I made a little more progress on the coloured pencil drawing today. I really do like the way Polychromos pencils work on the drafting film. For the moment I'm calling this Niña ... which means Girl (young girl) in Spanish
Unfortunately I'm coming to the end of my giant roll of drafting film and the piece I've cut to work on will insist on springing free of the masking tape and curling up. In trying to straighten it I've put a few dents in the surface which show in some lights ...
I've cut the film to approx 20" x 16" but I think I'll end up cropping the work to 16" x 12" and using a mount/mat to take it to frame size 20" x 16" that way I'll probably get away without adding any sort of background .... fingers crossed.
The light has been horrible today as we've had high winds and squally showers - not good for photographing work.
This was the first WIP. The patchy effect is because the film is curling and creating shadows .. shame really as I quite like it! I wonder how hard it would be to produce a background like that in coloured pencil?
and here I worked on her hair and started on those skirt ruffles ... I had to stop as was getting spots before my eyes
The variance in colours is due to the poor light .... I'll worry about getting a truer likeness once she's a bit more advanced.
Unfortunately I'm coming to the end of my giant roll of drafting film and the piece I've cut to work on will insist on springing free of the masking tape and curling up. In trying to straighten it I've put a few dents in the surface which show in some lights ...
I've cut the film to approx 20" x 16" but I think I'll end up cropping the work to 16" x 12" and using a mount/mat to take it to frame size 20" x 16" that way I'll probably get away without adding any sort of background .... fingers crossed.
The light has been horrible today as we've had high winds and squally showers - not good for photographing work.
This was the first WIP. The patchy effect is because the film is curling and creating shadows .. shame really as I quite like it! I wonder how hard it would be to produce a background like that in coloured pencil?
and here I worked on her hair and started on those skirt ruffles ... I had to stop as was getting spots before my eyes
The variance in colours is due to the poor light .... I'll worry about getting a truer likeness once she's a bit more advanced.
She looks a bit miserable in the first picture but looks better in the next one. Must be a pain when it keeps rolling up on you.
ReplyDeleteStill gotta read your Indian trip. Been a bit bugged out lately though LOL
Cheers Jo ... Yes it is a pain but I'm determined to use the last pieces on the roll as its quite expensive to replace.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was finally caught up with blogposts and sorry to see that you're still being plagued by the bugs. I've read that it can take months to clear the problem so hoping you're on nearing the end of the ordeal now.
It's coming along so beautifully! Is it unusual for someone to have blonde hair there on Fuerte?
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame about the drafting film though - oh, that reminds me, I told a fellow member of a forum about you using drafting film and that you'd probably tell her exactly what you got and where you got it. If not, maybe you could email me the information and I'll pass it on to her. She lives there in England and had never heard of the DuraLar.
Can't wait to see this finished! That dress is fabulous.
Thanks Jan. I don't know which brand of film I'm using as I bought a large roll on eBay some years ago from a retired draftsman who was clearing loft space. It is double matt and I guess either 50 or 70 micron.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK the most common brand of drafting film is marketed as Polydraw by all the major art suppliers and it comes in pads or rolls. I haven't tried it but assume its going to be pretty much like the one I'm using.
I need to darken the girl's hair slightly - she is blonde/light brown but in this photo it looks quite ginger. Its not a good photo and the colours are 'off' - I'll get a better one tomorrow hopefully. Most Spaniards are naturally dark haired but in a few regions, particularly Northern Spain, Blondes are not so unusual (I've seen the figure 17% Blonde quoted)
Thanks for the information, Sue, I'll pass on the Polydraw info and thanks also for explaining about the lighter hair color.
ReplyDeleteyou could probably create that shadow look fairly easily by taking pencil shavings and smudging them onto the surface with your fingers. I would try it on a spare piece first just in case it just makes a mess lol :)
ReplyDeleteIf your 'e-friend' wants any more info I'm happy to 'talk' to her although I'm no expert with this support. I have used it about a dozen times and like it because it makes CP drawing go 'faster' as you can't get many layers down .. that in itself takes some getting used to though as you have to be more accurate with colour selection from the start. I've only worked on the front of this so far and will most likely do some work on the back where I need the colour to be stronger.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of using pencil shavings Jennifer ... I might try that on the back of the film to get a hazier effect but will definitely try it on a scrap piece first. I've seen lovely backgrounds done with airbrushing on film but (a) I haven't got an airbrush and (b) I want to keep this as pure coloured pencil in case I enter it into a UKCPS competition at some stage. Using water or solvent makes it a 'mixed media' work.
Jan ... I meant to add that I find Polychromos work beautifully on the surface - better than Prismas and Derwents (IMHO)
ReplyDelete