(no subject)

[needlegrrl]

a question for everyone, regarding art supplies.

i'm not terribly good with paint, although i like the flowyness and the way it fills in the texture of the paper.
I don't press hard enough with prismacolors, apparently, because i don't really like the way they look like crayons/thetexture of the paper shows through. and i can't press down for a long time, because my hands will cramp.
I like markers - but i don't like the lines that they leave inbetween strokes.

so what are my options? i mean, really, what I would like is a semi-liquid prismacolor, in a pencil form . :) but i don't think that exists. any sugesstions? and i can take paint thinner to prismacolors, and it does pretty well, so that's what i did last semester, but it's not terribly good for you. (laugh)

Comments

[shyfayrie.livejournal.com]

Oooh, watercolor pencils are the BEST, you should try some!

Re:

[needlegrrl]

okay. two suggestions. :) i think i will go and get some, and see what happens.

[semperfiona]

Mongol pencils? You draw with them like colored pencils, but you can also use a brush with water on top to make it more like watercolors?

Re:

[needlegrrl]

yeah? so kind of like watercolor pencils? i should definitely go and get some. :)

[semperfiona]

Exactly what they are. Mongol is the brand name of the ones I have.

[fadingmemories.livejournal.com]

I've been working with Prisma Color Colored Pencils for a very long time. I've finally figured out a way to get a painting like apperance from them without killing my hand. Main idea behind colored pencils is to grind the pigment into the paper.

What I do is the typical underpainting techique on illustration board in either acrylics or watercolors. Either that or just lay down a neutral color with your paints. I've used green if I want a foresty look, sepia tone if I want a more earthy look, etc. Then I use my colored pencils over that, working in layers. If you have a clear blender for the colored pencils (its this weird one where the lead is a clearish, milky white color, it goes on colorless), use that to blend your colors and grind the color into the paper, it's not much work at all. I usually lay down the midtone, then the core shadows and blend those two together with the blender. Or the midtone, blend to grind the pigment into the paper, core shadow, blend, etc. You can also use lighter colors for blending as well. A real light peach instead of the blender for skin tones, a light blue over other blues. The blending (don't know what it's called) is a WONDERFUL technique.

Main thing I've found though is you always need a base color to work with, whether it be your underpainting or maybe your just using toned paper. It helps you get a real depth in your pieces. I'm working on a piece right now on this weird textured canvas and I'm suprisingly getting the same effect with the whole, underpainting technique. Even though I can't grind the pigment into the canvas, the underpainting fills in the lil holes.

Hope this doesn't confuse you to much.

Re:

[needlegrrl]

typical underpainting technique? i know nothing about painting. :) but i think i know what you mean -laying down a base color with paint? and then going over it with prismacolors? that seems to make sense. and it's basically what happens with the paint thinner, and then I go over top of it, so there's really no reason why i shouldn't be able to do it with paint. i just need more paint practice. (brief whine. end brief whine. :) )
yeah - i had a blender pencil and a blender marker, but i have no idea what happened to them. i may go and get some more next time i'm up in atlanta. i want to work on these in the computer in any case, but i do better with doing the basics by hand, then scanning then in and playing with them, and with the background.

[fadingmemories.livejournal.com]

Underpainting = real rough, watered down version of the final piece. Just lay down the major tones and colors, doesn't matter how it looks, as long as you get the general feeling and idea down. Wonderful way to losen up as well. I'm not big on painting either, only way I got over my fear of the brush was doing these underpaintings for my colored pencils.

[technomom]

I am utterly art-impaired, but I asked my friend Bryan for input:

Prismacolor is somewhat "blendable" with water and though I haven't used them in awhile (other than for accents to painted works) I did often use a heavy pressure on moistened fingers much like I was doing finger painting. However, there used to be brands of colored pencil that were more water soluble ...like a cross between color pencil and watercolor. Call Dick Blick and see if they have any knowledge if pencils like that are still on the market.

[shaktiqueen.livejournal.com]

What about the prismacolor markers? I use those and love them. But I also know nothing about art styles and methods. I just know I don't like the pencils and use the markers until they die.

[m0usegrrl.livejournal.com]

hi! technomom sent me... =)

i use the regular Prismacolour pencils, but then i like the effects i get with them -- either that thick, sometimes crayon look, or the lighter look with the texture of the paper showing through. i also use either a stump or the white pencil to blend colours together so it doesn't look quite so "flat" -- i've been able to get nice, even, rich colours doing that.

that said, i'm with the suggestion that several others have made already -- the Prismacolour watercolour pencils. you'll be able to do the same thing with them that you've been doing with the regular Prismacolours and solvent, without the resulting headache from the fumes. the only problem i have with them is that they don't come in the full 120-colour spectrum, but with some judicious blending, that's easily overcome.

remember -- Dick Blick is your friend... =) cheers!

Re:

[needlegrrl]

thanks. :) i will go to dick blick (probably online, since i don't think they are down here) and check.

[strixkat.livejournal.com]

Watercolor pencils and pastels! Three cheers!
I love watercolor pencils, but find them limiting sometimes as far as really getting a feeling to them, other than watercolor pencils. So I use watercolor pastels to get more feeling, a more artistic and free look I suppose. And it is easier to get more pigment on the page than with pencils, which can be rather limiting and small to work with. And the pastels blend nicely, both dry and wet. The only problem I've encountered is that the colors often change hue slightly when wet, especially when blening a few different colors. It can be kind of a pain when attempting to get a very specific color in a rendering.
But there's my $0.02!

Re:

[needlegrrl]

neat. thank you! i didn't even know watercolor pastels existed. sounds like i need to spend some quality time in an art store. :)

[feline.livejournal.com]

They're great! You definitely have to try them.