Bug and Robut, 4″ x 6″
Faber-Castell Polychromos and Prismacolor pencils, mostly
Bender from Futurama (in a rare spot of fan art!) for a Secret Santa partner whose likes include bugs and robuts. I hope she likes it! This is mostly done in Faber-Castell Polychromos. The main drawback to using them (or other creamy-type pencils) is that I use a lot of pressure at times which causes muscle fatigue. And I am no spring chicken! Or other chicken. What a weird phrase. :D
Also! Ugh! Colored pencil dust. (Probably because I use too much pressure.) Any tips? I keep getting little colored dust stuck all over. So frustrating! Please provide tips if you have any.
Linus, 2.5″ x 3.5″
Colored pencils and pens
And this is Linus. Also done in Polychromos and pen. I like him! He is strangely stylish.
Thanks for dropping in! I was in Florida for a long weekend and work continues to be crazy but I hope to get back to at least once a week, soon.
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I get the colored pencil fatigue, too! I try to mitigate it by doing base colors and initial shading with Copics. Or by watercoloring the base. I guess I rarely do colored pencils alone!
You did some super great blending, though! First, I love the use of blue for shading on Bender. And second (going through the progress pics), the transition from red to orange on your bug’s underbelly is lovely!
Did you base your background with a marker before coloring over? I can’t entirely tell from the progress shots. The end result is just wonderful! I think your Secret Santa partner will be over the moon!
Thanks, Ann!
I have done some areas of undercolor with Copics, and I should definitely do that more/all the time because it gives an initial undertone and also keeps bits of white paper from showing through. I really do prefer a smooth look rather than a “pencil-y” look. Some artists do well showing lines but I prefer not to. At least for now!
Love the feline and the creatures!
Love that striped shirt! I use Prismacolors and don’t really have any problems with dust. When I do I just blow it away …
Hi :) The Linus guy is definitely a cutie-but don’t know who is the fellow with the “Snail & his buddy!!’
OX MOM
The bug is awesome! I love the bright color you are getting from working in colored pencil. Wow! I use Prismacolor when I paint in colored pencil. The thing I have to worry about from too much pressure is a waxy glow and was told to just always build up my layers with even pressure. I don’t get dust, but, in some media that I have like graphite and pastel, I either use a soft flat brush to brush it away or lift my paper over a trash can I keep to my side and dump it in there.
Thanks, Leslie! Oh my gosh, I totally forgot I have a brush I got for eraser bits. I will try it. Also more even, less forced pressure. :)
What a fun bug!!
Brush that dust!! I have a 3 inch bristle brush that I use strictly for colored pencil dust.
Love that bender! Bite my shiny metal ass!
Dedicated colored pencil brush – genius!
I missed this post!
Interesting effects w colored pencils…….and that you can get so much details w them. The deeper reds on the bug….I could never quite get w colored pencils. I used to work w pastels but gave up cause they had so much dust. I”m not sure colored pencils are any better at least for me!