CP on black

[yogi]

I hadn't realized we have a coloured pencil forum now! I'm so excited!! (hop hop) I found out we have this forum AFTER I posted a question in "Drawing and Sketching." So, I'll repost here since it has to do with CP.

This is probably a silly and blatantly-uneducated question, but I admit I'm an art newbie. I finally got some black card paper and some brand new coloured pencils that are just itching to be used, but I want to make sure I use them wisely. Since it is a four hour drive for me to get replacement black card paper, I want to eliminate as many stupid mistakes as I can....before I even start.

So, here's my question. When I come to the part in my drawing that is black, do I let the paper show through to represent the black areas? Or, do you use the black coloured pencil so its shine blends with the shine of the other colors rather than have the flatness of the paper grain stick out? I.E. -- If I decide to do a snow leopard that has a little black on him, do I leave the paper untouched in those spots of his fur (kind of like leaving the white for the white in a watercolor painting)?

Wise artisans out there, I need some advise please.

[arlene]

actually it's quite an intelligent question.

and the answer is either way...lol...it depends on the look you're going for. how's that for ducking the question?

[pencils4me]

Oh Arlene you did that so well!!!!! :D

Yogi what Arlene says is true - it depends on how you want the finished piece to look. Ahh, but if you let the paper show thru for your black, you may need to add reflective colors to the darks or they may look a bit "flat" to you. Like on a black nose - outside you have reflective blues (from the sky) along with your highlighs. Hope that helps.

Does this mean you'll be posting for us soon??? :D Can't wait to see. What kind of pencils did you decide on??

pencils4me

[Ivyleaf]

I have not yet worked on black paper yet, however through trial and error I have learned that black is not always black, and a "black" is always made more interesting by adding other colors to it. Black, Tuscan Red, and Indigo Blue are much more interesting to see than just black.

Hmmmm, can't wait for the black paper guru to come in and answer this one...TeAnne, where are youuuuuuuuuu??? :)

Looking forward to your work, Yogi...

Ivy

[Leaflin]

Glad you asked .
I have never used black paper either and am totally clueless. :)

[TeAnne]

Originally posted by Ivyleaf
I have not yet worked on black paper yet, however through trial and error I have learned that black is not always black, and a "black" is always made more interesting by adding other colors to it. Black, Tuscan Red, and Indigo Blue are much more interesting to see than just black.

Hmmmm, can't wait for the black paper guru to come in and answer this one...TeAnne, where are youuuuuuuuuu??? :)

Looking forward to your work, Yogi...

Ivy
Good morning everyone. :) Well to answer the question. I feel it is a matter of personal choice. Where there is huge amount of black area, I just leave it. As with this commission I did , I just picked out the highlites and concentrated on them. My friend didn't object
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/Projects/lib/68/completed/TeAnne/allansdog2.jpg
With the tiger, same thing. It's up to you yogi, you may want to use another colour. It dosn't really matter, you have a right to use your artistic licence http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/Projects/lib/68/completed/TeAnne/MAY26.jpg
Good luck and I can't wait to see your work either. :cat:

[Shirl]

Hi Yogi!

I was going to try a white horse on blue/gray paper with a white drawing pencil, leaving the paper as the shading. Haven't tried it yet tho. But I've tried a white horse on white--can't see the white pencil at all, almost useless. Be sure you get a good "black" paper.

Shirl

[yogi]

Hello, creators!

Shirl -- I hope you try the white horse on black. It would be striking indeed. I'm picturing a night scene with a rearing white stallion at this very moment!

TeAnne -- You use your artistic license skillfully. The dog and tiger look great, and I cannot even tell there are no pencil marks in the black. That answers a lot of questions for me. Thank you. I'm still trying to decide on a subject for practice on the black card paper I got. Am leaning heavily toward a white lion. We'll see.

Ivyleaf -- Added color to black can make for an intriguing eye-pleaser. I'm not sure I'm that brave for this first one, but I might just go wild with my new pencils!

pencils4me -- I'd wondered about the lack of reflectiveness in the black if not gone over with black colored pencil. Will have to experiment. On the pencils, I went for the medium price range pencils at Menninger's (Denver, CO, USA) -- "Germany STAEDTLER KARAT 124" at $1.99 apiece. Of course, not 30 minutes later, I went to Office Max for other things and found out they have an art section with less expensive materials. (sigh) :)

leaflin -- Hope you try black. It seems kind of like an adventure.

arlene -- Yes, you duck with finesse! (wink) :)

Thank you, everyone, for all of your helpful input. Now, we'll see what my brain dreams up for a subject. Could get scary! :D

[miek37]

Hi all!!!!!!!! Maybe you'd like to run over to my colored pencil underpainting for a portrait and take a look. On Tuesday I will be posting the finished color portrait. I usually lay down a white underpainting when working on black then work from light to dark with my colors. I have a pretty light hand so usually don't do burnishing. Haven't tried the watercolor colored pencils on black yet, think that's is where I am headed for the rest of the evening! See ya' all later!!!!!!!!!!!!
Helen:cat: