Fortunately I didn't have to work my way through fifty shades of grey; but I did spend quite a long time trying to work out how to get lovely gentle gradations of grey.
I started out with my graphite pencils and did a test swatch from 9H to 9B - quite the range from hard to soft!
Then I tested out the softest looking greys (which were in fact the hardest pencils of course) and found that I really didn't like the way they scratched into the BFK Rives printmaking paper.
I am no pencil afficiando so it really is all trial and error with me.
So I moved over to coloured pencils and tried to see if I had enough across all my sets to be able to use five to grade...
Kind of sort of would be the answer!
Clearly Cool Grey and French Grey are on completely different sides of the warm-cool spectrum and there was no way I could bring them into any sort of gradation harmony.
So then I tried a variety of other pencils including a Graphitint. Closer, just not sure of the sequence.
Nonetheless it was quite a nice time, just testing and colouring in small squares.
So then I began to colour in some letters, and this is as far as I have gotten.
I think I'll have to leave it there for a bit - suddenly a bunch of jobs have landed and I need to focus on them. So the time just for me, playing and testing things is over for the time being, but it was grand whilst it was here.
I started out with my graphite pencils and did a test swatch from 9H to 9B - quite the range from hard to soft!
Then I tested out the softest looking greys (which were in fact the hardest pencils of course) and found that I really didn't like the way they scratched into the BFK Rives printmaking paper.
I am no pencil afficiando so it really is all trial and error with me.
So I moved over to coloured pencils and tried to see if I had enough across all my sets to be able to use five to grade...
Kind of sort of would be the answer!
Clearly Cool Grey and French Grey are on completely different sides of the warm-cool spectrum and there was no way I could bring them into any sort of gradation harmony.
So then I tried a variety of other pencils including a Graphitint. Closer, just not sure of the sequence.
Nonetheless it was quite a nice time, just testing and colouring in small squares.
So then I began to colour in some letters, and this is as far as I have gotten.
I think I'll have to leave it there for a bit - suddenly a bunch of jobs have landed and I need to focus on them. So the time just for me, playing and testing things is over for the time being, but it was grand whilst it was here.
oh delights, fiona! i love grey and your imagery and pencil work is sublime. beautiful, insightful and intelligent work as always. xx
ReplyDeleteYou are too kind Louise - but thank you! I am enjoying the exploration and have found a way back - so all good. Go well.
DeleteSuch a lot of possibilities from a simple starting point
ReplyDeleteJac I am thrilled with the way starting with something simple has let me discover new ways of creating meaning. A good challenge even tho it wasn't meant to be - it was just supposed to help me, and it did! Go well.
DeleteThis is so well thought through as the information of what you need to choose just leaps out at you. Envious of the power to do that!
ReplyDelete