Caran d' Ache

For quite some time now I have been reading the blog of the AMAZING Kelly Kilmer. I love Kelly - and I love her ART. So often the 'message' in Kelly's art resonates with me.

Kelly has the true heart of an artist...I don't think there is a selfish, egotistical bone in Kelly's body. I appreciate so much how she shares her knowledge so that we can all learn together and become better artists. Kelly is inspiring and encouraging and generous.

I have never had an opportunity to take a workshop with her! It is on my list of 'things I want to do' - and someday it will happen.

One thing that Kelly loves to use in her journaling pieces are Caran d' Ache Water-soluble wax pastels. She often shares the techniques in using them, and even offers to obtain them from Switzerland and sell them to her blog readers.
I happened upon a package of them while cruising the aisles of our local fine art store, Sterling Art, last week and I knew I had to bring them home and give them a try :)


Above: Working in my journal I first randomly applied several layers of acrylic paint using both a brush, a make-up sponge and foam stamps. Then using one of my original hand carved rubber stamps I stamped (the heart) with gesso. After everything was dry I started coloring with the wax pastels. I smooshed them around with my fingers and rubbed them with an old rag. Then I grabbed the first sharp object I found on my art table (a needle I use for bookbinding) and I began to scratch into the pastels. And oh how I loved the effect I was able to achieve! I love creating art that looks like it has a 'history' -- something that has been around for awhile (not new and shiny off the shelf!). I also loved how I was able to achieve depth by layering the wax pastels with the acrylic paints.

Thanks to Kelly I am now a huge fan of Caran d' Ache! This was my first and only experiment so far...a Work In Progress and a background for a journal page. I can't wait to experiment more with this medium :)

Above and Below" Close ups showing the scratched 'aged' look.