The Process

All of my work is 100% colored pencil on either paper or Pastelbord. Starting in 2006, I began using Artspectrum Colourfix paper, which is simply watercolor paper that has been screen printed with an acrylic tinted primer intermixed with pumice. The result is a toned, sanded paper intended for use with pastels. For colored pencils, though, it produces a distinct speckled effect, and allows me to incorporate the tone of the paper into the drawing

The first step of any drawing is a line sketch. Since I was an oil painter before I started with colored pencils, I find myself using traditional approaches to developing colors and values. For darker toned paper, I will add the lights and darks next, before working on the midtones. For medium toned paper, I will do a monochromatic underpainting sketch to resolve all of the values. I usually work the entire picture at once, gradually blocking in color and refining details. When the piece is finished, I spray it with a moderately heavy coat of workable fixative. This is necessary to prevent wax bloom (where the wax binder of the pencil migrates to the surface of the pigment over time, clouding the colors), and also adds a glossy sheen to the finished piece.

Typically I work on full sheets of Colourfix paper, which are 18" x 27". A sheet this size takes about 1 month to complete, with multiple layers of color slowly built up week after week. I find that people often cannot identify the finished product as a colored pencil drawing - it has a unique look with intense, opaque colors that is difficult to identify. Usually I frame it with about a 1/4" of the white paper showing beyond the edge of the Colourfix primer. I like the irregular, pigmented edge to show through in the finished work.