Quiet Shadows

Quiet Shadows
Neocolor II and colored pencil on pastel board
8 x 10 inches
copyright 2008 by Ann Thompson Nemcosky

This has been on my drawing board for a long time. I finally had the chance to work on it this weekend and I believe I have it complete. Although I do reserve the right to tweak it just a little as I live with it for a while.

I recently got myself a set of 24 Derwent Coloursoft colored pencils mostly to see what all the fuss was about. I was curious about Derwent's new line of Coloursoft pencils ever since seeing the gorgeous pieces Nichole Caulfield produces with them on pastel board. And the fact that they tend to have higher lightfast ratings than some other brands is also something to consider. I tried them out on this piece with mixed results. I began this drawing my usual way with Neocolor II crayons as an underpainting, washed with water. When applying the Coloursoft pencils over top I was at first pleased with the way they laid down on the pastel board. But after a while I began to feel I was fighting with these pencils. I also used a few Prismacolor colored pencils and could tell the difference in their application. The Prismacolors feel a bit waxier and the areas washed with Neocolors seem to accept them better. Probably because Neocolors are very waxy as well. The Coloursoft are more powdery when applied to the textured pastel board and when I tried my technique of blending with a brush I found I was brushing a lot of the pigment away. So back and forth I went. However, I am still intrigued with using my Coloursoft pencils and will likely try them again. Now I just wish I had ordered a larger set!