Pencilvember, Week 2: Truncated

Reference photo by Frank Koyama

After Pencilvember Week 1’s good times with soft Prismacolors, I changed to Faber-Castell Polychromos for Week 2. Although I had been planning weekly updates to align with my plan to use a different pencil brand each week, I’ve ended Week 2 early. Here’s why:

When I made all those colored pencil pet portraits the past couple of years, Polychromos had been my go-to, but that’s because I was going for a detailed, realistic look. The hard but highly pigmented Polychromos is ideal for that. What Polychromos is not good for, however, is speed. It’s best used in a traditional way, which is multiple, lightly applied layers – a time-consuming process. The slam-it-down method I use for speed works best with soft colored pencils.

I knew all that going in, but I wanted to challenge myself anyway, and most of these took more than my 20-minute goal – closer to 25 or 30 minutes. I’m not unhappy with the results, but they confirmed that Polychromos is not the best pencil choice when speed is of the essence. It just takes too long to build up dark values. I decided to end Polychromos week early, and I’ll choose a much softer pencil going forward.

On the upside, I’m pleased with other experiments Pencilvember is enabling me to try. Last week I mentioned in an image cutline that when my reference photos were taken in flat lighting, I used a yellow pencil to remind myself where the light would be, if it were more easily visible. This trick also works with subjects in good lighting, but when I don’t want to take the time to create contrast that would indicate the light.

12/11/23 My original sketch of Tucker on
the cover of a Field Notes notebook. The background was painted with ArtGraf water-soluble graphite.

Tucker turned out to be a fitting example of this. When I first sketched him two years ago (above, right), I painted in a dark background behind the lighted side of his face. This time, instead of trying to hastily scribble in a similar contrasting background with colored pencils, I used yellow as a shorthand to indicate the window light.

Tucker is also an excellent example of a point I brought up several months ago in my post offering tips on pet portraiture. If you have a model in good lighting or a good reference photo, the eyes of animals (as well as humans) will show a shadow of the upper eyelid. The strong, frontal light on Tucker’s face was ideal for indicating these shadows. Catching these shadows is not important if realism is not the goal, but they’re hard to resist when they are so clearly visible, which is rarely the case. (This was one of my favorite pet reference photos to work with – an unusual, challenging, three-quarter pose with beautiful natural lighting. If only all commission reference photos could be like Tucker’s!)

Critters of All Kinds

 

10/25/22 graphite in Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook (20 min.)

One of many things I am enjoying about France Van Stone’s “Critters” course is the variety of critters we are drawing. The dogs have been wonderful, but I’m also getting opportunities to draw animals I don’t often get to sketch from life (at least not up close and for as long as I want). The next three lessons were a napping fox, a cow and a bird (I’d appreciate learning its species if anyone knows).

For the fox, I used a soft Blackwing pencil and a Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook, which has a slightly toothy surface that I thought would give the fuzzy fur a nice texture.

10/29/22 Rainbow pencil, Prismacolor in S & B Zeta sketchbook (30. min.) 

For the cow and the bird (sketched in a smoother Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook), I pulled out my favorite seven-color rainbow pencil with help from a dark Prismacolor (Blue Violet for the cow and Espresso for the bird). I love that combo! If you abandon any intention of isolating individual colors in a rainbow pencil, it becomes a tonal tool just like a graphite pencil – but with the benefit of fantastic colors. The hues all mix together randomly in a way that could never be done intentionally with seven separate colors. I have such difficulty avoiding being “realistic” and literal with color that it’s good training for me to simply surrender to the rainbow. Then I go in at the end with a Prismacolor to give umph to the darkest value and accents. The two pencils make a great team.

10/30/22 Rainbow pencil, Prismacolor in S & B Zeta sketchbook (25. min.)

My process of learning and practicing crosshatching is interesting to observe. With ballpoint, it’s all new to me, and France’s “dirty” techniques encourage looseness. When I have a pencil in my hand, though, I have to fight my more formal training. All my “serious” study of graphite and colored pencil at Gage Academy taught me how to model form realistically (a primary learning goal in Gage’s traditional culture), which is by nature a “tight” method: Slowly following the direction of the form with the marks and blending the marks and layers to be seamless.

Crosshatching combined with my self-enforced short timeframe has liberated me to scribble rapidly with straight, short marks (instead of following the form) – but not without care. When crosshatching, as France constantly reminds us, it’s still all about identifying values and using layers and layers of crossed lines to express those values. So I can move my pencil quickly to apply as many layers as possible, but my brain still has to work in the usual way to look for the forms and values. When I signed up for crosshatching with France, I didn’t know that I’d be “retraining” myself in this way – what a surprising benefit! I would like to be able to choose whether to be “tight” or “loose” – not fall back on a default setting. This crosshatching practice is getting me there.

(Reference photos provided by France Van Stone)

The Lake City Potato

 

8/5/22 Lake City

On Lake City Way where the major arterial is divided, a sculpture sits in the middle of the divide near Northeast 123^rd. I always call it “the baked potato” (with a knife going through it), but every time I’ve tried to find its actual name or artist, I’ve come up empty. (I searched again before writing this post, but I struck out again.) When Greg had a quick errand nearby, it was a good opportunity to finally sketch it.

Rain or Shine

2/6/22 The Brothers (Olympic Mountain range)

As soon as I complained about being tired of winter, we were treated to a glorious day of sunshine. Temps in the 40s aren’t exactly warm, but if I can leave my down parka and gloves at home, that’s good enough for me.

We’re still walking through the ‘hood nearly every day, rain or shine, and I capture small stories as I go. I really enjoy putting these sketches of ordinary moments into my Field Notes “whatever” journal. They are the same kinds of sketches I’ve been making in Field Notes for many years now, yet they had always been segregated in notebooks designated for sketches. Putting them into the same notebook as my observations, memos, ideas and the rest of my brain dump somehow makes more sense: all the detritus of my day in one place. I wish I’d thought of it a long time ago!

2/6/22 Downtown Seattle skyline from Maple Leaf Park

By the way, if you’re curious about that rainbow pencil I used for the first two sketches, it’s a new 5.6mm rainbow lead that I popped into my Koh-i-Noor “Magic” clutch. The lead is one of a set of five color combinations that I found on eBay. I doubt I will write a full review of these; they just don’t excite me enough one way or another. I like how thick these leads are, but they are too hard for the five-minute sketches I want to do with them. My favorite rainbow pencil is still the Camel for its soft core and seven swirled colors (see more comments about rainbow pencils). 

1/13/22 Men digging

1/21/22 Maple Leaf water tower

1/25/22 This was the final cleanup of the fallen willow I showed in  my Jan. 12 post.

2/4/22 The two roofers came down just as I had started to sketch, but at least
I caught this guy working on the window.

Review: Kokuyo Dual Color Pencils

 

This set of 20 Kokuyo Dual Color Pencils came in a plastic case.

You all know of my love for rainbow pencils. I’ve tried many, and while I love them all in principle, some are mostly a colorful novelty and not recommended for use. A long-time favorite has been the seven-color one made by Camel that is sold under various brand names (CW Pencils carries a custom version of it). Soft and richly pigmented, it is also unique in being a true rainbow arranged in a wheel so that each hue could be used independently (sort of, in theory; I wouldn’t bother, though). I reach for it most often when I want a rainbow pencil to use and not just ogle with heart-shaped eyes.

I may now have a new favorite – not necessarily to replace the Camel but to use in a different way: Kokuyo Dual Color Pencils. Made in Japan, the Kokuyo set includes 20 pencils (an alternate set includes 20 mini-size pencils). Each core is made of two hues mixed in a checkerboard fashion revealed by the unfinished end. (I’m not ashamed to admit that I squealed with delight when I discovered the ends!).

Thick, soft cores

Checkerboard cores!

The attractive barrel is also unique: Half the unvarnished cedar (wood type unstated, but my nose says it’s cedar) is painted with a geometric pattern. I have lately seen more pencils, both colored and graphite, with a half-painted natural barrel that I find fresh and modern.

A half-painted, natural wood barrel.

The Dual Colors call to mind two other rainbow pencils in my collection, both Czech-made by Koh-i-Noor: the Tri-Tone and the Magic. With three hues in the Tri-Tones and two or more hues in the Magic pencils, each core swirls the colors together. The Kokuyo Dual Colors, however, are much softer than either.

Kokuyo Dual Color, Koh-i-Noor Tri-Tone and Koh-i-Noor Magic pencils

In making my scribbled swatches (made in a Stillman & Birn Epsilon sketchbook), it was easy to reveal the two tones by rotating the pencil as I scribbled. I wouldn’t bother trying to isolate the individual hues; these are meant to be used together. Pencils containing analogous hues or two shades of the same hue work best; complementary pairs are less appealing. And I don’t have much need for the one containing two shades of similar grays.

Swatches made in S&B Epsilon sketchbook

Although these pencils are fun to use in the typical unicorn-rainbowy fashion (by that I mean gleefully and without regard for precise color application), they can also be used in another way: allowing the dual tones to work together harmoniously to add richness. When I saw this potential, I picked out three pencils that came closest to the CMYK primary triad that I have been exploring lately – a yellow/orange, a magenta/yellow, and a blue/violet – and sketched a peach. I’m not sure the triadic part of the experiment worked as it typically might, but if I were choosing colors in a more conventional manner, I could easily see using six or seven pencils to capture this peach with a range from yellow to violet. Here, I’ve done it with three; I probably could have done it without the yellow/orange. The soft cores layered beautifully in a Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook. And somehow it’s more fun to use two colors in one stick that mix without effort.

8/7/21 Kokuyo Dual Color in Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook

I repeat: I love rainbow pencils. And I especially love these.

8/14/21 The hand is baaaack!

Review: Cretacolor MegaQuattro Multi-Color Pencil

 

The MegaQuattro water-soluble rainbow pencil

It’s no secret that I love rainbow pencils. Though I don’t use them regularly to draw with, I doodle and scribble with them frequently just because they make me happy.

While I have a reasonably large collection of rainbow pencils, none are water-soluble. Given my fondness for watercolor pencils, I have often wondered why I have never seen any water-soluble rainbow pencils. Then I respond to my own musings by speculating that it may be because all those mixed colors, which look magical when applied dry, would dissolve into mud if activated with water.

I can’t recall now what I was actually searching for, but browsing through the Internet one day brought me to Hull’s Art Supply and Framing in Connecticut. Although most of their wares were not new to me, one thing got my attention: the Cretacolor MegaQuattro Multi-Color Pencil. At first glance, its jumbo-sized, marbled barrel looked suspiciously similar to the Koh-i-Noor Magic Pencil. What caught my eye, though, was the telltale brush on the barrel – the universal symbol of water-solubility!

Colorful core visible on the end.

With red, blue, green and yellow, the colors are not swirled together in the core, so it is somewhat possible (though not easy) to use one color at a time. I prefer to let the colors mix anyway, but I made a sketch of a lemon with some attempt to keep the colors separate. The yellow seemed the hardest to apply independently, so the lemon came out a bit blue-greenish – which I like! Rainbow pencils keep me from being too literal with color (which I have a bad habit of being).

The downside is that the MegaQuattro’s core is relatively hard, though that’s not unusual for most rainbow pencils. (The exception is my favorite seven-color pencil by Camel, which is now available with the CW Pencils name.) When activated together, the four colors do become muddy. Still, I’m happy that a water-soluble rainbow pencil exists.

6/10/21 Cretacolor MegaQuattro in Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook

Unknowingly

 

After she had been on a ventilator for nearly two weeks and was stable for a few days, Toni’s family thought she had turned a corner toward recovery. But COVID-19 is a cruel, unpredictable illness; I’ve heard many stories about the various paths it can take to ravage the body. Just as her family was starting to be relieved, she took a turn for the worse, and now her doctors have suggested that she be taken off life support tomorrow.

Here is how her sister Fran describes what Toni is going through right now:

Today Toni is struggling more than ever. She is in a lot of pain as she is being weaned off the sedatives. In addition to her ventilator tube and feeding tube, Toni has a chest tube inserted into her side ribs and lung and feels pain every time she takes a breath (sometimes she breathes over the intubation). She is growing weaker and has air pockets under her skin from the lung collapse, which also causes great pain. The air pockets won’t go away until she is off the ventilator …and in order to get off the ventilator, she has to come off the sedation because under sedation, she can’t breathe on her own. But when she starts coming off sedation, the pain is great. Her lungs are inflamed with COVID-19 pneumonia. When the doctors lower the sedation, she struggles with her breath. It becomes rapid breathing and she goes into respiratory distress. It’s a series of Catch-22s. Her COVID-19 pneumonia is severe. According to Toni’s lung specialist, for two weeks there has been no improvement from the point of view of pneumonia.

Not many people would knowingly and deliberately inflict this kind of suffering on others. Imagine, though, inflicting this kind of suffering on others unknowingly.

It is happening every day.

Review: Koh-i-Noor 5340 Clutch with Magic Leads

The Koh-i-Noor clutch with Magic lead!

You know how much I love rainbow pencils. Santa brought me a new one: a Koh-i-Noor clutch with “Magic” leads! The clutch will accommodate any 5.6mm leads (but why would anyone use ordinary leads if you can use magical ones?). Magic lead refills can be purchased separately.

I already have several woodcased Koh-i-Noor Magic pencils, including a jumbo and some standard-size ones. (Caution: If you shop for these, check the prices carefully on all options… they seem to vary widely for no reason. I’m sure I paid less than what these links are showing.) Unexpectedly, the clutch leads feel slightly softer; I would have expected mechanical leads to be harder than their woodcased counterparts.

 

From top: Koh-i-Noor Magic clutch, jumbo-size woodcased Magic pencil, standard-size rainbow pencil

The metal clutch is heavier than I typically prefer in a drawing instrument, but the hefty girth makes up for the weight: It’s slightly larger in diameter than a jumbo. It’s a very comfortable size for the loose kind of sketching I do with it.

I like using Magic leads most on toothy paper. On Field Notes’ standard French Opaque Smooth, I have to use more pressure to get good marks than on Stillman & Birn Alpha, which has more tooth.

 

12/27/19 Koh-i-Noor Magic clutch in Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook

It’s a ton of fun to make small gesture sketches from the book, People of the 21st Century!

Koh-i-Noor Magic clutch in Field Notes Signature notebook

Practicing People of the 21st Century

I’ve been jonesin’ for life-drawing practice while Gage Academy is on its long winter break. I try to sketch real-life people whenever I can, but I want a way to practice from home, too. Encouraged by the fun I had sketching from a newspaper photo a few weeks ago, even though I generally avoid it, I decided it wouldn’t be so bad to resort to working from photos if I use the images only as gestures. In other words, I’m not trying to reproduce the photos; I’m viewing them as short poses.

I remembered a book I got a few years ago after Ed Harker showed how he was using it to practice drawing people: People of the 21st Century, by Hans Eijkelboom. This fascinating book is a collection of photos taken by Eijkelboom from the ‘90s into the current decade – thousands of people that the photographer has captured on urban streets, mostly in the Netherlands but also elsewhere in Europe, Asia and North America. What makes the book visually interesting is that he has arranged each page into a grid of images based on unifying themes, such as men wearing striped shirts, women wearing pink tanks, people in yellow raincoats, people in blue raincoats, people in fur. Even if you never draw from it, the book is intriguing to look through.

Written by David Carrier, the book’s afterword says (with a quotation from the photographer): “Taken individually, Eijkelboom’s small photographs are as banal as their subjects. He uses repetition to communicate awareness of difference: the closer you look at any page of this book, the more diverse you will find the people who are dressed in similar ways. ‘Everybody has the skills to relate to what is surrounding him,’ he says. But only art shows you how to see clearly this everyday reality, which is right at hand. ‘What is more beautiful,’ he asks, ‘than a human being who tries to be an optimal human?’ He is infatuated with this ordinary world.”

I just flip open to random pages and pretend these people are walking by as I try to capture their poses as quickly as possible. Fun and strangely relaxing!

By the way, this is the way the binding on the book looked when I bought it.

It drove me crazy because it wouldn’t stay open while I was sketching, so I took it to my neighborhood FedEx store. For a few bucks, they chopped off the spine and replaced it with a spiral – best book hack ever.