Ugghhh, this drawing of two little boys watching a regatta in San Francisco made me want to tear my  hair out.

It took me forever to correct the bunch of mistakes I made in it, so it could turn out halfway decent. The biggest mistake I made is I somehow managed to turn white waves into Pepto Bismal pink sea foam.

Yep! I am that talented!

I have never seen a beach where pink sea foam is a thing.  So it wasn’t exactly the look I was going for when I started drawing.

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Please excuse the quality of the photo. I thought you might get a good laugh at seeing the pink sea foam that I haphazardly layered on there.

I finally did complete the piece though, and I don’t think too much pink ended up coming through. Thank God! I know I used way too much touch up fixative but hey you got to learn somehow.

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Since it’s not a favorite of mine, it will probably end up hanging around in the back of my closet for years anyway.

Am I the only artist that takes days to warm up to their finished artwork? I can always find a ton of things I wished I would have done better and I rarely can enjoy the end product.

I know I have to create tons of bad art to eventually make good art that I am proud to hang on a wall. 

The nightmare of pink waves

Here’s a little back story to why and how the pink sea foam was created.

It’s definitely a Melissa story. When I realized what I did, I just hit my head and let out a big “DUH!” Then I laughed for about a half an hour straight at my own stupidity. Episodes like this remind me why I am an artist and not a chemist.

They say laughter is good for the soul, then art is definitely my therapy.  

It all started out with me trying Alyona Nickelsen relatively new products: touch up fixative and Titanium white. When the two are combined together, they create a milky white paste, which allows colored pencil artists to actually add a final layer of white highlights to their piece.

Prior to the creation of this product in early 2016, colored pencil artists used gel pens and acrylic paint. The problem is  these products are deemed non-archival by some CP artists and can flake off the slick surface filled with colored pencil at a later date.

One of brush and pencil’s best selling points is these products are archival and non-toxic. Alyona, who is an amazing colored pencil artist herself, created the product line because she is intimately aware of the CP medium’s pros and cons. And, saving white has always been an issue until now.

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So where did I go wrong?

You really aren’t going to believe how I messed this up because it is so simple to use these products. All you do is mix the two products together and wallah.

I watched the below video by Monique on how to create and use the mixture about a week before I got the products in the mail. I remembered it being super easy, so I didn’t watch the video again. For some reason, I decided I needed to add water to the mix to create a milky consistency. Monique never once said that in her video, but my mind somehow inserted an extra step.

That’s not even the worst part though. It wouldn’t have turned pink with just water.

Here’s how I got the pink. I figured I needed to precisely control the amount of water I would add; therefore, I went on a mission to find a small container to limit the flow of water.

I was so excited to get started and I didn’t feel like going downstairs to the kitchen, so I picked up the closet little bottle to me. It happened to be a vial containing pink Airborne effervescent tablets. If you have never heard of Airborne, the tablets are a supplement to boost your immune system to prevent or lessen cold symptoms.

Since I was rushing to get started, I quickly flushed the vial out with water. Obviously, I didn’t do a good job at it. So some of the residual powder was left in the container.

Really, none of this matters though because you DON’T ADD WATER to the mix!

I wish my brain somehow had stopped me from slathering the white mixture all over the paper, but it didn’t. It was late at night. What can I say!

I somehow thought oh it’s like spackling putty. It goes on pink and turns white when it dries. I know–face palm!

The product isn’t really supposed to be brushed on in large chunks anyway. It is just used sparingly for the brightest white highlights.

However, I read you can color over the highlighting mixture when it is dry. So I wanted to see if I could get some light blues and greys in the foam. Nope!

Sadly, I have to admit it took me until the next morning to figure out why the darn thing turned pink. I was actually going to email Alyona when it dawned on me what I did. I can only imagine what she would have thought. Lesson learned.

Here are a few things I picked up along the way after the dust settled.

What to do:

1. Watch videos on the Brush and Pencil products before trying them out.

Then rewind and watch the videos all over again. I included several videos below from colored pencil artists who are using the products successfully and with great results. I know you will be inspired after watching them. Plus, you get to watch these artists make all the mistakes on camera so you don’t have to waste time at home.

2. Make a play-date with yourself and set apart a good chunk of time to experiment with these new products. You cannot use them in auto-pilot mode.

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Learn more about the Brush and Pencil suite of products at https://www.brushandpencil.com/Store.html.

3. Collect these 3 things before you get started. You have to be organized because the product dries quickly.

  • 1 small Tupperware container with a tight-fitting lid
  • 1 small detail paintbrush
  • paper towels or rags

4. Put a lid on it.

I found that I needed to seal the container while I was painting with the product. If you don’t, the mixture will dry up on you. What happens is you will find dry spots along the edges that can flake into your mixture. However, you can create quite a few strokes before you need to reload. Hence, the importance of putting a lid on it in between reloading.

5. Be patient with yourself. It takes time to get a feel for new products.

It also takes some time to figure out the ratio of powder to liquid. If you make the mixture too thick, bubbles form and there is a potential the mixture will flake off later.

What not to do:

1. Don’t mess around with new products if you are tired or in a rush to finish. 

Wait until you are in the right head space to experiment or you might ruin an otherwise good piece.

2. Paper really counts when using this product. Use the correct paper from the get go. 

I used Strathmore 300 series, Bristol (It was either the smooth or vellum. I cannot remember), 11 X 14.

In my opinion, this paper sucks! You cannot get many layers, and I couldn’t get any color saturation in the large swath of blue ocean. So I already hated this piece before I started using the Brush and Pencil products.

Alyona has an extensive Q and A section on her site, as well as several videos that go into depth on what paper to buy and exactly how to use each product.

I haven’t tried out the powder blender yet, so I just used regular drawing paper.

I plan to experiment with her powder blender next. The powder blender has more restrictions for use for those interested. Alyona suggests using sanded paper when using the powder blender. If you want to use your favorite colored pencil paper, she suggests spraying thin layers of gesso on it first. See the FAQ for specific details.

3. I guess this goes without saying but when using a new product, don’t get side tracked and make up your own rules!

I still cannot believe I decided to add water to the mixture. I think in the back of my mind I was treating it as if I was thinning down watercolor or acrylic. Who knows. It is definitely a mistake I won’t make again though!

4. You can scrape the mixture off and start again. 

However, do this at your own peril. You run the risk of scratching your paper. The reason I was able to scrape the pink mixture off so easily is because the paper I used had very little tooth, and I didn’t mix it correctly in the first place. So it crumbled into a big mess.

4. Wear a mask if you scrape the mixture off.

Alyona says her products are non-toxic. However, if you scrape it off, it turns back into dust.

I inhaled way too much of it as I gleefully scratched the pink away. After the initial excitement of getting that mess off the paper, I didn’t feel so good for the rest of the evening.

If you encounter the need to remove the product, wear a bandanna or mask to protect your lungs.

Well, I hope you got a kick out of my little story. I certainty did, and I learned a lot, too. Also, I am proud to say I gutted it out until I finished the piece. My normal M.O. is I tear up a drawing as soon as it gets to an ugly stage and start again. I know this bad habit doesn’t further my drawing skills though. So I pushed through my frustration.

You got to take the little wins where you can get them with colored pencil. It’s a tedious, time-intensive medium that takes a while to master, but I love it!

Here are a few colored pencil artists who have mastered the medium and love sharing their secrets. Enjoy!

Wild Portrait Artist Monique Castellani-Kraan from the UK walks us through how to mix colored pencil touch up texture and titanium white to pop out brilliant white highlights over top of fur and feathers.

In this video, founder of the Brush and Pencil products, Alyona Nickelsen, goes through the basics of her product line. Alyona was born and raised in Ukraine and now lives in Kingwood, Texas. Her colored pencil pieces look exactly like oils and will amaze you with their depth of detail and rich colors. I am on-board to learn how to draw like this someday.

Here is a peak into how the powder blender performs. Lisa Clough from Lachri Fine Art uses powder blender to create this stunning surreal piece. The powder blender cut her rendering time in more than half.  That alone is pretty impressive and a good incentive to try it.

That’s all I have for you today! If you have any questions on how to use the Brush and Pencil products, let me know in the comments section. If you have been using Alyona’s products and picked up some tips, let us know in the comments down below as well. 

Happy drawing! Melissa

meMelissa LeGates is a professional writer and retired Air Force journalist. She specializes in long-form features and loves to write about living a victorious Christian life, art and health. She and her husband live in Delaware. In her free time, she is a student of colored pencil, watercolor, acrylics and oils.

She is also an avid blogger and currently maintains three blogs:

– PTSD/my first book “Set My Captives Free” launch at https://setmycaptivesfree.wordpress.com

– Her writing career: https://melissalegates.wordpress.com

– The world of colored pencil art and artists: https://coloredpencilenthusiast.wordpress.com.

You can contact Melissa at malegates@gmail.com.