...So I’ve had access to a life-drawing class, which not only demonstrates my lack of knowledge about life-drawing, but also painting figures in low-light environments. The odd time lapse from the first figure to the next was because I’d done a bunch of them in one of my Pentalic sketchbooks.
These were all done in a Canson XL watercolor book, using primarily a Prima Marketing watercolor box for the color. Additional values and tone were generated using a combination of watersoluble graphite (General’s Sketch and Wash, Lyra Graphite Crayons) and Caran D’Ache Neocolor II crayons.
The Canson paper performed admirably, although matters were complicated by a lack of a proper water supply when painting in the studio that combined with the higher temperatures led to a vastly decreased working time. The Canson paper is very much a student-grade paper, allowing for some very delicate work if sufficient care and water are used, but is otherwise poorly suited for rework (aside from impasto and gouache techniques) and lifting. For something like tinting existing linework such as with these examples, they are fit for purpose.
My taste for General’s watersoluble graphite has been noted before, and it continues. The lead is very soft, akin to a 6B if pressed, although waxier and closer in nature to a wax pastel. When wetted, the Sketch and Wash pencil’s marks are able to be worked very delicately, as well as boldly.
Neocolor II crayons are likely to be a niche thing for my purposes. The crayons are very soluble, although they tend to leave traces of the original marks in the texture of the paper. This may be a good or a bad thing for you, although I’m fine with it. For figure work, they’re better for blocking in areas of solid color with limited blending potential in my experience. They are more suited in my opinion to creating under drawings for landscapes and environments (More on that in a future post).
