Jessie Lilac Blog

As you might already know from reading my recent posts, I love using pens to draw with. I've got quite a good selection now thanks to christmas and my birthday ;) but the ones I love the most are the ones that will sit on top of a darker colour. This 2 page sketchbook spread above was done with a layer of acrylic paint before I added the detail with my Posca pens. These pages above have a layer of collage paper and acrylic inks as a background. I used my Sakura Souffle pens for the lighter lines but then I remembered my trusty old Sharpies. I'd almost forgotten all about them in my new found love! They don't stay as bright as I'd like when you draw over a dark background but on the white areas of the paper the colour sings. The background of these were done with my FW inks. I wanted something quite bright and fluid and when you spray them with water, you can get lovely effects and blending. Another background you can use is Neocolor crayo...

I'm still playing with my new Neocolor II crayons and discovered how bright the colours are even when they've have had water added. The background looks like watercolour washes doesn't it? :) This one's completely Neocolor, I had fun blending the dry colours together  This one was done on a layer of gesso and I liked the way the texture picked up the pigment. I've used other mediums too, like collage and acrylic paint for the girl. . And finally another mixed media piece done on a base of gesso. I pulled a comb through the gesso while it was still wet and it made a lovely base to crayon over! I love how they're chunky enough to cover the surface quickly and it's so fun adding water, turning it into lovely pools of bright colour. I think I'm going to wear them down quite quickly don't you?! xx

  I've treated myself to some brand new water soluble crayons! They're from Caran D'ache and are called Neocolor II. When you add water they act like watercolours so they're very adaptable. I had a small set that I'd bought a while ago but this meant that the colours I really wanted (see pic!) weren't necessarily there. The JOY I had of finding them for sale individually! As soon as I brought them back I wanted to try them out. You can see in the top pictures and below a couple of pages in my sketch book where I used my new delicious colours! I could just carry on using these new ones for ever, never needing any others because they mix together so well! (..but you know me, I won't!) Well that's all for now as I'm still away for a bit. My shop will reopen again on Friday, have a great week! xx