Читать книгу Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils - Ann Swan - Страница 10
ОглавлениеTHE WIDE ARRAY of coloured pencils available to the artist can be daunting and confusing, especially to the beginner. New colours are constantly coming onto the market, and the names of existing pencils change or colours are discontinued, sometimes returning in a different form. Additionally, good quality materials are not always easy to obtain and may need searching for, while poorer quality alternatives seem to be in every shop. In this chapter I will endeavour to guide you safely through the materials’ minefield and introduce you to the full range of equipment that you will find useful.
In order to ensure good results, as with any form of artistic work, try to use the best quality coloured pencils you can afford. Sometimes bargains can be had, but most good quality art materials are a bit more expensive. You generally get what you pay for, but do not be put off by the huge choice of materials as you can get up and running for a relatively small outlay in terms of cost.
Do not rush out and buy full sets of coloured pencils. You will find that many colours in these sets are not needed in botanical work, in particular many of the more lurid greens, turquoises and blues. It is better to buy single pencils and build up a collection of colours that you know you will use. Especially avoid the small tins of 12 or 24 colours as at least half of them will be no use for botanical work.
∆ SPANISH POMEGRANATES
Punica granatum
45 x 30 cm (18 x 12 in)
∆ Artist Ann Swan at work in her studio.
BASIC START-UP KIT
You can add more pencils and other equipment as you progress, but these items will start you off.
• 2 graphite pencils – HB and H
• 20 to 25 good quality coloured pencils
• Sharpener with spiral blade
• Hot-pressed paper – at least 300 gsm (140 lb)
• Plastic eraser
• Sketch paper
• Magnifying glass
COLOURED PENCILS
The coloured strip, or core, of a coloured pencil consists of pigment held together with either a wax or an oil-based binder. The binder can either be watersoluble, to make a pencil that can be used with water, or non-soluble and this type is mainly used dry. Generally speaking, you will find that more expensive pencils have better quality pigments and tend to be more lightfast.
Coloured pencils vary enormously not only in quality and feel, but in the range of colours available. Before you buy any, try them out. We all have a different way of drawing, so what suits one person may not work at all for another.
LIGHTFAST OR FUGITIVE?
What do we mean by lightfast colours? When colours exposed to light over many years do not change much, if at all, then they are considered ‘lightfast’. However, exposure to light can alter some pigments over time and these colours are termed ‘fugitive’ because they fade, change colour or, occasionally, darken or become dull. How quickly colours deteriorate from their original, and over what period of time, determines the lightfast rating of a colour; that is, just how lightfast or fugitive the colour is.
Although the pigments used in coloured pencils are often identical to those used in watercolour they can behave differently because of the oil or wax-based binder. Oil-based binders can make some pigments more lightfast than they are when used with water. Over the last few years a lot of work has been done to achieve an acceptable standard for measuring lightfastness in coloured pencils. Most of this work has been done in the USA, and the American Society for Testing Materials or ASTM accepted test for coloured pencils is ASTM C-6901. Coloured pencils complying with this standard are considered to be lightfast.
TEST SWATCHES
If you have a mixed range of pencils accumulated over many years, as many botanical artists have, it is a good idea to do your own lightfast testing. Make two identical colour swatches. Place one swatch under glass in full sun (the dashboard of a car is a good place or a greenhouse or south-facing window), and cover the remaining one and place it in a drawer away from any light. You can then compare the effects of light on the two after a few weeks, and sometimes, in strong, bright sunlight, a difference will show up in a matter of days.
FABER-CASTELL POLYCHROMOS COLOURED PENCILS
These are good quality, oil-based artists’ pencils with 3.8mm leads that hold a point well, an essential requirement for fine detailed work. They come in a range of 120 colours. Colour laydown is smooth and colour is easily blended without smudging.
The colour on the casing quite closely resembles the actual colour, which is useful, and the pencils are clearly marked with individual lightfast ratings, from three asterisks (***) for lightfast down to one asterisk (*) for fugitive.
Coloured pencils generally are poor in the green range, which is not helpful for the botanical artist, but Faber-Castell have at least seven good greens. What I mean by a ‘good’ green is one that looks natural, mixes well and stays true in combination with other colours and when blended. Some greens that sound well suited to the work of the botanical artist, such as Sap Green, Leaf Green, Grass Green and Pine Green, can be a bit garish and unnatural looking. They do not always produce successful or consistent results when mixed with other greens, so use these with caution.
Polychromos have a good range of greys too – six warm (redder) greys and six cold (bluer) greys. Greys are the main method used for deepening the tones of colours without changing their hue.
From left to right
FC270 Warm Grey I
FC271 Warm Grey II
FC272 Warm Grey III
FC273 Warm Grey IV
FC274 Warm Grey V
FC275 Warm Grey VI
FC230 Cold Grey I
FC231 Cold Grey II
FC232 Cold Grey III
FC233 Cold Grey IV
FC234 Cold Grey V
FC235 Cold Grey VI
FC181 Paynes Grey
∆ These warm and cold greys are useful for a starter palette.
From left to right:
FC101 White
FC103 Ivory
FC102 Cream
FC184 Dark Naples Ochre (Ochre)
FC118 Scarlet Red (Scarlet Lake)
FC142 Madder
FC133 Magenta (Bordeaux Wine Red)
FC193 Burnt Carmine
FC225 Dark Red
FC123 Fuchsia
FC134 Crimson (Magenta)
FC139 Light Violet (limited availability)
FC138 Violet
FC170 May Green (Apple Green)
FC168 Earth Green Yellowish (Moss Green)
FC172 Earth Green (Grey Green)
FC173 Olive Green Yellowish (Olive Green)
FC174 Chrome Green Opaque (Cedar Green)
FC278 Chrome Green Oxide
FC179 Bistre
FC178 Nougat
FC175 Dark Sepia
∆ Here is a useful basic starter range of 22 Faber-Castell Polychromos coloured pencils. (The names in brackets appear on older stock and are no longer used, but the pencil numbers remain unchanged.)
PRISMACOLOR PREMIER COLOURED PENCILS
These artists’ quality pencils are made by Sanford in a range of 132 colours with good quality pigments that provide rich colour saturation. They are wax-based pencils, but I find the range mixes well with the Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils as they are smooth and creamy in texture.
Prismacolor has an excellent range of the colours found in fruits such as autumn berries, blackcurrants, aubergines and cherries – the darker violets, purples and reds – with colours such as Black Grape, Black Cherry, Dark Purple and Black Raspberry, and some more unusual greens such as Pale Sage, Limepeel, Green Ochre and Artichoke.
You can buy these pencils online mainly from suppliers in the USA although a few UK sites are now offering them. It is worth the effort to try and obtain them; even with shipping and import tax, they are still no more expensive than other makes.
The disadvantage of using these pencils as your main range for botanical work is that the point invariably snaps off in use, making fine detailed work quite difficult. Additionally their softness can create rather too grainy a texture if they are used alone. However, because the colours are so rich and blend so well, they make excellent companions to the Faber-Castell range.
ART MARKERS AND BRUSH PENS
Both Faber-Castell and Prismacolor produce a range of matching brush pens and markers that can be useful for underpainting if care is taken to match the pen to the coloured pencil you have used for the main drawing. Faber-Castell produce the Pitt Artist Brush Pen in a range of 48 colours, with plans to extend the choice, and the Pitt Artist Pen Big Brush, a much chunkier version, with a range of 48 similar colours. Prismacolor produce a huge range of 156 double-ended Art Markers.
From left to right (left-hand pot):
PC938 White
PC1084 Ginger Root
PC1032 Pumpkin Orange
PC 922 Poppy Red
PC923 Scarlet Lake
PC924 Crimson Red
PC925 Crimson Lake
PC994 Process Red
From left to right (right-hand pot):
PC1095 Black Raspberry
PC1078 Black Cherry
PC996 Black Grape
PC931 Dark Purple
PC1009 Dahlia Purple
PC1005 Limepeel
PC1089 Pale Sage
∆ Prismacolor offer several colours useful for botanical work that are not available in any other range.
OTHER GOOD RANGES
There are many makes of coloured pencil available now, too numerous to list here, but the following ranges are good quality and worth consideration. Try out each make before you buy to see which you prefer because we all have different styles and draw with differing pressures. Most art shops will let you try pencils, but if not just buy one before you commit yourself to any additional expense.
DERWENT STUDIO
This is a useful range of 72 slim artists’ quality pencils. They share the same colour core as Derwent Artists coloured pencils, but have a slim, hexagonal barrel. The 3.4mm core sharpens to a fine point, producing a narrow colour strip that is useful for detailed work.
CARAN D’ACHE LUMINANCE 6901
Relatively new to the market, this range of 76 pencils comes with full lightfast guarantee on 61 of the colours. They have a lovely soft, creamy laydown similar to Prismacolor but without the tip breaking off. However, there is only one good green and the range is limited. The grey, light brown and beige colour ranges are strong, with some lovely violets and purples, but they are weak in the yellows, oranges, reds and greens. They can be confusing to use as the barrel is wooden with a colour reference just on the tip and the number is written around the barrel, so is difficult to read. I recommend that at first you buy just a few of the more unusual colours.
LYRA REMBRANDT POLYCOLOR
A range of 72 oil-based colours, these pencils are similar to the Faber-Castell Polychromos range with similar colour names and numbers.
PRISMACOLOR VERITHIN
A limited range of 36 colours with narrow, hard colour strips, Prismacolor Verithin are useful for fine details and edges.
∆ CONCENTRATED PLUMS
13 x 11 cm (5 x 4 in)
EXTRA COLOURS
You will come across many other makes, mostly with limited colour ranges, but keep a look out for the occasional colour that is not in any of the other ranges and collect any you think might be useful. Ask if you can try different makes out before you buy to check their consistency and ease of use.
Some distributors are now manufacturing their own brands, such as Dick Blick in the USA, who have produced a range of 72 Blick Studio Artists’ Colored Pencils with what they call ‘fade-resistant’ leads, which they state are formulated utilizing feedback from the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) artist members and teachers.
∆ SUNFLOWER SEEDHEAD
Helianthus annuus
49 x 66 cm (19 x 26 in) Pencil PAPERS
GRAPHITE PENCILS
Graphite pencils range from the very hard 9H through to the extremely soft 9B, with an F for fine in the middle of the range. For botanical work you will mainly need pencils from 2H to 2B. There are many brands to choose from, but try to select a make that is consistent and non-gritty and that gives a good depth of blackness at the HB grade. Look for leads that are well centred in the wooden shaft and check the wood for any signs of splitting.
The pencils I prefer are the Derwent Graphic range as they produce a good dense black tone at the HB and F grades. Some makes are quite pale and grey at this level, so you would have to use a much softer pencil to achieve depth of tone, resulting in a loss of precision.
Graphite can also be used in the form of a propelling pencil. Again the range is wide, with the added variation of width of lead. Generally, good makes come in a range of 0.3mm, 0.5mm and 0.7mm diameter leads and a range of grades. I find the most useful is a 0.3mm with HB and H leads to handle fine detail and clean outlines.
SHARPENING GRAPHITE PENCILS
A sharp point is essential when drawing. Rather than using a pencil sharpener, which can produce a short conical point that soon blunts, sharpen graphite pencils with a scalpel for a long-lasting point.
PAPERS
For coloured-pencil drawings it is important to have a good quality paper on which to work. It needs to be at least 300 gsm (140 lb) in weight, to withstand the constant pressure to the surface with a sharp point; also the use of erasers and solvents will quickly wear out a lighter weight paper. The paper surface needs to be fairly smooth, otherwise work can look too grainy, but it does need to have some texture in order to hold the pigment on the surface.
The type of paper I use is ‘hot-pressed’ (HP), which has a slight texture. Other paper types, called variously ‘rough’, ‘cold-pressed’ or ‘Not’ (meaning not hot-pressed) are generally too textured. Very smooth papers such as Bristol board will only take a few layers of colour before the pencil starts to slip and slide over the surface without depositing any further pigment. Whatever make or type of paper you prefer it needs to be acid free (that is, have a pH balance of 7), so that your work can be kept for many years without the paper discolouring. Non-acid free paper can discolour alarmingly in just a few months, spoiling your finished work.
There are many quality makes of watercolour paper available, such as Arches, Saunders, Hahnemühle and Schoellershammer, all of which take coloured pencil well. Rising Stonehenge is a popular paper from the USA and a lot of artists working in coloured pencil prefer its softer texture.
The make I use for preference is the Italian-made Fabriano Classico 5 hot-pressed paper. This white paper is available in sheets and in pads, called ‘Fat Pads’. Fabriano also make another, better quality 100 per cent cotton paper called Artistico, which is also good to work on with coloured pencil, but is creamy in colour. It comes in ‘white’, which is very creamy, and ‘extra white’, which is still cream coloured. White or cream paper is a matter of personal preference; however, as I shall be showing you later, white flowers are much easier to depict on white paper.
∆ A basic start-up kit should include graphite and propelling pencils. It is worth buying a good quality pencil sharpener with a spiral core and you will find a range of erasers is helpful, including a battery-operated one as well as plastic and kneadable erasers. A scalpel and eraser shield are also essential.
WHICH SIDE TO WORK ON?
Hot-pressed paper is made in a mould and in the manufacturing process it is pressed by rollers against a soft wire mesh, which can leave the often quite clear impression of the mesh on one side of the paper. This is not a sympathetic surface for coloured-pencil work, so always use the other, more uneven, side to work on. The manufacturer’s watermark will usually read on the right side, with the exception of Fabriano. Paper presented in blocks or pads needs to be checked with a magnifying glass as it varies depending on the manufacturer as to which way up the paper is presented.
ERASERS
For correcting graphite pencil work use a plastic eraser that is quite firm and so tends not to damage the paper surface or leave any unwanted residue on the paper surface.
Cut off a small triangle from your plastic eraser and put the rest safely away in a polythene bag to keep it clean. This way you always have a clean piece, with sharp edges, to work with. When this small piece is dirty throw it away and cut a new piece.
For lifting off areas of tone or highlights and generally cleaning the paper, use one of the soft, malleable types of eraser such as Maped’s dark grey kneadable eraser, Blu or White Tac or a piece of kneaded putty rubber.
PENCIL SHARPENERS
Invest in a good quality pencil sharpener for your coloured pencils. Whether it is electric, battery operated or hand cranked, choose one with a spiral metal sharpening core and not the type that just has a revolving pencil sharpener. This latter type quickly becomes blunt and only sharpens to a small conical point. Pencil sharpeners can become clogged with waxy residues, but regularly sharpening a graphite pencil in them helps to keep them clean.
Always sharpen your pencils from the un-named end so that you do not lose the name and reference number of the colour.
STORAGE
There are many ways to store pencils, but it is a good idea to have a safe and convenient way to carry your pencils should you wish to work away from home. I use strong zip-up cases that hold the pencils firmly in slots and travel well. Pencil rolls and wooden boxes also provide good protection.
The cheapest and simplest container for your pencils at home or in the studio is a cardboard wine-bottle carrier with six compartments, easily available from the supermarket or off-licence, with a large plastic pot placed in each compartment to contain a separate range of colours: one pot for greens, one for reds, and so on. Easy and organized!
BLENDERS AND SOLVENTS
Blender pencils are used for mixing the colours together on the page and for burnishing: that is, pushing the colours together and smoothing them into the grain of the paper to give a paintlike effect. These specialized pencils can also be used for resist work (see here).
∆ Useful extra materials include blender pencils, solvents and embossing tools. A handheld magnifier is invaluable, as are a lightbox and a clamp.
Solvent melts the binder that holds the pigment in all forms of dry media and because it is not affected by any size or sealant in the paper it takes the pigment straight into the paper, in effect staining it. This then provides a good base for drawing as the solvent does not change the texture of the paper as water can.
There are various types of solvent on the market that can be used with coloured pencil. You can use any substance that will dissolve oil or wax, such as white spirit, but this is not ideal for studio use. There are alcohol-based solvents available that come in felt-tip pen form or in a container. There is also a turpentine substitute called ‘Zest-it’; this is lemon based and less toxic, but bear in mind that it can dissolve masking fluid. You can also buy empty felt-tip pens, which can be filled with a solvent of your choice. Always use solvents in a well-ventilated space.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
You will need a drawing board, preferably A2 or larger, to work on, propped up at a slight angle.
A magnifier is essential for use both on the plant material and on the drawing to help with the smooth laydown of colour, fine detail and crisp edges. Use either a handheld one or, preferably, a clamp type with a flexible arm that can be attached to the drawing board, leaving both of your hands free.
Other useful extras include Frisk film or sticky-backed plastic, fixative, masking fluid, a scalpel, a sanding block and embossers.
Small hobby clamps with jointed arms are a good way of holding specimens.
A cheap icing turntable or ‘lazy susan’ will allow you to revolve your plant material and view it from every angle.
Feathers are useful for cleaning debris such as broken pencil tips and eraser dust from your work. Use a feather or large soft paintbrush regularly to prevent accidental smudges and marks on the paper.
A lightbox will enable you to trace your layouts more easily onto decent drawing paper or to place additional elements in your composition.
∆ AMARYLLIS TRIO
29 x 50 cm (11 x 20 in)
WORKING ENVIRONMENT
The best place to work is near a north-facing window, with the light coming from the opposite side to the hand that you draw with, so that you are not working in your own shadow. The north light means that you will get a more even light distribution and avoid the constantly changing shadows that strong sunlight can produce.
It is always best to work in natural light. Tungsten light bulbs give a yellow caste, fluorescent lighting flickers and can result in a strobe effect when you are colouring in rapidly, and daylight bulbs give a very cold blue light, all of which make colour matching tricky and frustrating.
You will need a stable surface to work on as you will be applying strong pressure at times. Sit on a comfortable chair with good back support and use a board to rest your paper on, which you can prop up at an angle so that you do not overstretch your neck muscles. Do not sit for long periods without getting up and stretching your legs.
Place your plant material in front of you at eye level, so that you only have to move your eyes back and forward, thus avoiding too much head movement. Your eye muscles also need stretching, so look up from your work regularly and stare out of the window at the horizon.
Most importantly, make a space that works for you, and preferably one that is not cramped, where you can keep your work and materials out all the time so there is nothing to deter you from working.
PROTECTING WORK
Use a piece of similar paper to rest your hand on while working to avoid smudging and to try out colour mixes on. Always cover your drawing completely when not working to protect it from dust and insects. When completed, cover it with acid-free tissue paper or another sheet of paper and store it out of the light in a folder or drawer. If you are framing your work, the extra expense of UV glass to screen out UV light that fades colours is well worth it to ensure the long life of your work. Additionally take care not to hang your work in direct sunlight or strong reflected light. After all, your drawing has taken a lot of time and effort to complete.
