Leisure Painter - UK (2019-06)

http://www.painters-online.co.uk JUNE 2019 53

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lightfast on their website. Pastel papers

often have a side that is smoother so try

both sides. Mi-Teintes pastel paper has

a variety of colours and Canson states

that these are lightfast.

I had a small sample book of Daler-

Rowney Murano papers, and this has

been very useful for seeing how coloured

pencils look on different papers. I took

the little book with me when I was

travelling recently. They are not as

lightfast, but are fun to use. In my tests

the black paper is the most lightfast of

the Murano papers.

Art Spectrum Colourfix smooth has

20 different coloured surfaces that are

lightfast, with primer screen-printed onto

watercolour paper. Watercolour could be

used first on this surface, or the surface

can be wetted and, while wet, drawn on

with Inktense or watercolour pencils. This

method would be ideal for people who

have arthritis or other hand problems, as

minimal hand pressure is needed. Make

sure the leads are dry before sharpening.

White papers

Everyone has his or her own preference

so what I recommend may not end up

being your favourite; you will have to

experiment. Different pencils also work

best on different papers so if you are not

happy with the pencils you have, try a

different paper or buy a few pencils from

each of several ranges from a place that

sells open stock. I think the smoother

papers will be more successful with

Prismacolor and Luminance, for example,

but not so good for Derwent Artist or

Coloursoft, which work better on papers

that have a stronger tooth. I cut strips of

different papers and stuck them down

parallel with thin strips of double-sided

Sellotape. I then made a chart with

different types of coloured pencils over

these (right). Colours may appear brighter

on the smoother papers, but you may not

be able to achieve the intensity or make

as many layers. Paper may also have

different texture on the reverse side so

try both sides to see which you prefer.

If you work on Rough paper you can

build up layers, or press more firmly

and gradually you will no longer see the

flecks of white paper or the texture.

Rough paper is therefore not usually as

suitable for delicate light effects, although

you could make a light layer of

watercolour paint then work over it

with the coloured pencils. When trying to

achieve light layers on Rough paper, the

flecks of white paper are very visible, but

a light layer on smooth paper can go on

very evenly. For subtle results, choose

smooth paper. To make smooth colour

on Rough paper, use a very sharp pencil

almost vertical and work lightly with tiny

overlapping circles over the area, building

up pressure to achieve more intense

colours. Experimentation is essential.

Surfaces

There are types of papers that are like

fine-grade sandpaper, but you should

only buy those that are designed for art

Lana Royale

Hahnemühle

Harmony

Rough

Derwent

Watercolour

Saunders

Waterford

Daler-Rowney

The Langton

Prestige HP

Strathmore

coloured

pencil paper

Fabriano

Artistico

Strathmore HP

watercolour paper

Fabriano 5

Strathmore

Bristol Vellum

Stonehenge

Hahnemühle

Cornwall

Rough

texture

Canson

Imagine

Canson

Mixed Media

Derwent Lightfastmallard greenDerwent ProcolourfoliagePrismacolorPrussian greenCaran d’AcheLuminance darkEnglish greenDerwentColoursoft greenCaran d’AcheMuseum 22SDerwent Artistsap greenVan Gogh permanentyellow light Sky bluePermanent green deepDerwent Drawingsepia (red) +blenderDerwent Drawingsepia (red) +cotton bud

Experiments

with surfaces

Here are a number of

varying ‘white’ paper

surfaces and pencils.

It’s invaluable to

experiment with

your materials

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Mrs Cat, coloured

pencil on Mi-Teintes

pastel paper, 5^1 ⁄ 2 x 41 ⁄ 4 in.

(14x11cm). This light

warm grey surface

made the perfect

background for my

drawing of a cat.

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