Testing new pencils, ink and markers
Art-wise, a lot has changed in the last few months, and I can’t quite put a finger on it, but it’s been fun to experiment a lot and use both new materials and some older/forgotten items from my drawers.
Ecoline ink has been this thing that’s been sitting in an old cookie tin since high school. I never knew what to do with it, and I didn’t use it for anything but that one time our teacher made us use it for I don’t even know what. Luckily only one was a bit dry, and I didn’t need to be precious about the others. It’s been over 20 years after all 🙂
Somewhere on the internet, I saw an artist making landscapes with acrylic ink- something I didn’t have, but I dug up the old tin and started playing with the colors, different brushes, different types of paper, and adding some Neocolors too.
The first experiment was on glued watercolor paper, the second on cardboard covered in white gesso, and the third on wet printmaking paper.
I often admire artists with a consistent color palette or limited tools, but I’m just too curious, and my needs and choices change with the seasons or stories I’m telling. So as autumn is approaching here up north, I felt the need to add some darker, more muted tones to the color palette. Especially with outdoor drawing sessions in mind, I wanted to add more markers as they dry much faster than paint or ink.
I have never really looked at brands when it comes to pencils as I usually just go to my favorite shop in Antwerp and try the ones that I like. They have a wall full of pencils from all brands, in every possible color- and it makes me feel like a kid in a candy store.
But here we are, in the Swedish woods, with zero possibilities to test things out, so I’ve been going through all my pencils, looking at the ones I used the most, how they feel, which brands I have,… and checking with a few other artists what they like and why, to be able to order pencils online.
The dream would be, of course, a nice box with ALL available colors from every brand lol, so please hire me so I can make that a reality one day!
As I’ve been looking for neutrals and lighter shades, I was eyeing the Derwent Drawing pencil set of 24 colors (couldn’t find individual colors online). “But,” said Joeri, “they are all beige?!”
“No No No, beige is not a color, it’s giving up on joy!”I said, and he looked utterly confused.
This set still attracts me, but as I don’t know how they feel, I’m unsure whether to order a full box at once.
That’s why I decided to order just a few Luminance pencils (Caran d’ache): Paynes Grey, middle Verdigris, and Indanthrone blue.
The markers and ink are a few different brands:
– Ecoline brush pens: Bronze green (this one was much brighter than I hoped, so more for spring), Deep ochre, Cold Grey, Ultramarine Violet
– Copic markers: Brick Beige, Cool Gray, Slate, Burnt Umber
– Amsterdam Acrylic ink: Greyish blue, Naples Yellow Red
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