Treehouse - Many Months in the Making
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@PenAndrew yes, I’ve never attended university before, and I’ve been a part of SVS for a year and a half now, and I’ve learned so much here. I crave learning all the things… probably more than I have time for.
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@AngelinaKizz Yes, I had this feeling with learning in the past and in the end I could not see anything through in terms of trying to learn online. Then I forced myself to narrow down my courses to things I really wanted to learn, that linked to the arts and teaching. I then found I could learn tonnes more and saw many courses through from beginning to end. I also had to learn what was really important and what was just an interest.
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@AngelinaKizz @PenAndrew I love this whole conversation! It's so refreshing to find you guys and this community who is just so eager to learn.
Not to throw anyone under the bus, but I've been part of a critique group (not affiliated with SVS in any way) for the last 6 months, and they haven't exactly met my expectations on this topic in particular.
I've found that it's somewhat easy to find people who say they want to illustrate for kids but its extremely difficult to find folks who are actually serious about what that means - actively pursuing and embracing everything there is to learn about it.
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@AngelinaKizz I have had a lot of problems with my prismacolor pencils. Just like you said, they break so easily and some are a nightmare to sharpen. Some were even broken when I opened the box. I have always loved the way they blend, so its good to know there are some better options!
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@PenAndrew A lot of this hit me like a tonne of bricks when I first started taking it more seriously. It can be very overwhelming and easy to start doubting yourself (I hear it in you - hahaha) so focus on the exciting part. Never stop learning, and have fun a long the way. I say this because I have a lot of anxiety and I am seriously hard on myself, so remember you're not the only one who feels like they have holes in their knowledge. I am telling this to myself just as much as I am to you!
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@AlliFaith
My daughter is almost 8 and she’s incredibly artistic. I think soon she’ll be showing me the ropes. She’s got perspective skills, shading and light, it’s beyond my comprehension how she’s just got it figured out. So she wanted mommy’s pencils. I don’t want to buy her crayolas, as I think working with nice supplies is really beneficial when you’re serious about your arts, however because she’s so young, I didn’t want to spend 100s yet. So i bought her castle pencils, and honestly, I think they’re quite comparable to prismacolor. I enjoy using them with her, they’re creamy, they’re blendable, they’re quite vibrant… I doubt they have any lightfast rating to them, but my daughter isn’t selling art so that wasn’t a necessary feature to look for. If you’re wanting to try a different budget friendly colored pencil, I’m really impressed with castle. -
@AngelinaKizz I recently discovered castle! I bought a watercolor pencil set and I was quite impressed with the quality for such a price. I don't work with pencils like I used to because of my arthritis, but I like them for little details. And I agree about using quality products when you're serious. I learned that the hard way as I ruined a lot of nice pieces with sub-par materials.
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@AngelinaKizz I too am a traditional artist, and with years of colored pencil use I have found the same results, unfortunately, with Prismacolor... way back in the day when they were good, they were excellent and first choice in layering and blending. Now, they break all the time and it is soooo frustrating... omg. I have decided I love FaberCastell Polychromos as well, Derwent too, and being oil based I am ok with that. I have also discovered using a solvent to assist in blending is so fun to play with. It is essential to know how much Gamsol to use though, it can ruin the image if you use too much, so it requires some small dipping of your brush, then dab on a paper towel until you have the right amount.
Definitely fun once you get the swing of things...This image I drew on marker paper because didn't want too much of the Gamsol to spread yet I wanted enough absorbance of the pigment to do its magic. I also love you can add dark charcoal over the top which is tough if you use wax based Prismacolors. Maybe Prismacolor will figure out they should go back to the original design and get their **##&%@ together LOL
Erin Richardson
instagram.com/erinrichardsondesigns21
www.erinrichardsondesigns.com -
@AngelinaKizz Wow what a brilliant young lady!
That is so cool that you can share your passion with her. Thanks for sharing this! -
@ArtistErin very lovely drawing! Thanks so much for this info - I have a really dumb question. Years ago I used a super cheap method of blending with baby oil and a q-tip which was a fun experimental thing to do, but obviously not the most professional.
Do you use Gamsol in the same sort of way? Like you'd brush it on once you've put all the layers of colored pencil down and blend things that way?
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@Kristen-Lango thank you so much Kristen! I have Derwent Inktense and Graphitint which I need to experiment with more
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@AlliFaith Yes Thanks for the encouragement and you are right I doubt myself a lot, though I think I am beginning to change in regards to art and being an artist.
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@ArtistErin Lovely image Erin, it seems there are many of us using pencils in some way or another. It is great to see what you can do with pencils What type did you use for this image?
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@Kristen-Lango Thanks for your enthusiasm too. I am now on my way to submitting 2 images for the contest and that's partly due to all of your encouragement and helpful advice. So, thanks everyone for providing a safe environment to take a risk or two, or three!
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@ArtistErin
Nice work! I’d love to see more! -
@PenAndrew That is so awesome to hear! Can't wait to see both of your pieces
I feel the same way about this forum as a safe space to take risks, happy to have people to share that with 
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@Kristen-Lango Yes, tomorrow you can see, I am waiting to finish the second, maybe adding a few little creatures as I feel the treehouse feels empty of life.
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@Kristen-Lango No question is a dumb question! Although I say this, I also feel sometimes my own questions are silly and I try to figure things out on my own, yet things really do go faster if I just ask people that know. That is why we are all here together, helping each other!
Art to me is experimental to keep things fun I suppose, and that's how we learn... I've heard of artists using baby oil to blend pastels and charcoal however the cool thing about Gamsol is it's a solvent and "melts" the pigment in colored pencils, rendering the surface workable to allow more layers without destroying the paper. I imagine baby oil never dries totally so you are left with a "grease ring" around your image. So, starting out your composition with a generally clear idea of your color palette (ie skin tones are a mix of yellows, pinks, and browns, etc.) start in very light applications, going in circular motions (don't fill in straight lines or you'll have streaking) then lightly apply the gamsol to a q-tip or a brush, fill in only the section you are currently working. The gamsol melts the pigment and dries fairly quickly. Make sure your workspace is ventilated because gamsol is a solvent, however it's probably the safest on the market.
The attached image I did before I started with SVS, practicing portraits from a photo online to try to get the feel of the direction I wanted to go, and came to the conclusion I'd rather go the children's book route. Will always love colored pencil. It has its quirks however, and in doing this piece I think I was trying too hard! I want to achieve the softness of skin texture yet the graininess might be too much. So while I'm loving the versatility of digital and convenience of fixing mistakes and the incredible application of the various tools out there, I find I'm still not there as far as being satisfied with the results.
Anyway, this is such a great place to be where the feedback helps clarify what makes sense, anyone else feel the same split in how to move forward? Just knowing I'm not alone in this helps feel a little better!
Thanks you guys...
Erin Richardson
instagram.com/erinrichardsondesigns21
www.erinrichardsondesigns.com -
@PenAndrew I used mostly Faber Castell for this image however there were some browns I needed so I had to use my Prismacolor pencils for that. Of course the "fat over lean" rule applies, and it took some getting used to not applying too much gamsol especially if I have greens and blues over lighter tones. Muddying colors are tricky, especially when getting into the darks so the technique takes time and practice.
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@AngelinaKizz Thank you! Same here! Keep posting stuff:) your portraits are so good... you inspire me!
