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Ever want to paint but just feel too….
tired,
under the weather,
busy?
One of the reasons I chose watercolour as a medium in the first place is because it requires very little in the way of supplies, set up and clean up. Even so, there are times when I simply can’t be asked to get off the couch, painting urges notwithstanding.
I’d say that happens to all of us.
Sidenote - Often it’s fear masquerading as one of those things above, but that is the story of another blog… this one, in fact.
Either way, what’s a busy painter to do?
How about this…
Try Painting with Pencils!
Ok I know, it's not strictly painting, but please don’t think for one moment that working with pencils (coloured pencils, to be specific) in your sketchbook isn’t helping your painting.
I think it's a brilliant way to make painting easier and more fun when you finally get back to it.
Sketchbooks Make your Paintings Better
Any sort of sketchbook practice is fun in its own right and is using so many of the skills and techniques that we will need in painting. So working in your sketchbook even with dry media can ONLY make you a better painter.
One of the best things to do to improve your drawing skills is, unsurprisingly, to draw more. And you are more likely to do that if you allow yourself the grace to make whatever sort of sketch happens to appear in your sketchbook rather than having some grand expectations.
I like to think of it almost like sculpting. You start with rough shapes and outlines, adjust as you go and gradually build up more and more marks until you feel that the drawing is done. That means there is no need for your first mark to be perfect. Or the next or the next. You are free to iterate and tinker to your heart's content. Or not. You might even find the wonky drawings have the most charm and appeal.
I believe painting is simply drawing with a brush.
Even when we say we cant draw and start out painting by tracing I believe there are aspects of drawing that you employ when you render the traced image in paint.
But imagine how liberating and satisfying it would be to fearlessly complete a drawing or painting in your own hand from start to finish?
The sketchbook is the pathway that will get you there.
I feel so strongly about this that I make sure I do some work in my sketchbook for every series I create. Actually, we do it together in the Happy Painters’ Hub, where I choose a new subject every month and we paint a series together.
The series is in watercolour, but one of my favourite parts of the process is setting the series up for success by filling a few sketchbook pages on the theme of the month.
Find out more about the Happy Painters’ Hub Here
But Can You Erase Coloured Pencil?
Coloured pencils are not easily erasable although you can get some that are, but in a limited colour range.
The Prismacolour Colerase Pencils are an example if you are looking for something like that, but I would recommend going for the usual creamy coloured pencils (recommendations below) for the approach I am recommending here.)
The thing about this is to make it a virtue that you cannot erase, and take it as license to make extra marks - show all your workings, as the maths teachers used to say.
Abandon perfection and make as many lines in your drawing as you need to. You can finish your drawing by colouring it anyway so you might end up covering them anyway. But it's just a sketchbook so be free and make a mess.
Embrace the Humble Pencil and its Advantages
There is something delightful about the immediacy of drawing with colour. A pencil of any kind is an approachable sort of thing. It was the tool thrust into our chubby young fingers before we were old enough to start worrying about how ‘good’ the marks might make with them might be.
Now there’s an energy to channel…
There are so many ways to use each art supply, and coloured pencils are no exception.
You will find coloured pencil artists that lay down meticulous layers of coloured pencils and burnish them until they transform into something resembling paint. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, then do that, of course. But there are always other ways.
I have been finding that I like to use coloured pencils in the same sort of way that I use watercolour paint. A way I describe as loose and expressive. For me it feels very much like painting with pencils.
When I am painting with watercolour I try to think about varying my brush strokes. I’ve been doing the same thing with the pencils. Using the pencil in different ways to make different marks creates different textures - just like paint. Well, not exactly like paint obviously, but I find the same joyful spirit of exploration and mark making is possible even with the humble pencil.
I will always love my watercolour paint. It has magic that is inimitable. However coloured pencils have a few advantages all their own.
Here are my top 3 advantages of coloured pencils:
Sheer simplicity - all you need is the sketchbook, pencils and a sharpener
Easier to draw ‘on location’ (for me this often means on the couch in front of the tv 😉)
Dry media means less chance of making a mess (although I can probably find a way)
I also think it is easier to take a break without worrying about spoiling the chances of fresh wet into wet techniques. That means that if you know you are likely to be interrupted coloured pencils are ideal. You can pick them up and put them down without interrupting the flow and messing up your control over the dampness of the paper - which can be really important in watercolour painting.
What Pencils and Sketchbooks do You Need?
Unlike watercolour, coloured pencils are very tolerant of a variety of paper. In fact you can use plain old copier paper if you like. That means you can use a very inexpensive sketchbook if you are not planning to use any wet media.
Sketchbook papers all have a slightly different tooth - that’s the texture. You will find some that are much smoother, like slippery silk.
Like this one, which is the one I used in my little garden sketch.
Others have a much rougher texture that can start to approach watercolour paper (even if its still not suitable for watercolour.) The texture of the paper will also make a difference to your coloured pencil results.
More textured paper will take more pigment allowing you to layer your colours a bit more.
The first layers will have a slightly speckled quality where the raised bits on the surface are the only ones that catch the colour. The recesses in the paper will remain white giving you a speckled effect reminiscent of dry brush effect.
I used this little tiny sketchbook which has a bit more tooth as you can see from the more textured results.
See how many similarities there are to painting?
Experiment with different papers and see what you enjoy working on. That is all that really matters in your sketchbook.
Coloured Pencils are available in a huge range from very inexpensive children’s ranges to deluxe artist quality ones. The best ones to choose are the ones that feel good to use.
Do you enjoy the experience of sliding the creamy tip across the page? That is how you know the pencil is good enough.
I find that Staedler have a nice inexpensive range of good quality like these, but bear in mind that in different parts of the world these products are priced differently and you may have something else available to you.
On the more expensive side my current set is Prismacolour Premier. They are the ones you see me using. I bought a big set with loads of colours many many years ago and have loved them ever since.
The difference between the artist and student versions is often that creaminess.
On my wishlist at the moment is the Caran D’Ache Luminance. In my part of the world they are alarmingly expensive but I have heard that they are buttery soft and that is something I love. My plan is to get a few colours in the loose stock so that I can see for myself.
And that’s my recommendation, if you are unsure which pencils to get. See if you can find loose stock because you can do so much with a limited colour range…. Just like paint! I wrote more about that in this post.
With only a few colours from a few ranges, you will have a marvellous time filling sketchbooks and discovering your favourite pencils. (Not to mention improving your painting skills, all at the same time)
The best way to see what you really enjoy using is to actually use them in your current sketchbook. Once you have created a couple of pages using individual colours from different brands in the loose stock you will have a much better idea about which ones you might want more of, or even splash out and get a big set.
Oh, one last thought.
Do you have watercolour pencils in your stash?
Don’t forget that activating them with water is not an imperative. Watercolour pencils can be used dry as coloured pencils and actually there are some artists who choose them specifically with the intention of using them dry because they like the way they feel on the paper.
So you may already have more than enough in your current supplies to grab your sketchbook right now and start painting drawing.
Wishing you delightful sketchbook sessions painting with your coloured pencils!
Are you on your own painting journey?
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