Frequently Asked Questions

What pencils do you use?

Prismacolor Premier and Caran d'ache Luminance

What paper do you use?

I prefer to work on sanded papers and boards. "Sanded" in this case means "has a sandpaper-like surface". My favorite papers and boards are Canson Mi-Teintes Touch, Artspectrum Colourfix, and Ampersand Pastelbord. I like papers with a medium grit (400 grade) because I prefer the texture of the paper to show in the final drawing.

Do you use solvents?

Rarely. Nearly all of my work is simply dry colored pencil on paper. For a few of my pieces (Opaline Dreams, Citrine Dreams, Daydreams), I used Neocolor II water-soluble crayons as a base layer under my colored pencil layers. Two floral works, "Bloom" and "Unfurled", used turpenoid as as solvent on the base layers. All other works are dry colored pencil on paper or board.

How do you achieve saturated colors without solvents?

Patience, and a gradual build-up of pigment via many layers. Typical drawings have 20+ layers of pigment.

Do you use fixative between layers?

No. I only apply a coat of workable fixative at the end of my drawing. This is to prevent wax bloom.

Do you call your works drawings or paintings?

I think this comes down to preference. Many colored pencil artists prefer to call their works paintings because colored pigment is applied to a surface. I prefer to call my works drawings, though, because it is the mechanism used to produce the work. This is probably because I was an oil painter prior to being a colored pencil artist and I feel painting and drawing have similar, but different, skill sets.