Category: Derwent

2020 1 & 2 Day Art Workshops plus latest articles & mini tutorials

3/1/2020

2020 Art Workshops

Workshop booklets from Karen M Berisford's 1 and 2 day Coloured pencil and Graphite pencil Art Workshops in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK

I am currently in the process of organising this years art workshops and will be included in the winter newsletter which will be Emailed out to subscribers hopefully by the end of this month. All details will be posted on the step by step art CHESTERFIELD WORKSHOP page once available and added to social media pages for this site & my KMB social media pages too, ensuring a larger audience reach.

Every year I choose 3 or 4 subjects for the Coloured pencil & Graphite pencil workshops which include varying techniques and surfaces to previous years, ensuring each workshop is different to another. Coloured pencil workshops using textured paper are somewhat easier for a complete beginner than the workshops working on smooth paper, however every workshop available can be attended by any artist regardless of their calibre, even if they have NEVER drawn anything since their time at school!

To find out more about our workshops, click any one of the following links to visit the page of interest:

about our workshops

coloured pencil workshops

graphite pencil workshops

Reviews & Tutorials

Here are the latest articles and mini tutorials that can be found on the Step by step art website. Included are a selection of independent reviews on multiple mediums and art products as well as the very latest tutorials - click on any of the images below to visit the page of interest. You can also find lots more reviews on art products on our 'ARTICLES' page with new ones added every 3 - 4 months.

Latest product reviews

The newest member of the Derwent Coloured pencil range - The Lightfast range

Stabilo CarbOthello pastel pencils article

Trialling the Zest-it 'pencil blend'

About the Pastelbord by Ampersand

Derwent released their first 100% lightfast Coloured pencil range this year and I decided to try them out on both smooth and textured surfaces, see how I got on.

The CarbOthello pastel pencils offer 60 vibrant colours and would make a great addition to the colour palette of any Pastellist. Find out more about this range.

In this article, I mixed pencil blend and Derwent Lightfast pencils on both the Pastelbord surface and the Strathmore bristol plate surface, check out the review.

This canvas is an ideal surface for many different mediums, not just pastels and in this article I show what is achievable using Acrylics & Coloured pencils.

New Mini Tutorials

Waves drawn in Derwent Lightfast coloured pencils - mini tutorial

Waves in Coloured pencils mini tutorial

Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils and a blueberry drawn in coloured pencils

Blueberries in Coloured pencils mini tutorial

Dogs eye drawn in graphite pencils mini tutorial

Dogs' eye in Graphite pencils mini tutorial

Requested by a 'SBS Art' subscriber, this tutorial shows you how to create depth and movement in water using Coloured pencils. For all art abilities.

Originally published in the USA Colored pencil magazine in 2018, this tutorial explains the process of how to create Blueberries in Coloured pencil. For all art levels.

An in depth guide explaining how to create a dogs eye using Graphite pencils and other accessories that will help you achieve a highly detailed, 3D drawing.

You can always request a specific article or mini tutorial and if I am able to provide that information, it could be included in a future article. Please get in touch with your idea at: karenmberisfordart@gmail.com

Finally, you can always SUBSCRIBE to our quarterly newsletter, ensuring you receive the very latest articles, delivered straight to your E-mail.

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Blenders & Burnishers

1/4/2016

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Prismacolor blender, derwent blender and burnisher and caran dache full blender bright image

Click the Image to visit the Article

I have recently completed a new article about coloured pencil blenders & burnishers and how best to use them. As I actively encourage people to get in touch if they would like to see a specific article or tutorial, this is one of them, which I thought would be a great subject to review. With thanks for the article request!

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 :)

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New article! Starting out with graphite pencils

8/3/2016

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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.

Feel free to 'like', 'share' or leave a comment should you wish.
I hope this article is very helpful to newbies to graphite pencils.

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Chesterfield 1 day workshop - Graphite pencils 11th July 2015

11/6/2015

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July's graphite workshop subject

Tutor demonstrations throughout

Previous graphite workshop

My next 1 day workshop coming up is the graphite pencils where I will be showing you how to create fur realism using this Ring-tailed Lemur image as the subject. Working using my own 'Blend & Erase' technique, this workshop is open to anyone wishing to learn about working with graphite pencils regardless of current artistic skills, even if you have never used graphite in art before. Graphite pencils are a wonderful medium allowing you to create some highly detailed, even photo realistic effects and as there is no use of colour, Graphite pencil art really adds strength and drama to a subject.

This workshop will show you, whether an absolute beginner or intermediate:

* Where to begin with a graphite portrait
* How to prepare your graphite piece to
achieve very fine details
* The best ways to blend graphite
* How to layer a graphite portrait
* How to create the tones in a graphite
portrait

What is included in the day:
*The support paper
*Reference photograph
*Photocopy of subject for Tracedown use
*Worksheets for the subject
*List of medium do's & don'ts for future reference
*Tutor demonstrations
*1 - 1 tutoring where required
*Free hot & cold drinks throughout the day
*An art kit if loaning or purchasing

Venue:
Bonsall Court Community Centre,
Off Bowness Road, Newbold,
Chesterfield, Derbyshire,
S41 8AW

THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN COMPLETED

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New product article - Derwent 'Inktense' pencils

24/3/2015

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Derwent Inktense pencils and a Peacock feather drawing

my 'Inktense' pencils review

Having tried out the Derwent 'Inktense' pencils a while back, I thought I would add an article to this site for any of you out there thinking about buying a set but wanted to find out a little more about them first. In my latest article about these pencils, I created my own trial piece of a peacock feather so I could test out the vibrancy and ease of use of these pencils. Please click on the image if you wish to find out more.

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2020 1 & 2 Day Art Workshops plus latest articles & mini tutorials

2020 Art Workshops

Reviews & Tutorials

Latest product reviews

New Mini Tutorials

Blenders & Burnishers

New article! Starting out with graphite pencils

Chesterfield 1 day workshop - Graphite pencils 11th July 2015

New product article - Derwent 'Inktense' pencils

my 'Inktense' pencils review

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