There are five articles covered in our latest newsletter, which are: Graphite pencils for beginners Having overhauled the original article, it's worth checking out (again) if you are new to graphite. Unison pastels What makes these pastels so special? We share our findings in this article. Clairfontaine Pastelmat Are you an artist, looking for suitable paper? Find out more. Ideal for pastel artists and can be used for other mediums too. Blending with coloured pencils If you are a coloured pencil artist and want to learn how to create smooth blends, this article offers lots of hints and tips. New tutorial for coloured pencil artists Our latest tutorial shows you how to draw a Hare. You can click any of the image below to visit each article. If you are not currently a subscriber to our quarterly newsletter, you can sign up here.
Have you tried any of the products we mention in this post? If so, what are your thoughts? Any preferences? Maybe you have a favourite art product? Share it with us in the comments, and tell us what you like about it and why. Let's share our knowledge among other artists.
Our current favourite product is the Sennelier oil pastel. Creamy, highly vibrant and great fun to work with. Perfect for use on the pastelmat paper too!
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A while back I purchased a couple of sheets of the latest Colourfix paper. It is a smoother version of the standard paper that was launched by Art Spectrum in 2017 Available colours are the same as the standard Colourfix options which you can view HERE Art Spectrum® Colourfix™ Smooth is manufactured by screen printing Colourfix™ Smooth Primer onto European Archival 300gsm Hot Pressed watercolour paper making 340gsm pastel paper. Comparison between the standard Colourfix paper and the smooth version Below is a magnified image of the Colourfix standard paper versus the smooth surface. As you can see, the standard surface appears quite gritty next to the smooth surface. You can see how the smooth compares to the very popular Pastelmat paper below. How does the Colourfix smooth compare to Pastelmat?Here is a magnified image of the Colourfix smooth and Clairfontaine Pastelmat paper comparison. They look and feel exactly the same and I suspect Art Spectrum brought out the Colourfix smooth paper in competition with Pastelmat, knowing how popular the paper is. Violet flower on Colourfix smooth paperHaving completed a soft pastel drawing on this paper, it reminded me of the popular Pastelmat paper. Pastels go on smoothly and is easy to blend on. As I blend by overlaying pastels rather than using my fingers or tools, this paper makes it easier to do this due to its smoothness, not as easy on the original surface which has more of a tooth. This paper is great for those just starting out with pastels and is suitable for other mediums such as pencils and acrylic paints. The latest tutorial available on our website, created for inclusion in our autumn newsletter 2020, shows you how to create a Violet flower on the Colourfix smooth paper. Using soft pastels on the Leaf Green Dark tone (you can use any colour surface) we break down the process of base application with pastel blocks to creating the fine details using the PITT pastel pencils (you can use your own pastel range) **NEW** COLOURFIX™ OPTIMUM BOARD |
New to coloured pencils? Why not view our 'Starting out with coloured pencils' article with some great hints and tips on where to begin, with what to buy and how to use them to their best ability. | If you are a newbie to soft pastels, this simple step by step tutorial explains how to create a tonal sky with the smoothest transitions and may offer you some great pointers to get you started. | Looking for some top quality soft pastels and have your eye on the Unison range but want to know more about them before splashing out? This article may offer you some great information. | Would you like to give oils a try and unsure what you need to get going? This article written by Welsh oil painter Chris Chalk and gives some simple advice to those new to oils. |
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Although I own 3 different blenders and a burnisher myself, I forgot I had them and it gave me a great opportunity to try them all out and compare them, sharing with everyone my thoughts and findings.
If you are looking to find out what blenders & burnishers can offer you as a coloured pencil artist, or are new to blenders/burnishers and would like to know what they can achieve and how best to use them, why not take a look at this article - I was surprised to learn you can actually use them with graphite pencils too, although have not tried it myself.
If you would like to request an article, please get in touch - it's always great to hear feedback too if you wish to share your own experience on using any of these products so feel free to comment below. If you know someone who may find this article interesting, feel free to 'like' on Facebook or 'tweet' on your Twitter page!
I hope you find this article very helpful!
Karen :)
Click on the image, to visit the article page.
Feel free to 'like' , share or leave a comment, especially if you have used these pencils before or found the article to be of help to you.
Please Note: These are only sold in the UK
*They may also be available to purchase at a lower price due to sale offers in-store or online.
If you are looking to take up a new art medium and are thinking of choosing graphite pencils but need some help and advice, I have written a little article about starting out with graphite pencils, what basic product requirements you will need to an explanation about those pencil grades. This article is a simple starting point for those totally new to graphite. Click the image to visit the page. |
I hope this article is very helpful to newbies to graphite pencils.
The SAA contacted me in 2015 asking if I would like to be a contributor to the Q & A section in their quarterly magazine 'PAINT'. Being a Professional Artist (PA) of the SAA, I like to get involved wherever possible and sent through some questions and answers I have been asked often as a coloured pencil artist & art tutor and these have been included in their latest magazine (p.31 for those with their own magazine) It answers the following popular questions:
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- Large online Art store with free delivery for members as well as special offers and loyalty points (Non members can also shop too but without added benefits)
- Video tutorials by numerous pro Artists recorded in the Newark HQ studio.
- SAA Open days at Newark HQ (in Notts) with access to the Art shop
- Quarterly PAINT magazine for all members covering a wide selection of varied Articles on different mediums
- Large online Art Forums
- Regular competitions (including Artist of the Year)
- A huge searchable database for those looking for Art Tutors & Workshops
- Access pages of Original Art for Sale
- Free Reference photographs (free from copyright)
What is important to you when buying a new Art product? This article offers some advantages & disadvantages of the pencils as well as giving lots of information on the lightfastness of the pencils and what this means. It also shows what these pencils are capable of and hopefully offers lots of helpful information and advice which will allow you to decide whether or not to take the plunge. Personally, I would say you can't go wrong with these pencils, but then I'm biased! ;) |
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Karen M Berisford
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