The sky was my theme again this week.
The drawing from last week revealed my need to find better ways to put color on paper quickly and draw smooth color.
One of the ways I thought of to do that was woodless pencils. When Sue Schuetz mentioned using Koh-I-Nor Progresso Woodless pencils on Broken Prismacolor Pencils and How to Repair Them, I decided to get a set. I was familiar with the name, but had never used them. What better way to test them than with a plein air drawing?
However, the sky I drew was mostly cloudy and getting cloudier by the minute, so the resulting drawing looks more like an abstract than a skyscape.
The Method I Used
I chose a very limited palette for this drawing—just three colors, shown above. White, sky blue, and light grey.
I began by layering blue on the paper and blending it with a fingertip. This method of blending isn’t usually recommended because skin oil can affect the paper or the drawing, but since I’m using inexpensive paper and this is only a sketch, it seemed appropriate. The Koh-I-Nor pencils blended very well that way.
Next I shaded the clouds with gray and blended with a fingertip. The lighter patches are paper and the darker patches are multiple layers of gray.
Finally, I burnished with white. The Koh-I-Nor white is a warm white and appeared the slightest bit yellow on the paper, but that color was perfect for my subject. I burnished everything.
The clouds I was drawing were soft and vague. Like fog in the sky. To create soft, seamless transitions from blue to gray, I blended from one color to the other when blending with a finger, but also burnished from one color to the next.
Time Spent Drawing
20 to 30 minutes.
What I Learned
The wonder of woodless. These pencils are wonderful for drawing outside. They’re softer than the Prismacolors I’ve been using, so it’s easier to lay down color.
They also don’t have a wood casing, but are about the same size as a regular pencil, so the pigment core is much larger. Even a well-sharpened pencil produces a wider stroke than a well-sharpened traditional pencil.
Let Your Fingers Do the Blending. I confess, I used to blend with my fingers all the time. Then I learned about the hazards of skin oils and colored pencils and broke myself of that habit. But for this use and on this type of paper, it’s ideal.
Tools Used
Mead Academie Sketch Book, 9 inches by 6 inches, Heavyweight white paper
Koh-I-Nor Progresso Woodless Pencil
- Sky Blue
- Light Grey
- White
I did a second plein air drawing this week. This time I started with water soluble colored pencils (Faber-Castell Art Grip Aquarelle) and finished with the Koh-I-Nor woodless pencils in the studio.
I’ve submitted an article to EmptyEasel about last week’s work, and will link that when it publishes. Stayed tuned!
About The Autumn Plein Air Drawing Challenge
It’s not too late to join me drawing outside with colored pencils.
What: Get outside and draw at least once a week
When: September 1 through October 31, 2016
I’m posting my drawings here every Monday, along with a little information about how I did my drawing, what tools I used, and what I learned.
I’ve also set up a special group board on Pinterest where I’m posting my drawing (or drawings if I do more than one). If you’d like to post your drawings, all you have to do is request an invitation to join the board. You will need a Pinterest account, but they’re free and easy to set up.
