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Tackling birds in coloured pencil (1 Viewer)

L

Liquid Len

Well-known member
Finally got around to posting my own thread after 3 years(!), prompted by Phil C's use of coloured pencils. Good to see someone else striking out with a much underrated medium. Here's a rough 'layout' scan of a piece prepared for future publication that I have completed recently (with apologies to those who have already seen it). I'd be grateful for some feedback from others out there doing similar things. Coloured pencil is a 'clean' medium which gives precise control and is satisfying to use but does have it's drawbacks. I'd be happy to trade tips and experiences if anyone is interested? Why not give them a try, they're not just 'kid's stuff!
 

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Hi len thats a stunning one sir great detail ,shows what you can achieve with pencils. as i am just starting out you might be able to point me in the right direction as i am attempting sketches have coloured pencils/charcoal.once again great piece of work
george
 
Liquid Len said:
Finally got around to posting my own thread after 3 years(!), prompted by Phil C's use of coloured pencils. Good to see someone else striking out with a much underrated medium. Here's a rough 'layout' scan of a piece prepared for future publication that I have completed recently (with apologies to those who have already seen it). I'd be grateful for some feedback from others out there doing similar things. Coloured pencil is a 'clean' medium which gives precise control and is satisfying to use but does have it's drawbacks. I'd be happy to trade tips and experiences if anyone is interested? Why not give them a try, they're not just 'kid's stuff!
Click to expand...


wow, what a fantastic pic. I've been using pencils for many years in my notebooks -it's the only medium I use. Although I've upped my game (by spending more time on the sketches) I don't have anything approaching this!
 
Wonderful piece, Len! I have used colored pencils for bird sketches, though nothing as finished as this piece is. I particularly like how CP's work with Moleskine sketchbook (not watercolor) paper. I much prefer Faber Castell pencils to Prismacolors - Prismas tend to break internally and cause issues, whereas Faber Castell's are bonded the whole length of the 'lead' and don't have this issue at all.

Hope to see more of your work.
 
Very fine work! O:) I've just bought a bunch of good coloured pencil. I think they are good. How many colours are useful?

Greetings,
Ulrike O:)
 
Hi Len and welcome nice to see you here
I use them now and then.
this is a pic. done a few years ago, hope you dont mind me posting it on your thread
 

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I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, but do enjoy other peoples work. I think this is outstanding!
 
Many thanks ...

... for the kind words to all who responded.

ARTHUR BISHOP said:
Hi Len and welcome nice to see you here
I use them now and then.
this is a pic. done a few years ago, hope you dont mind me posting it on your thread
Click to expand...

Post away Arthur - the more the merrier! Your Bee-eater drawing already shows a good understanding of how to handle coloured pencils. Its all about layering and blending, which is done actually on the paper and not on a pallete as in painting.

As with most things in life, you tend to get what you pay for; always buy the best that you can afford and 'try before you buy' - not everyone gets on well with the same tools! I use Derwent Studio and Caran d"Ache Prismalo as the slightly waxy Dewents seem to complement the harder, 'drier' Prismalos. I'd be happy to post some 'work in progress' and chat further about techniques if there is interest? I'm no expert myself, but will gladly pass on what I know.

LL
 
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Terrific work, Len - and I'm sure any tips and discussion points you can raise would be more than welcome down here in the basement. Let's se a WIP too, if you get the chance.
 
Hi Len,
Yep, I'm looking forward to seeing your CP work. See my comments on Phil Carter's thread. It's a medium I very much like but haven't a clue out to use. I did some luaghable efforts in China a few years back which I'll dig out for some more chuckles.

Russ
 
All it takes is a handful of carefully chosen pencils and a pad and you have the makings of a portable field sketching kit, with no water to carry - and, you don't have the all the clearing up to do that you have with paints! One thing to remember is, you very rarely get the colour that you're after straight out of the tin. Overlaying and blending colours in different ways enables you to mix colours but it takes a bit of practice. For 'finished' art, I draw on polyester drafting (mylar) film which has a number of advantages over paper when used with pencils - it won't tear; it's translucent and, if you buy the right stuff, it's double-sided. It also has its disadvantages - it can be a bit expensive but shopping around on a well-known internet auction site can pay dividends. Neither does it take any sort of water-based media, other than perhaps gouache, but this can be good for putting in highlights. I'll try to stick in some 'work in progress' next post to give an idea of how it works - or not, as is sometimes the case!

(BTW Russ, you're not a thousand miles from me there in South Yorks!)

LL
 
This reminds me of a woman at the Launceston Camer Club, she used to shoot in monochrome (correct term for black and white), then spend hours coluring, the results were amazing.
 
Hi Len, nice to see someone championing the coloured pencil.

I used cp's exclusively for years and was always frustrated by the apparent non-acceptance of the medium. I'm sure it stems from the fact that kids get coloured pencils after their first crayon sets and therefore, people think that work in the medium is not done by serious artists.

I was a founding member of the UKCPS which was set up to promote and get recognition for artists working in colour pencil, they still try to do that now. If you're not a member already it may be worth your while looking into it.

Kodatrace is a lovely surface to work on in cp, it feels like working on silk. I like the use of drawing on both sides to knock back the background too.

These days I've found my way with acrylics and I don't do much with the cp,s anymore so it makes a nice change to see your work here. More please!

Mike
 
Thanks Woody; have thought about UKCPS before but never pursued it; I may just revisit. You've got it! K-Trace, Polydraw or similar will do the trick. As you say, the film takes the pencil in a 'silky' almost sexy way;)

The pics enclosed show another piece which is a bit more advanced than intended. Pic 1 shows it at it's current state of completion and pic 2 shows the film turned back to show the line drawing that its based on, on papaer beneath. That's the beauty of using a translucent support; no outlines are required as the colour is applied using the drawing beneath as a guide, rather like an advanced form of 'painting by numbers'. As Woody rightly says, the background can then be completed on the rear of the film and it's translucency 'knocks it back' - a neat little trick.

Sorry my posts are few and far between by the way, due to work and the usual family ties; I don't know how you all manage to post so frequently given the prodigious output of some of you! Will try and post again soon.

LL
 

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