Pens, Pencils & Pastels

with Cherril Doty & Marsh Scott

As more artists embrace mixed media, the market has rushed to keep up, adding a vast number of pens, pencils, and pastels beyond what traditional artists have used. Search online or check out your local art store for a variety of options!

Materials

• Watercolor paper, mat board, or canvas

• Container of water

• Brushes of various sizes

• Ink pencils or watercolor pencils

• Metallic and other permanent markers

• Charcoal and charcoal pencils

• Conté crayons

• Oil pastels

• Water-soluble oil pastels

• Spray workable fixative

• Acrylic gel

• Smudge sticks

• Assorted papers: writing, drawing, translucent, deli, rice, gampi, tissue, etc.

• Magic Rub® or art gum eraser

Ink & Watercolor Pencils

Ink and watercolor pencils can create new themes in your artwork with image transfers or collages. Here we show how to draw back into an inkjet transfer to complete a piece of art.

Step One Inkjet transfer an image onto watercolor paper or mat board, and spray with a workable fixative. For more information, see “Transferring” in 101 Mixed Media Techniques (Walter Foster Publishing, 2014).

Step Two Draw into the piece with ink or watercolor pencil to complete the scene in the photo.

Step Three Dip a brush in water and brush across the drawn parts. Smudge with your fingers as you go. Add more color as needed.

Permanent Markers

Choose an acrylic painted surface (abstract or representational). Use permanent markers to outline, color into, or create a sketch. You can also use the markers to write words into the piece.

Conté Crayons & Charcoal

Traditionally, Conté crayons, charcoal, and pastels (opposite page) are used in figurative drawings. For mixed media, we use them to soften and shade collage and photo work.

Spray your piece with a workable fixative and let it dry. Draw back into the work with a Conté crayon, charcoal piece, or charcoal pencil to define lines, highlight, draw details, or create shadows. Smudge as needed to blend. Smudging will give a hand-drawn look to photo or transferred images.

Pastels

Use colorful pastels to draw back into and highlight photos or collage pieces.

Translucent Papers

Writing or drawing on a piece of nearly finished work can be tricky. One way to avoid errors is to draw on a translucent surface first; then adhere it to your piece with acrylic gel. Translucent papers can also add an additional layer of texture.

Step One Write or draw on the translucent paper of your choice, and tear around the edges.

Step Two Apply acrylic gel under and over the paper and adhere to the substrate, smoothing with a brush and your fingers.

Distinctive Backgrounds

Fill Patterns

Drawing distinctive fill patterns can create texture and add visual interest to backgrounds. Use fill patterns to create a design or highlight aspects of your piece.

Pencil in the pattern first and then fill it in by stippling, cross hatching, or stenciling. Next, shade the pattern with pen. Pencil lines can be erased using a soft eraser like Magic Rub® or art gum.

Words, Numbers & Symbols

Use permanent pens, markers, and pencils to write and doodle all over a piece for background interest—or just for fun!