I recently bought this book and have been thrilled with it - so I thought I would come and share it with you. It is by North Light Books with ISBN 1-58180-957-3 . Anyway I read a lot and this book features in my top 3 for 2008.

The book is about using coloured pencils, but there is a quite a lot that would make it a good read even for someone who is not a CP enthuisiast.

The first section looks at equipment in general and then goes on to explain how to use photography and photographs and how to get your image on to paper.

Then composition is explained with good illustrated points, this is followed by colour and value and their uses.

The rest of the book is taken up with follow along demonstrations about 15 in total each exploring different facets of working with coloured pencil. The final demo is like an old master's still life and draws together all the earlier demos.

I have completed the first demonstration from the book of a tomato which explains what to put in the initial stages to get the best from the local colour. Arlene has been very kind in giving me permission to post my version here for you to see.

Mine is not quite like the original because the damage to my hands means I cannot judge accurately how much pressure I am putting on my pencils - so if the paper stays white I am not using enough and when I make dents on the paper or the lead breaks and flies across the room I am using too much. This means I have to concentrate really hard and I get tired. I made the final tomato slightly more orange than the original as that is like the ones we seem to get. The colour is built up by layering multiply layers of varying colour and not by pressing harder



This was also a try out of Stonehenge paper, which I thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely use again.

This book featured in a the David & Charles flyer inserted in this month's art magazines.

Ruth

this is a brilliant tomato such depth of colour well done especially if you have trouble with your hands I am the same thats why I float about with a hake brush ! (claphands) (claphands) (claphands)

I love tomatoes ruth ... eating them that is and this one looks good enough to eat :) It looks really juicy :)
Excellent image! Pity about your hands. I get a bit of arthritis now and again but nothing compared to how some suffer.
thssupp thssupp
cheers
jim

sorry about your hands Ruth, this is is great, it looks so real (claphands) (claphands)

This book has had rave reviews over on the Ebay art forums

So thats been where I've been going wrong Ruth, I thought you had to press hard with cp and that was what I found difficult, I'll have to try cp again.

I have every sympathy with the hands as thats one of my problems too (loveh)

Excellent work Ruth (claphands)

Very effective.

Neil

Sounds like an excellent book Ruth and what a great study from you. (claphands) (grins)

Ruth, this looks good enough to eat, um.. umm well done (thumbs) (claphands)

Yes, do give them a try again, Dorothy.

I hadn't been using them right either. I now use the little circles but you can do a sort of crosshatch close together. Build up until you can't see the paper and then you can burnish with a slightly heavier pressure.

Thanks to everyone else who popped by for your kind comments.

Coloured pencils can be very therapeutic a bit like meditating, so do give it a go if you have a chance.

Ruth

thssupp I am so glad you have drawn peoples attention to cp, as I have been an advocate for them for a long time but there are still a lot of people out there that tend to think they are for children and colouring in.
I have not done a lot for a while with them as for the last few years I have been concentrating on w/c and not much else.
You have spured me on to get them out again.
Great depth to your tomato and all the more respect as you have trouble with your hands (claphands)

This kind of realistic work I like when people talk of going beyond realism Ruth's pencil painting of this example illustrates the point well. 12painter

Have a look at this website for some awesome coloured pencil work.
http://www.alastairlockwoodart.co.uk/gallery.htm

Hi Ken...Would be helpful for Ruth to know your thoughts on her pencil painting work. <_<

Ooops, sorry :unsure: I think it is an excellent piece of work and shows what can be done in this medium, as John said. The depth and intensity of colour is really impressive, and I would be interested to know how many layers and also how long it took. From my experience which is limited it sure isn't a quick medium.

Thank you, John, yes there is a lot to commend coloured pencil. The ranges of pencils and their lightfastness have increased tremendously recently. I find it really useful to have a selection when out and about for making colour notes if it is not possible to watercolour.

They also have benefits at times when interruptions may happen as you can put them down and pick them up again later. It also doesn't matter if you only have 5 minutes here or there.

Thanks for the link Ken, but it could have done with a thread all of its own. His work is awesome isn't it.

With regard to my tomato I must confess I was not counting either time or layers on this one. I would estimate over half a day (but I did stop periodically to visit here and read the instructions etc) and 12 plus layers and probably several hundred pencil sharpens (as the pencils need to be kept really sharp).

Ruth

Hi All
Arlene is part owner of www.scribbletalk.com which is a excellent site for cp users, Arlene and all the members are very generous with there help with cp problems.
Bill

I'm sorry Ruth I forgot to say what a fantastic tomatoe,I hve been trying with cp for a few years and am nowhere near that good
Bill

Hi Bill

Thank you for your kind comments. Keep up with your cp as I had been trying for some time with mine before things seemed to fit into place.

Yes Scribbletalk seems a great place for all matters CP and I joined a few days ago to try to hone my skills in that area.

Ruth

Yeh I have just been on there, and it seems a good little site for all things CP.