#i used caran d'ache crayons for this

[actuallykyogai]

I'm classifying this as experimentation, because I'm not sure how to feel about it •3•

[buboplague]

Hello, those colourful sketchbook drawings you posted are so vibrant and beautiful! I was wondering if you have any favourite crayon/pencils to use for sketching?

Also wanted to say that your art in general is very inspiring. I love how fluid it is.

Hello! Thank you for your kind comment. I'm always touched if someone feels inspired!

Those were done with Caran d'ache Neocolor II, and the gold (which just looks plain yellow in the photo oops) is a marubu crayon. I really like them because they're not crumbly like oil pastels, but look similar. I want to use them more often but I suffer from "I struggle to justify using my nice art supplies" syndrome

I can't think of any specific stand out favorites, but lately the things that I grab for often are: - random ballpoint pens - gel pen or felt pen - fountain pens (not pictured because they're in my work bag) - kaweco clutch pencil (which I named "bananecil") - blackwing matte pencil - pentel brush pen EF - zig clearcolor brush pens - misc colored pencils or markers for some pops of color - I was gifted these random clearance zebra metallic brush markers that kind of suck but I also kind of like them? Complicated relationship

Here's the stuff in my bedside pencil bag

I want to try one of those multi-colored lead pencils someday soon

[hannahlockillustration]

Hi there! Tumblr algorithm led me to your art. I’m obsessed with how you use color!! What medium is it? Oil pastels? Thank you.

I do use oil pastels occasionally (sennelier usually), but I usually use polychromos faber castel pencils and caran d'ache watercolour crayons. Thank you so much!

[rainy-painter]

I got indpired by @mcromwell 's heron paintings and wanted wanted to try my own hand at painting birds. (Check out their art! It's beautiful!)

It took me a bit of digging to figure out what sorts of painting media they were using, but the colours for the birds seems to be Caran d'ache neo colour II, with a mix of acrylic for background and such.

It's really fun! And the Caran d'ache colours are great to work with! You can use the crayon-like colours as is or paint with them using water and a brush.

Anyways, just wanted to show off my results and say thank you to @mcromwell for the inspiration. c:

It's been years since last I actually sat down and painted.

[wweeird]

Your art is wonderful! Am I correct in assuming you work in pastel? If so, what pastels do you use? What got you started as an artist, and what drew you to your medium? Also thanks for the love on my intro post <3

thank you!! I’m so grateful! and you’re quite right, my non-digital art is almost always done in mixed media, and pastel is one of my favourite art supply to work with but it’s always pastel plus something else. f. e. it could be oil pastel + pastel pencils + markers / or crayons / or coloured pencils / or ink / or something else / or everything in the same time. 

I use soft pastels set from Faber-Castell and I l o v e pastel pencils (and h a t e to sharpen them lol) which I have from very different brands: my favourite are from Caran d'Ache but they aren’t very cheap, so mostly there are Derwent pastel pencils in my pencil case. As for oil pastel, I prefer Sennelier’s. I know that they’re hated by some artists for being too soft but I personally adore them for that. And of course they aren’t very cheap either, so if I need more colors I just go to the nearest children’s art supply store and buy Van Gogh oil pastel from Royal talents.

I’ve been drawing all my life, but I’ve had kind of huge hiatus for 4-5 or even more years because I thought that if I’m a poet I can only write, that is to say I need to concentrate only on one thing and can’t waste my energy on other stuff (I was mistaken). But then something’s happened (many things actually) and I felt a drive to make visual art again and ever since (for 1-2 years now) I paint, I draw every day. I’m still a poet first but now I can procrastinate from poetry through visual art (」°ロ°)」((´ ∀ ` *) 

Mixed media is boundless, lack of boundaries is a constant freedom, that’s something that I was always looking for. If you’re talking about pastel, I had a set of soft pastels when I was a child — was making pretty dummy sunsets and tried to copy ballerinas of Degas (((¬‿¬ )

And you’re very welcome! Thanks again for an interesting question. 

[lonita]

Fill Watercolour Pans

I initially wrote this years ago, but the whole thing was a mess and a bit outdated, so I've tidied it up a wee bit.

If you choose to use paint or pigment sticks as solid paint with a brush rather than sticks to draw with, here's some notes on cutting them down to put into watercolour pans. Given the size of the sticks, you might even be able to create multiple pan sets from one set of sticks, so that you could have one for home and one for travel. Or a set for you and one for a friend.

Notes:

Please note that all of the instructions are based on using full pans, not half pans - but the instructions can be tailored for the use of half-pans as well.

I filled pans with Derwent Inktense Blocks, Derwent ArtBars (discontinued), Watercolour tube paint, Daniel Smith Watercolour Sticks, and gouache. You can also do it with Caran d'Ache Neocolor IIs or other water-soluble crayons or pastels.

You will need:

empty watercolour pans, full - get opaque pans, as the clear ones are much harder to read text on

a measuring tape - preferably one you won't care about getting damaged or dirtied with pigment

a Sharpie, or other permanent marker/pen

an X-Acto, or other fine cutting knife

paper towels, or other foldable paper/thin surface to cut on - a smooth surface is best, because it'll be easier to knock the smaller pieces onto a palette for later use. No sense in wasting!

shallow containers to put your filled pans in - I used document holders and an old Derwent Inktense tin

double-sided tape, sticky dots, Velcro dots, thin magnets to affix your pants into the above

toothpicks - for stirring wet media

Now, to work:

Label the pans clearly using the Sharpie prior to filling them. This goes for all media types. Labelling on the sides seems to work out best. I put the colour name/number on one side, and the set name on the other.

Filling the pans with blocks or sticks:

You can cut the blocks into any length you want, but if you're using full pans with your Inktense Blocks, you can cut them in four equal quarters.

To make life easy, label the pan with the name of the colour, its number if applicable, and the name of the brand/product line. Since pans are small, I used short forms for brands to make life easier: DI - Derwent Inktense, DS - Daniel Smith, DA - Derwent ArtBars, VG - Van Gogh. Etc.

Note that across brands, names might be the same but the colours not. This makes adding the brand essential so you know which to refill with later when you empty your pan.

Make sure to do the cutting over a piece of paper, paper towel, or other movable surface, so that you can knock any shavings excess from the block cuttings into the applicable pans.

When it comes to the Derwent Inktense blocks, you can put two big chunks in each pan.

You can choose to only cut off enough to fill one pan at a time, and just replenish from your leftovers when you run out of the pan contents. If you do it this way, make sure you leave till last the end of the stick that has the colour number on it so you can keep track of what colour it is.

I did it two pans at a time just to get the messy parts out of the way all at once, and it does also allow me to create two sets: one for home and one to carry with me or to gift.

As Derwent ArtBars (discontinued) are longer than Inktense blocks, you can fill just one pan at a time, cutting off two chunks from the ArtBar to fill a pan, and leaving the rest in its wrapper - leaving the end of the label with the colour name/number - to replenish from later. You can fill about three full pans with one ArtBar.

You can use the tip of your cutting knife to lift the edge of the labels off the ArtBars and other wrapped sticks, as it's not the easiest thing to get the labels off with a fingernail without ending up with paint under your nails. I suggest peeling the whole bar before you cut it, so you only have to do the peeling once instead of multiple times. The ArtBars can get very sticky, and that makes it hard to get the wrappers off.

Make sure to clean your knife, hands, and cutting surface (if necessary) after each colour cut to avoid mixing colours together in the pans.

If you do mix two colours together by accident, mix them together well and label the pan appropriately. You've just created a new colour! This is especially important to think about when mixing tube watercolour paint. I stirred a yellow with a toothpick that had a little green on it because I'm daft, and ended up with a paint I hadn't intended. It was a nice ochre though!

Filling the pans with watercolour/gouache:

If you're filling your pans with watercolour/gouache tube paints, fill the pan to almost the top then stir gently with a toothpick for a bit to ensure the pigment and binder (which sometimes separate in the tube) are re-mixed. Stirring also helps make sure that the paint spreads out to utilise the entire inside of the pan and no gaps are left around the edges. Let this paint dry and, if necessary, repeat the process until the pans are filled to a level that you're satisfied with.

Remember not to do this with acrylics or oils, because once those dry they can't be re-wet. Do this only with watercolour or gouache tube paints.

Make sure you cover your pans until the paints have dried fully to make sure no dust or other items end up in the paint. Watercolour paints, for example, can take a few days to dry - or, in the case of some honey-based paints, never fully dry at all. I put my pans into a closable plastic container that still allows some airflow but does cover them well and keeps them protected from contaminants while they dry. Covering them with a bowl on a countertop also works.

Pastels/Pencils:

You could fill pans with shavings from water-soluble pencils as well. So be mindful where you sharpen so that you can save up the shavings. You could also deliberately shave up entire pencils just to do this, but that's a lot of time and expense. Might be an interesting consideration when doing certain kinds of collage or texture work though.

There's some videos on YouTube that give you tips on how to make your own PanPastel style pastels out of regular soft pastels (like the Gallery ones by Mungyo) and rubbing alcohol. Watercolour pans would work a treat for the storage of such.

Storage:

As far as containers go for permanent paint storage, you can use either plastic or metal. Some of the things I've used are a cookie sheet with a lid, an old Inktense 72 tin, and a document holder. While some like airtight, I prefer not because of the potential for mould. You can fit 106 full pans into the original Derwent Inktense Blocks 72 set tin.

You can use traditional watercolour field palettes as well, but the largest I've seen so far allows only up to 48 half pans or 24 full pans unless you remove the metal part that holds the pans. If you do, you can fit a much larger number of pans into the palette.

If you have the colours to warrant it, and the money, you could separate the colour groups each into their own field palette. This is what I've done with watercolours. My pigment sticks are in an old Inktense tin and document holder.

In any of these cases, it's easy to create a swatch sheet that you can tape into the lid of the container. This way, you can swatch the paints in the same order you've put them in the pan.

Using two-sided glue dots to secure the pans to the cookie sheet can be hit and miss, and not terribly secure. However, they are good enough to keep the pans in place when moving them from storage to use. I would not suggest waving your pans in the air like you just don't care. That way lies a disaster. The more you touch/dirty them, the less clingy they are.

The pluses of using the document holders are space-saving, easy cleaning, allows for airflow when drying pans by propping the lid open with the locking clips, and when fully the closed the lid is plenty far from the top of the pans so anything wet shouldn't stick to the closed lid. These document holders can take up to 112 full pans.

Notes:

I used full pans because it's easier to load a long bristle brush with paint. With half pans you can only load a small portion of the bristles.

You can remove the permanent marker from the pans easily using a cloth and some rubbing alcohol. Make sure to do this in a well-ventilated area.

Jack Richeson gouache in pots separates like a mad bastard, and the balance of binder to pigment was not consistent across all colours. The pots were so poorly balanced that some were like stirring through water and others were like trying to stir through chunky pudding. It was not even possible, with some of the pots, to stir them to a consistent viscosity. I might have had a bad batch and all, but I will not be purchasing these again.

There may be some reference in here to Derwent ArtBars. They are a discontinued product. They were a softer pigment stick that were a bit gummy and not the easiest to use. It'd be great if they brought back the colours in another format though. Maybe a legacy-type set of Inktense blocks.

The process in pictures:

From left to right: Derwent ArtBar, Derwent Inktense Block, Rembrandt Watercolour (tube), and Daniel Smith Watercolor Stick.

On the right are gouache, watercolours, and watercolour sticks. On the left are ArtBars, Inktense blocks, Inktense paint pans. These images are from 2018/2019.

[ba3creativeproject]

An experiment for a developmental piece I have in mind. Left was done with Caran D'ache crayon which lays on smoothly and not rubbery like Crayola crayon or cheaper alternatives, right was done in acrylic. I prefer the vividness of the acrylic but it doesn't allow from much stretch when being stretched out, I think stretching it out whilst wet will work though. The crayon work best from stretching as it doesn’t alter the structure of the elastic material of the stockings. I used styrofoam balls because I would like to stretch this material over a styrofoam head to paint on and stretch out. I find the makeup and fashion in new romanticism fascinating and would like to do a little piece about the makeup and the gender fluidity of it all. In conclusion I'll experiment with both on a larger scale as planned, perhaps alternating materials could have a nice effect if the pieces are installed together.

[thickness-protection-program]

Guys!! I love her!! Believe it or not it's crayon! But we're not talking about my baby crayola here, this is caran d'ache, that fancy stuff. They layered like a dream and blended to the gods, and I might even go as far as to say they blend a little too well 😅 Look at the COLORS! The only downside is they don't keep a sharp point, hence the blocky eyelashes, but it's crayon so whaddya expect lol. 100/10 am definitely going to use again and these are now in my top three favorite mediums to use

[shaiyeh-art]

♡ Inky Cap ♡

Inky Cap Mushroom fae for #funguary week 1 ^^ I found the #funguary2022  prompt list by feefal on Instagram (www.instagram.com/feefal/) and just had to jump on the mushroom train. Here's my first finished piece for the challenge See the progress of making it here: https://www.tiktok.com/@shaiyeh_/video/7060905313985252614?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id7018079469500302854 I used fineliners, brush liner, FC Polychromos and Caran d'Ache watercolour crayons for this one

[askhamotzi]

What art supplies do you use specifically? Like what coloured pencil brands etc etc, I love your art :)

hi there! thank you!! for my traditional art i use:

- Caran D'Ache water-resistant wax pastels (set of 10)

- Crayola crayons

- Prismacolor colored pencils (set of 48)

- Prang watercolor set (16 cells)

- Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache (Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine, Alizarin Crimson, Prussian Blue, Cadmium Red, Ivory Black, Permanent White. these are enough to make all colors other than fluorescents!)

- Posca markers

Pens I use most (let me know if u want more specifics):

- Pentel Arts Hybrid Technica pens (sizes 0.3 and 0.4)(my favorite pens!)

- various Kuretake brushes

- Frixion ball slim erasable pens

- white uni-ball signo pen

- Muji pens

- Pentel waterbrushes

there's others i use too but these are probably the things i use most frequently! let me know if you want to know more or see pictures of tools! :)

[jules101uk]

A lemur leaf frog for prompt 15 of the @wildlifewednesdaychallenge This tiny frog was once common but saw a drastic 80% decline in its numbers over 10 years, which means it is now closely monitored. The drop in population is thought to be due to a combination of habitat loss through deforestation and fungal infection. Native to Central America, this frog lives in the tree tops and the males are just 3 to 3.5cm long, while the females are larger at 4 to 4.5cm. These frogs change colour and are greenish yellow during day to camouflage them while they sleep, then becoming brown at night when they hunt. I decided to paint this using my Neocolor II water soluble crayons from Caran d'Ache. I painted this frog in my Arteza cloth covered sketchbook which I've used for watercolour/gouache and usually paint on both sides of the page without issues. This proved to be a mistake with this media, as the activated paint soaked through the page and reactivated the gouache on the page beneath it which transferred to the opposite painting as well, while sticking the sheets together as it redried. I am not impressed! @ecowarrior8888 @lizzywatercolor #WildlifeWednesdayChallenge #LemurTreeFrog #LemurLeafFrog #frog #FrogIllustration #illustration #IllustrationArt #WildlifeIllustration #AnimalIllustration #AnimalArtist #MixedMediaIllustration https://www.instagram.com/p/CgfUwRVrN2V/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[momagirl-cosmicstatic]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Caran d'Ache NEOCOLOR I Wax Oil 15 Assorted Colors Water-resistant Crayon Swiss.

[hannahlockillustration]

hii i love your art! sorry if this is already answered somewhere but what sort of materials do you use? any brands you would recommend?

Hello! Sorry for the late reply:

For most of my work, I use polychromos faber-castell pencils and occassionally derwent, as they tend to have the brightest pigmented colours. I also tend to use either fabriano paper or just a thick cartridge for texture.

For my crayon work, I use caran d'ache crayons, and occasionally add a bit of sennelier oil pastel. I tend to buy them separately as they can be quite expensive :'0

Hope this helps! x

[ukcps]

The UKCPS featured artist for July is Jaques Dominé. Read on to see how he produces his beautiful work.

Jaques Dominé

My main activity is black and white graphite portraits.

It is at the age of 17 that this passion for portraits came to me it has never left me. I have never taken any sort of studies or courses for arts/painting.

From 1999, I widened my gift by producing paintings of people, nudes, drapery and clothes etc. I became known by winning numerous Jury and Public Prizes at several Regional Exhibitions and Painting Salons in France.

Then from 2010, I started adding a few touches of colours to my paintings, using pastel crayons and rudimentary colored pencils.

In 2017 I realized my first portrait executed entirely in crayons (Tristesse colorée) (coloured sadness).

This desire for colour came to me by chance, when visiting the UKCPS website on the web.

When I saw the beauties that could be achieved with colored pencils, I was amazed and surprised. I didn't think one could achieve such level of realism.

So I looked out for the UKCPS publications on WEB, to know which equipment should be used, and j started.

My main activity of portraits in graphite pencil takes most of my time, so I have only done about ten colour paintings, including two landscapes so far : la dame de l'étang (The Lady of the Lake) and la dame Collonges (Lady Collonges).

It's so exiting to give birth to a landscape, but it takes me a lot of time (about 150 hours) because I like to reproduce the slightest details.

Now the technical side:

For each work I use the Prismacolor Premier, the Luminance from Caran d'Ache, the Polychromos from Faber Castell, the Castle Arts and some Derwent. Each brand has its specificity; the first two are thicker, but at the same time more fragile, while the Pylychromos and CastleArts are drier. Thus, I have 510 crayons. This allows me to always find the desired shade, since I very rarely superimpose the colours.

My favourite papers are Stonehenge, Strathmore 500 and Caballo 109. These papers show almost no grain and they are pleasant to use. The lead of the pencil glides and the colours spread out perfectly.

I do not often use the traditional eraser but more often an electric eraser to clarify a specific point.

When I choose a landscape, I like to add a fictional character to give a soul to the painting, to spark (suggest) a story in people's imagination.

I start by making a light pencil sketch that I can erase as the work progresses. Then I start the colour by zone like a puzzle, always from top to bottom and from left to right.

I have my own colour charts for each brand, so that (most of time) I quickly find the desired colour. For a landscape I don't need to set the exact tone. On the opposite, I like to engage bright or warmer colours. As I said before, I very rarely layer colors.

Then, I dissolve the colours separately, or between them, to make blends using Blender crayons and colourless alcohol markers.

To make a colour portrait, the principle is the same, except for the shading that I only do with a blender pencil, as it is easier to soften the blendings of the nuances of the skin, without leaving any trace. I always start with the left eye, then the right one, the nose, the mouth, and I end with the hair. If the hair is dark, I finish with the background. If it is clear, I do the background first, before I start the portrait.

The practice of crayons has given me a real satisfaction using this technique. Last month, I participated in a Plastic Arts Fair that brought together all the techniques (oil, acrylic, watercolour, pastel, drawing, etc.) and I had the pleasure of winning the Public Prize.

It was a great satisfaction to see that crayons can compete with all the other more recognized techniques.

For me, drawing is above all a pleasure, a passion. I choose my subjects, my themes, listening to my tastes, my wishes and my mood. Beauty, tenderness, sensitivity and sensuality inspire me, and I am delighted when such emotions can be felt through my art.

[aerialovely]

Color swatches. I've been swatching all of the art supplies I've accumulated recently in order to have them all in this little book for quick reference. Recently got the @janedavenport Aquapastels from Michaels. So I swatched them along with a few Caran D'ache Neocolors I bought from Blick like...two months ago. First time ever using water-soluble crayons!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #aerialovelyblog #craftroom #craftroominspo #craftroominspiration #craftspace #craftspaceinspo #homedecor #craftymintroom #mintroom #shabbychic #deskspace #workspace #jdmm #janedavenport https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ms9Q8pGJS/?utm_medium=tumblr

[papierexperimente]

Blog guest: Artist Marcus McAllister

See also: https://www.marcusmcallister.com

Many thanks for the great interview ✨✨! PART 1

Which materials are your favorite ones to work with?

Some of my favorite materials are the water media techniques I use in my Sketchbooks. I love using watercolors for the freedom and spontaneity they provide--particularly since I use watercolors to draw freely and not to "classic" watercolor works. I've also finally found some richly pigmented watercolor pencils that I just love, so that I can do more intricate drawing that I can then cause to bleed a bit by using a water mister. I love to use the same spray technique on Pilot pen ink drawings too. One of my all time favorite drawing materials are Caran D'ache Neocolor II watersoluble wax crayons. They give a wonderful density to watercolor drawing, and using a water and a brush they can create rich washes. Oh and another technique that I love to use is white gouache in wet color washes.

Interview: Anna Ulsenheimer