a new way of working...

Here is my Swiss Chard piece on my drafting table. As you can see, I have put in a background and the rest of the piece is still looking quite bright! :-) I am on the home stretch now and at this stage I am just going in to deepen some of the dark green values. The next time you see the chard it will be finished.

You can also see my laptop on my drafting table. Yup, perched on an angle and everything. This is the first time I have worked this way. Normally, if I am working from photos, I print off some references. I needed to see lots of detail and as the image I wanted to work from is quite wide, I decided to work directly from my Photoshoped images. I can click back and forth between pictures and zoom in when needed.

I have seen photos of some artists working directly from images on their computers but in these cases they were working next to their computer desk. I really like to colour with my work on an angle so leaving my drafting table wasn't an option. Fortunately with a laptop, my computer could come to the drafting table. The down side is that it takes a bit of self control not to check email or surf the net!

So how do you work, do you work from images on a computer screen?

Yesterday we received another eight inches (at least) of snow. Here is how my front yard looks today...

Drifts and drifts of the stuff. Fortunately I love winter and I love snow. I am not keen on the really cold temperatures but it has warmed up considerably so it is wonderful to be outside now. This morning I went snowshoeing with my dog and afterwards I filled the bird feeders (we have eleven feeders and three feeding platforms). I put out cracked corn, a millet mixture, sunflower seeds and suet. The birds and squirrels are happy and so am I. Sure beats driving a morning commute to work.

It is hard to believe that the Forsythia bush below will turn into the bottom picture in about nine or ten weeks.


Okay, I'm heading back to the studio...oh and the February newsletter is just about ready to post so watch for it this weekend.

coloured pencil chard continues...

Swiss Chard work in progress, 17" x 7"

Coloured Pencil on Colorfix Paper

Copyright Teresa Mallen

Here is how the chard piece looks now. I am having a great time working on it. At this stage, most of what I am doing is drawing in the detail, making sure I get all the bits and pieces in where they are supposed to go. I love doing detailed drawing work and I must say doing all the veins is very satisfying!

After sticking with my Colorsoft pencils in this piece, I am starting to appreciate them more. I am getting used to their thicker diameter (I know, picky picky) and as I mentioned before, I do like how they don't flake off much (as this is a sanded surface). Most of the paper has now been covered by pigment. The subsequent layers are going on with less flaking because the grit of the paper has been reduced somewhat by the initial colour. So even the Prismacolors are holding their own. I do find that the pencils in the Lightfast line are a little 'dryer' than the Premier line and this is an advantage on a sanded surface.

Besides working on the chard, I have been busy doing January things - you know, the stuff we feel compelled to do because it is the beginning of a new year, a fresh start and all that. So, I have been tidying up my accounts for 2008. My income and expenses are all up to date! I have been sorting my email into files and I have also sorted 250 photo references into their files. Now I am filing the papers that have accumulated on my desk and after that I am determined to sort my computer files. I bought a new computer some months ago and of course I now have files on it. My old computer was probably over 10 years old and it had limited functionality. I ended up using my husband's computer for manipulating images, preparing course exercises, etc. I really do need to take a chunk of time to compile the files that were on my husband's computer, the files that were all over the place on my old computer and now my new files. I have been procrastinating this job but now I am looking forward to it. It feels so good to get the stuff sorted that I have already tackled that I am motivated by how great it will feel to finally have the computer filing behind me. Guess what I am doing this weekend? :-)

coloured pencil chard WIP and following the rules...

Swiss Chard work in progress, 17" x 7"

Coloured Pencil on Colorfix Paper

Copyright Teresa Mallen

This is how it looks now. Since the last post, my goals have been to get down more colour, to start focusing on values and to start putting down some detail.

Most cp artists end up liking certain pencil brands over others. I am no exception. I am not a fan of Derwent Coloursoft pencils but I must admit that I have liked using them on this sanded pastel paper. Normally I don't like their larger diameter. The pencil feels too chunky in my hand and they don't fit into my electric sharpener opening. But, they are holding up well on the sanded paper - they hold their point longer and there is less pigment coming off during application (compared to Prismacolors). As a result, I don't have to sharpen my pencil or brush my paper as often. I will definitely turn to them again for future sanded paper projects.

I have had a couple of emails from people curious for more info as to why readers are not to leave critical comments on this work. I thought I would take a minute to explain where this comes from...

As I mentioned initially, if all goes well with this piece, I may enter it in competitions or juried shows. If you have never done this sort of thing, you should be aware that there are rules and regulations that you need to follow. Depending on the show or the competition, there will be various restrictions on your entry.

To start with your entry will usually only be considered if it is available for viewing in a slide format or available as a digital image (and the specifications for slides and digital images get quite specific so you need to check out this information carefully).

Your work may be required to meet certain size limitations. Your choice of mats and frames can be limited too. The CPSA requires that all entries accepted into their annual exhibition be framed with acrylic instead of glass.

As well, your artwork may have to meet 'originality' requirements. For example exhibitions and shows will often require you to declare something like the following: "That the artwork submitted is the original work of the submitting artist from concept, through design, to completion." Or you may encounter this sort of requirement: "All work must be original from the artist's own inspiration and reference material. They can not be done in a class, a workshop or under an instructor's influence, not critiqued, photomechanically reproduced, computer enhanced or from kits."

The Colored Pencil Society of America states the following in their exhibition prospectus: "Concept, design and execution of the artwork shall be solely that of the artist. No work copied from copyrighted or published materials. No imaged produced by drawing over a digital reproduction allowed. No prints. No collaborations."

So what does all this mean for the artist? Well, depending on the particular exhibition's requirements, your work may not qualify. You may need to change how you work on pieces that are destined for shows. For example, if you use photo references, they may have to be your own. Please note that even if you have obtained permission to use a photo this would not meet the requirement of being something from your own concept, solely your own work and design. Last year, when the UK Coloured Pencil Society changed their rules for entry submission, some wildlife artists were left rather frustrated. Now, in order to work from a photo of an elephant or leopard for example, you will have had to take the photo yourself. So, you may be required to work from your own source material. You may also be required to have created the drawing yourself - no projectors or drawing over a photo, etc.

The requirement of no critiques and no influence from others really comes into play for those of us who post our art as works in progress. Many people also post work on various on-line forums where their work is commented on. To get around this we either have to stop posting WIPs or we have to do what I am doing - asking people to refrain from giving any helpful feedback that could be construed as influencing me.

Bottom line, if you are thinking of entering your work into juried exhibitions and shows, do your homework first. Get a copy of the exhibition prospectus to determine the rules and regulations.

Thanks for the emails. I hope this info helps to clarify why I am asking for no critiques. If you are a reader who would like to ask me something or you would like to comment on a blog post, (but you are not registered or not a blogger) please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you!

My colourful chunk of chard continues...

Chard WIP, 17" x 7"

Coloured Pencil on Colorfix Paper

copyright Teresa Mallen

Kind of need sunglasses to look at it now! Rather bright isn't it? :-)

Ah, but it is intentional. I like to work rather bright at the beginning of a piece. When I add further layers of colour, I can tone things down. This prevents a work from becoming 'dull' and when you work in coloured pencil, it is difficult to brighten up an area that is dull. Having said that, it would be easier on coloured paper as you can add light over dark on these surfaces.

Another reason for going so bright at the beginning, is that I want to capture the glow that is happening due to the backlighting. Going bright also gives energy to the final colour as the lower layers of pigment affect what we see. Here is an example: (and I know this is difficult to see in this small picture) for the stem of the chard I first put down a layer of a yellowish orange colour. I followed this with a deep pink (think fuchsia) and then I added an orange-ish red. Of course this will be more effective once all of the surrounding green gets established.

At this stage I have been mostly concerned with getting my shapes in where they need to be and I wanted to get a layer of colour down over most of the piece. Next I will work to build up colour and I will start being more mindful of the value changes. I rather like the chard at this stage so who knows how much this will get toned down!

So, back to the studio and again, thanks in advance for not giving me helpful hints in the comments section on this piece.

Swiss Chard WIP continues...

Swiss Chard WIP

Coloured Pencil on Colorfix Paper

After my planning and sketching, I have moved to working on the paper! Yippee!! As you can see, I did end up choosing the reddish brown Colorfix paper. I have transferred the line drawing and I am now starting to work on getting some pigment down.

To get started, I pick out large shapes and I define them with an initial layer of colour. This serves as a road map as I work. These shapes help orient me as to where about I am on the drawing. Of course I went for some immediate gratification. Now that I have the pencils in my hand I must get to some juicy stuff - so in went the backlit shapes. Ah, very satisfying. The oodles and oodles of green in this piece can wait.

As far as technique goes, my first layer is applied with a rather dull pencil. Once this layer is in place, I go over the shapes with the same colour, this time with a sharper pencil. With this step I am filling in more of the textured surface. Colorfix paper is a sanded paper intended primarily for pastel artists. I know that some artists wish to fill in the tooth of the paper, even when working on gritty paper (often they apply an underpainting). I like the paper showing through a bit so I will not be attempting to completely cover and fill in the textured surface. Having said that, I don't want so much paper to show through that the work looks blotchy or unfinished. Even when using a coloured surface, I create my colour by applying layers of pigment. I personally find that just using one or two layers tends to make a work look incomplete and hastily done. While many people use coloured paper to speed things up a bit and it does help you get darker values faster, I don't think this should be a reason to skimp on putting down pigment.

As you can see from the photo, I work all over the place. This piece is no longer a stalk of chard but rather a beautiful, richly coloured puzzle of connecting shapes and lines that I get to explore with my eyes and my pencils.

As mentioned before, this piece may be entered into competitions so please, no helpful suggestions in the comments. Thanks. And yippee, this is my 100th post!! Woo hoo!! I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to head back to the studio...