Monday, January 31, 2011

Swatching, scanning and shooting


Well, so far this week, the Illustration Friday topic of "surrender" has me about ready to do just that.  So, I've decided to show you the swatches that I made for my new set of Prismacolors.


I had looked for a pre-made blank chart online, but the one offered on the Prismacolor website has the color name printed right on the little pencil shape that you're supposed to color in.  Well, that just irritated me, so I laser-printed out a simple grid on some Strathmore Bristol, and made my own chart.  The hard part was deciding which color would go where.

Before making the final chart, I made some quickie swatches, cut them all out and played with the arrangement before taping them in place. I probably spent more time on that than most normal people would, but as I've mentioned before, I find that kind of thing to be highly entertaining.  In fact, I loved it when Paula Pertile referred to her recent swatch-making marathon as a swatching bender.  Such a perfect description, as there really is something rather decadent about allowing oneself the luxury of playing like this.  As I colored each little gradient rectangle, I tried to make the blends seamless.  (You can definitely tell that I started with the greys, since I got better as I went!)

My reason for making these charts, other than to have the color reference, is to use them as a sort of baseline so that I can improve my scanning and digital photography skills.  I love being able to make digital captures of my very non-digital art, but the endless number of options and variables involved in scanning/shooting, viewing and printing an image makes my head spin.  I've been scanning most things, but my son gave me a very cool copy stand to use when photographing my work, and I'm just starting to play with it.  I'd love to hear from other colored pencil artists...do you prefer to scan or shoot?  What equipment/settings do you use?   I'm going to be scanning and shooting these charts like crazy, and comparing the results...should be fun!!

This just in...the pencil geekfest continues!  The folks over at pencils.com saw my drawings on Pencil Revolution last week, and were kind enough to feature me today as this week's Monday Pencil Artist.  So nice!  Both of these sites seem eager to feature pencil artists, so feel free to contact them if you're interested.  The blog editor at pencils.com even asked if I would be interested in doing a product review of their colored pencils.  I told him that I'd be very happy to - artists always like trying new toys!  So, if that comes to pass, I'll let you know what I think of them.  Hmmm...do I see more swatches in my future?

10 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Sarah,

    The colors of the swatches look wonderful. I am really impressed with your photography. Are you learning on your own?

    Now that your blog is taking off, you are becoming quite the celebrity.

    Very cool.

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  3. I have a similar chart that I made and I use it all the time. Yours is much more professional looking!

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  4. I loved following your links, and especially love your chestnuts. Your swatch chart is rather beautiful to look at in its own way too. Well done all the way around! Congrats on getting featured on pencils.com!

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  5. I'm liking those swatches! They'd make a nice poster. And how great that the Pencil.com folks have featured you. I really really love the chestnuts.

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  6. hmmm I admit to having a drawer full of swatches and another set in my sketchbook, but nowhere as neat as yours. Well done on getting your artwork featured on the pencil sites!

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  7. Suzanne is right. The swatches would make a great poster.

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  8. I had to laugh when I read this- I did the same thing with my watercolors. I drew out a gazillion squares in a small sketch book and then did the gradient and then I did one mixing colors...it was tedious and zen all at the same time!
    Elizabeth

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  9. My "high tech" method for images, is my Canon Powershot A640, set on 'automatic', flash off, micro setting (for closeups), and I prop the camera steady on top of my bird watching binocular tripod, (with binoculars attached)and shoot straight down onto the art on the kitchen table, in the east window, morning, bright, natural indirect sunlight, no other light source. Then I pop the images through Microsoft Picture Manager to crop and do some contrast adjustment and....voila!
    And, I, for one, have ~never~ gone on any sort of colored pencil bender.... heheheheee

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  10. I don't use the binoculars to shoot through...just to prop the camera on top of.

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