I went to an art group meeting on Monday. As I was sitting there, I drew some sketches of people around me. The sketches were drawn on the handout that we were given. I did have my sketchbook in hand so I don't know why I didn't use that. I cut out the people and pasted them in my book this morning. (As always, the sketches are just for fun and aren't meant to make fun of anyone.) I keep thinking that I am a good candidate for colored pencils. I am attracted to the precision of the results and the different blending techniques and they would be great to travel with. The drawback for me though is that I have old lady hands and arms. My hands tend to hurt after too much fine motor movement. (I don't know what else to call this.) Same thing with my forearms and the tops of my arms. (I also think I am a good candidate for those rubber exercise bands.) Anyway, I just used colored pencils from the drugstore. They are a set of Crayolas and I suspect that they have a very high wax content and very little pigmentation. (Woe to the unsuspecting budding young artist whose Mom or Dad chooses these pencils!) I like the idea of this medium though and may look into it a little further. There are different techniques for using them which I don't know about yet (obviously, look at my sketches!) and it could be fun. I do have a book on botanical illustrations which talks a little bit about using pencils so who knows?
In the meantime though, I am still working on my painting for this week. I am hoping to be done by Friday and to post the results. Hope everyone is having a creative week so far. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Libby
I'm very familiar with the old lady hands and arms. Sometimes a different position/elevation of the surface helps--lap desk is always better for me than a table for writing or drawing. Not always possible of course.
ReplyDeletePain is one of the things I seem to be able to tune out when I am painting or drawing (and machine quilting, too). Can't claim to be able to tune it out for all my other activities, however, which is a serious bummer at times. My mind has to be really engaged, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking the other day that I hadn't dabbled with my color pencils in a while. I like the immediacy of them! And I like what you've done with them in your sketches. Crayola or not :)
Hey Libby, I recognize Loretta and one of the gentlemen in blue. Glad you got something out of the meeting! No demo was a really bummer!
ReplyDeleteHey, Libby. I always love your people sketches! I do like colored pencils and have a few sets of watercolor colored pencils which you can use lightly and then add a tiny bit of water on a brush and the colors blend and intensify, giving a watercolor look. My favorite brand is Derwent, but another ProArt set is just as nice. BTW, thanks for linking me to that wonderful Matisse book on Amazon. I do love his work!!
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