Tag: graphite

Exploring Graphite

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Not my best work, but I’m experimenting with graphite. It can cover well, lift nicely, create a moody atmosphere, has a great range in value, etc. Here, I’m doing some sketches that take some thought and some time, but I still rush through much of them as shown by the strange trees here and there. Some of these are tutorials from Smoothie77’s Patreon channel, and some are from my own reference photos, like the one directly below. Lighting makes a huge difference in how photos turn out, so some are on the blue side and others on the warm, yellow side, but they’re all done with the same pencils on the same paper, Canson Fluid multimedia (which I wouldn’t purchase again for graphite).

Categories: Art Pencil

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Robin in Ink

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9”x12”, ink and graphite on Hahnemuhle bamboo paper

I truly love winter, but during this cold snap, I suddenly remembered robins and crab apple blossoms and planting a garden and hanging clothes outside to dry. The next thing I knew, I was drawing this robin.

This may be the only time I’ve used this paper with any success. It’s a bamboo paper that seems to absorb water well and the colors are nice and bright, but the surface is soft so that I’ve never appreciated the rather dreamy effect until now.

Ironically, I based this painting off a photo I took a few years ago in November. I remember thinking I was seeing the last of the robins until spring. I used another photo of this same robin in another drawing, one of my favorites, I think.

Categories: Art Ink Pencil

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Claybord Birds

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These are both 6”x6” Ampersand Claybord panels with ink for the backgrounds and a combination of graphite, ink, and scratchboard techniques for the birds and branches. I can use a spray varnish on these and simply pop them into a frame, which is a real plus when using a surface like Claybord.

I love using this type of surface compared to paper because it’s both an additive and subtractive process. I add in colors, shapes, and values, and then I can scratch and erase detail and highlights. With these two birds, I used graphite for shadows and dulling some of the bright white lines that happen with scratching.

Travelers Journals

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I’m going back to my travelers notebook theme this year, using the smaller passport size for daily sketches, birding notes, and an exercise log. The larger, A5 journal has one booklet of sketch paper, one of multimedia, and one general notebook for art notes. My pencil is the Tutto 3 mechanical pencil with three different lead sizes and types, a .3, .5, and .7. So far, I’m loving this system, and I hope to stick with it for a year.