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My Favorite Drawing Tools - Zebra STEEL Line

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 20:42:00 -0700

The Zebra Ball Point Pen and Mechanical Pencil

I have been drawing with mechanical pencils and ball point pens for longer than I can remember. These drawing tools probably go against the definition of fine art, if there is a true definition, but they are my favorite regardless. In college I often used the ebony pencil and didn't venture far into ink, but my joy of drawing with pens came after school. I joined the army after art school, to pay for art school, and there I found my pen the Zebra STEEL Series F-301, and and pencil of choice the Zebra STEEL Series M-301.

The pens were always in my uniform, so when I could grab a second to do some drawing the pen was always there. Soon I became more fond of drawing with the pen than traditional art pencils. Anywho, once I found this pen I never looked back and today we are going to talk a little bit about why I have been loyal to this selection for 20 years and counting. (Edit notes remove 20 years, no one needs to know that is the longest standing relationship of my life….)

The Process

When I was young, I prepped my paper with sporadic pours of coffee, staining the paper to give visual depth to the drawings. The liquid took on the role of expression, building visual depth, and the smooth transition of the thick to thin ink line brought movement through my drawings. This movement carries the eye through implied shadows and highlights with the mere use of pressure on the pen. Some people like a completely even line, which these pens also do rather well, but I like how easily you can manipulate them to give the result of a studio pen. These tools allow me to blend the free form water with the structure of the ball point ink. Today my methods are a little more deliberate relying on the line in my work to give both expression and movement. I find myself drawing in pencil followed up with more defined ink lines and finally followed up by giving splashes of watercolor to add those pops of depth later in paint. Although this has never been a concern of mine, my evolved technique also allows the art to be more archival. Although, even now writing about it… maybe I’ll take a note from the archives and do a few old school coffee stain drawings.

The Sketchbook

I love to draw in my sketchbook on the road, while taking in views on a hike, and when I’m just trying to work out ideas for a painting. What I love about using just a mechanical pencil and pen is that I don’t have to carry much with me. When you are hiking weight matters (at least it does for me) and when you are on a motorcycle space matters (These are my two most common places you can find me and lately I've added bike packing to the list). So, when room is limited your packing list is small in order to keep creating while out in the world and not in the luxury of the studio. My basic essentials while out adventureing include:

- 1 sketchbook

- 1 Zebra STEEL mechanical pencil with lead refills

- 1 Zebra STEEL pen with an ink refill, and

- 2 erasers (1 kneaded and 1 triangle).

If I have some extra space a stack of watercolor paper, small tin of watercolors and water vessel, and a couple of brushes usually gets to tag along. Most of the images drawn in my sketchbook are used in one form or another later in paintings, while others are just kept for myself. I think it's important to keep some sketching just for you, as the drawing becomes a sort of timeline. The places I’ve been physically, mentally, and the journey I’m going on with art. These places are always changing and evolving and it's nice to have that in a visual memory. So the Sketchbook becomes a sort of catalog of both my journey through life as well as an exploration of ideas. If I’m using a sketch to work out a painting sometimes, I find myself drawing something many times till I’ve nailed it down. Later the sketch is then translated to its canvas home. This means I literally have sketchbooks and drawers filled with ball point pen drawings.

The Reasons I stay with the Zebra STEEL Series

It has a super fine tip, smooth line, and you don’t have to use much pressure when drawing with these. I want to emphasize smooth line because in drawing I find this important. Many pens crap out sporadically, and you end up with a line that has annoying sections without ink. When you try to go back over those lines it’s never as clean and delicate as one stroke from a Zebra pen. The pressure is important because when you are spending a significate time with this tool in your hand, it can start cramping if you are having to work too hard. Yes, the hours spent writing in a notebook followed by hours of drawing, pain or cramps in my fingers does happen. This is alleviated if I’m not having to press too hard to achieve the look I’m intending. Lastly I like the fine tip because then I can use pressure to undulate between the fine delicate line to a wide bold line that carries the eye through the drawing. Plainly stated I have found all other ball points to be inferior and so have attached myself to the Zebra STEEL series. I also have probably purchased way more of these than I care to admit, because as it turns out, others enjoy these pens, and accidental sticky fingers often walk off with them. If you are able to hold onto these pens they come with refills, so the pen itself can last for years.

If you want to give drawing a tryout with the Zebra STEEL Line just CLICK HERE, and check out the variety of pens they have to make your sketchbook experience a more enjoyable one!

#inkdrawing #zebrapen #mixedmedia #sketchdaily #sketchbook

100 Colorado Landscapes - A Watercolor Project

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 20:59:00 -0700

This project is a collection of watercolors inspired by my desire to get to know the natural world that surrounds me. This Series is dedicated to the great outdoors of colorful Colorado. 100 scenic views from all over the region have been chosen. Special attention had been taken to explore the rural and hard to reach corners of this rugged state. From mountains and forests to lakes and grasslands these landscapes explore the possibilities of a medium that is new to me. I have spent my art career up to this point working predominately in ink and oil painting and decided it is time to master a paint that is conducive to travel. The watercolors in this series are each 4 inches by 6 inches on watercolor paper. The pieces are numbered in order of their production and were started on 20 January 2018. Each Piece will be available for purchase once the series is complete but I will take early reservations if there is one that strikes your interest. As Always thank you for viewing!

Save the Date - Open Studio Tour

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 21:16:00 -0700

SAVE THE DATE : APRIL 27-28, 2024

EBCA (East Boulder County Artists) SPRING STUDIO TOUR

What will Inferno Art Studio being Offering?

Both Saturday and Sunday starting at 1pm I will be offering an Acrylic on Canvas painting class. The subject matter will be Polinator Flowers, so be prepared to leave the studio with a completed painting that you can be proud to put on your wall. We will all be painting the same flower as a group and I will be demostrating while we paint as a group.

Each class will be limited to 6 participants, as space and supplies are limited.

Saturday the 27th the flower will be Purple Cone Flowers

Sunday the 28th the flower will be Black Eyed Susans

Click the Link to Register Class Registration

Included in the class fee is:

1 - 8x10 Canvas
Basic brushes (if you would like to bring your own feel free)
Paint and paint trays
Pen and refrenance image with transfer paper

Encouraged to bring:

Apron or Art Smock
Small easel, If not I will provide one for you

Aquabord Watercolor Process

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 00:42:00 -0700

So as you may have noticed I have an affinity for painting watercolors on panels. The panels I use for watercolors are called Aquabord from Ampersand Art. I like the panels for a few reasons.

They are resilient to the fact that I can be heavy handed in the beginning stages of a painting. This probably stems from the fact that my background and formal training circled around oil painting.
They allow me to go back and fix mistakes in a similar way that an oil painting does. Maybe paper does this as well, but I just haven’t worked with it as much when it comes to painting.
I don’t have to use tape. I am a nature lover and a tree hugger so anyway I can eliminate the use of plastics and tapes while making art is fine by me. The only thing I wish was different is each of the panels comes wrapped in plastic. I would love to see the option to order them in a bulk set wrapped in paper or cardboard.

The Piece above is now available on my store -> Blue Buckeye Butterfly

So back to the process!

Step 1 – Prepare the colors you want to work with to make the ground.

The step pretty much tells you what you are doing here… prepare several colors in your palate at the loose viscosity that you need to make a washy background.

Step 2 – Lay down the Ground or base painting.

This part is important, and it’s unfortunate that many people don’t use this painting tool. A ground, underpaintings, or base painting helps set you up for color contrast and cohesion. An underlying color can help with your composition feeling cohesive. It can provide contrast an vibrance to the colors you want to use (basically you are using color theory to help your painting come to life) We all have the colors we like to use in an underpainting and sometimes that underpainting will help you recognize an artist without you even understanding why.

Step 3 – Develop some visual texture.

This is the money maker for me. It is also sometimes why photographs don’t always do my paintings justice, as well as I have been told on many occasions “you need to just see them in person”. Visual texture for me makes things feel real. Nothing in life stays still for long, especially wildlife. So, to make them feel real visual textures helps to feel the fleeting moment that has been captured. It also, on a simple level, makes it visually more interesting. Something with many imperfections can feel in a way perfect.

Tools I rely on heavily to make texture include: Salt, alcohol, and drips of watercolor. I have other means, but I can let all of my secrets out of the bag….

Step 4 – Let’s make the beautiful image you have in mind.

Now that you have built up the base it’s time to paint the central focus in your painting, whatever that may be, whether it is representational or not. You used your ground to develop a color contrast. You’ve used layering to create texture. Now paint away in whatever way floats your boat.

Thanks for joining me on this watercolor journey. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below as I would love to help you on your art journey!

HOW TO PAINT A HELMET

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 02:19:00 -0600

A few years ago was my first Babes Ride Out. It was also my first time teaching paint workshops with The Real Deal Revolution. This event was the last plan one of my closest friends, Jessi Combs, and I made together prior to her passing. The Real Deal is a nonprofit organization that focuses on women teaching women trades. The workshops I teach are an extremely entry level “How To” in order to introduce brushes and paint for those curious. I work in several types of paint on a multitude of surfaces, but at this event, like most of the classes I teach, I choose to teach enamel paint pinstriping techniqeus. This post will go over the basics of painting a helmet with pin striping methodology.

What kind of paint are you using and what kind of brushes are those? Those seems to be the biggest question people have, but there are a couple other things to consider. The following is a good place to start when wanting to learn enamel paint.

DEGREASER - Paint for this application does not like oil, not even the oils in your hands, so you need to remove residue from surfaces.

STABILO ALL PENCIL - This Pencil is specifically made to draw on almost any surface and will not resist or interact with the paint. You can draw directly on the helmet but be soft with your touch because you can scratch the surface and if you go to heavy handed with the pencil the paint won’t stick! An alternate to this methos is using a transfer paper. You must use Saral paper as other types will resist the paint

ENAMEL PAINT - I use two brands enamel of paint, which are 1Shot and Alpha 6 Corporation Enamel Paint called AlphaEnamel. Both are great paints. 1Shot is the tried and true, but Alpha6 is a young and upcoming company who has an excellent array of colors.

BRUSHES - I use Mack Brushes and specifically The Virus brush series but you can use whatever you like the best, and in may take some experimenting to find what you like.

PALETTE - You need a surface to mix your paint and old magazines or junk mail work perfect!

PAINT MEDIUMS - A common medium is Mineral Spirits, there are several mediums out there but this will suffice when you’re starting out. Once you are more comfortable painting you should use proper reducers as they are more stable for the paint.

BRUSH OIL - This will be important when you are done Painting.

Now we know what we are using let’s dive into the how!

Step 1 Wash the helmet. Spray a soft cloth with degreaser and get the bothersome substrates off the helmet. Brand new helmets will have a subtle coating on them from the factory and if you don’t get rid of it you will run into adhesion problems.

Step 2 Once clean it’s time to lay out your design. Grab your pencil and draw a general idea on your helmet the more pencil marks you make the more problems you can run into, so keep it light and keep it a general outline. With more practice the less you’ll have to draw out! If you drew out your design use the transfer paper to put your image on the helmet surface

Step 3 The fun part begins, so grab a bottle of paint and get shaking, or use a stick to mix the paint. Paint will naturally separate with time so you need to get the pigment and medium well mixed. Pop the top and squirt about a quarter size dab of paint on the palette. Any more than this I find the paint starts to dry to quickly if your not moving fast. If you are working outdoors and in the wind your paint will not last long.

Dip your brush in some mineral spirits and swirl it in your paint till the bristles are wet and even. This is the hardest thing to describe instead of show, but it is all about viscosity. Too much paint or if the paint is thin from to many spirits, then when your brush touches down you will have a mess. Not enough paint or your paint is drying out, then you will get a dry brush look and an uneven line. It will take time to get balance correct but don’t give up just keep practicing. Lastly always “pull your line” if you try to push your brush you won’t have good control of the outcome.

Feel free to stand and move around the object your painting to place yourself at a good angle.

Step 4 After your art is complete comes some very important steps to maintain the life of your brushes. Brushes for enamel paint can get expensive so you want to make sure you take care of them. I keep 3 bottles. Dirty mineral spirits, clean mineral spirits, and a bottle of brush oil. When I’m done painting I get as much paint off as I can in the dirty mineral spirits and wipe it with a cloth. Then I swish it around in the clean spirits and wipe the brush again. Finally, I dip it in the brush oil and leave it sloppy with oil in my brush tin. Leave the oil on your brush till your next use because enamel paint will never harden with the presence of oil. When you are ready to use your brush again wash thoroughly in your dirty spirits, wipe, swirl in the clean spirits, and you are ready to work again!

I hope this was helpful. Feel free to contact me on my instagram handle KaylaKoeune if you have any questions about material or techniques. Cheers!

Pacific Northwest - Oil on Canvas

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 01:41:00 -0600

Pacific Northwest

Original 18x24 inch Oil on Canvas

A question I often get is -why are original paintings priced the way they are? This specific painting Is the culmination of about 100 hours spent on the easel. I’m pretty sure the ferns were repainted 3 times, and if you look closely there are a lot of ferns in this painting. Significant time is also spent staring at the piece thinking about color composition, color contrast, the right visual depth, and most importantly does it evoke emotion. I hope that gives some perspective into the cost. The cost has little to do with the size and everything to do with time spent and perceived value by the artist.

Prints Available - I have 3 types of prints available for this piece.

Limited Edition Signed Prints ($250) – I do these in runs of 30 prints and they are numbered in the order they are purchased. They come with a Certificate of Authenticity that identifies the number in the series, and I sign and seal these as well. These are museum quality, giclee archival prints on natural 100% cotton rag paper. This paper is 21 mil, 340gsm cold press with a textured surface. I always try to do the limited edition prints in the same size as the original as well, so these prints are 18x24 inches.

Canvas Prints ($175) - I am offering 18x24 inch canvas prints in the same size as the original. These are museum quality stretched canvas prints. I use a third party to fulfill these and, although my signature will be in the bottom right corner, these prints do not have my wet signature. The plus side is because these are printed on stretched canvas they look and feel the most like tbe original piece without the need for framing!

Museum-Quality Posters ($15 to $125) – Lasty I offer museum quality giclee prints on matte paper. Each poster is printed with multicolor, water-based inkjet printing technique that yields brilliant prints. Same as the canvas prints, I use a third party for fulfillment, and I offer a wide variety of size options for the Poster Prints.

More about the Painting

We are all of us searching for something, and maybe you are one of the lucky ones who have found it. I have spent my life with the world screaming in my head to go further, feel everything, see it all, go and be free in the wild… A wild child destined to roam fully with excitement, enthusiasm, and motivated but at the same time a terrified, infuriating mess. I think in a way this painting is more than just a landscape it’s a part of who I am. The path goes endlessly on, and we keep walking, for it’s the only thing we can do. The mist playing memories in my mind, and the trees holding them, to visit the forest alone is to visit your past and present all at once. Life can be dark, and if you let it, it can get you down on yourself. If we only keep our heads to the horizon, even if it is not clearly in view, and keep moving forward the light always finds a way to trickle through, speaking to our resilience as humans. Life is all around, dying, starting, and becoming something new showing us there is always room for forgiveness and different beginnings. Maybe I’m putting a lot in a painting, maybe it is just a path into the beautiful woods of the Pacific Northwest, but that’s what it made me feel when I was painting it.

Owl Spirit Animal and Symbolism

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 01:45:00 -0600

Sketchbook Art and Exploration

I use my sketchbook for a few reason. As a morning warm up and creative session. I incorporate the image with how the object in the image makes me feel or they symbolism that they carry.

On this day the Sketch was the Owl.

Symbolism - wisdom, intuition, supernatural power, independent thinking, and observant listening.

To me this creature is always watching. They are silent stalkers who you may not ever know are there, yet they carry a beautiful song. They are able to look through the shadows and see the truth. I suppose it pushes me to look through my own psychological issues and find the wisdom that I am not seeing. It teaches us not to believe things just because everyone else does, but to find your own truth in a situation and discover your way of seeing the world. I often find myself against the grain, because I try to approach all things with an open mind and with empathy. This does not mean I do not get angry when my ways are challenged, but that is something I am working on, something we all can be working on.

Monstera Watercolor

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 20:16:00 -0700

New Painting

Monstera, Watercolor on Paper. 20 x 28 inches

The Inspiration for the Painting

Monstera is a wonderful plant for the home that is rich in symbolism. I was inspired to paint this plant as I have a massive one in my living room. I have spent many hours admiring how amazingly this plant makes everything seem warmer and exotic. The presence of plant life makes the feng shui of a home seem adventurous to me. There is also a lot of science behind backing that they have a positive effect on your health as they absorb indoor toxins like formaldehyde and benzene. And let’s not leave out the fact that green therapy reduces stress, and stress is related to well all the diseases.

Monstera Symbolism

The plant symbolizes abundance, prosperity, longevity and long life and has been woven into the spiritual practices of many cultures. Some Native American cultures consider the Monstera leaf a connector to the divine and a plant of the gods. In Asian cultures it symbolizes respect and longevity. In other cultures, it is believed to bring good luck.

About the Painting

This piece is 20 x 28 inches on high quality watercolor paper. It is primarily watercolor, but also integrates gouache as well acrylic paints. It’s a palette of greens and creams that is soothing in any room, but looks best on a green, white, or blue wall. Thank you for viewing my art and joining me on my journey.