Caran d’Ache Neocolor ll crayons are a huge step up from those crayons of your youth. In this project you can recapture some of your earliest artistic moments using these grown-up crayons to color a portrait mixed-media style.
10" × 8" (25cm × 20cm) 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed watercolor paper
Alizarin Crimson, Ochre, Prussian Blue, White
no. 8 round
2H pencil, heat tool (optional), lightbox, Mixed Media Adhesive (or other gel medium), Stabilo All black pencil, wax paper palette (optional)
Use a lightbox to trace a sketch (or draw one) onto 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed watercolor paper using a 2H pencil, which will make light lines. Trace the basic outlines; you don’t need to add any shading.
Shade the face with a Prussian Blue crayon. Apply it dry to all shaded areas. Use light strokes. It’s like coloring in a coloring book.
Water-soluble crayons and Mixed Media Adhesive or gel medium are great supplies to travel with. You can mix a small amount of Mixed Media Adhesive with water in a waterbrush with a cap, making sure to rinse the brush and cap it between uses. Take these tools along with you when you’re on the go, even on a plane.
Dip a damp no. 8 round brush into Mixed Media Adhesive (any gel medium will work, though some will create a shiny finish). Then activate the crayon. Blend the crayon with the gel medium directly on the page, using small light strokes. Once dry, the gel medium sets the crayon so you can work over it without reactivating it. Let dry or use a heat tool to speed up the drying process.
Dip the White crayon into water, then apply in small strokes, covering the entire face. Dipping the crayon in water allows you to apply and spread the color more easily. Apply gel medium to blend, soften and set the crayon. The blue is already set, so it won’t mix with the white. Don’t let the newly applied white dry. Move on to the next step.
Start applying Ochre to the midtone areas of the wet painting. If it isn’t wet enough, dip the crayon in water to release more color. Apply more gel medium, and mix the White and Ochre together. Let air dry or use a heat tool to speed up drying.
Dip the White crayon into the water and then go over the entire face again, using light, small strokes. Wetting the crayon allows you to apply creamy color more quickly. Apply gel medium to blend and set the color. If your work gets too wet, dry off your paintbrush and use straight gel medium to blend. Let air dry or use a heat tool.
Apply very small hints of Alizarin Crimson to the cheeks and lips. Apply this color dry, activating the color with a little gel medium. If you use too much, you can dry the brush and blot the color from the painting.
Dip Ochre into water and start coloring the background. Apply more color more heavily to one side. Apply gel medium, using a lot of water to spread and puddle the color. Tilt the page and let the water run. Be sure to tilt away from the face!
Define the eyes, nose and mouth with a Stabilo All water-soluble black pencil. Draw lightly, defining the eyes, pupils, eyebrows, nostrils and mouth. This touch of black helps define the facial features. Apply gel medium with a damp no. 8 round to activate the pencil. Follow the lines of the pencil with your brush. Blend the eyes somewhat, but avoid blending the other features. If it starts to get too dark, rinse your brush and blot to lighten.
Add a heavy colored layer of the Stabilo pencil around the hairline, using scribbling strokes and making it lighter as it goes away from the face. Use a lot of water (no gel medium) to activate the hairline and let it flow. To add color to the hair, dip the crayon of your choice (I used Prussian Blue) and add color to blend with the black. Use a really wet no. 8 round to blend the two together. Let dry. You can use gel medium to set if you’d like, but the pencil will absorb into the paper pretty well, and you will get a more free-flowing effect using just water.
You can also color the crayon onto a wax paper palette, activate with gel medium there and then use it like paint. This is helpful when fine-tuning the painting at the end.