MEETING 3/26/11 - FOLLOW-UP / Tips Handout

A while back we asked all our chapter members to submit tips and hints and favorite techiques to use while working with colored pencil. Click on the image to link to a dowloadable/printable PDF doc of our compiled list of tips. This is a great asset to our chapter - use it wisely! ;)

Member Question: Archival Matting/Framing

This question comes from member and President, Betty Lehnus: I have a neighbor who needs to re-mat but not re-frame a watercolor that's a family heirloom; she's asked me where to go and I generally do my own mat cutting & framing so I have no recommendations. Do any of our members have a suggestion?

CHALLENGE: I've noticed that we rarely get comments here on our blog, which is set up to be an ideal forum for discussion - why is that people? I hereby challenge you to post a comment to this question - even if it's to say you have no idea.
thanks
-melinda-

LINK: Interesting Article on Miniatures

What is a miniature painting?
GUIDE-LINES TOWARD A DEFINITION OF A MINIATURE PAINTING
(click on image to link)
from www.art-in-miniature.org

Also, a side-by-side comparison PDF of 'miniature' vs. 'small-artwork'

LINK: Interesting Article on Improving Your Artwork

How Do You Improve Your Artwork? posted 30 Nov 2009 - by Karyn
(click on image to link)

…another interesting link: at the end of this article is a link to answer the question, "how do you improve your own artwork," when you click it sends you to a Free ebook about how to draw people from photos ( something lots of us do). The trade off is you need to sign up for the "Artist Daily" message, but that's pretty painless…

betty lehnus

Member Suggestion: American Artist Download

Member Betty Lehnus has found another great internet gem for us, a three page pdf from the American Artist website. The document is titled "Faster, Richer Effects with Colored Pencil" and can be downloaded here.

Member Suggestion: Colored Pencil Demo

Melody of Fallen Leaves (colored pencil, 12½ x 9½) by Alyona Nickelsen

Click here for an article called Colored Pencil Demo: Alyona Nickelson (from the Artists' Magazine online).

Suggested by CPSA 219 Member, Betty Lehnus.
Thanks Betty!

Discussion: Making Your Art More Salable

An article titled 8 Ideas to Help Sell Paintings from the blog of M. Steven Doherty, was suggest by chapter member Betty Lehnus:

These ideas on how to make paintings more salable are surely open to debate . . . but worth thinking about . . . Betty

The comments section is open - let's make an effort for each member to leave an opinion!!

MEETING 3/28/09: Color Theory & Colored Pencils

Our meeting for this month brought members Ben & Lee Nurry in to present and demonstrate several experiments in color theory using specific colors (Yellow, Blue, & Magenta) to achieve some dramatic effects such as Mixing colors on the color wheel and mixing colors for shading (using compliments). Lee & Ben came prepared with some great handouts for everyone to experiment with. The extra hour really helped out too - plenty of time to play and talk!

First we started to create our own color wheels, using the blue, magenta and yellow to mix secondary colors (and tertiary, if we had time!). I highly recommend this for everyone that loves working in colored pencils, as it gives you a real understanding of how to layer and mix your colors while working on your paintings. It can be a tedious exercise, but as you work through it, you develop a method that works for you and your individual style and will quickly become second nature in your creative process.

We also worked at creating new colors using only the three primaries with a simple punched paper technique to help us really focus in on the target color (Brown in the example).

Finally, discussed the best ways to achieve shading without using blacks or grays - which is to say, using complimentary colors. As an example, Ben provided us with a still life reference of oranges and encouraged us to recreate one of the oranges using just an orange pencil, and it's compliment, blue. I confess, I used the orange pencil and all three primaries - Magenta, Yellow & Blue - along with a little white to complete my experiment (pictured).





On a side note, back in college, I took a color theory class and my instructor, Edie Fisner, went on to publish a book on her course. Thanks to her I got some great 'basic training' when I was first starting to use colored pencil to complete my various works - it gave me a great foundation for future projects, and I realize now, just how much I've taken it for granted. Edie used student work to illustrate many concepts in her book - and two pieces from my class work were included, which were executed in colored pencil.

Commercial Sharpeners: A Comparison

I recently decided to test a few commercial sharpeners which were all perchased through Dick Blick Artist Materials online.
Pictures below are the three I started with:

Dahle Chubby Pencil Sharpener $2.83
Helix Hand-Held Pencil Sharpener $1.29
Prismacolor Colored Pencil Sharpener $2.68

•As you can see, the Prismacolor Sharpener created the best point. The other two left the left lead with ridges and or cracks. I haven't fully tested any of the over time, so so far I am impressed with the Prima Color - and I was skeptical.














•As for functionality and shape, while the Prismacolor is a sleek space age shape, which great for travel/portability - I feel the fact that both ends 'pop' open could lead to a potential mess if you accidentally open the wrong end without paying attention or it bumps up against something.
•The Helix is pretty standard, and on the large side so you won't have to empty it as often. The twist top guarantees that the top won't accidentally pop off.
•The Dahle Chubby is also on the larger side, but is probably the least practical for portability given it's bulbous shape.

Hope this helps!
from DC219 member, melinda beavers

Special Offer: Prismacolor

News from chapter member, Betty Johnson: there is a $10 rebate available on a $50 Prismacolor purchase ... could make up for shipping! Or, $50 split between a couple colored pencil pals could save a few bucks. Print your own rebate coupon here, or print the image above.

Online Critique

One more article, a critique of an colored pencil drawing: A Shining Example. Enjoy!

Member Suggestion: Framing Advice

Local Member Betty Johnson brought this interesting article on framing to my attention and thought all members of our group would enjoy it as well. Here is a direct link to the article: Playing with Proportion

Materials Suggestion: Blick Studio Pencils

Does everybody know that Dick Blick (the online art supplier) has their own brand of colored pencils? They seem indistinguishable from Prismacolors and 25-30% cheaper.
-Betty Lehnus

Yes it's true! Dick Blick does have their own brand of colored pencils and they look good. Price listing is as follows:

Set of 12: $8.99
Set of 24: $17.49
Set of 36: $25.99
Set of 49: $39.83
Set of 72: $54.99

Single Pencils are $.75 (up to 12)
Mix & Match for bulk discounts: 12-23 at $.69 ea. and 24+ at $.64 ea.