This has been a heavy-duty art weekend for me - I've been busily working away at commissions and the biz side of the mouse studio. Last night, after I logged off from my art work, I wanted to unwind with some drawing. (Postal worker's holiday!) I'd read an article about an artist painting on location in extreme environments, and I couldn't get the Arctic setting out of my mind.
A very dear friend of mine, @deadwoodpecker , is planning an Arctic sequel to her gorgeously written The Peverell Dilemma. All I could think yesterday was how cozy Harry and Ginny could be in a tent charmed to protect them from the elements, watching the Aurora Borealis fill the sky all around them. Magical!
This was the first time I tried my new Strathmore colored pencil paper, and I am in love with it!! The texture of the paper is soft, smooth, and toothy enough to practically absorb the color from my rich Prismacolors; yet it's not such a deep tooth that I have to burnish the pencil color (rub it flat with clear or white pencils) to get the smoothness I love. I could play with the subtle texture, and let it shine in fabrics, snow, and weather-beaten skin.
I've been experimenting with Palomino Blackwing Colors, and they are amazingly comparable to Prismas in quality. They loved the paper, too - I used the Blackwings for my preliminary sketch, the fine details, and most of their hair.
I also used Staedtler pencils for some fine touches, but those harder, waxier pencils didn't care for the paper as much, and weren't as bold as I wanted for this drawing.
I'm excited to try more new art with this paper; and excited to read Arctic Peverell someday!
