Artwork Finished, Color Pencil Tip and Resource of the Week

Hi Everyone!
I am a couple days late on this post, but I haven't had any time to post. Things have been quite hectic with family and we are now moving to a new home. So I have been busy sorting, cleaning and packing. After 10 years+ living out in the country, we are moving into the city. It will be quite a change and I will miss it out here, but due to my health and my daughter getting services for her PDD, we have to move into town.
Anyways, I finally finished the current work in progress. I have to say this is one of the hardest portraits I have ever worked on due to having to go by such a small photograph. The eyes were the most difficult because of the poor photograph. I gave it to my mom today, but I am not sure if she really liked it. Hard to tell. She says it's cool, but my mom has never been a big fan or supporter of my artwork and especially color pencil.
Title: The Links
Medium: Color Pencil and Watercolor Pencil
Size: 13.75 x 11.0

Color Pencil Tip of the Week
Some color pencil artists will use color pencil dust to use as a base color or undertone. To create the dust, first use a small fine strainer or a sanding board and grate the pencil lead off into a fine powder. Next, apply the dust using  either a q-tip, cotton ball, or brush. Next, dip brush or q-tip into odorless mineral spirits and use painterly strokes onto the area of the dust, thus creating a toned underpainting. The mineral spirits liquefys the wax, creating more vibrant colors.

Resource of the Week
Huge resource on color pencil tips and techniques by artist Sheri Doty. Good section on Mineral Spirits and Solvents.
http://www.artinstructionblog.com/colored-pencil-tools-and-techniques-for-the-wax-and-oil-based-colored-pencil

Hope you all have a great week!

Keep on Creating!

Carol

My Daughter's Graduation and Resources of the Week

Hello Everyone!
It has been such a busy past week with my daughter's high school graduation, I did not get time to work on my current work in progress at all. But have to share graduation photos. It's been a struggle for my daughter all year with math, getting senior project done and keeping up with grades, but she did an amazing job. And I love her very much and I am so very very proud of her.

Color Pencil Tip/Resource of the Week

Airbrushing with color pencils is a new technique I discovered through the Color Pencil Magazine. Artist Jo Goudie, http://www.colouredpencilart.co.uk/sprayed.htm , provided the step by step technique. Starting off first with dissolving lead tips from Derwent inktense  pencils into small jars with a bit of tepid water and letting them stand overnight. Once the lead is dissolved you feed it through the airbrush onto the surface of the paper and you want to apply it using many light layers to avoid buckling the paper. Let the paper dry for a few days, before applying color pencil to the surface.

I was thinking one might be able to do this with watercolor pencils. So it is something I intend to experment and play around with.

Some inexpensive airbrushes I found on Amazon some need propellants

Anyways, I hope you all have a great week!

Happy Creating!

Carol Moore

Great Week Pictures @ dazzlejunction.com

Updates, Color Pencil Tip of the Week & Resource of the Week

Hey Everyone,
Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I have been so busy with family and my daughter's graduation.  I haven't had a lot of time as of late to draw. Plus we have plans to move at the end of July. So things will be only getting more hectic this summer. We are going to have to downsize a lot.
Next week is my daughter's last week of school and then she graduates on the 10th. So excited and proud of her. I will be posting gradation pictures next weekend!
Anyways, here's the most recent update of the portrait gift I am working on. As you can see by the photo next to it, I am having to work from not the best of reference photos. There is a lot of glare on their eyes and eyeglasses. It's been quite tedious, but I am going to push myself to finish it up this week and get it out of the way, as I want to start on a new landscape or portrait for color pencil mag contest and the deadline for that is September 1st.

I wanted to share a video that has some of my artwork and some other amazing talented artists works as well. The focus of the video is depression awareness, which many people battle. I have been working on a series of emotional pieces focused on some of the issues that cause depression - such as, divorce, sadness, hopelessness and loneliness. Be sure and check it out https://vimeo.com/41402835

I have some of my miniature artwork up for sale at my Etsy store and prints. You can check it out here http://mooresart.etsy.com/

Color Pencil Tip of the Week

I always get a lot of questions from other artists on DA how do you do that in color pencil, it looks just like a photo???! I always say, " a lot of practice and patience". Which is true, it has taken me years to get where I am today, in working with color pencil, not just by practicing, but also by reading lots of books, articles, observing other artists techniques and styles, and I have gone to a workshop (hoping to go to more workshops when finances are not so tight)

To apply color pencil, you don't just start by scribbling on one color. You have to analyze the colors of your reference and determine what color pencils you will need to achieve those colors. It's lot like mixing watercolor paints to achieve a color you want, so it is the same for color pencils.

Color pencils are a translucent medium, so by laying down one layer of color on top of another the colors below show through. Much like watercolors.

To analyze and determine what colors from your reference you will need, you will first need to make something similar to like Ann Kullberg's value viewer to or buy her portrait tool kit.( It is a must have kit!)  http://www.annkullberg.com/products.php?cat=18 

Look through the value viewer on your reference photo to zero on colors and compare, determine and match up color pencils to that area.

Or you can use what I use, a photo shop program. You use the color dropper tool on your reference image to determine what area a certain color is and then compare, determine and match up color pencils to that specific color.



Last of all, begin applying and layering lightest colors first, then  slowly work  up to the darkest colors, using a consistent light to medium pressure.

Resource of the Week

Derwent color pencil hints and tips
http://www.pencils.co.uk/hints.aspx

Hope you all have a great day!!

Keep on Creating and Practicing!

Carol


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