Photo/s of the day.

[moonvoice]

Watercolour pencils aren't a graceful medium when I use them.

Frankly,
they can end up looking kind of scrappy.

For example -
We start with this...














The silver swans are available at Etsy!

Comments

[ex_pale698]

I think they look pretty good, but I'm comparing it to my watercolor pencil work! :)

[white_rabbit]

Oooh. :D I do so love it when you post the progress of your work!

[linstar]

Oooh swans are adorable! If no one wants them hon, I will take them as well! :)

[moonvoice]

I'm trying to see them through Etsy to get my profile up there and feedback, so if you want them you're welcome to give it a try! :D

Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm reminded of that cartoon equation where the middle just reads "... and then a miracle occurs."

[ariestess]

These are really pretty. The smooching ferrets are just as cute as I expected them to be, and the swans are gorgeous and serene and regal. *happy sigh*

[lupagreenwolf]

I love the "how these things work" posts!

[kehleyr]

Oh those swans are adorable <3<3

[elialshadowpine]

Oh, those are beautiful!

*bemoans being broke*

[sidheblessed]

They look awesome, wet and dry.

[silverjackal]

Echoing everyone else who expressed an interest in seeing the work in progress photos. It really is remarkable how different the intermediate is from the final product, and it emphasizes just how much "art" there is in art, as well as craft and skill, because you have to be able to envisage what you want, and then go through a process that doesn't look like the finished result at all to get there. Fascinating stuff, even to a non-artist like myself. :D

[redsixwing]

Oh cool.
Watercolor pencils always look so disappointing in that middle phase. Seeing what you can do with them is amazing. Thank you!

[flyingfluff]

these really came out great! I'm loving this new style/concept you've been working with lately.

[amethystfirefly]

It's amazing what a difference the water makes!

[sarah_tv]

Which brand of pencils are you using?

[moonvoice]

Specifically for watercolour pencils, I use three:

1. Derwent watercolour pencils - these are my staples. They have really reliable colour (i.e. how it looks going on the page is often how it stays once wet), but can be a bit too 'overpowering' if I'm going for a true watercolour look.

2. Faber Castell Albrecht Durer - these are the ones I use second most often. They are less reliable in colour (i.e. it can look really bright going on, and really fades once water is applied, and yet other colours might look dull go on and then look really bright once water is applied; it's best to have a good memory when using them! There are a few shades of blue in particular which look simply virulent once water is applied; but look benign when being applied dry). They're also expensive; moreso than Derwents, but neither are cheap.

ETA: Sometimes the colour when wet doesn't match up to the colour when dry, too. Particularly with the shades of brown.

3. Standard Faber Castell aquarelles - you can get a packet of 24 of these for about $20. I like them because they're a weaker pigment, and I can use them for shading, or for washes of colour. But I don't use them too often. I actually really like their shade of black, because it's a weaker black, and that's better for animals with black fur, generally.

Um, if you want to know about general coloured pencils too, let me know! I tend to stick to Faber Castell Polychromos, Derwent Artists and Derwent Studio, with some cheaper Faber Castell standard pencils as well.

[sarah_tv]

Oh no! I just was curious, because I use Watercolor pencils to, and was doing note comparing. :) I like the Derwent Watercolor pencils, although at times they tend to be undersaturated. I probably just am not applying enough when I lay them down though.

The pencils I'm loving at the moment are the Derwent Inktense pencils. They leave birght and loud vibrant colors when moistened and give me better coverage, I feel. I tend to like them a lot.

The one set that I never did like was the Derwent Aquatone. Not that they are bad, and they're nice if you want to feel like your painting with crayons... but I just didn't like the color as well as their mainline Watercolor pencils.

I'm starting to take a fancy to Faber Castell's materials though. I am starting to appreciate their quality. Anyone that can make better markers then Prisma I'm happy with, really.

Thank you for taking the time to talk shop!

[moonvoice]

Inktense are quite hard to get here, but I've got two or three shades; I like how bright they are, but don't use them often for my work, since I tend to prefer to get higher saturation by layering coloured pencil over watercolour later, it seems to add depth.