Exploring Colored Pencils Part #2

Where I last left off, I mentioned that I was going to try the necessities set again to see if I would have any of the same issues I had with the fundamental pencils.

I tried another picture using the Necessities set using similar colors, facial features, and shadows to see if there would be a difference in how I felt about them. While this set doesn’t blend as well as the Prismacolor colored pencils, it does layer better than the Fundamentals. I was able to build my layers and deepen the shadows. I did have to work with them and preserve as much of my white-space on the page as possible—because the white pencil doesn’t do anything (I feel like this is becoming a bit of a theme)—that being said, they had a better color payout overall.

If I put the two images side by side, there are noticeable differences, especially when viewed in person. The one made with the Fundamentals set (on the right) looks flatter and the other (on the left) has more depth and a cleaner look overall.

To make the comparison’s a little clearer, here are some swatches. Looks like three shades of orange right? Well, the differences aren’t so easy to spot when they’re lined up side by side. However, when I did a quick blend test with orange, red, and pink of comparable shades, the differences become a little more obvious. The Prismacolor’s blend together with ease and I got a smoother transition between the three colors. The Necessities set all the way down at the bottom, did blend together. While the Fundamentals set didn’t have as bright a red, and when it came time to blend, it did so a little but on close inspection the transitions weren’t as smooth as they could be.

There are pros and cons to every set, but my final thoughts are that the Prismacolor Premier pencils—while a little pricey—are worth the cost because they fit well with what I mostly do. They blend easily, the colors are vibrant, and I can layer without feeling like I have to fight the pencils to get where I want to go. For my sketchbook, I’ll use the Necessities set, because I have them. They’re not bad. However, when looking at the prices of some of the other Artist’s Loft colored pencil sets online, if I’m going to spend $36, I’ll probably just go with Prismacolor. My thoughts about the the Fundamentals set hasn’t really changed. As such, I’ll still keep them, but they’re going to be reserved to very light uses.

Exploring Colored Pencils Part #1

I am by no means an expert at using colored pencils. I’m still learning the ins and outs. However, I have been playing around with them for a while and I’ve learned a few lessons over the past year or two based off of trial and error. And today, I want to compare the different brands of colored pencils I’ve used. 

Artist’s Loft Necessities

I received a set of these colored pencils within another set. And when I looked for them online, I didn’t see these specific ones. I was also a little surprised by how much the other sets by the same company actually cost. I mean, these aren’t too bad—and I can’t speak to how the other sets work—but I still wouldn’t go in expecting them to behave like a better known brand like Prismacolor. The Necessities have moderately vibrant colors. They show up well, and I like the look I was able to achieve with them. However, the white pencil doesn’t do much. So, preserving as much white-space on the page as possible was essential to having a good contrast between the light and dark areas. And, if you like a smoother look that doesn’t show obvious pencil marks, then this wouldn’t be the set to go with. However, these do have their uses, and overall, I like using them.

Prismacolor Premier

Of course with all art mediums, it takes time to develop a piece from start to finish. These colored pencils are no different. However, the effort was worth it, because the end product for the Prismacolor Premier colored pencils is by far my favorite of the bunch. Prismacolor is the best set of colored pencils I currently own. They can be expensive, but these pencils have a lot to offer that makes them worth their price. The colors are very vibrant. They blend well even without a blender pencil. It’s also relatively easy to create depth with a strong contrast between light and dark, and I can achieve a smoother gradation between the colors. If you want a smooth finish with little to no pencil marks, then this set would be a good one to start with.

Artist’s Loft Fundamentals

When I decided to do this post, I knew I was going to go use at least three sets of colored pencils I had in order to compare the pros and cons between each one. And this list couldn’t be complete without Artist’s Loft’s Fundamentals colored pencils. And…whew, it was a rollercoaster trying to use these for anything other than sketches.

Honestly, this was probably one of the most frustrating experiences I’ve had with colored pencils in a very long time. As I was building the layers, I noticed that it was creating an effect that looked similar to cereal milk—specifically Lucky Charm cereal milk, after all the colors have bled off the marshmallows and mixed together. And the shadows weren’t where I wanted them to be. I resorted to using black to try and deepen the colors. One thing I noticed with the Fundamentals set is that once you have one layer of color down and you try to go over with another shade…yeah, don’t. By the time I actually reached the hair and the background stage, I actually thought about cheating and using the other Artist’s Loft set to try and fix the areas that were particularly egregious. But, I was committed to the process and decided to tough it out for the sake of this post.

Don’t get me wrong, the final image looks fine. I can achieve something with these pencils, but I, by far, prefer the Necessities set if I’m going to use Artist’s Loft colored pencils. In the end, theses are going to be reserved for paint use instead—they’re pretty light and don’t show through as much after additional color from another medium has been added on top.

But then, my co-blogger pointed out that the shadows aren’t as deep on the Necessities picture as the other two. For the sake of being impartial, I decided to go for a second round with the Necessities pencils to see how they worked on a picture with sharper shadows. But, that’ll have to wait for the second part, because this post is long enough as it is. So, part 2 will have more art, some swatches, and my final thoughts about these pencils.

Do you regularly use colored pencils? What’s your favorite brand?

Lets Talk About Older Artwork...

I haven't done a discussion post in a long time. It was one of my blogging goals of 2017. "At least once a month," is what I told myself; although, I never really found my rhythm and didn't find the time to write as many as I wanted (or couldn't think of topics to write about). That being said, it's a new year, and I finally have another discussion post ready. So, today, I'm here to talk about old artwork....

Old artwork. If art is your hobby or job, you’ve inevitably got a pile of old artwork stashed in some deep, dark, and forgotten corner of a closet or drawer. I mean, I have a lot of old art—some of it is from when I was kid—and admittedly, it’s a little awkward to look at. My immediate response is to cringe at it, laugh it off, or just quickly shut that drawer and walk away. However, old artwork is a good thing. And, like it or not, it’s always going to be a thing.

I view old artwork as a roadmap to my current art ability. If not for some of my old artwork, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I didn’t get this way overnight. It took years of practice, and even to this day I still find areas that I feel aren’t as on par with other aspects of my abilities.

I say that old artwork is a good thing because it serves as a visual reminder of where I was. Its a literal documentation of all the learning curves I've gone through, the style changes, and experiments. If I look back at pieces from early 2017 and compare them to some of my current projects, there’s a big difference. By comparing old with new, I can see the areas where I have improved as well as others that I still need to work on. But the signs of improvement are often sources of encouragement to continue. For example, the pictures below. The one on the left is a drawing from 2016 and the one on the right is the redraw I did for it on March 2, 2018.

What I’m trying to say is there’s no shame in old artwork. It’s older artwork for a reason. Is it kind of awkward? Yeah, sometimes, but that doesn’t change the fact that a year from now, I'll look back at everything I'm currently working on and will label it as older artwork. And, in a way, those ones (Those roadmaps to every learning curve) will always be just as important as recent pieces of art. Where's the shame in that?

What are your thoughts on older artwork?

March Discussion Post: What If The Synopsis Spoils The Book

Spoilers is the topic of my March discussion post. Spoilers, well, it isn’t really a topic that I would normally have a lot to say about. At the end of the day, spoilers are still spoilers no matter which way you put it. My thoughts on this particular subject stemmed from some of the books I’ve recently read. Lately, I’ve gotten a couple of them that have made me think about what happens when and if the synopsis of a book accidentally ruins an integral part of the plot.

Don’t worry, I’m purely sharing my thoughts about this topic, but I will not name or reveal any spoilers pertaining to the books that prompted this post.

As I stated above, this has happened to me on multiple occasions. Usually, I don’t immediately take notice of this until I’ve finished the book and started to write my review—then I finally get that “Aha!” moment. While this doesn’t seem like it can be much of a problem, it does have an impact on me. I’ve noticed that this is especially the case when it’s the first book in a series. That first book is often the deciding factor of whether I want or don’t want to continue on to later books in a series. It doesn’t have to be the most literary thing in the sea, as long as I end up enjoying the story for what it is. However, knowing certain things about the plot can have a couple of different effects.

Let me explain. If the synopsis happens to spoil something important, and I either know or am unconsciously expecting it, then when I actually get to that part it might not have the impact that was intended. I find that this is especially the case when that reveal happens pretty late into the story. Simply put, that element of surprise just isn’t there. While this might not ruin a story—especially, if there’s more surprising twists and development left to the plot—it’s still something to think about.

So, what to do about it?

As a reader, it's hard to say, because it would be impossible to avoid synopses entirely. However, I still dislike when this happens, because I always think, “Would this book have had a lasting impression if I hadn’t been expecting a specific thing to haappen [insert spoiler here]? Would I have reacted differently?” Which always leads me to the same conclusion: possibly.

Has this ever happened to you?

February Discussion Post: Nonfiction

I finally get to use this post graphic that I made over two years ago, but that’s beside the point. Today, I am actually going to post the discussion post that I’ve been slowly working on since January. As far as how often I’m going to do discussion posts I really don’t know, but I’m going to try for at least once a month. So, here is my February discussion post…

It took me a while to decide on a topic I wanted to write about. I didn’t want to just talk about favorite genres, format, or tropes. I feel like I’ve already kind of sort of discussed those things before. So, I kept that in mind as I planned for my first discussion post of 2017. Of course, in the end, I did find a topic. So, I want to talk about nonfiction and why it’s important to me—especially since the world is starting to look like the synopsis of Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. No seriously, if you don’t believe me, look the books up, you’ll see.

Why is nonfiction important to me?

Whenever I think of nonfiction I automatically go towards one of my favorite subjects: History. But, history also makes me think of nonfiction as a whole range of subjects—from science to memoirs, even psychology. Anything that deals with information, actual facts or the details about someone or something, that’s what I’m talking about today.

It’s no secret that we live in a time where finding the information we need is literally only a click away. I can’t count on one hand how many times I’ve heard or even said the phrase “just google it”. That availability is great, because it allows ready access to things I want to know more about. Nonfiction is like a portal to the past and present. Mostly, it’s fact. But sometimes, that fact could be skewed by opinions, which is where critical reading and thinking comes into play. Having that ability to discern opinion and fact is getting to be crucial. I think it’s important to know, to be knowledgeable—or at least well-read—about the things that are happening around me whether that’s obscure bits of history, current affairs, or even the state of the environment. Simply put, I want to know, and nonfiction is one of the ways I can find the information I need to form an opinion about something that I find important.

Nonfiction is important to me because it gives me the option to learn about just specific subjects or varied topics all at once, which is something I appreciate.

So, in conclusion…

Nonfiction, like any form of literature, isn’t always perfect but it is important. Reading to learn is something I enjoy doing, but I fully understand that picking up nonfiction just because, isn’t for everyone. I think what it comes down to is reading preference, which is subjective and dependent upon the person.

What are your thoughts on nonfiction?

Discussion: On the importance of taking a break…

On the importance of taking a break…

Most of the time blogging is fun for me, but even then I still need breaks from it. Early last week I read a book that I didn’t like and ended up DNFing—I’m not naming names—needless to say, it completely threw me off. I ended up taking the rest of the week off since my posts were already scheduled. I found that I had absolutely no enthusiasm to pick up another book.

And I have to say that I think I needed that time away to just do other things. The extra time allowed me to come up with some new ideas for the blog—a new header that I’m currently putting the finishing touches on. And now with a new week I feel ready to get back to reading and blogging. So, this week is going to be kind of slow. As for what I’m currently reading, well I’m not at the moment, but I hope to start something soon.

What do you think? Do you occasionally need time away from something, even if you enjoy it?

Discussion: Short Stories

I recently read Until Midnight by Melissa Landers, which got me thinking about short stories—you know the stories that are set between, before, or after the novels and are generally a cheaper way for readers to get introduced to a writer’s work.

Given the chance to read a short story before you read the novel, would you?

Some short stories—especially the ones that are set after a novel—can contain spoilers. That’s a given. But I don’t particularly mind them as long as they’re not too big of a spoiler. As you can see from my review of Until Midnight by Melissa Landers I read it before the novel, which I don’t even have. Yet, there was one good thing about doing so, it gave me a chance to get introduced to the writer’s style and the story to see if I would even be interested in picking up Alienated. Since the short story got my interest, I’m now curious to see where it all began. Sure, there were a few things that could have been spoilers, but I don’t particularly feel like I know the entire story leading up to Until Midnight.

So, I guess my answer would be yes. I would buy/read the short story before I bought a novel by an author I’m unfamiliar with. That method might not be for everyone, but I find that it generally works for me.

Question: What are your thoughts on short stories?