Taking a Leap

Today I started working on the largest piece to date, measuring at 28.75" x 19".  Previously the biggest piece I could do was 27" x 18", since this was the largest sheet of ArtSpectrum Colourfix paper I could buy.  Canon Mi-Teintes Touch papers come is 22" x 30", and once you subtract the non-printed border the 30" dimension decreases to 28.75", so this is my new maximum width. Once I have the composition and lighting all worked out, one of the first steps is picking my palette.  I always do this on a piece of the same colored paper I intend to use, and like to scribble little circles of color similar to paint daubs.  If I've got a pretty good feel for what colors will be used, I'll lay the daubs down grouped by hue and value.  Underneath each I'll write an abbreviation for the color so I know what it is, and if I am using pencils from multiple manufacturers I'll do a different row for each.  In the photo below I did Caran d'ache Luminance in the first row, and Prismacolor in the second.

Note the black paper in the photo is Artspectrum Colourfix, which I happened to have a scrap handy.  One of my complaints about the Colourfis paper is the mix of quality issues I'd had with their screen printed area, such as the black splotches visible on this one.  I've had no issues like this with the Canson Mi-Teintes Touch.

The trick now is to pick out only the colors I need, since the piece will have better overall color harmony that way.  Since I recently purchased a full set of Caran d'ache Luminance pencils, I've also been eager to try a piece with mostly Caran d'ache just to try them out.  So, here's the roster of what made the cut:

Caran d'ache:

001 White 009 Black 185 Ice Blue 755 Gray Blue 171 Turquoise Blue 508 Paynes Gray 504 Paynes Gray 30 507 Paynes Gray 60 093 Violet Gray 808 French Gray 802 French Gray 10 803 French Gray 30 872 Burnt Ochre 10 842 Raw Umber 10 862 Burnt Sienna 10 866 Burnt Sienna 50 046 Cassel Earth

Prismacolor

Cobalt Turquoise Sky Blue LIght

I placed all of them in a handy tin, and set them beside my table.  This way the palette is ready with all of the colors within reach, and also portable if I want to work on a drawing board instead of the drafting table.