Nilda’s Blog

Before I start my blog about colored pencils I have an announcement to make. My classes at the Society of Decorative Painters’ Conference in Wichita, Kansas are May 15 and 16, 2012. Please read bellow for some important information.

Registration is now open for both of these classes:

He is painted on the top of a sewing box. In the inside panel of the box, I painted the Azure Eggs,

Jade Teapot   SDP 2012 class #0115, Tuesday 1 to 10 pm. This piece is painted on my favorite surface for pencils. Do you want to try pencils, or have you tried pencils and want to learn new tricks and techniques? This class is a good opportunity to try a new surface and expand you knowledge on the subject. Join me!

Colored Pencils

This blog is a summary of the pencils I use  and my point of view on this matter. Keep in mind that it does not include all the pencils available in the market.

Types of Pencils

There are three types of pencils:

1. Oil based

2. Wax based

3. Water soluble

Pencils that I like to use

A. Sanford Prismacolor

1. Prismacolor Premier (150 colors)- are soft core, wax based pencils. This is the most popular type of pencil because of its wide range of colors and the availability in the market. Most of my pattern packets are done with Prismacolor because I have the student in mind.

2. Prismacolor Verithin (36 colors) – are hard, thin core, wax based. These pencils are excellent for intricate details, making cleaner borders, and lettering.

3. Prismacolor Art Styx (48 colors) – are the same as the Premier but without the wood casing. They are good to cover large areas.

B. Derwent Cumberland

1. Inktense Pencils (72 colors) – water soluble, bright intense colors. Behave like ink. Very hard to erase and might stain paper permanently.

2. Inktense Blocks (72 colors) – the same as the pencils but woodless.

3. Derwent Metallic (12 colors) – These are water soluble but I like to use them dry.

4. Aquatone (24 colors) – These are water soluble pencils that are woodless and are excellent for certain techniques where you scrape the pencil.

5. Graphitint (24 colors) – These are water soluble graphite pencils with a hint of color that do not fade. The color becomes more vibrant when you add water. They are good for drawing.

6. Coloursoft (72 colors) – These are soft core, wax based pencils.

7. Signature Watercolour (40 colors) – water soluble, lightfast pencils

8. Studio (72 colors) – hard core, wax based. These are the same colors as the Artists but slimmer and harder cores. Good for details.

9. Artists (120 colors) – medium- hard core, wax based

10. Sketching (24 tones)- soft, water soluble, good for sketching and drawing

11. Watercolour (72 colors) – water soluble

C. Faber Castell

1. Polychromos (120 colors) – oil based soft core. These are the pencils I like to use for my portraits.

D. Caran d’Ache

1. Pablo (120 colors) – soft core, oil based

2. Luminance (76 colors)-I consider these the Rolls-Royce of pencils. They are soft core, wax based with excellent lightfastness but very pricey.

E. Lyra Rembrandt

1. Polycolor (72 colors) – soft core, oil based

What is lightfastness?

The lightfastness or permanence of a pigment is its resistance to change on exposure to light. The resistance to light will determine the years of life of your work.

Which pencils to buy?

The pencils you will buy will depend on the following factors:

1. How much you want to spend on pencils?

2. Are you doing this as a hobby or as a profession?

3. Are you designing for teaching?

4. Do you want to sell your art?

5. Do you want a watercolor effect?

6. Is this for a portrait?

All pencils can be intermixed and in an ideal world it will be great to get different colors from each brand and expand your palette. On most brands the color matches on their different sets. Except for Derwent where only the Studio and Artists matches the colors.

If you are doing this as a profession, you want to get the pencils with the most lightfastness. You will also want to have a good range of colors from different manufacturers. Pencils that have more lightfastness are more expensive. The same applies for having a good range of colors.

If you are designing to teach, you have to consider that the most popular brand for students is Prismacolor as it is available every where, have the biggest range of color and is not as costly as others.

The type of pencil you use will also depend on the technique  you are using or the effect you want to create. With water soluble pencils you can use many exciting techniques and they can be intermixed with dry pencils. But, if I am painting a portrait I want to use the Polychromos oil based pencils.

Finally, we are individuals with different tastes and what you like might be different compared to what another person likes. Try different brands. They have small sets. See what feels better for you.

Don’t forget to sign up for one of my classes!

This is my new colored pencils piece. I am working on a new post about pencils and I will post it after the holidays.

I want to wish you all a joyous season with your friends and family.

This is my first of a series of blogs dedicated to inform you about supplies, tips and techniques I use with colored pencils. This is my point of view and interpretation in this matter and does not represent a definitive position.

Once a colored pencils artist said to me that “Good paper was more important than good pencils.” I agree with her and this is why I believe it is ultra important to start talking about the paper or surface you will use.

The paper or surface you will use will depend on several factors.

1. The type of pencils you are using, dry, water soluble, oils or wax based. (My next post will talk about pencils.)
2. How heavy handed you are.
3. The type of framing that you will use (with or without glass)
4. What type of finish you will use (fixatif, varnish, etc)
5. If you will use any mediums such as Gamsol (mineral spirits)
6. How many layers of pencils you like to apply.

These are the list of surfaces I like to use:

1. Fisher 400 Paper
2. Janelle’ Hand Dyed and Collage Paper
3. Art Spectrum Colourfix
4. Ampersand Pastelbord
5. Bamboo Paper

Some other papers used by other artists are:

1. Bristol Strathmore
2. Stonehenge
3. Museum Board
4. U-Art
5. Mi-Teintes

My preference in surface is due to the fact that I like applying many layers of values. I find that surfaces with more texture will hold more layers of pencils. Your technique and the sharpness of the point are also important factors. (These will be discussed at a later blog post.)

Let’s talk about the surfaces I use:

1. Fisher 400 Paper-

This is the paper I use for my portraits. It is only available in England. I use oil based pencils with this paper and it cannot be varnished or sprayed.

It is expensive. But, it is what works with the portrait technique I use.

buy here

2. Janelle Hand Dyed and Collage Paper -

It comes in different colors and since it has texture it holds many layers of pencil.  I like this paper because it is strong and can be glued to wood surfaces, varnished, you can use a heavier hand, and can be cut with a deckled edge ruler.  I do not recommend it for projects that will use the mineral spirits.

You can buy it at JanelleJohnson.com.

3. Art Spectrum Colourfix –

The natural toothy surface is ideal for pastels, pencil, or charcoal, as it will hold multiple overlays of color without the need to fix between layers. It comes in 20 different colors. It scratches easily and you have to be careful how you cut it as it will break. I recommend that you cut it with scissors and not an exacto knife. I like to glue it to wood surfaces and it can be varnished. It is an inexpensive paper. I do not recommend using it for projects that will use the mineral spirits. It is available at most art supplies stores.

4. Ampersand Pastelbord -

This is my favorite surface because it holds many layers,  it already comes on a hard surface, it can be varnished, framed without glass and you can use mineral spirits or acrylics. The drawbacks are that it only comes in 4 colors and it also scratches easily. Choosing your color is very important as the grain will show in your finished piece. The color you choose will depend if you have a warm or cool tone, and if it is high or low key. If you have very dark areas in your composition, it will be better to use Grey or Green.  You can buy it at any art supplies store and it is not too expensive. Sign up for my colored pencils class at the SDP 2012 conference if you would like to try this surface.

 5. Legion Bamboo Paper –

This is the paper I like using with the water soluble pencils.

 It is a mixed media paper,  strong, and  eco-friendly paper made from 90% bamboo and 10% cotton.

Available at Dick Blick.

Papers used by other artists:

The Bristol, Stonehenge and Museum Board are very nice papers but they are very smooth and will not hold many layers of pencil. You need to have a very soft touch with these papers.

Mi-Teintes comes in many colors and it is a very inexpensive paper but stains easily and I have noticed it is not for beginners. It does not hold many layers.

U-Art is a good  alternative for Colourfix but it only comes in one color.

I hope this was an informative post. Next time we will talk about Pencils.

Please tell your friends about my Blog.

Upcoming Classes and Seminars

April 14-15, 2012 - Connecticut Society of Decorative Painters – East Lyme, CT

May 15-16, 2012    Society of Decorative Painters’ Annual Conference

Registration starts January 4, 2012

June 9- 10, 2012 - Magnolia Chapter – Baton Rouge, Louisiana

For a complete listing of seminars go to my website. Only one seminar space left in 2013.

This is the piece I entered in the Prismacolor competition. Would you please go to the Prismacolor Facebook Page and vote for me?

Vote here

My next blog post will be all about PAPER used with colored pencils.

Please enjoy these 2 free patterns in colored pencils.

Instructions 

In the following newsletters I will start a section about colored pencils tips and techniques.

Starting with Paper Selection.

This particular piece was painted on the rough side of Mi-Teintes paper in order to add texture. I have only two pieces painted on this paper. This is an economical paper that comes in many different colors but it has some drawbacks. Stay tunned.

STAMPING

I love incorporating stamps in my painted pieces and I used one for the pattern above. You can use any stamp of your choice. I listed the stamp I used in the instructions.

Press the stamp on the Archival Ink pad and then press hard on the surface avoiding moving it. Immediately pour embossing powder on top of the wet stamped area covering it completely. I use a small metal spoon to pour the embossing powder. Remove the excess embossing powder by turning the piece upside down and gently tapping it without touching the stamped area. Apply heat with a heat gun until the powder turns shinny.

The embossing powder comes in many different colors. The color I used here was White. However, I love using the Antique Gold on many of my pieces.

My favorites stamps are PSX rubber stamps. These stamps have been discontinued but you can buy them at Ebay. They have corner pieces and swags that are very nice to decorate the sides of your design.

September 11 Angel in colored pencils

Since I do not have any space left in my 2012 calendar for  seminars, I am offering this special.

Book a seminar for 2013 and send in your deposit in 2011,  and you will receive a $25 discount per day of the 2013 fees.

TravelTeachingContract2012&2013

This is a companion piece for the Bird Tourist piece that appeared in The Decorative Painter Issue #2, Summer 2008.

Playing with Derwent watercolor pencils at a fine arts workshop. We were given the photo above for inspiration and we had to paint it on our own. The previous day we were taught how to handle the different types of water soluble pencils made by Derwent. I still want to refine some areas in this painting but wanted to tell you how much fun I had with these pencils.

Click on Picture for larger view.

I used the Watercolour, Graphitints, Sketching, Aquatone, and Inktense pencils. The sunglasses were painted with the inktense. They are more brilliant but they are permanent. I used the graphitints to trace my design. The Aquatone are woodless so I used them for the dark speckles.

I am designing several pieces with these pencils. One will be a painting on a silk scarf. Another one will be on watercolor paper with seashells and water,similar to these but without the sunglasses. And, the third piece I am designing will be using metallic pencils.

Email  NildaRodri@aol.com if you would like me to teach your group how to use these water soluble pencils.