Marian Jackson MDA

I like to decorate mats around paintings and I discovered that using Colored Pencils with Rebecca Baer’s Petite and Elegant stencils work wonderfully.  A few things to be aware of.  Prismacolor pencils are soft wax based to enable lovely layering and blending.  As such it sometimes produces a not so sharp line, especially on mats that have been custom painted with acrylic paint.  I found that the less expensive brands, such as Prang, or even Crayola, work better in these instances.  As always TEST, TEST, TEST.  In a pinch put a specific pencil in the freezer for a while to make it less ‘soft’.

With a little practice you will learn what works for you but I am totally thrilled with the results.  I used a regular sized stencil on this painted mat.  I think it would have been better with Prismacolor Verithin pencils or a lesser brand but it was my first attempt and I still like it.  Rebecca’s website.

When I was at Hoot [Heart of Ohio Tole Convention] I had some discussions with students about e packets. They voiced their concerns about having a not-so-good printer and poor reproduction.  I pointed out the disparity in color reproduction on the packets I provided for class, from the full size scan [which was darker and cooler] vs. the photograph, which was spot on as far as color.

With colored pencils the need for exact color reproduction doesn’t really apply as absolutely named pencils are used.  No mixing, no matching, just going with what comes out of the pencils.  I also suggested that the pdf e packet could be taken to Staples, Kinko’s etc. and printed out there.  (These places might require a permission email as it is copyrighted material but I’m more than happy to provide that upon request.  I would limit the number of copies of course.)

We also discussed the color on individual monitors and most of us realize that the range of color reproduction is enormous, but with named pencils, is this that important?  It might actually encourage more instinctive painting without relying totally on copy/reproduction, thereby producing artistic growth.

I’m interested in your thoughts on this so maybe we can get a dialog going and learn from each other. Please register for my blog so that your comments can be added.

Welcome to the world of Marian Jackson – who paints with colored pencils.  I will post tips, hints and my discoveries here in the hope that it will help you on your journey.