every effort was made to insure the accuracy of the information contained in this lesson JANIE GILDOW

Transcription

1 every effort was made to insure the accuracy of the information contained in this lesson

2 Welcome to a FREE preview of R.T. Pencils Academy lessons. In the following pages you ll see samples taken at random from four different Apprentice Level Lessons, one Journeyman Level Lesson, and one Master Project. Each complete lesson contains information, illustrations, exercises, line drawings, and step-by-step projects. After looking over these pages, you ll have a good idea of what the lessons are like. You ll notice that I do a lot of teaching with fruit and veggies. You can learn a ton about color, technique, and application from them. What--would you rather I taught the basics with GLASS AND METAL? Hmmmm? I hope you plan to sign up! I m looking forward to teaching you all about the colored pencil!

3 and welcome to R.T. Pencils Academy! The curriculum is designed to give you a good solid understanding of all aspects of the colored pencil. The 101 lessons cover all the basics and are the foundation for all the other lessons offered at the academy. Complete them before going on to the 102 (and higher) lessons. For a complete list of class descriptions: Skills and techniques are planned to build on one another in a logical and sequential manner, so when you have finished the Apprentice Level lessons, you can move right into Journeyman Level. By completing prerequisites, you ll be ready and feel comfortable starting the higher level lessons. Each lesson contains information and illustrations to explain and clarify all aspects of the subject. Each lesson contains exercises with step-by-step instructions for you to follow. And each lesson will provide you with line drawings, definitions (listed on the last page of the lesson), materials lists, and color palette. Read through the lesson for a general overview and understanding, provide suitable paper,--in some cases a few other optional supplies, and the colored pencils listed for you in the Color Palette.

4 BRANDS & CHARACTERISTICS There are many brands of colored pencils. THREE quality brands are used here in the academy--they are the only brands you ll see listed in any of the lessons. You can use any brand that you want, but remember two things: First, quality is important. Second, if you use brands other than the 3 listed here, the colors names and numbers used in these lessons won t correspond to your pencils. PRISMACOLOR Premier Lead: soft Shape: round Ends: unfinished Binder: wax Colors: 132 CARAN D ACHE Pablo Lead: medium Shape: hexagonal Ends: one finished Binder: wax Colors: 120 FABER-CASTELL Polychromos Lead: medium Shape: round Ends: one finished Binder: vegetable oil Colors: 120

5 HOW THE ACADEMY PALETTE COLORS WORK You can use any of the three brands of pencils--one brand exclusively, or mix and match. They all layer well together. Your strategy is to read through the lesson and make note of the colors you ll need to complete the project or exercise. If you plan to use more than one brand, the color equivalents in the other brands will be listed for you; however, keep in mind that not all colors have equivalents in all brands. If there is no color equivalent, the palette list will show that there is none. If the color is a reasonable alternative, the substitute color will be listed in red--in italics. As you progress through the academy lessons, you ll find that in order to complete later projects with the same results as the example, you ll need to use more than one brand of pencil because each brand has its own characteristics and is used because of those characteristics. And remember that by using different brands, you ll become familiar with the characteristics of those other brands. Soon you will find that you choose your pencils because of their unique qualities and colors--not because of their brand name. You also need to take note that you CAN complete every exercise and project using just one brand of pencil--but your results may differ in color slightly from the example.

6 FOR THIS LESSON FROM JANIE You ll need to read through the entire lesson before collecting your materials, because you ll have to make some choices and purchase some general supplies that you ll use as long as you re working with colored pencil. Throughout the lesson I have listed the products and materials that I have found to work best for me. In the end, the choice of brands, etc., is up to you. Have fun! White acid-free drawing paper (choose one): FABRIANO Artistico HP 140# STRATHMORE 300 Series Bristol (smooth surface) STRATHMORE 300 Series Bristol (regular surface) RISING Stonehenge Good quality colored pencils in one or more of these brands: PRISMACOLOR Premier CARAN D ACHE Pablo FABER-CASTELL Polychromos Eraser Pencil sharpener Other supplies are listed on the following pages, so read on

7 Now that you re more familiar with your pencils, it s time to try a picture! You can complete this simple object with 7 colors

8 COLOR EQUIVALENTS CARAN D ACHE Pablo PRISMACOLOR Premier FABER-CASTELL Polychromos COLOR 1 COLOR 2 COLOR 3 COLOR 4 COLOR 5 COLOR 6 COLOR 7 C-120 C-075 C-270 C-055 C-035 P-932 Violet P-924 Crimson Red P-926 Carmine Red P-945 Sienna Brown P-1034 Goldenrod F-136 F-219 F-124 F-283 F-182 C-159 P-901 Indigo Blue F-247 C-151 P-904 Light Cerulean Blue F-140

9 TRANSFER THE LINE DRAWING TO YOUR GOOD PAPER There are several ways to transfer the line drawing to good paper, the easiest being just to draw it by hand. However, if you want to transfer the line drawing exactly, just tape it to a window, put your good paper on top of the line drawing and you ll be able to trace the lines. If it s daytime, draw inside; at night, go outside to draw. Either way, you need to have the light source BEHIND the line drawing. HINT--For more ways to transfer, see Lesson 101-3: Transfer Methods & Paper Preparation.

10 STEP 1: Start the Color HINT--If you keep your pencils v-e-r-y sharp, it will be easy to make a clean edge around the outside of the cherry. LP Use Color 1 to begin the contour of the cherry. Because the light source is coming from above, the cherry is darkest at the bottom. Its shadow is called a form shadow. Use medium pencil pressure there--and then gradually reduce pressure toward the highlight. Don t color in the highlight--leave it the white of the paper. Most colored pencil artists don t use a white pencil to make the whites. They let the white of the paper do it.

11 POINT The point of the pencil has a great deal to do with the appearance of your finished piece of art. A dull point creates a rougher looking application because the color can t get down into the tooth of the paper and more of the paper shows through the color. There are times when you will want this kind of effect. A sharp point allows you to work the color into the texture of the paper, creating a smoother application and making sharp, clear outlines. If you intend to create realistic-looking art, you ll need to become proficient in applying color smoothly; consequently you ll need to keep your pencils sharp for the most part.

12 Begin at one end with the first color. Apply the color with medium pressure. After halfway, gradually reduce pressure toward the other end of the rectangle, but stop before you reach the end. Leave that area for the second color. Apply the second color as you did the first, but in the opposite direction, again reducing pressure gradually and evenly toward the other end. Stop before you reach the other edge so that the first color remains pure at that end of the box. HINT--Most first-time blenders begin to reduce pressure just before the center of the rectangle. If you do that, color will be too light in the center. So apply color with medium pressure past the center of the rectangle, then evenly reduce pressure to very light, stopping before you reach the other side of the rectangle. Leave a space for the second color to show by itself. COLOR 1 COLOR 2 MP to here LP to here

13 PROJECT Now it s time to put your blending skills to work. You ve learned how to gradually blend one color into another by changing pencil pressure, and in this project you ll use that same method to develop contour and value. Of course, you ll use greens because the pepper is green, but to give its green color some value punch, you ll start with a dark red violet. As you progress to the lesson on color (Lesson Color Basics), you ll learn why. For now trust me!

14 Illumination works well when you are transferring a drawing to a white surface. The heavier plies of paper may not allow you to see the sketch beneath, but illumination works very well with 2- and 3-ply papers, 140-pound paper, and if the sketch is dark enough, even with 300-pound paper. (For more complete information about paper: Lesson 101-4: All About Paper) LIGHT BOX A window is the easiest illumination. During the daylight hours, work indoors (it helps if the room is dark); at night, go outside. Tape your sketch to the window, tape the good paper over it and lightly trace the line drawing. A glass-topped table with lamp (shade removed) under it works well in a darkened room; nighttime is best for this use. Light boxes are notoriously expensive, so consider making your own. Make a wooden frame, install small fluorescent bulbs inside, cover with a piece of white or clear acrylic. For best results, turn off all other lights while using the light box.

15 ENLARGED COPY INITIAL SKETCH Once your sketch is refined and the image is sharp and clean, then it s time to look at the methods for transferring it to good paper.

16 CHECK THE TRANSFER yes, it s there--but it s very faint! Before you get too far, it s a good idea to check the transfer--just to make sure you are using enough pressure--and that you have the transfer paper dark side down. I m sure I don t need to tell you how frustrating it is to transfer nearly an entire drawing only to realize that either the transfer paper was wrong side down--or that it didn t extend under the entire drawing so that part of your traced drawing is missing.

17 tracing vellum - tracing vellum is paper, (not plastic like drafting film). Any heavy tracing paper will do for what you need here. Thin tracing paper will tear, so only use the heavier kind. (pg 6) transparency film - clear acetate sheets made for use with the overhead projector that can be run through a printer. Read the instructions: one side is prepared for printing, the other is not. (pg 8) pastel stick - artist quality chalk. A stick consisting of pigment, ground, chalk, and gum. (pg 26) ply, plies - a ply is a layer. Plural: plies. Some drawing papers consist of laminated layers. For example, 4-ply paper is heavier and thicker (and more expensive) than 2-ply. (pg 32)

18 SURFACES These examples illustrate just how much the paper can affect the appearance of the colored pencil.

19 Canson Mi Teintes PALETTE OF COLORS FRONT SIDE BACK SIDE As with many papers, the front and back sides are different. DETAIL FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

20 HERCULENE! The advantage of having both sides frosted is that you can work on both sides, making for some interesting effects. And you can put one layer over another to combine images, letting one show through the other. GRAPHITE This piece of art is actually done on two separate pieces of Herculene!. I ve taken it apart so that you can see the graphite piece that goes on the bottom. COLORED PENCIL OVER GRAPHITE The overlay is done in colored pencil. You can see the difference the graphite makes when it s put beneath the color overlay. It increases the contrast of the piece pretty dramatically. COLORED PENCIL OVERLAY

21 Velour Paper It s just what it sounds like--and it feels like you re working on a bath towel. You have to forget all about making those little squiggle strokes, because they just don t work on this paper. Instead, make short parallel strokes all going in the same direction. The effect is going to be fuzzylooking. Details are difficult, and it s nearly impossible to develop really dark darks. But it s fun to try--and you may find you really like it.

22 Now enrich and complete the local color mix with two more reds and add color to the reflected light. Apply Color 9 to the left side of the apple with MP, gradually reducing to LP at the white highlight. Color right over the already-applied reds. Step 6 (continued): Add More Color COLOR 9 Darken the area of reflected light with a very light application of Color 4. COLOR 10 VLP COLOR 10 VLP Then apply Color 10 to the right side of the apple. Add Color 10 to the area around the blossom and to the portion to the right of the blossom as indicated. Color 9 is an orange red. Color 10 is a blue red. The two serve to increase the lush local color of the apple--the warmer color nearer the light source; the cooler one away from the light.

23 Step 4: Cast Shadows on Blue Fabric Now color the shadow cast by the lace onto the blue fabric. Since the blue fabric does not lay totally flat, suggest the changes in value by changes in pencil pressure and color value. F-247 Indianthrene Blue F-141 Delft Blue F-143 Deep Cobalt Begin the cast shadows of the cherries with F-247 Indianthrene Blue. Use heavier pressure nearest the cherry, reducing pressure out into the shadow; don t apply color all the way to the edge. Go over the Indianthrene Blue with F-141 Delft Blue, again reducing pressure toward the outside of the shadow. Complete the cast shadows with F-143 Deep Cobalt. Complete the remainder of the cast shadow of the lace as in the previous step: first developing the darks, then the middle values, and finally the lighter areas. Vary pressure evenly to indicate the soft contours of the fabric. As you apply the blues, you ll be working on the positive part of the lace (even though it s a cast shadow), so make sure the holes line up along the pattern of the lace.

24 I appreciate your interest in R.T. Pencils Academy. I hope you enjoyed seeing what (and how) I teach-- and hope you decide to take my lessons!