More Colored Pencil Drawings

Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils on Fabriano Classico 5 Fat Pad

Creation: process of bringing into existence.

After seeing this doll in my "mental screen" I made a basic sketch on a piece of paper. Little modifications here and there until it look like the creature I'd seen.

I copied the drawing on the fabric using a window as a light-box, then I chose the colors and started outlinig and coloring.

It is a slow, relaxing and meditative process ...and many hours of stitching ahead.

Looking forward to my creation.

Trying The Fabriano Classico 5 Fat Pad

Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils on Fabriano Classico 5 Fat Pad.
50% Cotton HP 300g Watercolor paper, nice for practice.
I wish it was portrait format instead of landscape... and the spiral a little bit smaller...

Colored Pencils: Two More Drawings

Grape Hyacinth Revisited

I've been keeping artist journals since 2001. They use to be full of colors, collage, mandalas and images from my inner world.
I wanted to draw the outer world too, so around
three years ago I started teaching myself how to sketch and draw.

The image bellow is an ink and watercolor sketch I made two years ago.

 

 Yesterday I revisited the beautiful Grape Hyacinth (Muscari).

In a more detailed and precise botanical style I drew it again in colored pencils: measuring, paying attention to form, lights, shadows, etc...

You can see some stages and the final drawing below.

 First Grape Hyacinth (ink and watercolor) done probably in 20 min, second one (colored pencils) done in around 10 hours.

 Drawing is a skill, believe it or not you can learn how to do it, you don't have to be "talented", the more you practice the better you get, I promise you. I've done it!!!

I know some of you are thinking the first one is a good sketch and you couldn't do it. 

Check for yourself two of my first drawings on my unpublished journal and compare them with a more recent version:

What do you think after looking at this?

Colored Pencil Drawings

This are the drawings I've done so far with colored pencils.

I have worked from photos the butterflies and pansy and the others from real items.

All the drawings have been done with Faber-Castell Polycromos Colored Pencils on Stillman and Birn Epsilon Series Sketchbook but the shells and stones drawing which was done on Beta Series.

As I mention on my previous post I have been following

 Botanical Drawing in Color by Wendy Hollender, which has become my favorite how-to
book for learning to draw.

It's been a wonderful exploration experience and I'm very proud of what I have achieved.

Butterflies Page Sequence. The Art Of Patience.

Stillman and Birn Epsilon Series Hardbound Sketchbook.

Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils.

 

I'm really amazed of what I have done here, specially in terms of being patient.

I normally do fast sketches or a page which takes me lot less than one day to finish. This page has been done through almost a week ...not working continuously though. 

Each butterfly took me around three hours to complete.

Working with colored is very rewarding but takes time. You don't realize that while drawing because it is very relaxing, it is almost meditative. You can achieve great rich colors with lots of layers and like watercolors you can have a limited palette because you can mix the colored pencils as well.

I've been reading and doing some exercises from Botanical Drawing in Color by Wendy Hollender.  

I highly recommend her book if you want to try serious drawings with colored pencils, even if you don't want to draw flowers. She only uses 20 of the 120 colors available in the Polychromos range and does the most beautiful botanical illustrations. 

I'm very happy with my butterflies, I still look at them and can't believe I made them!!! 

Stillman and Birn Epsilon Series Hardbound Sketchbook First Impressions

I have a new sketchbook to try. It is a Stillman and Birn Epsilon Series Hardbound Sketchbook. 

I already have a Stillman and Birn Beta Series Hardbound Sketchbook which I briefly reviewed here and I love it, except for the fact that I'm not very fond of extra-heavy paper sketchbooks. I is great for painting, doesn't buckle but not for flicking through the pages... just a weird thing I have...

I got this new one because I wanted to try the smooth surface and I also wanted a less heavier paper.

First I customized the outside painting one of my mandalas in white acrylic. To protect it, when it was completely dry, I applied two coats of Matte Acrylic medium.

Then on the first page I painted a color wheel, using the watercolors I have on my Winsor and Newton Bijou box and labeling them with black ink and a dip pen.

I noticed the watercolors don't "run" or "spread" as freely as they do on watercolor paper and I can see the brush strokes but I don't mind, it is not design for watercolors anyway and I knew that before hand.

The ink takes a little longer to dry than in other papers, so I have to be careful if i don't want to get smudges. No feathering which is great.

Next step will be to try drawing with colored pencils and markers which these series are meant to.

For those out there who like me are afraid of the first page or a blank page, nothing as making mistakes on the first page of your journal! After the annoyment of messing the first page then you are free to carry on!!!

Evolution of Sketchbook Page

On Saturday I collected some little treasures on the beach, see previous post here. Yesterday I had a great quiet afternoon drawing some of them on my journal. 

Stillman and Birn Beta Series Hardbound Sketchbook.

Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils.

Stay tuned for more!

 

At the Beach: Waikouaiti

We had a great afternoon walking at the beautiful Waikouaiti Beach.

I was a great energy boost for the three of us after a very busy week.

Don't you love the sand landscapes?

The Origin Of The Images

 

 

This illustration came from my inner world. I just saw it on my mind and painted it.

Most of what I paint and the colors I use come to me like that, as weird as it may sound, an less I'm sketching something from the outer world. They appear in my mind's screen when I'm falling asleep, waking up or making love. 

It's not always easy to put them on paper, many times it doesn't work and the image I paint doesn't look anything like the one I saw. It would be great to be able to take a photo of my "visual thoughts" to use as reference after the image is gone!!!

First I make a pencil sketch, when I'm happy with it I transfer the image to the watercolor paper. 

Then I color it with watercolors, when it is completely dry I add the white ink details.