Everypony Draw ~ Minty 3/31 Year 1 Complete!

[rayechu]

yeah, I actually use the pencils so it didn't work so well for me. It's supposed to do some geometric patterns though, so I don't think it's quite the same as blotting, but same idea and it sounded neat at the time!

[Arkillian]

Well, you can make textures with the pencils themselves, or perhaps scrape the pencil with sandpaper and water the crumbs down to give the same effect. I don't think that the characteristics of water colour pencil are the same though. You should look at tutorials for water colour pencil specifically.

Are you using an artists grade like Faber Castel Albrecht Durer? That can have an impact too. Sometimes the artist grade has different compounds in it that work like water colour does, but not the student grade. The colour has more pigment in it too, so you can poke at it harder with techniques and not lose it's integrity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz5Xu1qsU0o

I suggest googling SPECIFICALLY water colour pencil when looking up techniques. I don't know how much the water colour techniques will work, specially if they're student grade. I know that there is a BIG difference in the techniques you can use cause I use the standard colouring in pencils, the Polychromos, and the stuff I can do with them is SO much more than the student brand.

[AmberMarie]

mmmmmmmmmmm... polychromos...

[Arkillian]

mmmmmmmmmmm... polychromos...

They're SO AWESOME.

Seriously, I'm glad I stuck with the cheaper stuff for so long, but Polychromos just understand what I expect of my media. The student grade stuff is OK, but it doesn't blend as nicely, have as consistent of a pigment, and isn't as bold as the Polychromos. And it's cheaper in the long run too. I can buy 1 pencil to replace a run out skin tone rather than buying a new set every time it runs out, and I know it'll always be the same colour

[rayechu]

@Arkillian. I do google for specific watercolor pencil tutorials, but I honestly don't find much that I've found useful.

I have the FaberCastell brand

[MintySocks]

Dang that is going to be quite a feat to draw them all! What a wonderful collection it will be!

[Arkillian]

Is it specifically Albrecht Durer? You'll know if it is. If it's not, then it's the student branding (the red packaging?), in which you may not be able to do most of the techniques, or if you can, it wont be as nicely as with the Albrecht Durer ones.


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They normally come in a tin case like this. Mine is also in a tin, but it looks like this


Don't let grade of pencil you have put you off though! IT'll just make some techniques harder. Just try them out like you've just done and see what works. Some will, some wont. Using the pencils on sand paper is something you could try out. See if that breaks them down to a liquid that you could make a wash with

[rayechu]

Lol, guess I can't blame stuff on the pencils It's the real deal, not the student stuff. I just experimenting for the most part to see what works for me as either the tutorials I find are not helpful or I can't find one at all.

[Arkillian]

That's unusual O.o Specific tutorials for Fabercastel and Prismacolor should be easy to find.

Could it be the card then? What are you painting on? Water colour card? Or cartridge? The weight and characteristics of the card it's self matter alot too.

[rayechu]

If you have links send them my way! I found a tutorial the other day that didn't even have images... *rage* I've looked in the library/bookstores for books with watercolor pencil and I've never seen anything available:( Searching DA gets me stuff for digital watercolors. Gah!

Oh and a lot of the ones I do find are for scrapbooking/stamping but I don't find them useful for what I'm trying to do.

*edit because I forgot to answer your question. I do ATCs on the watercolor ATC cards from the store. . (They feel very thick) If I do something bigger I use 9x12 watercolor sheets. I didn't try the salt technique on anything other than the small card though.

[Arkillian]

It's strange you haven't found anything I googled water colour pencil, and got heaps of things. Essentially, you can use standard coloured pencil techniques, but there are some tutorials specifically for water colour pencil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRVkG6HhwBE This guys seems to know his stuff.
http://fav.me/d1kqd0m DA came up with this
http://www.amazon.com/No-Experience-Required-Watercolor-Technology/dp/1581806264/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327815735&sr=8-1 Thisis a book I purchased when I first started with my polychromos. I found it too water colour specific for me, but you'd find it perfect. It has alot of GREAT tutorials. Obviously though it's not free on the net though.

[rayechu]

Thanks for the links. I'll see if I can get the book through the library or something. (Maybe it'll be a birthday request). I know I'm going to sound so whiny but I actually did find that DA link and the orange before but I do appreciate it as I see he has a tree one so I will check that one out.

I just get mad when I'm trying to figure out how to do clouds or a sunset or x nature thing and when I search tutorials I end up with stuff on painting boats or buildings or other not helpful things. The really beginner tutorials seem too simple. Draw with the pencil then add water. And then the more complex ones figure you'll already know to do realistic grass/sky/water etc. It drives me crazy!

[Arkillian]

Look, the book has lots of tutorials for finding out how to make realistic textures, but I don't think you're at that point with water colour so I'll summarize what I think you'll find useful right now, and should practice You can get this book if you want, but it's for fine art, and if you're only doing ATCs, the info in this is way overkill for you.

Stuff you should know:-

• Primarily treat the pencils like plain old colouring in pencils. Learn how to add lots of pressure evenly over a surface and little pressure. Do practice swatches of an inch by an inch and make it all even. Do tight circular motions.
• Find out your hot and cold colours. If your set really is artist grade, they would've set up your pallet with a hot an cold version of every colour depending on what size set you have. A hot and a cold red put together look very different. One has yellow tints, and one has blue. You can use this for good shading without losing vibrancy.
• Do practice swatches of colour. Learn how much lead you can put down before you over saturate your brush with pigment. If it's too much, a piece of toilet paper can mop it up.
• Shaving off the pencil with sand paper can make unique colours. Mix the two together with a bit of water like it's normal straight water colour.
• Scribble colour on top of the water colour to regain texture. If can be a lighter or daker colour. You can even reapply water if you want.

Other techniques the books suggest are

• Making the surface wet and drawing straight onto it. This makes half of the pencil blend, and the other half of it not.
• Taking pigment straight off a pencil with the brush. This leaves a flat finish. Like straight water colour
• Spraying water on the paper. This is a blotchier version of the first one of these techniques.
• Wetting the paper heavily and sprinkling ground up water colour pencil onto the water. You'll like this one. It looks like your salt one, but with it going darker rather than lighter, and it's a more sure fire effect I think

The book has other effects you can try but I think that's all you need to know for ATCs. I suggest waiting for the card to dry overnight before inking, or using a water proof ink pen if you pre ink it. So it doesn't bleed Copics are acetone based so they're not a good example, but the copic multiliners never bleed when I use copics over them while everything else does. It's worth a consideration. I hear that 200gsm is the lowest weight card you should use. I don't know what weight card you use- I hope it's more than that. Otherwise it could warp.

I wish I could be a better help If you really want that book still, I can post you mine. I don't use mine any more. I found a book better suited for oil based pencils only. The artist is pretentious, but her works are FANTASTIC.

Man, sorry if this is all a bit much information It's not my usual field with art so it's hard to explain. I'm still very new with colour I started learning colour a year or two ago. My knowledge is strongest with grey scale and humanoid lineart

[XionOfHearts]

Thanks to everyone for their advice I'll check out those links and i'll give all of your suggestions a go ^^

Thank you ever soooo much :DD

[rayechu]

I bet everyone though I gave up on this, but nope! I've just been a bit busy lately.

Here's Blossom!


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ATCBlossomsm by npaytosh, on Flickr