Colored Pencils



I love colored pencils. Lets be honest, I love pencils, colored or otherwise.

Colored pencils have changed over the years. They have gone beyond those hard, lightly colored things we used as children. What has been happening with colored pencils thought is not short of being amazing. Pencil manufacturers have worked diligently to create pencils that are quality art tools.

Still there is a stigma to using them. Because colored pencils, like crayons are art supplies given to children, many artist and art critics dismiss them as child’s play. This is unfair, because many artists are missing some fantastic artistic experiences. This in general is how many view anything drawn. It is seen as preliminary, not serious artwork. This is prep work for serious art, not artwork in and of itself.

Both artists and art organizations are working to overcome this perception. Colored Pencil Society of America

American Artist Drawing

Colored Pencils

How have they changed?

There are now many, many options for colored pencils. Each year a new brand comes out, new colors or a new format. One of the drawbacks of color pencil is that they are hard to make corrections. To get around this, a lot of CP artists do their layout drawings in graphite, then use transfer paper to get the basic outlines on the paper. Or they draw directly on the paper with graphite. Problem with this is that graphite and wax-based colored pencils don’t really like each other. You have to lighten the graphite lines a lot, and then hope you are not left with remnants that contaminate the colored pencil later.

Last year, with the recommendation of other artists in CPSA, I tried erasable colored pencils. Yes, erasable. Prismacolor has this great product, Col-Erase. I got a set of 24 to try out.

prismacolor

These are erasable colored pencils. Really. So erasable they come with erasers on the tips, like our familiar #2 pencils. Now you can do the initial drawing with colored pencil, eliminating any need to use graphite.

So how do they work?

Well, I am doing a couple of miniature drawings for the 11th Annual National Miniature Exhibition. I will use my Col-Erase for the layout and first underpainting of two of them. Come along and see what you think.

Keep Your Pencils Sharp!

Were you the one in class who got into trouble for going to the pencil sharpener too often? Were you fussy about the marks you made?

I was. I hated trying to write with a rounded lead. Hated it! The legacy of being told not to “waste time” “stop fooling around” and get on with your work is hard to break.

However,

You get no points for drawing with a “dull” pencil!

Sharpen up those points!

Having a sharp point on your drawing tool makes the creation of precise lines and points much easier. It will also allow you to create lines of different style and weights evenly and gives you much more control over your medium.

This is not school, and you can stop any time you want and sharpen up that pencil. Carry with you a neat little sharpener, something with a lid. And try using a sandpaper pad or Emory board to touch up the point when you are away from home. I draw with a mechanical pencil when I am sketching, but still touch up and point with a small Emory board from time to time.

Even guys can carry a small one in their wallets. Simply twist the lead around it to bring back the point. The fine side of the Emory board is also good for cleaning off your eraser. Sometimes they get dirty too, and leave smudges on your paper that are impossible to get off.