Bagged Produce

Now for something a little different – This painting was done with Prismacolor colored pencils as I followed a lesson by Lindsay Weirich, aka The Frugal Crafter. Over the years I have learned so much from her blog and videos.

Bagged Produce

I’ve never worked on black paper before but really had fun with this one. Can you believe tomorrow is July 1? Summer is flying by!

Dahlia in Prismacolor

This dahlia in created with Prismacolor as inspired by a tutorial in my Gary Greene book.   I am still rather slow at this medium but was happy with the results of all the layers and blending.  The background is a subtle “linen” technique that lets the flower bloom in all its glory.

Dahlia in Prismacolor

We just returned from a terrific cruise vacation on the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas, which is currently the largest ship in the world. We had so much fun exploring all its “neighborhoods,” my favorite of which was Central Park, and the islands we visited were nothing less than stunning.  The trip was perfect until our return flight was delayed by three hours, but that gave me time at the airport to catch up on all the week’s blog posts I missed.  I have a few photos of inspiration that I hope to turn into art in the next few weeks – nothing like a warm vacation in February to revive the soul.  If you are in need of a little escape, this picture might be helpful.  Happy Wednesday!

Beach on St. Maarten

 

Zinnia in Prismacolor

This week I have been creating with my Prismacolor colored pencils. I followed a tutorial by Gary Greene to draw and color this zinnia and found out a couple things.  To use colored pencils the right way, one must be patient.  Lots of layering with light strokes make for the best results. This takes a long time (at least when compared to watercolor painting)!  I was too heavy handed and a little impatient with my first try, but this second version turned out a bit better. Also, Prismacolor leads break a lot, which I had read about, but that doesn’t bother me too much. Someone said I should put them in direct sunlight on a hot day and the wax core will fuse back together, but that will have to wait a few months since it is only February. Any other suggestions?

 

Red Zinnia in Prismacolor

 
I really like how the Prismacolors blend with a blender pencil or a colorless Copic.  I have also used Gamsol and a paper stump for blending and that works well, too. I ask enjoy the variety of gray shading colors Prismacolor offers. 

I think I’ll leave the Prismacolors on my desk for a little while before I start back up with my watercolors, but that is easier said than done. I have so many ideas swirling in my head, and some days I am in the mood to use one medium over another.  Decisions, decisions.  It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, right?  Happy weekend to you all!