Caution:Artist at Play-Artwork by Shana Rowe Jackson

   1.   Start small! Start with an item and draw it everyday until you are confident. When you first do a full picture start with a small canvas so you do not feel overwhelmed.     2.   Break your piece down into individual sections, this will also help you “see” what you are drawing instead of what you think you should see.    3.   Realism is like a puzzle made up of small abstract shapes. Train your eye to look for those shapes.    4.   Do not be afraid to push your values! High contrast usually makes for a more interesting image!!    5.   When starting out, if you struggle with color, work in black and white to get a feel for detail and values. You can always glaze later if you want to.     6.   When working in color, use a view finder if you are having trouble figuring out what color you are trying to recreate. Take a white piece of paper, punch a hole in it and put it up to your reference, this will help you to identify the color more easily.  

Here are some tricks I that have helped me over the years!           1.        Use a thermos, travel mug or water bottle for your beverage while painting. This way you do not have to worry about dipping your brush into your drink, and it lessens the risk of your drink being spilled all over your project.    2.        If you do not like using harsh chemicals such as turpentine to clean your brushes there is a product called “The Masters” Brush cleaner that works great for Oil, Acrylic and Watercolor. They also have hand soap and a marvelous stain stick. If you are short on cash Dawn dish soap works well for brushes, even oil brushes. Dish soap is made to cut grease so works well for oil paint, it may take a bit longer than traditional brush cleaners but you are likely to have it on hand, it’s cheap and more importantly safe. Some shampoos may also work for the same reason.    3.        If you have been drawing intensively for a long period of time and have an

Please Note: This post is not sponsored by Spectrum Noir in any way. This is just my personal experience with this product.  PROS: Affordable  120 Colors available Easy to blend Pre-sharpened  Little breakage Comfortable to hold Wood casing is lightweight yet durable Color coded ends Each Pencil is labeled with color name (unlike previous lines from this company) CONS:  Very waxy White is not very opaque Colors on color coded end not very accurate Can be difficult to get a fine tip Not available open stock Some colors feel a bit scratchy  Thick leads make it harder to get fine detail GENERAL NOTES: The company says these pencils are lightfast but does not provide specifics on each color. I have not been able to find definitive lightfast ratings for these pencils. These pencils are very transparent which can be a pro or a con depending on favored techniques. Because these are wax based pencils, layers can build up quick which can help make the drawing