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rachaelm5 — Shadowgorge 03 watercolored
#coloredpencil #dragon #watercolor #shadowgorge
Published: 2016-10-17 02:08:33 +0000 UTC; Views: 576; Favourites: 31; Downloads: 0
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Description
Here is a scanned version of Shadowgorge 3 with the completed watercolor and the bit of coloring I finished at Archon. I'm going to have to experiment a bit to see how much of the nifty watercolor effects I can preserve... I achieve those effects with table salt, sprinkled over the watercolor while it is still wet. The more defined the florets, the drier the watercolor was. Really sopping-wet watercolor will create a marbling effect.Pencil drawing:
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Comments: 12
Is it difficult to color over watercolored paper? The effect is gorgeous, and I can see it in a lot of your newer work too since you showed us this.
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The difficulty depends on the type of pencils I'm using, and the type of paper or board. Here's the long version:
I use either vellum surface Bristol board (it's a high-quality cardstock) or cold-press Crescent illustration board, both of which have just enough tooth to hold the colored pencil well, but are not so rough that smooth coloring and blending is difficult. I don't generally use real watercolor paper for my combination technique, because even hot-press watercolor paper tends to be too rough for my colored pencils. I can *do* it, mind you, but it takes a lot more effort. Both the Bristol and the illustration board can take the watercolor really well. The Bristol will warp a bit, but there are ways to compensate for that. The thin illustration board may warp some, but the thick illustration board generally won't unless I get it really, really sopping wet.
To work over dark watercolor like this, I need pencils that are capable of being opaque over the top of the watercolor. I use Prismacolor Premiers for this kind of work. If my watercolor layer is much lighter (which I don't do often), then I can use Polychromos, Blick Studio pencils, or Caran d'Arche and still get good results from the colored pencil work. Pastel pencils would also work over dark watercolor, but the feel of those pencils on paper makes my skin crawl; I never use 'em. Some artists really like them, though, because those will also color over dark watercolor with no problem. If I was working at a larger scale, say 18x24 inches or larger, regular soft pastels would work over watercolor really well, too. But again, it's that chalkiness-on-paper feeling that I can't handle, so I stick with wax-based mediums for the final coloring part.
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Thank you. I have another project that I'm finishing, but the Shadowgorge set will be the next thing I do after that.
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A lot of work if you want the colored pencil layer as intense as you normally have. Do you still work your tech job besides the drawing?
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Yes, it's quite a lot of work - but I love the result!
I do still work my tech job. The art industry is up and down, all over the place, and I do not think I would be able to make steady money if art was my full-time job. I also need to give the art-side of my brain a rest. My weekday technical job serves both purposes very well.
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Great to hear that.... I am an MRI tech and often wonder if I could do full time art work. To see you pull it off with doing your 'normal' job on weekdays and still get so many beautiful results.... You must be a very disciplined person. I take my proverbial hat off for you. (I don't know if that's a proverb in the US too....)
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Well, keep in mind that I am not doing full-time artwork. I have my technical job during the weekdays, then I do my artwork on the weekends. That seems to be the right balance for me. An artist who has a day job AND does artwork every evening has superb discipline! That's not me...
LOL - Yes, "hats off to you" is a US proverb, too! How interesting!
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So only the weekends?? That'd be too little for me. I need to draw/paint or doodle everyday. And I Always think that my weekday-job is in the way of improving or getting stuff done. You're the proof that I'm wrong. thanks. In a way I think I need my technical job too. It keeps me staight and sane and in touch with people who are not thinking of dragons, faeries, ghosts or space vessels all day.
Did you do Inktober?
Anyway, nice talking to you!!
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It's nice to talk to you, too!
Nah, I am working on a large project that uses all my weekend time. I might try Sketchtember and Inktober next year.
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