Photo of the day.

[moonvoice]

Organising a Colour Story





I prefer to get all the colours I need first, rather than picking as I need them. This forces me to think about how I want the piece to appear once finished, and allows me to make a more balanced selection. This is a little more than I generally pick, but to get nuances of pale blue, I generally need a more sophisticated palette.

This is in the watercolour pencil stage, where I'm mostly using Derwent Watercolour pencils (I prefer these for - what I feel - are their superior grain, colour spectrum, pigmentation and then their ability to hold well onto paper). I've also got a few Polychromos in there (the cream Polychromos by Faber Castell is probably the nicest, strongest cream I've ever used in a watercolour pencil).

At the very very top you can see my favourite shade of blue is about to run out! As is my cream Polychromos (never fear, I always have two back ups).

Comments

[jenniology]

I do that, too. There is something lovely about starting out with picking your colours.

[silverjackal]

Very interesting! ;D I'm actually curious, being unfamiliar with watercolour pencils -- the texture of the lead (I know it's not lead but I don't know what else to call it) looks different than on a standard pencil. Are they softer?

[moonvoice]

The texture of the lead is generally softer, though the degree really depends on the pencil. I've used regular pencils that had softer leads (the dismal Prismacolor that everyone else seems to love). I prefer less crumbly, and more 'smooth and creamy' in terms of softness. Derwents are pretty good for that.

That said, I sharpen all my pencils with a stanley blade so I can shape them how I want them (I haven't used a pencil sharpener for anything other than an eyebrow pencil for about 10 years). So that might be influencing the appearance of the leads.

[outlineofash]

Thank you for sharing this! I love seeing the processes of artists.

[darakat]

Oooh its good to know that about watercolour pencils, I think Watercolours Pencils are awesome, watercolor paints I can do without they never work for me. Backups = win.

[ariestess]

What a great picture!

And a quick question for you re: a comment above. Is it just the Prismacolor watercolor pencils that you don't like, or the whole line? I'm curious, as shatterpath swears by the Prismacolor pencils. Plus, I've somehow lost whatever watercolor pencils I did have, and am looking to replace them when I get some money coming in.

[moonvoice]

Actually, I don't mean Prismacolor watercolours (haven't tried them), I mean regular Prismacolors. I can't stand them, and I think they're too much like crayons, very waxy, and hard to blend. They have some good pigmentation going for them, but that's not enough for me if every other quality that I'm looking for (including wood quality for sharpening purposes) is compromised.

If I want to work in crayons; I'll work in crayons. :/

[ariestess]

Really? Then again, before shatterpath introduced me to Prismacolors, my idea of good colored pencils was Crayola. *g*

[sarah_tv]

... I'm sorry. Can't read.... Staring at pretty pencils... <3

But, seriously, I sometimes organize before I start painting, too. I just like colors, that's all.