Newborn Portrait - New Pencils!

Here, the arm is partway finished. I started rendering it with Coloursoft pencils and, then, decided to purchase a set of Prismacolors. I'm so excited about these pencils - they really suit my technique. They allow me to create fine textures without losing any intensity of colour. Some pencils are too hard to create a smooth, deep colour and others are so soft that they crumble, leaving dark, crayon-like flecks over the picture. I find this is especially problematic with some of the darker colours.

I'm still experimenting with these pencils so I'm not yet sure whether I will interchange with the Derwent Studio and Artists pencils when rendering particularly fine details. I'm anticipating that the Derwent Coloursoft pencils will be ideal for soft, rough textures, while the Prismacolors will be invaluable for skin tones and, probably, much more.

As you can see, I'm still working on the arm. The change of pencils slowed me down somewhat but I'm finding that progress has speeded up with the new pencils. At this stage, I have applied light washes of cream, pale pink and pale peach, followed by modelling with pigments of increasing value. The colours I have used so far have been Jasmine, Salmon Pink and Pink Rose. Prismacolor pencils don't have a pale pink (in the 120 set - the 12 new colours may contain this shade), so I will probably use one of the Derwent pinks as I move up the tones. Again, I will be experimenting between the Coloursoft and the Artist pencils to achieve the right texture.

I am using more orange and yellow colours for the adult skin and, once again, I am moving up the value chart from light to darker tones to create a smooth blend of colours. This will make the skin appear more realistic.