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WORKING COLOURED PENCIL WITH OTHER MEDIA

There is a step by step illustration of the process of working through a picture using pastel and coloured pencil

‘THE ARCHWAY’  which is  covered on the  Page linked to this.  There is also an additional exercise of a cottage entrance.

Latest revision  January 2012

There are several options for Mixed Media with Coloured Pencil

These were explored in the day course I ran at Knuston Hall in April 2011.

The notes below were developed for that course

THERE IS A SUMMARY BELOW - AND MORE DETAILS ON SOME COMBINATIONS of MEDIA

IN THE NEXT SUB SECTION -  ‘CP and ......’

 

We will look at CP with Pastel

CP with Watercolour (inc watercolour pencils )

CP with Ink and Acrylic

Other CP Mixed Media alternatives

 

PASTEL & CP   

There are a lot of advantages with this option. Both mediums are dry and are blended on the working surface.

They do, however, have very different appearances and respond to handling in a different way

Primarily,  Pastel makes an excellent base for CP once it is 'Fixed'. The surface provides a smooth yet absorbent layer that has just the right grip on the dry wax based pencil

      The rule is - Use pastel first and CP on the top.  It doesn’t work the other way round.

 

Hard Pastel and Pastel Pencil

Hard pastel sticks are usually those produced by pencil manufacturers and the medium is generally the same formula as that used for the core of pastel pencils.

Soft and hard pastel have their own individual advantages.  Hard Pastel sticks are less messy than the more common soft pastel

and produce a sharper and firmer line on the paper.

Soft pastel produces a more gentle result and the higher pigment level ( and lower level of filler) makes soft pastel the medium of choice for portrait artists and those wanting a softer effect

 

Notes on using Pastel as a base for CP

You will need a blob of white tac/blue tac to keep your hands clean - Pastel dust has a habit of covering every surface as well as the painted one. Hard pastel is the cleaner option, but you will still get some dust on your hands and the ball of blue/white tac held in your palm whilst working will enable you to keep the dust on your hands to a low level.

Manufacturers such as Cretacolour make available a hard pastel holder which is a metal sleeve the size of the cross section of the pastel stick and works similar to a simple metal propelling pencil. This works, but the fuss of reloading a fresh stick each time you change colour, makes the option more of a task than a benefit.

 

Layer light or white Pastel under other colours if you wish to preserve lightness.

You will find it difficult to recover white over another colour unless you used white first, as the white pigment powder will simply make a light blend  if placed on the top of a darker colour

Dark will go over light, but like using white, tends to produce a blend rather than a crisp dark.  

The best darks go over other darks

 

It is easier to blend adjacent colours from the colour wheel than contrasting colours which will tend to cancel each other out and result in dirty greys and browns.

 

Lay down the basic shapes and tones with pastel.  Don't try to do detail – that is the work of the Coloured Pencil which will come later.

 

Your pastel will very quickly establish the image and enable some delicate shades of colour to be produced.

 

FIX your image with a spray.  

The spray should be used outdoors or in a very well ventilated space. Give the surface two or three coats to lock down the loose pastel.

Don’t be tempted to use a cheap aerosol hairspray as fixative, it will fix the pastel but darken it and also result in early breakdown of the fixed surface.  Hairspray is not an archival material.

 

Work your CP over the top of the pastel using a sheet of protective paper under your hand to avoid scuffing the lower surface.

I have an ‘L’ shaped piece of clear plastic that is ideal for protecting the surface below. It can be held in place by a couple of pieces of tape or tac, and you can see the whole picture through the plastic and work within the open area of the plastic shape.

 

The fixed pastel surface provides a quick base for the CP and also produces excellent backgrounds.  

If you haven’t tried it, I strongly recommend that you give it a go.

 

THERE ARE STEP BY STEP EXAMPLES OF PASTEL UNDER CP ON THE ADJOINING PAGES

 

As alternatives

Watercolour is transparent so will lightly tint the working surface

( and there are several ways to use Watercolour )

You can use Acrylic if you use it very thinly (and avoid a glossy acrylic)  

Gouache is opaque and will produce a final surface similar to pastel.

Coloured Ink is another option –

    and usually has the benefit of being permanent ( like acrylic )

 

 

WATERCOLOUR & CP  

My preferred option is to use watercolour pencils to establish the initial colour wash to the paper. You can easily use traditional watercolour from tube or pan if you prefer. The pigment is the same.  I prefer to use the same colour choice that I will use later from the pencils and often use the Caran d’Ache Supracolour Watercolour pencils to produce the wash and then use the same pencils for the dry colour.

 

Below is a sample of this process where Supracolour was used for the initial wash and for the finished work.

Left is the initial stage - the wash of pencil colour over the original drawing. The graphite pencil is erased later

- right is the finished picture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture would be acceptable in open competition as a ‘Pure’ Coloured Pencil work

 

WATERCOLOUR PENCIL WASH PROCEDURE

Take powder from the pencil tip using a craft knife

Mix to a thin wash on a dish palette or on a large white plate

( You are better using two layers of thinner colour than one thicker one )

Apply loosely with a brush

This option is ideal for backgrounds and for establishing the shapes on the paper which can later be refined and corrected with CP

You can erase any graphite pencil lines selectively once the watercolour layer is dry and use the watercolour wash image as your guide for the CP.

 

MOISTENED DRY PIGMENT PROCEDURE

Alternatively you can apply light even shading of colour directly on to the paper with your watercolour pencils.  

AVOID firm lines at all costs as these will bed into the paper and be almost impossible to lift or soften with water later.

Your shading needs to be evenly and lightly applied.

Masking Fluid can be used to reserve white areas, but there is also a possibility of using a soft CP white wax pencil ( Coloursoft etc )

to lay down a protective skin of wax on areas of the paper, this can be erased later after the wash has been applied, to reveal the white surface underneath.  

You will need to test this out with your own choice of paper/white pencil/watercolour pencil wash, as there are many differences between brands and some work better than others.

 

TRADITIONAL WATERCOLOUR

Broadly speaking, the process for using washes based on Watercolour pencils is the method to use with traditional pan or tube watercolour

 

 

OTHER WATER BASED MEDIA

 

INK  Features

    1  Permanency of colour

   2  Edges of the coloured area are more intense

   3  But beware some fugitive colours

   4  Fine marker pens offer a contrasting line which can be very effective when CP is applied over the top

 

ACRYLIC  Features  

     1   Permanency with strong colours

    2  You need to keep surfaces and brushes moist as once it dries, acrylic is locked to the surface. Brushes can become sticks.

    3   White acrylic can provide an excellent base for working on black paper - especially for images involving glass

    4   Most brands will work with CP but it is well worth testing first.

    5   I have found the more liquid brands of acrylics work best ( for me ).

               I use Chromacolor and ProColor ( from the same Canadian factory ). It works well on paper and prepared board.  

              Don’t try it on canvas or canvas board if you are going to use CP on the top.  I use a heavyweight hot pressed paper.

 

OTHER MEDIA

 

GOUACHE

Water based paint similar in many ways to watercolour, but with a high level of body colour in the mixture which gives it a chalky opaque look.  When dry it has much the same surface as fixed pastel.  Designer Gouache was developed for illustrators to use for advertising artwork which would be used once for producing litho plates and then destroyed.  Designer Gouache colours are often not very lightfast, but they do work as a base for CP.  BEWARE that layers of dark colours over light and light over dark can result in bleeding of colour from one layer through to another if the earlier layer is still damp. Gouache is not as stable a surface as Acrylic and water in a later layer can damp down to lower levels if several layers of paint are used.

 

GRAPHITE  

Using a hard graphite pencil will prove more successful than a soft one under CP as the soft graphite will tend to smudge and smear as CP is applied on the top.

The very fine line shading and hatching from a hard graphite pencil can contrast well with soft colour shading from CP.

Bear in mind that Derwent manufacture ‘Graphitint’ which is a useful variant on Graphite that includes a water soluble colour pigment.

The original formula had a large number of low lightfast colours, but the modern variety of Graphitint is more durable.

Under CP the Graphitint should be even more stable.

FOR MORE ON GRAPHITE WITH Coloured Pencil - see next Sub Section ‘CP and ....’  Where there is more on this Topic

 

OIL PAINT  Has anybody tried it ?  My First impression is that it would be a non starter.

However,I understand a number of USA based artists have been experimenting and using a heated tablet to work on which melts the wax as well as softening the oil paint

Just as you can't successfully use Acrylic paint over oil paint ( but you can use oils over acrylic ), I would expect the soft slow drying oil surface to be an unsuccessful base for CP.  It would seem not

Tell me if you have any more information.

 

COLLAGE   I haven't tried it, but I believe that excellent results can be achieved.

An 'old' or unsuccessful painting can be used as a base and a light coat of gesso applied to dull the base colours before layers of thin tissue or rice paper are applied whilst the gesso is still wet.  With the original image still just visible, you can then work CP into the hardened paper surface.  

Another variant I have seen is the application of CP over layers of cut and torn magazine content with typeface still visible.  The typeface can be at all angles but the object is to look for colour and pattern and apply the base of cut and torn paper to the foundation.  

These paper scraps can be secured with a PVA adhesive and I am told that provided that the final finish of the base is not glossy, either Wax CP or even watercolour pencil colour can be applied on the top.  I have had no experience, and would be interested to know more.

 

 

NOTE -  In the past, I have made several attempts to explain the position of how Mixed Media is regarded by the rules of the Coloured Pencil Societies and each attempt has read as even more confusing.  I have now placed the item at the foot of this page so that it does not interfere with your reading of the notes below.  The Rulings on Mixed and ‘Pure’ Media ONLY APPLY TO ARTISTS ENTERING COMPETITIVE EXHIBITIONS FOR THOSE SOCIETIES.  If you are not entering exhibitions for those societies, you can please yourself what you use.

The note below relates only to those who intend to enter exhibitions mounted by the UKCPS and CPSA. The original note here has been re-written to try and make more sense of the situation for those who have not exhibited before.

The position is confusing and trying to explain it, can be even more confusing !!

WHAT IS A ‘PURE’ COLOURED PENCIL and WHAT IS ‘MIXED MEDIA’ WHEN CONSIDERING COLOURED PENCIL ?

 

The specifications are laid down by the two major Coloured Pencil Societies for managing entry into their Exhibitions.  

You only need concern yourself with this area if you propose to enter an exhibition at some future time.

Whilst I may appear critical of the rules, it is entirely a matter for the Societies to set the conditions of entry to their exhibitions, and whilst they may be confusing and illogical, the societies have every right to establish whatever rules they see fit.

 

The CPSA in America set a very simple requirement for entry and state that :

• Media must be 100% colored pencil. Use of any other media (watercolor, acrylic, oil, ink, etc.) or artist prepared surface disqualifies entry.

• Acceptable additions: solvents (e.g., turpentine) and graphite pencil used under/between/over layers.

• Artwork must be two-dimensional on a single surface. No collage or montage.

• Artwork must have been completed after a set date for each exhibition and not previously hung in any CPSA exhibition (International or Explore This!).

• Concept, design and execution of the artwork shall be solely that of the artist. No work copied from copyrighted or published materials.

    No images produced by drawing over a digital reproduction allowed. No prints. No col­laborations.

This sounds simple, and it is.  It does however beg the question as to what is ‘100% Colored Pencil’.  I discuss this below.

The CPSA also run an annual ‘Explore This’ Exhibition which is designated for a wider cross section of media.

The entry rules for this are much broader and specify only that the work should be completed in Coloured Pencil and can include Mixed Media.  I don’t have an up to date entry form for this so I can’t quote the exact terms.  If you are in the USA, check the position.

 

The United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society are far more prescriptive in their conditions of entry:

Pure Coloured Pencil Exhibition

Eligible:

# Coloured Pencils and crayons that are wax-based, oil-based or water-soluble (e.g. Caran d’Ache  Neocolor II or Derwent Aquatone)

# Graphite pencil used in moderation under or between layers of coloured pencil

# Solvents or water used to dissolve the pencil

# Manufactured coloured support (paper, board etc.) ·

# Artist prepared uniform white background (eg gesso)

Ineligible:

# Pastel, acrylic, oil, ink, watercolour and any other medium which is not pure coloured pencil

# Collage, montage, three-dimensional work

BUT NOTE - The rules are changing and I believe that Neocolor and also Inktense may be excluded in the future ( noted January 2012)

Mixed Media Exhibition (Coloured pencil with other mediums)

Eligible:

# Coloured Pencils and crayons that are wax-based, oil-based or water-soluble (e.g. Caran d‟che Neocolor II or Derwent Aquatone) where these are the predominant medium.

# Solvents or water used to dissolve the pencil

# Must include one or more other mediums providing it is less than 50% of the completed work.

BUT NOTE - rules are changing in 2012 or 2013 - I suggest you check if you are in any doubt.

 

THIS MAY SEEM QUITE CLEAR, but let me raise some questions ............

( We will disregard for the moment the fact that wood cased aquarelle pencils appear to be excluded from the above UKCPS list as only wood free soluble pencils are listed as examples). In fact all types of Aquarelle Coloured pencils have been accepted in the past.

Watercolour pencils are generally manufactured from the identical pigments and ingredients as traditional watercolour.  The pigment is simply made into a firmer mixture which will be contained in a wood case.  Aquarelle pencils can be used dry - as wax and oil based pencils are, and also used with water.  The painting process can be either to use the pigment dry and wet it on the paper, or make a mixture of pigment from the pencil with water and apply it to the paper with a brush. This latter process is acceptable as ‘Coloured Pencil’ as the pigment source is pencil based, but the identical process with the same ingredients from a traditional tube of watercolour is NOT.  The result is identical on the paper.

 

Secondly, The Societies specify that Coloured Pencils must be used.  Pastel pencils are   1/ Coloured    and 2/ pencils.  The CPSA does not define what a coloured pencil is in their entry rules and does not specifically exclude Pastel Pencils (though my expectation is that they do). However,the UKCPS specifically excludes pastel and I know from experience that this excludes pastel pencils.

 

Inktense pencils are water soluble and have been acceptable in the past as coloured pencils. The new Inktense blocks are made from the same ingredients and simply made into blocks of colour, These can be used to draw with as well as used as a source of brush colour ( like a watercolour pan of paint ). Presumably if used to draw with on to the paper and then wet, the blocks are acceptable. If they are used as a source of colour, they are presumably not. The whole area of what you can ‘draw’ with and apply dry colour to a surface with, is left wide open in my view and the situation needs looking at - particularly where a valuable picture may be disqualified from entry in a competitive exhibition where there are substantial cash awards for winning pictures.

 

We appear to be over concentrating on what is in the ‘paintbox’ and not what is in the painting.

 

This battle with progress in the shape of new products and new processes has been going on for hundreds of years.  

The Royal Academy in London at first refused to accept watercolours because they were not considered ‘fine art’ like oil painting.  

This - even though JMW Turner was in his prime and producing fine watercolours.

 

There is another approach. This is to look at what the picture looks like and whether it meets certain requirements as a work of art.

The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colour in London, accept works in Acrylic to hang alongside watercolours, provided they are painted in a ‘watercolour style’ on a watercolour type of surface ( like paper ).

This means that the picture must conform to what is accepted as looking like a watercolour.   It must be mounted and behind glass.

In the same neck of the woods, The Royal Institute of Oil Painters also accepts Acrylics for exhibition, provided they are painted and displayed in the style of an oil painting.  It is displayed without a mount and not glazed.   Both these societies have existed for over 100 years and have a substantial reputation.

They seem to have accepted the challenge of Acrylic and found a way to make the most of the ‘new’ medium.  

 

I feel that until the definition of what is ‘Pure’ Coloured pencil ( or 100% colored pencil ) is quite clear, it will be difficult to define what ‘Mixed Media’ is in relation to Coloured Pencils.  There will also be continual queries about where a product stands in relation to the ‘pass‘ or ‘fail’ mark.

Each attempt to define what is pureand include some and exclude others is eventually doomed, as manufacturers continue to develop the medium and people continue to experiment.

 

PERHAPS IT DOESN’T MATTER

 

In fact defining the media precisely only matters if you intend to exhibit with an International Society and then it becomes essential that you are perfectly clear what the rules are - and contact the Exhibition Director for clarification in good time if you have any doubts.  This is infinitely preferable to having a picture rejected or disqualified.

Most people buying a picture are only concerned with what it looks like and who painted it ( and sometimes whether it matches the curtains ).  

In these circumstances, defining ‘Mixed Media’ - or any other media -  is an irrelevance.