With brush and pen I paint… er, make that brush and pencil. Liquid pencils that come in a jar.
On a quick trip to Bunny’s Artwork a couple weeks ago I found what looked like an ink and wash painting, which reminded me of Angus Stewart’s watercolors. I commented to Bunny, and she wrote back that she’d used Liquid Pencils, not inks.
Ahhh… I’d never heard of liquid pencils, but I was in discovery mode, plus I love Stewart’s work, and so started my search. I watched the quick drawing demo (scroll down the page to find it) and immediately ordered all the colors available. They aren’t colors, actually, only hints. (Before ordering, click on the Video button to watch another way to use this new medium also in an acrylic base.)
Last weekend at WetCanvas — a painting community online — I answered a challenge to paint any of several photos submitted by one of the members. I chose an antique rocking horse ready for auction. A perfect subject for testing my new toys — six little jars of wet graphite and a new pointy round brush.
And now I’m addicted… this wonderful medium in a water base is completely manageable on watercolor paper. You can rewet it and move it around. I used a rough paper which didn’t allow me to lift completely. But it did give me nice texture for the old wooden horse.
Hot press paper works very well too.
Here are both the photo and my drawn painting. I used the yellow pencil, and then glazed it in Painter X with a gel-layer of sepia.
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| Original photo, courtesy of Beth at Wet Canvas | Wooden Hobby Horse, 9×12, Liquid Pencil on rough watercolor paper |
Next I will try spraying the drawing with fixative, and experiment with watercolor washes… Another day. 
Have you heard of these? What have you done with them, or do you prefer to use ink? Link us to your drawings so we can see…
And have some coffee! Bunny’s pouring.
Barb
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow Barb! What an amazing medium! I love your rocking horse rendition……only problem….there is never, ever, enough time is there?
No, there isn’t… but that’s part of what keeps us from being bored, huh? Even if we had “enough time” we’d fill it with something else fun! Haha!
Happy painting…
Oh you open such new possibilities. I’ve never heard of liquid pencils. Some day when I have money I’ll buy some things and try real painting
I love your horse!
Anita
Hi Barb,
Can you believe it. That liquid pencil is made here in Sydney where I work, and I was the person to put the link to the video on the website (only about a week ago.) Liquid Pencil comes in both rewettable and permanent. I have TWELVE jars of it.
Oh how exciting, Wendy! You work there??? Such a tiny globe we live on. It is brand new then. How do you like the acrylic based ones? With your love of abstracts, I can see you doing a demo using them. Maybe you’ll post at QuirkyArtist using the permanent ones? I’ll be over to have a look…
Thanks for visiting.
Thank you Sliloh — I’m telling you, they’re therapeutic!
I put four more Liquid Pencil videos up on the Matisse site yesterday. They were only made this week. The artist is my friend Sue Raccanello.
http://www.matisse.com.au/pages/LiquidPencil.html
Great paintings, my friend. There is never late for a new medium!!!
Thanks Quirky Artist – I am loving those pencil-paints! People are so funny — even other artists don’t believe they are liquid, even when you tell them. They see the little jars and go OH! I thought it was like a watercolor pencil. Hmmm…
Thanks for coming by, my dear friend Eva!
Love your little rocking horse — good job. I have never tried liquid pencils but do believe I have heard of them before.
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