Now that I’m making greeting cards, I really need to up my watercolor game. Jodi, a teacher at Donna Lexa, did a greeting card workshop last Christmas season. It didn’t stick. I didn’t keep making cards. However, I do remember her using these microns. I believe she did. I’m almost sure. Everybody on Youtube recommends them. They also recommend these Caran D’Ache wax pastels:
I first heard of them on the YouTube channel for Blackbean CMS. He was a master at it from the start. It was my favorite he has ever done, and everything he does is a banger.
The pens and pastels came somewhere between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm yesterday. I spent last night and today with them.I love ordering art supplies online. It feels like Christmas. I got something else too, but we’ll dig into that a different day. However, after these purchases, I’m putting a spending cap. I’ll only buy gel pens, which go fast. And paint. And canvas. I’ve hardly even used my Mungyo pastels, so I need to actually use my materials. I just get a rush trying new supplies.
I’ve been wanting to buy these for a while. They’re a wax crayon that acts like a watercolor. Like I said, I’m trying to make greeting cards. These should work.
Wow! What a selection of color!
Swatch time!
Forgot the microns!
This is how they behave with water added.
I’m getting really into silhouettes lately. I get my references from Unsplash. It’s a great resource. They have loads of free images.
My camera made it too bright.
With the above ones, I painted as I went. I would lay down a color and then add water to that color patch. I added pen and paint marker after it dried. I think I was little eager and tried adding pen before it was dry with poor results.
For the next one, I laid out a composition before adding water. This is what I put down:
I had fantastic results! For these next two, I also used Sharpie Marker
I did the same thing below.
At some point in the day, I did the below in my sketchbook. This was mixed media paper, and it didn’t hold up that well. I’m going to use Sharpies tomorrow for Sketchbook Sunday
Final thoughts:
- I like my Mungyo Gallery Pastels more, even if it’s easier and less expensive to use water. I’d rather pay more for linseed oil for my pastels.
- I realize pretty early on that these are overhyped. I overspent. I wish I got a smaller set to see if I truly enjoyed them
- They are great for florals and landscapes
- They are neater than actual watercolor.
- While waiting for the package, I was working with my Arteza120 Expert Watercolor Pencils. I felt I had more control over those and sharper lines. If you want to buy these, I’d recommend watercolor pencils. I can’t say for sure because my colored pencils were a gift. They’re wonderful and easier to sharpen, although you can still sharpen them. I’ve drawn a few greeting cards with the oencils. I’ll have to tell you how I fare with the pastels.
- They’re fragile. I was nervous I’d break them in half. PS, one purple was not sharp. Maybe that’s why I was underwhelmed.
- Addressing the scandal. So, apparently the Caran D’Ache company tricked their customers into buy special edition packages with new colors. The customers only got three new crayons per package. And then once the new packages were sold, they came out with a new set that featured all the new colors. Dick move? Yeah. Did it stop me from buying this set? Nah.
- Will I buy another when this set is finished? Nope. Not unless I learn something about how to use them that changes things.
The plan for tomorrow? You know it. Sketchbook Sunday. Probably using Sharpies
You know what to do next: