I think this one is done. I forgot what I intended to do here... other than using watercolor as a base and coming in with oil pastels to finish... and it shows. The figures are quite backlit and I kept going with the watercolor until all that was left were some highlights. Oil pastels do work for adding highlights, but not as well as leaving the highlights to begin with. Also, I tried to make the foliage lighter and brighter with the pastels; I was only semi-successful there. But it's not a total loss. I got some good ideas for other things to try, so stay tuned.
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| 9" x 12" |
I've been Zoom-Arting with a niece this week. Because the projects are quick, I've been trying art supplies from the bottom of bags and the backs of drawers. Here's a sketch from a B&W magazine, using only pencil. I like it a lot more than I thought I would.
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| 4.5" x 4.5" |
Another B&W magazine picture, but this time, I tested some water-soluble oil pastels from a kit. I know... water-soluble oils? But yes, these go on like oil pastels and they move with a wet brush. I only had 5 very pastel shades in my sampler pack, but I like these a lot and plan to get more. If you're interested, they are by Cretacolor and called Aquastic.
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| 8" x 5" |
Remember the black watercolor paper I had? It didn't really work for watercolors... unless they were light and/or had a good bit of white in them. But it occurred to me that some of my newer media might be a better fit, so I pulled out every art supply I could think of. Oil pastels are a great choice... as is a cheap "rainbow pencil" that I got at a museum gift shop so long ago the brand is worn off. Even graphite has potential. I foresee hours of fun in my future.
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| 10" x 8" |
I'm adding this one just because I rather like it. It's one of the Zoom-Art pieces; the result of a challenge to see who could draw the most ladybugs. I lost the challenge (I knew I should have made them smaller!), but the colors are lovely (even more glowing in real life than on the screen).
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| 9" x 12" |
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Even if the trappings are different this year, the sentiment is the same.
I'm going to have to give first place to those rosy beetles. The scene with the blue people is Hopperesque in that I am sure there is some story going on there but i am not sure what it is. None of my business but (why does the word but always follow the phrase none of my business?), I don't understand why you all go in for all these different media. Don't you find it distracting? I stick with the tried and true, 18x24 Strathmore and cheap paint. Ok I have started using those pencils lately, but you know that is the exception that proves the rule. Yeah that's what it is.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I like the bugs, too. I knocked them off in about 20 minutes, yet they look better than things I labor over for hours! I tend to play with new media and supports when I'm at a standstill and don't know what to do next. It's like breathing space... and I think it gives my brushstrokes and color choices some new vigor when I go back to my next watercolor series. Or maybe I'm just trying to use up old supplies, who can tell?!
DeleteWay to go Elaine! Interesting idea with the watercolored background and oil pasteled figures. You made the figures look painterly, albeit more vivid. I luv the strength of your mark-making in the pencil drawing. So you did find some water soluble oil pastels. How strange. And your black paper experiments are exciting. You can do a lot of cool stuff by using white prismacolor pencil to do a reverse value study and then overlay whatever prismacolor pencils you want to use to finish it. The other thing that works well on black paper is gouache paints. But the ladybugs, they are most excellent and too much fun, all those reds...
ReplyDeleteI thought the ladybugs were leaves! But I agree they are lovely. I like the rainbow pencil and the oil pastels on the black paper. Didn’t Pat do mandalas on black paper? the water soluble oil pastels don’t look that much different from the watercolor pencils...your pencil sketch is fabulous...the oil pastel/watercolor combo just doesn’t translate for me. Maybe it’s the virtual image, but it looks like gouache & watercolor...but I applaud your experiments. I’m half way between you and Ken. I stick to my tried & true methods with occasional forays into experimentation. I get very excited about new media but then overwhelmed by the challenge of learning to use it. It’s hard to let go of wanting to control the outcome.
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