Derwent Inktense WC Pencils

This past week the Quiltart list has been discussing the use of Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils. I'd not heard of them, so I ordered a small set (plus a few extra colors to balance out the set) on sale from Dick Blick. They arrived today and I decided to give them a try. I did two sample pieces as you can view below.

The first example is done on a a piece of 8x10" smooth Bristol board paper.
Here is the completed colored pencil drawing prior to the addition of water.
This shows the colored pencil drawing and the photo I'm working from.
This is the completed painting. Only water was added in very small amounts with a fairly small brush.


The second example is done on 5x7" watercolor card stock (before folding, it measures 10x7") I'm working from one of my photos taken at the area's annual orchid show last fall. 1. the base color applied
2. more color is added
3. completed colored pencil drawing
3. completed painting


To compare Derwent's pencils to Prismacolor's pencils, see my blog posting here. For example, this is the same cat as above, different pose, but done completely in Prismacolor pencils. It was also done on a sheet of 8x10 Bristol paper. The above is done with soft pencils layered one over the other and blended well to create a finished piece. It is then polished with a soft cloth to bring out the color and add a finished sheen to the work. As noted above, check out my earlier posting for the step-by-step process of this piece.

The watercolor above is lighter and more spontaneous in appearance, as many watercolors are. The pencils lines still show - which is probably my fault for not adding more water to the pencils to give it a more painterly effect. Both pieces are fine as they are, but they are quite different.


What I've learned thus far:
1. when water is added to the pencil drawings, the colors are VERY intense.
2. these pencils do not blend well, although they layer fairly well.
3. the finished paintings look better done on watercolor paper (of course!)
4. they work well for color/design studies (in my opinion) than for finished art.
5. I'd like the whole set of them if I were to plan on using them for finished paintings.

I have yet to try them on fabric, which is what Quiltart members were discussing. I'll post my results of those experiments after I've tried them out on fabric!

500 Art Quilts due out later this month!

Yesterday I received my advanced copy of 500 ART QUILTS: an Inspiring Collection of Contemporary Work curated by Karey Bresenhan, founder of Quilts, Inc. and published by Lark Books.

According to Karey, there were 2500 art quilt finalists to be pared down to 500 for inclusion in the book. I'm delighted to be included in the book with my quilt WOODLAND WALK (page 208), joining a host of other contemporary artists such as Pamela Allen - Alice Beasley - Jane Burch Cochran - Judith Content - Chiaki Dosho - Noriko Endo - Caryl Bryer Fallert - Jamie Fingal - Linda Gass - Jenny Hearn - Judy Coates Perez - Yvonne Porcella - Susan Shie - Gloria Hansen - Jan Myers-Newberry - Lonni Rossi - Jane Sassaman - Maya Schonenberger - Joan Schultz - Carol Taylor - David Taylor - Larkin Van Horn - LauraWasilowski - and many more!

WOODLAND WALK detail (c)Pat Dolan

As it happens, another local artist, Mary Lou Pepe, a member of our fiber art critique group, has not one, but two of her quilts included in the book (pages 101 + 160). Her two quilts hang opposite one another in one of the Penn State University campus buildings. They are quite large, which one cannot guess from viewing the photos. And they are extraordinarily detailed and done with amazing precision.

I hope you have the opportunity to leisurely explore this book, taking time to enjoy each piece for the unique contribution it makes to the whole. It is full of 'eye candy' for the creative heart/soul!

Happy New Year - Mine is Off to a Great Start!

GOING IN CIRCLES (c) Pat Dolan

On January 1, 2010, John Hopper notified me that he had just posted a review of my art on his blog, The Textile Blog. Mr. Hopper is a well-known critic of textiles, old and new. I quickly went to the sight to read what he sees in my work, and I was very pleased with his review. You can read or listen to it here. He concentrated on my organic images series (some photos below - but more are on my website). That series has been the core of my work for many years. I'm delighted he was able to observe what I try to say with my art. Talk about a GREAT way to start off the New Year!
CELLULAR IMAGES II (c)Pat Dolan
ORGANIC BEAUTY (c) Pat Dolan
GONE TO SEED (c) Pat Dolan
EARTH CELLS (c) Pat Dolan

Also this year, one of my pieces will be included in an upcoming book entitled 500 Quilts due out this spring and published by Lark Books as part of their 500 art/craft series. As a SAQA professional member, my work will be in the upcoming publication entitled SAQA Portfolio 17.

I've entered the Rust-Tex Collection competition through SAQA and hope that my piece (pictured below) will be one of those selected for the exhibitions: Spring International Quilt Festival, April 16, 2010 and the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England from August 20-23, 2010.
WOODLAND WALK (c) Pat Dolan

So the year is off to a wonderful start and I'm physically feeling better than I have in several years. Therefore I look forward to producing more wonderful art quilts throughout this great new year! May you and yours have a great year, too!