Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Maine Coon Cat on Colourfix

I've been working on this maine coon cat in between other things which is why it's going so slowly.
It's approximately 16 x 12 inches on colourfix paper.
I've been using an under painting in watercolour and then adding detail in coloured pencil using the same method that I did with the spaniel but I'm finding it a very different experience to working on watercolour paper.
I thought it might be useful to compare my findings using the colourfix against using a hot press watercolour paper.

Pro's
  • The coloured paper provides a midtone which means fewer layers are needed to create the fur.
  • Little work is needed to create a subtle background.
  • White fur shows up against the darker paper.
Con's
  • Both the watercolour and the coloured pencil sink into the colourfix requiring constant touching up.
  • The rough surface of the paper eats the pencils and destroys brushes, it is advisable to only use old brushes.
I can get fine detail on both surfaces so that isn't an issue.

On balance I think I prefer working on watercolour paper so it will be back to the Arches hot pressed paper for my next work.
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4 comments:

  1. Jen Kirby2:34 PM

    I enjoy reading about your experiments. After seeing your results, I wanted to try Colourfix. I couldn't decide on a colour so I bought the clear Colourfix primer instead. It was great fun. I mainly used Acryl Gouache (Japanesque) and some acrylic on Polydraw film. I wanted to add coloured pencil in some areas, so I painted over the acryl/acrylic surface with Colourfix primer and it worked beautifully. It also did a good job of "fixing" the coloured pencil so I could layer it.

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  2. Teresa Mallen7:36 PM

    Such a lovely cat. Another stunning piece in the works! I really like working on Colourfix but I don't use a watercolour base and brushes. My favourite pencil for Colourfix is the Derwent Coloursoft line. It is nice to work on new supports but it is also very nice to return to our old favourites. I look forward to seeing how this turns out!

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  3. Gayle Mason12:25 AM

    Thanks to both of you.
    I've never tried the colourfix primer but it sounds interesting.
    I'll have to give the Coloursoft pencils a try Teresa. I don't have many because I prefer the oil based pencils but it sounds like they might work better on colourfix.

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  4. Debbie Nolan12:25 PM

    Gayle your Main coon is absolutely gorgeous. Wondered how watercolor works under colored pencil. Sounds like you prefer it on hot press paper instead of colorfix. Thanks so much for sharing.

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