Glenn Arthur

Glenn Arthur

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Waste Not, Want Not: Practice Makes Proficient!

Hey guys!

Between getting paintings ready for gallery shows and whatnot, I like to constantly squeeze in sketches and practice different types of art so my skills don't get rusty. When I do this, I usually just use art products that I already have hanging around so they won't go to waste. (I have a ton of Prismacolor products so I tend to use them the most for practicing. They're great quality and really versatile so they're perfect for this sort of thing!) Here is a piece I just finished using Prismacolor brand art markers and Prismacolor Verithin brand colored pencils on 8x10 bristol vellum paper.


I thought it would be fun to share my process on this piece because, like I always say, practice makes proficient! Although I consider this just a practice piece, I'm really happy with the way it turned out and can't wait to apply what I learned working on it to my show paintings.

I started with a base coat of marker. I used a lot of warm tones on this ones, layering from lighter to darker, building up values until I got to the point where I wanted to add in detail with colored pencil.


I went in with colored pencil, using similar colors, to build up more values and soften out the edges left behind by the marker. I also added in a lot more detail to the hair and to her makeup.


Once I felt like she was refined enough, I went back in with marker to add in her collar and some more tattoo design to her chest. I followed the same procedure as before by adding some polishing details with colored pencil on top of the marker.


That's about it. Hope you enjoyed my little practice piece of art and I encourage all of you to go make some practice art too! Have fun and don't forget... Practice Makes Proficient! 

Love you guys!

Glenn