ATC Madness

I have been making ATC like crazy lately, and I love love love to collect them!

Here are some pictures of what I have been working with lately. I have a bad habit of forgetting to take pictures of the cards once I am done and they are ready to send. So, most of these are still in various stages of completeness.

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Prismacolor Softcore Colored Pencils

In December I became a lucky owner of the complete set of 150 Prismacolor Colored Pencils. They are amazing. ABSOLUTELY amazing! I couldnt have imagined ever being able to afford them so when people asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I answered, MONEY! I saved it up, matched funds from my account and got the set.
I GOT THE SET!

Ive always made due with dollar store pencils but these are so much nicer. It just feels like they glide onto the paper. Above, I have a close-up from picture that I drew onto Strathmore 400 Series Artagain in Coal Black. I chose colors that would show up best on the black, of course, but they are quite opaque. The color just glides onto the paper from the pencil. FREAKING AMAZING!

My boyfriend (who is one of the best guys you'll ever meet) gave me the Color Me Your Way books for Christmas! I love love love them so much. Coloring is a great way to release stress from the day. I listen to some t.v. show in the background and color away for hours. They are totally detailed and there are even hidden images! My Awesome Pencils work great in these books too. I think it might have something to do with HOW MANY COLORS I have to choose from in the set. Hahaha.

I have played around with the different ways there are of blending these pencils. I have tried the Colorless Blending Pencil from Prismacolor, the Colorless Blending Marker from Prismacolor, and Sansodor from Winsor and Newton. In my opinion they all worked but I liked the effect produced by the oil painting solvent - Sansodor.

There will be more tests to come. I have the Blender and Burnisher from Derwent and will have to conduct an experiment, placing them head to head to see how they all preform!

Inktense On Fabric!

I tried a few different ways of using Inktense on fabric. After reading on the internet that this was possible I had to see for myself. It has taken me awhile and there is no excuse for that but my laziness after I get home from work. 

I found a scrap of white cotton fabric and hemmed the edges. Lucky for me I sew and paint so I had scraps in my bin! I drew onto the fabric (dry) with the pencils and used a paint brush to wet the fabric. One of the samples I painted fabric medium over the color while it was still wet. I then let these set for a day and a half. That was the hardest part! WAITING! 

I used my clothes iron to heat set two of the three samples. Next step was the wash. Threw them in with some other dark clothes that needed to be washed. I wasnt entirely sure how this would come out! I can be such a dummy sometimes, and I forgot to take a "before" picture... BUT I do have the other!!!!

Inktense are the BEST pencil EVER!

Mushroom Goddess before water

After water

I love Inktense pencils. I started with the primary colors and then bought a few more. And a few more, until I nearly have them all. So I have decided to post a blog boasting about the wonderful properties of these pencils.

First, the bright INTENSE color that awakens with just a touch of water is amazing. I have a Koi waterbrush that I use for blending. You could use a paintbrush or spritzer to wake up the paint but I prefer the waterbrush simply because I don't have to sit next to a glass of water and dipping the bristles in continually. A little water can go a long way. I like my color to stay on super thick so I use less water than I could. 

Watercolor or mixed media paper has been my favorite application for this pencil. Using Micron pens to outline the drawing (I know what my next blog can be about now lol) because they are permanent when dry. 

I still have yet to test this rumor I hear that Inktense can be used on fabric. I have seen videos from Derwent but I am lazy and need to watch them. I plan to run an experiment and see into the overall longevity of the stain etc soon here in the future. Until then I will just have to talk about the best pencils ever!!!

Seriously, even when coloring with these the ink feels nice over the paper. Kinda slick and nice. Not like scratching charcoal over paper or anything but smooth like warm butter on toast. This makes me happy. The smoother ones just glide on so that means that the layering is pretty easy; which makes blending a breeze. 

I keep my shavings and sprinkle them into a wet background and WALA you have an instant cool looking patterns. Derwent has a shaver/cup system made to grate their Inktense blocks into a cup. You can create a wash with the shavings or sprinkle for a faux texture look. Freaking AMAZING line of products I say. 

I heart Inktense!  

Derwent Graphitone Water Soluble Colored Pencil

I have a thing for pencils. Yes I do. And if they're water soluble its even better! Graphitint pencils are water soluble tinted graphite. I have the line of Inktense pencils as well and use the graphitint for my more muted end of the color pallet. I chose just a few for my purposes and played around with them on Strathmore Mixed Media Cards, outlined with Micron pens and glazed with FW Acrylic Ink.  

Before water.  

After a hit from my bladder brush.

This is a closeup after I painted the acrylic ink over the top of my pencil drawing. I have the shimmering series, which are a kind of interference color, so they are translucent and shiny. In fact its hard to see that they're there until you see it from just the right angle. It looks amazing! Whats nice about the artists cards is that they come with envelopes so sending them out in the mail is a breeze. 

Prismacolor Soft Core Colored Pencils

I have been thinking about how to proclaim my love for Prismacolor colored pencils but its just hard to come up with the perfect way to say it. The colors go down onto the paper so nicely. Unlike other pencils you don't have to scrub them onto the paper to get vibrant colors.

Before even trying one I bought the whole set. I used money from my birthday and saved money out of a few paychecks to be able to buy it - but it was worth it to have all one hundred and fifty to myself.

Here is an example of something I drew onto Artigan paper. It has a nice texture and the colors look great against the background.