Showing posts with label drawing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drawing. Show all posts

Sunday, May 31

Drawing with Crayons [NeoColor I]

sketching with colorful crayons

Hello everyone!

Who remembers coloring with crayons as a child? I remember the joy of receiving a box of crayons and discovering all the yummy colors in it. Crayon art is not just for kids these days. If you look online you'll discover some pretty amazing artworks done with this simple yet familiar tool! 

I believe that changing things up in my art practice revives that creative spark so needed for coming up with new ideas for my art journal and YouTube channel, and having seen some crayon drawings by other creatives, I decided to treat myself to a new box of crayons. I bought the NeoColor I from Caran d'Ache. These are hard wax pastels, which are water-resistant - not to be confused with NeoColor II from the same company, which are water-soluble. 


crayon swatch card

The box came with a cardboard sleeve that contained a convenient swatch card on the reverse side. I swatched the crayons with varying pressure, as I wanted to see the level of saturation. This will serve as a guide for shading. There's a good range of blues, greens and earthy tones - great for sketching landscapes and a decent couple of purples, reds, and pinks. I would have loved to see a light magenta in there instead of the orangy-red, though.
I like crayons as a medium, because they are so colorful and not intimidating to work with. They are also economical, as you can use up the entire crayon.

green apple sketch

I started with something simple like a green apple. I selected Nr. 521, Nr. 240, Nr. 245, Nr. 249, Nr. 049 and Nr. 035 plus white. Blending takes some practice. I used cotton swabs as well as paper blending stumps. The paper I worked on happened to be lightly textured, and I like the "fuzzy" effect, but if you prefer working on smooth paper, that works too - in fact, it's probably easier to blend. You can sharpen these crayons using the larger hole of a two-hole manual pencil sharpener. You can draw as detailed as you like, but I quite like my expressive style. In these first examples I decided on a fruit theme. 

fig and banana drawing

These crayons are pricey, but they are highly pigmented and I expect them to last a long time. I have sketched several pages of fruit and I have not worn down the tips yet. They don't have a smell, like some cheaper ones do. I believe I got my money's worth with these ones. Plus Caran d'Ache offer them individually, so if you are just starting out and want to try out this medium you can simply buy a couple of your favorite colors. I would recommend to always purchase the white, as you'll need this for blending.

cherry and pear sketch

Crayons don't erase well, so consider the colors for your drawings carefully and test them on a separate piece of paper. They are not a fast drawing tool It takes time (and patience) to fill a surface. I like that these don't leave a waxy residue or crumbly bits on the page. They are permanent and do not require a fixative, although some creatives give their work a light spray.

papaya, kumquat and red currant sketch

These are just a few of my very first sketches done with crayons. Obviously, I'll need to practice a lot more, but these fruit drawings have already taught me so much about shading, blending, hatching and crosshatching. Most importantly, they are tremendous fun!

Thank you for visiting and Happy Sunday!


Tuesday, October 15

Autumn Girl Mixed Media Art Journal Spread


Hello friends!
Autumn is upon us, with the leaves gradually changing their colors to lovely warm yellows and reds. The days are getting shorter and there is a chill in the air in the mornings. I appreciate the last golden rays of sunlight that we get!
This fall season has inspired me to create this leaf-themed art journal spread 🍂
I am sharing a free tutorial over on You Tube:



In this video I am having fun with various types of mixed media techniques: dry brushing, stencilling, stamping, collage and drawing/illustrating. While it's not difficult to create this spread, some drawing experience would be helpful. I used graphite pencils in HB/4B/6B, as I find this tool is accessible to most. All of the supplies are listed in the video description.

I chose one of my favorite Autumn quotes by Albert Camus and stamped this onto paper scraps with my silcone alphabet stamp set. Be warned - It takes quite a while to stamp, cut and glue onto the page :)
For her "hair" a simple leaf-shaped stamp works best. Just make sure it's a single leaf without any branches etc.

I hope you enjoy this tutorial. Happy Autumn 🍁🎃






Friday, November 27

KREATIV die messe für kreatives gestalten [Teil 2]

Hi everybody!           Hallo Mädels!


In meinem vorherigen Post berichtete ich über meinen Besuch auf der KREATIV in Stuttgart. Heute schreibe ich über einen Workshop, der mich durch seine therapeutischen Eigenschaften besonders interessiert. Wie in Teil 1 erwähnt, durfte ich an ausgesuchten Workshops teilnehmen. Ich hatte mich bewußt entschieden etwas für mich Neues zu erlernen - da das Arbeiten mit Stoffen nun mal mein Metier ist wäre eine Teilnahme an einer Nähwerkstatt nicht wirklich sinnvoll. Deshalb beschloss ich, das Zentangle®, eine einfach zu erlernende, kreative Zeichentechnik wiederkehrender Muster auf einer Kachel, zu erlernen bzw. mir einen Einblick darüber zu verschaffen. Diese Kunstform fördert Konzentration, Kreativität und baut zudem noch Stress ab! Übrigens, die Methode des meditativen Zentangle® wurde von Rick Roberts und Maria Thomas entwickelt und ist urheberrechtlich geschützt.
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In my previous post I wrote about my visit to the Craft Fair in Stuttgart. Today I'd like to tell you more about one of the workshops I attended. As mentioned in Part 1, I was handed a set of coupons, each one valid for a specific workshop at the fair. Prior to my trip I knew I wanted to try something new (no point joining a sewing workshop, since working with fabrics is my forte). I decided to try the art of Zentangle®, an easy-to-learn, relaxing art form using repetitive patterns. It helps increase focus, attentiveness, and creativity. Btw, Zentangle® is a method created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. 



Die Zentangle-Methode folgt einem bestimmten Ablauf. Zunächst zeichnet man auf der weißen Kachel einen "String" (bevorzugt mit Bleistift). Dadurch wird die Kachel in mehrere Flächen eingeteilt. Anschließend werden diese Flächen mit sich wiederholenden Mustern ausgefüllt. Die Muster, auch Tangles genannt, entnimmt man aus einer bestehenden Liste. Für diese Technik benötigt man schwarze Fineliner und weiße Kacheln (Artist Trading Cards). Ein Tangle ist abstrakt und hat keine bestimmte Richtung. Zudem gibt es die Möglichkeit mit Aquarellstifte die Tangles zu schattieren. Ich bevorzuge jedoch die Schwarz/Weiß-Version. Psst...ich verrate Euch ein kleines Geheimnis... ich kann nicht zeichnen, wenn mir dabei zugeschaut wird ;-) Stattdessen habe ich aufmerksam zugehört und andere beim Zeichnen beobachtet, um dann zuhause in Ruhe mein ganz eigenes Tangle zu kreieren.
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The core concept is to use a "string" which defines an area (this is usually done in pencil) and then that area is filled in with a repetitive pattern chosen from an existing list of patterns, or tangles. The tools required to create your own little masterpiece are black fineliners and ATC white tiles. A tangle is abstract and does not have an "up" or "down". Mostly the drawing is completed in black ink on white paper, however, there is also the option of using watercolor pens to shade and enhance the final artwork. I like the black and white version. Psst...here's a little secret about me...I can't draw, much less focus with a bunch of people looking on ;-) And this workshop was crowded! So instead I listened and observed, all the while forming my own ideas for when I got back home.


Wer mich kennt weiß, dass ich gern mal querdenke, ob beim Nähen, Basteln, Zeichnen oder Kochen! Ich bin eben unkonventionell. Daher habe ich ein Zentangle-inspiriertes Mixed Media Tangle kreiert :) Und so ist es entstanden: Zunächst habe ich eines meiner Schwarz/Weiß Fotografien von einer Blüte mit Blattwerk "posterized", d.h. so bearbeitet, dass die Flächen pixelartig schattiert sind. Das Bild habe ich anschließend auf Archivpapier ausgedruckt. Mit einem Bleistift habe ich dann im Blütenbereich einen "String" eingezeichnet. Zum Zeichnen der Tangles habe ich mich für den Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.2 und 0.5 entschieden. Die Tinte ist dokumentenecht, wasserfest auf Papier und lichtbeständig.
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Here's another little tidbit about me - I'm known to bend the rules, whether I'm sewing, crafting, drawing or cooking! I'm also not a traditionalist. Therefore, I created a Zentangle-inspired piece, a mixed media tangle :) Here's my process: I started out with one of my black and white floral photos, which I posterized and then printed out on archival paper. I pencilled in my "string" to define the white area of the flower. I used  Staedtler pigment liners 0.2 and 0.5 to draw the tangles. The ink is indelible, waterproof on paper and doesn't fade when exposed to light.


Dies ist übrigens mein erster Versuch dieser Zeichentechnik. "Fehler" werden nicht korrigiert (daher auch das Zeichnen mit permanenter Tinte), sondern in das Kunstwerk integriert bzw. kaschiert. Beim Zeichnen ist mir aufgefallen, dass ich eher runde Formen als geometrische bevorzuge :) Die Muster zu zeichnen ging nicht schnell von der Hand. Jeder Strich wird bewußt gezeichnet, dabei darf man aber seiner Fantasie freien Lauf lassen. Es gibt kein richtig oder falsch. Einfach loslegen und Spaß haben!
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This is my first try using this technique. "Mistakes" aren't erased (that's why the drawing is done with permanent ink); they are integrated into the overall design. While drawing I noticed I prefer round shapes to geometric ones :) This drawing technique requires focus! Each line should be done deliberately, however, instead of planning each tangle, allow the pattern to reveal itself while drawing. There is no right or wrong. Most of all, have fun!



Wer von Euch hat die Zentangle-Methode (d.h. die Originalversion auf einer Kachel) bereits ausprobiert? Findet Ihr diese Zeichentechnik auch so entspannend?
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Who else has tried the original Zentangle-method? Do you find it relaxing?


Addendum / Nachtrag

due to an urgent family matter I have to hurry to catch a plane today. I have closed all my shops temporarily, but will make sure all paid orders are shipped. Thank you for your understanding. 
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Ihr Lieben, wegen einer dringenden Familienangelegenheit muss ich kurzfristig abreisen . Meine Shops sind vorrübergehend geschlossen. Ich bemühe mich jedoch bezahlte Ware zeitnah abzuschicken. Vielen Dank für Euer Verständnis.