This tutorial explains how I do ACEO (Artist Cards Editions and Originals) using coloured pencil on drafting film. The reference photo for this project is a beautiful, Bengal, 12 week old kitten named Atticus used with kind permission from Sean McGrath (Flickr Creative Commons). I was inspired by the rich colours and texture in the coat of Atticus.
ACEO's are always 2.5 x 3.5 inches (6.4mm x 8.9mm). They have become extremely popular, making art much more accessible to a wider range of people. This completed ACEO is available as an open edition, signed, archival print from http://stores.ebay.com.au/Miniature-Art-by-Karen-Hull.
Drafting film is a durable polyester film that provides an exciting alternative surface to paper for coloured pencil artists. The properties of drafting film make it both challenging and fascinating for creating artwork. It is similar in weight to heavy duty tracing paper, but is smoother and whiter. It is translucent and so will take on the colours of whatever background it is placed onto. In the above photo, you can see a piece of white drafting film on some blue mat board. Most of my ACEO's have been backed onto white polyropylene card because I love the way the colours appear richer on the white, but it is fun to play around with different backgrounds and see how an image is transformed or enhanced with different backings.
Many coloured pencil artists prefer to work with a surface that accepts multiple layers. I find I can get away with about 3-4 layers of colour on the drafting film and only if I use a gentle hand, otherwise the previous layers can lift off. This will vary also, depending on the type of pencils you use. Mostly, I prefer the oil based pencils on the film, such as Faber Castell Polychromos or the Lyras. The oil based pencils give clean, crisp lines that don't smudge, but because they don't smudge, blending of colours is more difficult. For blending of colours, softer pencils such as Derwent Drawing pencils or the Derwent Colorsoft are more useful. The softer pencils will need to be fixed however, to prevent smudging. It is worthwhile experimenting with different brands to see which ones achieve the effect that suits your style.
One of the many wonderful aspects of drafting film is that it can be worked on both sides. This is a useful technique for making colours richer by reinforcing the stronger colours on the back. It also allows the artist to create a 3D effect by drawing subtle colours on the back and allowing them to show through, for example, mountains in the distance. Drafting film does not readily accept wet medium as it sits on the surface, but ink is fine and I often use ink in conjunction with the coloured pencil for stronger colours or details.
Another great aspect of drafting film is that you don't need to fuss with transferring an image to your surface. It is transparent enough that you can place it over your reference photo or sketch to do a rough outline image. In the reference photo for Atticus. his tail goes out behind his body. Because I didn't want a lot of dead space in my image and I didn't want to chop off his tail, I have brought the tail around to the front. I always like to add individual creative touches when using reference photos, to make the image more artistic and appealing. Sometimes I will use a collage of reference photos for one painting.
To do the outline, it is better to use colours that will be used in the painting. Graphite pencil tends to smudge on the drafting film and can make the surrounding colours appear dirty. Sometimes I will use half a dozen different colours in my outline drawing, so they all blend into the final image.
I find it helpful to have a light and dark background available while I am working to place under the drafting film. The darker background is useful when you are working in whites and lighter colours and the light background is great when working in darker colours.
People and animals are my favourite subjects and I always start with the eyes. The eyes are the most important part of any portrait as they capture the essence of the subject, so I like to get those just right before moving on to the rest of the face. There is no point, in spending hours on a beautiful portrait only to get the eyes all wrong.
Atticus has the most amazing eyes. I used a mixture of Olive Green, Chrome Green Opaque, Juniper Green and Burnt Ochre on his eyes and still felt they needed to look richer so once the rest of the painting was completed, I turned the film over and drew his eyes from the back as well to really bring out that beautiful green. Next was the black around the eyes and in the pupil, leaving the light reflections in the eyes free of colour. I used a total of 32 different colours to paint this cat, mostly Polychromos, a couple of Derwent coloursoft, and then Prismacolor Verithins for the finer details.
Once the face is completed, I can relax and the fur on the body is fun and easy. Generally, I work from lighter to darker to prevent smudging, but in doing this cat, I sometimes worked darker to lighter to achieve a smudged look and to blend to darks into the lights.
Erasing on drafting film can be a challenge. A kneadable eraser will remove lighter lines but will have no impact on heavier lines. A battery operated eraser is a worthwhile investment as it removes the coloured pencil beautifully. It does leave a slight sheen on the film but is fine to be worked over. If you need to lift colour off, a prismacolor blending pencil does that very well but on the drafting film, the blender pencil leaves a slight coating that makes working over this area very difficult, so this technique should only be used where you want colour removed completely.
In almost every painting I do, I reach a point where I am dissatisfied with the progress of my art and the image that appears before me, but by persevering, enhancing colours, enriching the tones, adding more detail, I generally reach a point where I am satisfied with the finished product. I used to throw away a lot of pieces before I allowed myself to finish them, but now I've learnt not to judge the artwork too early and to let the piece evolve
Because ACEO's are generally not being placed within a frame, I prefer to fix them with a workable fixative to ensure the buyer receives a piece of art without smudges, however I find this process a nerve racking one as the fixative behaves in an unpredictable fashion on the drafting film. Because the film is not absorbent, a slight, (sometimes uneven), glaze will be apparent in very bright light, once the fixative has been applied. It is not really obvious under normal light conditions and particularly if the art is stored in a sleeve. I generally warn buyers that this will be the case, but still prefer the peace of mind knowing it won't smudge.
I hope this tutorial inspires you to try coloured pencils on drafting film. Please don't hesitate to email me at hullfamily1@bigpond.com if you have any further questions.
