12″x12″, Charcoal, Neocolor I and Neocolor II on wooden panel
It’s a still life, but it almost felt like a landscape for a while there with the plants, sunlight, and, if you take a close look, a little critter on the top of the jar.
Only better than discovering a new medium is rediscovering it after a few years pass and liking it more than the first time around.
I dusted off my oil pastels and sketched the cow portrait. I was so pleased with how it turned out I quickly decided to do a big project. Did I bite off more than I can chew? Yes, I did.
Although it isn’t the worst thing I’ve completed, it’s certainly not the best. Next time, I’ll stick to a smaller size and choose one focal point instead of having everything fight for attention.
I haven’t felt much like sketching or painting until the past few days. We discovered a new park, and I snapped a photo of what I think is an American Tree Sparrow. My photo was a little blurry, but I had enough detail to finish this drawing.
This is in colored pencil—Pablo and Derwent drawing—on a background of Neocolor II. I used Pastelmat in a yellow orange color.
A cheap way to try out using heat with colored pencils and crayons is to use a small, inexpensive coffee warmer. Mine gets up to 130 degree (F), which is probably too warm, but it works fine as a way to melt wax to see what happens.
I sampled a variety of pencils and crayons, finding the Neocolors melting the quickest, but all of them worked to some extent.
I chose a $15 coffee warmer that was smooth on top. This one turns on when there’s weight on it, and it only has one setting.
This very, very quick drawing was done on drafting film with melted Neocolors and then scraffito techniques. Certainly not my best effort but overall fun and very creative feeling.
Doesn’t this one look like a coloring book? I drew in the horse first and then melted it afterwards, blending the colors with a clay shaper. Honestly, I’m not certain I’ve hit upon a look I like with using heat, but it’s very intriguing all the same.