I did some experimenting with pencil media, both blendable coloured pencil and Inktense pencils (which are act like ink when you get the pigment wet). I am needing to keep my set up very small, compact and light but was yearning for some extra punch in colour.
Would pencil media give me bolder colour and would they become my new best friend? Well, mixed results. Mainly the limiting factor was about energy expenditure for me as I work with a limited human battery life. The pencil media needed more much work.
I have a renewed admiration for coloured pencil artists and the skill involved in their work. Plus quite a respect for those who have mastered Inktense, something I’d like to return to in time.
So whilst the wrinkling of paper from watercolour still frustrates me sometimes, the immediacy of the medium suits me well. I could solve the wrinkle and warp problem with proper heavy watercolour paper but I find the cost effectiveness of lighter sketchbook papers frees me from a fear of wasting materials.
It’s only become more of an issue since my latest scanner gets any buckled paper slightly out of focus. But on balance the materials I am using work well for me.
What I did gain from playing around with the pencils was to further embrace the freedom of mixing my media. This last year I’ve been happy to ink, watercolour and then ink over the paint – which with my choice of pen leaves a bolder line.
Turns out I’m carrying quite a few limiting self beliefs about what art is and how one does it “properly”. This despite doing things my own way from the start to serve a purpose – which was to illustrate my life at the start of chronic illness in a quick and manageable way.
What rules do you have about your work that are perhaps limiting you?
RachelCreative 