Derwent XL Graphite & Strathmore Artagain Drawing Paper

 

Derwent XL Graphite Blocks & Strathmore Artagain Drawing Paper are two art products I recently purchased to expand my drawing skills. The result of these two products is my whimsical drawing titled, 'There is a Unicorn in my Rock Garden'.

There is a UNICORN in my Rock Garden by Minaz Jantz
Derwent XL Graphite Blocks on Strathmore Artagain Drawing Paper 18"x12"

My garden decorations are found objects, such as natural elements like skulls, shells, driftwood, and discarded rust and brass, which are placed throughout the plants. Visitors enjoy the FIND IT game.  Entertaining myself by placing objects for visual interest till it looks just so harkens back to the display business I offered to retail stores.  I enjoyed the challenge of displaying absolutely anything in the windows and the store. 

The garden displays are set up for close-up photography with the flowers, bugs, and birds. What I do later is go through the photos and find a story and put them into PAINTING IDEA FOLDERS for future paintings.

Besides the UNICORN, and inside tucked away safely in the 

Soft leaf rock plant (Snow in Summer) is a baby garter snake.

Photograph of Rock-N-Zen Garden with a cow skull, driftwood, and the brass UNICORN

 & where the baby garter snake lived for a few weeks.

Strathmore Artagain Drawing Paper & Derwent XL Graphite Blocks

Review of both products:

The Derwent XL Graphite Blocks, with their 6 thick, large blocks, offer a versatile tool for your artistic endeavors. Their size allows for a good grip, and my intention for this product is to make drawing more painterly, inspiring you to experiment and push your creative boundaries. 

• I enjoy using full-size sticks to block in values and shapes quickly, while the squared edges can give more line detail. 
• The graphite does come off onto the hand, so I could wear gloves, but I don't like to wear them, so I have a damp paper towel close by to wipe off my hands easily.
• Smudging for soft edges is easy, much like pastel, which can be used with fingers and/or a paper stump tool.
• Blends evenly with each other to create other shades of colors.
• Layers can be applied either dry or wet.

For the first drawing, I intended to create using just the Derwent XL Graphite set, but found I needed EXTRA additions.

• charcoal pencil for final details
•  light-blue pastel to create a lighter value besides the beige paper surface. 
• ochre pencil crayon.
• gum eraser to pull out and mix graphite, which did very well.
• eraser shield allowed for the straight edge on unicorn horns.

Overall, I enjoyed the Derwent XL Graphite and will look forward to using them in my life drawing group, where I use large pieces of paper to draw the nude gesturally and as quickly as possible.

The Strathmore Artagain Drawing Paper, 18"x12" 400 series, is an ideal size for my smaller compositions and can be easily transported to most size tables. Its ability to withstand heavy erasing and remove graphite with gum erasers & other types of erasers gives you the confidence to create without fear of mistakes.

• The paper is acid-free with a medium surface measured at 60lb, which can be much easier to frame.
• 5 Color choices from light to dark values.
• Easy erasing using the gum eraser without pulling up the surface.   
• Paper stubs and fingers smooth even strokes over the surfaces. 

Overall, I am pleased with Strathmore Artagain Drawing Paper and look forward to applying other mediums, such as pens, markers, and inks. I will have to be more mindful of the amount of liquid used on this type of surface, but I will push until it buckles!      

Close-up strokes, smudges & details. 

The light beige is the color of the paper surface. The light blue pastel is used for highlights. Otherwise, the five shades of graphite are very limited to mid-dark values and would benefit from adding lighter values to further enhance the depth of the drawings.

There is a Unicorn in my Rock Garden

by Minaz Jantz

Derwent XL Graphite & Strathmore Artagain Drawing Paper

I encourage you to break free from your comfort zone or a stagnant creative moment by trying new products. It's all about the journey and what sparks the goal of finding your unique voice and style. Be adventurous and open-minded in your artistic exploration.

Art Material Inspired, Minaz Jantz