Lumis, Oh My!

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With adult coloring so popular right now, you can be overwhelmed by the number of colored pencil brands available. I will tell you now that the majority of them are crap for producing artist quality paintings. If all you’re doing is casual coloring then I can’t help you. I’m not knocking the activity. I do adult coloring books, but I use gel pens. This post is for those wanting to create art.

That being said, where do we begin? First of all, we need to look for certain qualities in the performance of the pencils we choose. We want pencils that are blendable, layerable, and light-fast. Colored pencil art is referred to as painting because of the first two qualities. The true definition of “painting” is to mix color. With traditional painting techniques this is done on a palette then applied to the surface. With colored pencils, this mixing is performed directly on the surface using various techniques. Lightfastness refers to the durability of the final product and it’s ability to resist fading over time. Different brands will differ in all of these properties.

The main thing that affects the blendability and layerability is the base in which the pigment is mixed. Colored pencils will be either wax-based or oil-based. (There are specialty pencils that are water-color or dry ink, but they are beyond the scope of this discussion.) These bases will determine the properties of the pencils. There isn’t any way to say that one kind is superior to another. This is based on personal preference, surface type, how heavy-handed you are, and even the kind of painting you want to do. For example, if your surface is heavily textured and you use a softer pencil, it will chew through your pencils like crazy. Or, if your painting a portrait of an animal, you may need a harder pencil so that it will keep a sharper point to render all the fur. So, there’s alot to consider.

You will also see pencils labeled artist’s quality or student quality. This refers to how pigmented they are. Student quality will be less pigmented than artist quality, but can still be very good pencils for beginners. Of course, the student quality will cost less.

Speaking of cost, this can get C-R-A-Z-Y ! The price range is all over the place. There are cheap dollar-store pencils and there are thousand dollar designer labeled pencils. Both extremes are not recommended. When you go shopping for a set, you will see sets that range from 12 pencils up to 150 pencils. It is tempting to get the most you can for the least you can, but resist that urge. You will end up with a bunch of pencils that are so poorly pigmented that you can’t lay down enough layers to get decent color saturation. My suggestion is to go with a smaller set of artist quality pencils.

So, what about brands? There are several very good, very affordable brands available. Now, I’m in the U.S. so that market is what I can comment on. By far, the most popular and widely available brand in the states are Prismacolor Premier. They used to be manufactured here, but I think the facility is located in Mexico now. These are my go-to pencils for many reasons. They have superb blendability, layerability, and lightfastness. They are soft and lay down easily. They come in sets of 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, and 150 count. They also have some specialty palettes that are made for certain styles of painting such as portraits or landscapes. They are very affordable considering the quality. You can buy them everywhere from Wal-Mart to Amazon, to your local art supply/hobby store. The art supply/hobby store will usually sell open-stock, as well, so that individual pencils can be replaced as needed. The complaints you’ll see about this brand mostly have to do with them breaking easily, but all I have to say is that they are SOFT, people! Of course they’re going to break easily! You can learn more about this product at http://www.prismacolor.com

Another fairly common brand is Derwent. This company has multiple varieties in both wax-based and oil-based pencils. They are manufactured in the U.K. but are readily available in the U.S. They come in sets up to 72 count and are similarly priced to the Prismacolor Premier pencils. They are a bigger pencil which means a slightly bigger core (more color) however, unless you have an adjustable pencil sharpener, you would have to sharpen them by hand. I have the Derwent Coloursoft variety. They are wax-based like the Prismas, but I think they are slightly harder. They don’t break as easily, but that could be because of the larger core. They seem to lay down and perform like the Prismas. I have used both brands together and they blend with each other marvelously. Visit the manufacturers web-site at http://www.derwentart.com.

Another popular brand is Faber-Castell Polychromos. These are an oil-based pencil made in Germany. They come in sets up to 120 count. Being oil-based, they are slightly harder than wax-based pencils, but they lay down buttery smooth and blend beautifully. A benefit of oil-based pencils is that they don’t produce wax bloom on your paintings. They are more expensive than Prismacolors. I’m not sure if this is due to being imported or something else. I know they are more common in the U.K. than in the U.S. These can also be purchased as open stock at art/hobby stores. I love these pencils and tend to use them on more “toothy” surfaces due to there hardness. Find out more at http://www.faber-castell.com.

The next brand is Caran d’Ache Luminance. These are wax-based pencils manufactured in Geneva. I only recently purchased a set of these because they are so expensive. They are very buttery and are just beautiful, but I rarely used them. I feel like I’m shredding cash every time I sharpen one. As a comparison, Prismas can cost less than $2 a piece whereas Luminance can cost as much as $4.50 a piece. That aside, these pencils give me the impression of being some kind of morph between a Prisma and a pastel pens. They have almost a chalky characteristic, but are very bendable and layerable. I love the Luminance pencils, but I, personally, can’t justify the cost. Find out more about the Luminance and other varieties of Caran d’Ache products at http://www.carandache.com.

There are plenty of other really good, artist quality pencils. The ones I mentioned above just happen to be the ones I’m most familiar with. One brand I plan to try soon is Arteza. They are a newer brand of wax-based pencils that are getting great reviews. You can check out all of the Arteza products at http://www.arteza.com. They are very affordable at about half the price of Prismas but seem to be performing just as well. This would be a great pencil for beginners to start with. Whatever pencil you decide on, I suggest starting with a smaller set in case you end up just not liking them.

Lightfastness is a topic for later. Any of the above mentioned pencils have decent lightfastness properties. The only ones I haven’t looked into on this subject is the Arteza brand. Just keep in mind that if you plan on selling your artwork, this is an important consideration. The lightfastness varies within the brand, as well, with different colors performing differently.

So, now we have both kinds of pencils, erasers, and a pencil sharpener. Next I’ll go over the types of surfaces we can use with colored pencils. This can be an endless list, so I’ll try to cover te most common ones. Again, please let me know of any topics you would like to have me cover in future posts.

Beginnings

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What Supplies Are Needed?

     Colored pencil art has been growing in popularity recently. The reasons for this are many. It is relatively inexpensive to get started, its way less messy than conventional painting methods, its more forgiving than ink. and the reasons go on. For me personaly, I went with this medium because it was less intimidating than other art forms. That was a  big thing for me. I  am easily intimidated by art because I have always considered myself untalented and unimaginative. Luckily, I had a grandmother who was talented. unafraid, and encouraged me to try. I gave up as a kid, but the seed was planted and a few years ago I decided to just do it. So if you just want to do it too, where do you begin?    

The “equipment” needed for colored pencil art can vary wildly in price range. I want to stress, from the beginning, that you can get started in this medium without spending a fortune. The supplies I mention are by no means all that is available, but it will be some of the more popular, readily available (at least in the U.S.) supplies. Some of this may seem very obvious or basic, but I want to address this subject from the perspective of someone totally unfamiliar with the medium.

     The absolute, bare minimum required to get started is the following: regular pencil, colored pencils, paper, pencil sharpener, and eraser. When you first start out, I encourage you to get decent supplies but you don’t have to break the bank. The reason I say this is that I don’t want you to get frustrated with your results when its the fault of the supplies and not your ability. When you first start out, you won’t know if your supplies are just not capable of doing what you need them to do or if your technique is faulty. I also don’t think you need to break the bank on something that you may not like. For this post, I’m going to just breifly mention each of these supplies.

     First of all we need regular pencils. Regardless of where we get our inspiration, our image needs to get down onto the paper. This will be your cheapest supply.  Your basic choices are whether you want the standard wooden pencil or a mechanical pencil . I have no preferance whatsoever. These things are cheap, cheap, cheap. I mean we’re talking Dollar Store cheap. I tend to like mechanical pencils because they don’t need to be sharpened. Call me lazy.

     That brings us to the next cheapest of the supplies which are erasers and pencil sharpeners. It took me awhile to settle on a pencil sharpener I like. You have a choice of manual sharpeners or electric sharpeners. The purists will tell you to never use an electric sharpener on colored pencils. but I don’t agree. You just have to be careful. The cores of colored pencils are soft, so the vibration from the electric sharpener can cause the core to fracture and break, but the biggest issue I see is that people don’t use the electric sharpeners correctly.  If the pencil is not inserted straight in, which happens when the opening is not adjusted to fit the pencil, it will cause it to break. There’s more I could say about electric sharpeners, but they probably cost more than you want to pay when you first start. Manual sharpeners are much more affordable. Of course, you have choices here as well. There are the standard small, plastic or metal insert and twist sharpeners undefinedor the hand-crank, schoolroom type sharpeners. Again, the purists will tell you not to use the crank type for the same reason as the electric one. I say, the purists just like to suffer for their craft. I personally use all three types of sharpeners. I love, love, love my electric sharpener! Its made for professionals and it is a workhorse. It sounds like a jet taking off everytime I use it, but its awesome. It does, however, have a very deep throat, so when my pencils get too short, I then move to the crank style sharpener. Now I could write an entire post on what to look for when purchasing these things but I won’t. I also use a simple twist style sharpener. Colored pencils need to be sharpened often, but I have found that I don’t always need to really sharpen the pencil as much as just re-point them. That’s when I use the twist style sharpener. I also use a piece of sandpaper (or nail file) for this purpose.     
     Erasers are the next supply you need. Most colored pencil artists and how-to books will recommend the kneadable erasers undefinedand the white plastic erasers undefined. I tend to stay away from the gum erasers and any erasers that are colored as the color can transfer to the paper. The kneadabe erasers are used differently. They are use to lift pigment from the paper by pressing and lifting rather than scrubbing. The white plastic erasers will erase graphite pencil almost entirely and will produce very little residue. They are my go-to erasers. The kneadable erasers haven’t proven their use to me and the white erasers can get colored pencil pigment off just as well in my experience.

The next post will look at colored pencils and paper. These are the two essential pieces of equipment for this medium, and, as you will see, paper may not be needed. Thanks and, please, any comments will be appreciated.

Welcome!

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This blog is simple. It’s a forum to learn about colored pencil art, meet others with the same goals, and a safe place to receive encouragement from others. The rules are simple, too. We are here for each other so we need to be kind to one another. Don’t offer criticism or critique unless it is solicited. All images posted must include the medium used (brand of pencils, brand of paper, any other medium used, etc) and the source of the image must be noted (own photo, imagination, reference photo source). I don’t mind if links to useful articles or products are posted, but , please do not solicit business here.

So, a little about myself. I am NOT a professional artist. I am “self-taught” in a sense, although I have several professionals that I regularly foĺlow and have learned from their tutorials. I’ve been producing this form of art for about 4 years (I think). You can see some of my stuff in my gallery. You can see from my stuff that I am pretty much all over the place with my subject matter. I have dozens and dozens more, but they were done from either tutorials or proprietary photos, so I cannot post them. My strength is in florals because that’s what I’ve done the most. My weakness is portraits.

My go-to pencils are Prismacolor Premier, although I also use Faber-Castel, Derwent, and Luminance. Typically, I use Strathmore Bristol paper, but I’ve been known to use Canson and others as well. I always use a reference photo (don’t give me grief over this, I’ve made my peace with it), and I usually get them from royalty-free sites like Unsplash and Pexels.

I started doing this artwork as a stress reliever. My “real job” is in the healthcare industry and is very stressful. Colored pencil art allows me to quiet my mind and create something beautiful. Even my worst work is beautiful because it represents my creative side which had been suppressed for many, many years. I believe God gave us all a creative nature. After all, we are created in His image and He is the ultimate artist and creator.

Well, that’s a little about me. My next post will just be on some basic colored pencil stuff that beginners need to know. This site will be ever-evolving based on what you all want, so comments and suggestions are welcome. Thanks, everyone!