Glorious Graphite!

Caroline working large on a full sheet of Canson Moulin du Roy 300gsm (140lb) 'Not' watercolour sheet with Derwent XL Blocks - great colour combinations and great layering techniques Caroline!

It's always exciting to combine different media together, especially when they are new to students who are eager to try them to see just what they can do.

Students expectations were recently fulfilled when we combined Derwent XL Graphite Blocks and Wallace Seymour liquid graphite together in a full day workshop exploring 'Coastal Textures' on Canson Moulin du Roy  300gsm (140lb) 'Not' Watercolour paper - a fabulous painting surface that works so well with creative techniques with the two very different graphite media in combination.

Pam adding Derwent XL Graphite Blocks as a drawing technique over lots of layered tones of Wallace Seymour liquid graphite to create a rich painted and drawn study of the coast

Everyone's paintings developing nicely with real expression in each and every multi layered drawn and painted work

Different again. Wallace Saymour Liquid Graphite and Derwent XL Graphite Block layering forming the perfect foundation when combined for further layering with Derwent Inktense pastels. 

Wallace Seymour liquid graphite is available in 4 different shades of 125ml pots - 'Cuddly Brown', (a beautiful warm shade of sepia), 'Blue Lapis' (a wonderful deep rich intense blue), 'Shimmer Glimmer' (a grey liquid graphite with a very subtle metallic 'sparkle' added to the mixture) and 'Liquid Graphite' (a grey high quality fluid liquid graphite) that all can be glazed one over the other, intermixed to create unique colour shades of used on their own to add a 'fluid' dimension to your drawings.

You can just feel the concentration from the class! Great to see everyone so engaged in their work and enjoying learning very useful drawing techniques with both of these unique graphite mediums

By adding different amounts of water to various amounts of Wallace Seymour liquid graphite colours, mixing really well until the product is diluted consistently in the water, subtle painting shades can be applied to the paper support with all sorts of brushes to give unique painterly effects with graphite. The media dries pretty quickly and permanently on the paper so subsequent glazes can be quickly applied thus building up tones.

Demo liquid graphite painting on Canson Moulin du Roy 300gsm (140lb) 'not' watercolour paper showing how all four colours of Wallace Seymour Liquid Graphite and select Derwent XL Graphite Blocks work in harmony together to create a very expressive drawn and painted coastal study

This underpainting is then ideal for graphite drawing with graphite pencils or sticks to create a drawn and painted look to your work offering a new way of expressively drawing altogether.

Furthermore, the layering effects with Wallace Seymour liquid graphite colours form the perfect foundation on which to build further creative expression for different types of subjects with soft 'Derwent XL Graphite blocks' which themselves are also water soluble. 

A beautifully controlled coastal study accurately yet expressively created by Pauline - superb!

The softness of the Dewent XL Blocks are one of their unique properties. Pastelists in particular love them as techniques akin to that media can also be applied when using these versatile chunky blocks of the finest graphite pigments.

Everything about Derwent XL Graphite is big; big blocks and even bigger possibilities. You can create a wide variety of textures and effects with these generous graphite blocks; subtle blending, fine lines and deep tonal work are all possible.

David showing that acrylic ink serves just as well as an underpainting to add a strong colour base on which to add Wallace Seymour select liquid graphite colours in combination with Derwent XL Graphite Blocks to add texture - lovely expressive rhythm in this painting too David. 

Developed 6 strong shades from Olive Green to Burnt and Raw Umber with 2 shades of graphite Grey which work really well for a bold drawing approach. No wonder everyone liked them and different shades of the Wallace Seymour Liquid Graphite so much!

Charmaine creating an impressive drawing filled with bright light, space and air by combining subtle Wallace Seymour Liquid Graphite washes with the perfect tonal strength and colour mixing with Derwent XL Graphite Blocks  - a great painting!

A big thanks to Wallace Seymour who generously supported this workshop with their unique Liquid Graphite products and also a big thanks to Derwent too for their generous support also providing the workshop with lots of their versatile XL Graphite Blocks too.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed working with the different graphite products and appreciated the opportunity to see what they were like when combined together in this very rewarding and successful workshop.

Your feedback for the workshop has been very useful to all of us and thanks everyone for attending. See you next time for our next painting adventure together!