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Hey there!! Are you ready for a creative adventure? Today we're delving into the world of water-soluble drawing supplies and are gonna have a blast creating our very own craggy castle ruins!
I'm going to be using an elegant writer (felt tip calligraphy pen), but you can use any kind of water-soluble marker or pen you have lying around at home. Not sure if you've got any water-soluble art supplies at home? Keep reading, because I'm gonna help ya find one!! 
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
In less than one hour, I'm going to go over NINE key concepts
in this FREE mixed media art lesson including:
Let's set the mood for a relaxed and enjoyable experience, shall we?
Forget about perfection and masterpieces – today, it's all about having fun and exploring the amazing properties of water-soluble materials. We're gonna let our inner second-grader shine through, embracing the joy of creating without any pressure. 
Not sure if you have any water soluble drawing supplies lying around the house? How about a felt tip pen? Most of us have one of those hiding in a drawer somewhere, and guess what?
They're water soluble! Yep, just draw a line and add water to it with a paintbrush – it will melt like magic! Now, let's talk about the materials that can take our creativity to the next level. If you happen to be an artsy, fartsy person with a collection of art supplies (lucky you!), there are some fantastic options to consider. 
One of my personal favorites is the Elegant Writer (above, which I'll be using today) – a watersoluble calligraphy pen. It does come in a variety of colors, but trust me, I've played with them all, and the only one well worth your time is BLACK.
Mixed media art supply lovers may also have Fineliners, Tombow markers, Neo Color IIs, watercolor pencils, watercolor markers, or a Stabilo all black pencil (if you've been hanging with me for a while - you definitely have one of these!!). Any of these supplies are an excellent choice for today's castle ruin project. Don't have any fancy art supplies? You can still have a TON of fun using any regular old pencil! 
When it comes to paper, anytime you're doing a mixed media project that involves water, I suggest you work on watercolor paper because it can take way more layering than mixed media paper and holds up beautifully.
As far as watercolor paper goes, you've got choices. Cold press watercolor paper or hot press watercolor paper would both work beautifully for this activity. Cold press offers more texture and holds more water, so I'd go with this option if you plan to do multiple layers. Hot press doesn't really have any texture to it, and is super smooth. What you choose today is entirely up to you, and your artistic preference! To learn more about watercolor paper and see each type of paper in action, check out this recent video. 
Alright, let's dive into the techniques we'll be using to bring our craggy castle ruins to life. No rulers or erasers allowed – we want those wonky lines, uneven shapes, and rustic charm. Embrace the imperfections!
Make sure you watch today's video so you can draw along with me in real-time. Then, get ready for the magic – we're gonna activate the elegant writer ink by applying water selectively to just one side of our drawing using a watercolor brush!! You're gonna LOVE watching the ink melt into stunning shadows, adding depth and sophistication to your work! 
As you can see in the above pic, I'm using my FAVORITE watercolor brushes by Polina Bright. Learn more about why I'm obsessed with them here, or get a set for yourself at 10% off here when you enter my name (KarenCampbell) as the coupon code at checkout.
For all you pencil lovers out there, fear not! A blending stump, cuetip, or your finger does an amazing job of adding dimension to your drawing when you're ready to start shading. 
Remember, the journey is just as important as the destination. Embrace the process, enjoy the unpredictability of your water soluble marker if you've got one, and let your creativity guide you.
There's no right or wrong way to approach this – it's all about exploring, playing with your supplies, and adding your personal touch to those craggy castle ruins.
Once you've completed your masterpiece, don't keep it to yourself! I'd LOVE to see your work!!
?www.facebook.com/groups/awesomeartschoolPost a pic of your craggy castle ruins in my Facebook group ?Or tag me on Instagram @KarenCampbellartist I'm genuinely excited to see what you create!! Want Another FREE Elegant Writer Project?
Loved This Castle Project & Want MORE?
You might just LOVE my Celtic Collective art club with Lucy Brydon over at Awesome Art School. EVERY project in this club is inspired by castle ruins like today's piece, fairies, mythical creatures and fantasy!
?Check out The Celtic Collective & add your name to the waitlist to be notified next time we're taking on new members! 
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While I was creating a lesson for the Fun Fab Drawing Club the other day, I was having so much fun, I decided to do a similar lesson as a Draw Along party in my Facebook Group!
In case you missed that, or aren't on Facebook, I'm dropping the video on my YouTube Drawing channel as well :) Today's FREE martini glass drawing lesson has a little twist to give us a teensy challenge... 1. No drawing in pencil 2. No drawing freehand Sound fun?! Let's get started!! 
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
Drawing Supplies for Today
Since we're not drawing in pencil, you might want to grab a few fineliners in different nibs (thicknesses). My favorite fineliner set is by Molotow, below.
Since I plan to use alcohol markers to color in my martini glass drawing, I'm working on a super smooth sheet of cardstock that is similar to Bristol (but waaaaay cheaper).
Next, you're gonna want a straight edge. You can easily use the edge of a book, or whatever you have lying around. Try NOT to reach for a ruler, because I don't want you to start measuring stuff :) I'm using a triangle for my straight edge and NOT measuring on purpose to keep the vibe FUN and wonky! 
I've also got my ellipse and circle templates nearby. I use BOTH of these constantly when drawing faces.
The ellipses are perfect for dropping in facial feature placeholders when I'm sketching in my face drawing guidelines at the beginning of a project. I love using the circle template whenever I'm drawing eyes to help me draw quick irises and pupils (because who wants to spend forever trying to draw a perfect circle?! NOT ME!!). 
If you don't have templates like this, it's totally fine! Use whatever you have lying around in the shape of a circle that you can trace.
My last "supply" for today is seriously just a bunch of cocktail drawing reference images to provide me with a little inspiration and get my creative juices flowing. 
After you've grabbed your supplies, make sure to click over to the video because everything in today's FREE drawing tutorial is step-by-step, and in real-time so you can draw along with me from home :)
How to Make Your Line Drawing Even COOLER!
Once you've got your basic martini glass drawing done, it's time to take your drawing from simple and plain... to awesome! We do that by varying LINE WEIGHT throughout the drawing.
Line variation is super easy to achieve. You can either use fineliners in a variety of nibs (thicknesses), or you can add some wonky lines with a straight edge like I'm doing in today's video, and then color them in! You're definitely gonna wanna see this in action! 
Once you've got some line variation going on in your drawing, you can add even more interest with the addition of a few action lines. Action lines are common in cartoons and anime drawings to indicate movement or energy. I like to use a thinner fineliner for these, like a 0.4.
HOT TIP: Make sure you wipe your straight edge off BEFORE adding action lines around the martini glass because we don't want any excess ink smearing onto your drawing once your template hits the page again.
Once the action lines are in place, it's time for some fruity embellishments, because who doesn't love a little fruit inside a sassy drink?!
Let's Add Color
The first rule of thumb for coloring ANYTHING is to swatch! You can use a piece of scrap paper off to the side of your drawing, or download my FREE Fun Fab Swatch Sheet to make things even more interesting!
I used to hate swatching and think it was boring, but trust me, there's nothing worse than grabbing a marker or tube of paint based on the cap, only to find a completely unexpected color popping onto your page! I've learned this the hard way time and again!
Your future self will thank you for swatching!! 
If you don't have any alcohol markers at home, don't sweat it. Use whatever art supply you have from colored pencils to watercolor!
Wanna Learn MORE About Alcohol Markers?
In case you don't know this about me yet, I'm OBSESSED with alcohol marker art!! I love using my Copics and Ohuhus for shading faces, fairies, art deco fashions, and everything in between!!
Over the years, I've tried just about every alcohol marker brand from dollar store cheapies to my beloved Copics, and have learned a ton along the way. Check out this playlist to watch my BEST ALCOHOL MARKER COLORING TIPS in action, learn about blending, mixing alcohol markers with other media, and SO MUCH MORE!! 
Need More Real-Time Drawing Lessons?
I've got TONS!! Go check out the Fun Fab Drawing Club over at Awesome Art School. There are SO many fun lessons just waiting for you to enjoy!!
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People ask me this question ALL the time, "How do you decide which watercolors to take along with you when you're traveling?" Is it better to work from tubes, pans, or to create your own custom travel watercolor palette?
Today I'm diving into ALL these questions, and can't wait to show you not one, but THREE ways to decide which colors are coming along for your next trip! 
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
Some artists prefer to purchase a palette that's already been prepared by a brand specifically for travel, like the one below, from Field Artist.
Typically palettes like this come with around 12 colors in them, including the primaries, so in theory, you can mix whatever additional colors in the rainbow you'd like to!
Personally, I hate mixing colors ALWAYS and prefer to just dip right into my palette to grab the perfect color. And, I find going with a standard out-of-the-box palette like the one above ... BORING!
There, I said it!! LOL. One of the AWESOME ways I totally enjoy choosing which watercolors get to come on a trip is by looking to my DESTINATION for inspiration! This is especially important if you plan to do landscapes and cityscapes. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. If you're headed to the beach, you'll want a palette filled with colors like this to paint those gorgeous waves, skies and cocktails you'll be sipping (or I would be sipping, LOL!). 
If you're headed to a place like Iceland, you're gonna want to include cool blues and grays like this to capture the moody skies, glaciers, and seas...
Or, maybe you don't even care about colors inspired by your destination... you'd rather just bring your favorites!! That's cool too!!
I tend to do a combo of bringing my faves and thinking about colors inspired by where I'm going.
When it comes to which colors I choose or recommend YOU choose, it's personal. I'm NOT gonna tell ya what to bring, and there are NO WRONG ANSWERS :) Just bring what YOU LOVE, and don't worry about anyone else! For me, Daniel Smith Serpentine Genuine (below), goes wherever I go! 
Since I love choosing specific colors to bring with me, I prefer to create my own custom travel watercolor palettes. I've done videos on this before, but today's demo is a little different, so make sure you click over to watch this new process unfold.
I recently discovered some cute PARTIALLY FILLED travel palettes by Daniel Smith (see below). Each palette has 15 half pans, 9 of which are totally empty - ready and waiting for YOU to add your fave colors to, and 6 of the half pans come pre-filled with color families like blues, purples, neutrals, etc. Cool, right? Best of both worlds!
The brand QoR also has a similar travel palette that's been pre-filled with 6 colors, and has 6 empty half pans ready and waiting to hold YOUR favorites!
Just look at how beautiful these color selections are!! 
I've really been enjoying the vibrancy of QoR watercolors lately. I recently purchased this QoR set of 24 5ml watercolor tubes and am planning on adding 15 of them into a baby watercolor palette that will clip onto my journal. Its' SO adorable. Make sure you stay tuned till the end for a sneak peek at THAT!
Once I've filled my empty half pans in each palette, I swatch my colors inside a little travel watercolor journal so I know what's inside each palette.
These cute skinny watercolor journals are awesome for swatching!
If you're NOT getting ready for a trip and just want something to make swatching a little more fun, make sure you download my FREE Swatch Sheet! You can use it for watercolors, markers, colored pencils, you name it!! 
I hope you found today's video helpful for your next trip!
And if you DON'T have any travel plans right now, who cares?!! You can STILL create some little custom watercolor palettes for yourself. 
This baby mini travel watercolor palette is completely ADORABLE, wooden, and even clamps onto your journal!! It's perfect for moving your watercolor supplies easily around your house, into your backyard, or for an artsy walk in the park! I can't wait to use mine!!
Need Some Awesome Watercolor Lessons?
Of course you can't just have a set of gorgeous watercolors and NOT use them, RIGHT?! Check out the Celtic Collective art club over at Awesome Art School. It's like Netflix for watercolor and drawing lessons and are all FANTASY themed! So tons of mythical creatures from fairies (good & bad!!) to mermaids, unicorns and more!
Lucy Brydon and I are having a blast with our students, and would LOVE for you to join us!! You don't have to have ANY watercolor skills to join. We'll teach you everything you need to know from the ground up!!
Wanna Watch Another Video?
I thought you'd never ask ;) This one's a goodie about ... surprise, surprise... how to make a teeny tiny travel watercolor palette!! It's SOO fun and soo cute!!
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Have you ever looked at art by a master artist and tried to just GUESS at how s/he created something? I have learned SO much from doing this over the years!
I recently developed a fantasy art drawing lesson for my Celtic Collective art club using this process and took inspiration from one of my favorite fantasy artists, Brian Froud. Stay with me till the end for some magical fountain pen ink painting!! 
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support
Just look at THE NECK on my face drawing reference today!! Isn't she gorgeous?! I'm using this copyright-free profile photo to guide me on the angle of the head and facial feature placement for my own drawing.
If you're not sure how to draw a side profile, the drawing portion of today's lesson is in real-time, so make sure you click over to watch, and draw along with me, step-by-step.
Profile guidelines get sketched in first (as always). If you have a copy of my How to Draw & Find Your Style book, I'm using the realistic profile drawing guidelines found on page 174, and starting off by sketching a circle and square onto my own paper. 
Next, I add in guidlines for the eyes, nose and lips, and begin to pencil in placeholder ovals where these facial features will go. As you may have noticed, I'm using a mechanical pencil for today's tutorial. This set by Pentel is my favorite.
Next, I begin connecting the features and erasing my guidelines. Once this part is done, I start looking to a gorgeous piece by Brian Froud for inspiration on how to draw a killer headpiece. I'll also be studying Brian's piece to guide me on shading, which I CAN'T WAIT to get started on!!
I've decided to paint my drawing using fountain pen ink. If you're new to this technique, it's amazing and super similar to working with watercolor.
As always, I'm working with my favorite watercolor brushes by Polina Bright. You can learn more about why I'm obsessed with them here, or get 10% off for yourself in Polina's shop here. These work beautifully with fountain pen ink painting as well because they hold SO MUCH ink!! 
The painting part of today's project is timelapsed for your enjoyment, so kick back, relax, and watch this warrior chick come to life in minutes!!
Wanna Do the FULL Lesson in Real-Time with Me?
It's in the Celtic Collective art club over at Awesome Art School. Join the waitlist here to be notified the next time enrollment opens :) Lucy Brydon and I are having a blast over here with our students, and would LOVE for you to join us!!
Wanna Learn MORE About Fountain Pen Ink Painting?
I thought you'd never ask! Check out this playlist for MY BEST FOUNTAIN PEN INK PAINTING TIPS, or press play below...
Need More Resources?
❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON
❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my online art classes @ Awesome Art School ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON (affiliate links) ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP
Thanks for hanging out with me today!!
I've been using my Vanish eraser faithfully for a decade, and think it's by far the best drawing eraser out there. I can always find them at my local Jerry's Artarama for $2 each, but I know they're not always easy to find, and can't get over how Amazon charges around $7 a pop for them!
Today I'm on the hunt for a vanish eraser alternative that produces awesome results, is more readily available worldwide, and CHEAPER. Let's get to it!! 
To get us started, I've laid some shading down on drawing paper in graphite, charcoal, black colored pencil, India ink and pastel. Lots of the erasers I've picked up for today's test claim to ERASE India ink! Who knew that was a thing?! Let's see how they do...
As you'll see in the video, I tested my Vanish eraser first. It leaves behind larger chunks of eraser shavings and no dust once used, which I find super easy to clean up.
It did a beautiful job lifting graphite (as always), and even removed a bit of the India ink and pastel - which I never would've guessed was possible! 
The Prismacolor Magic Rub did fairly well, but tended to smear on all mediums tested. It also left behind a LOT of eraser shavings that either made a mess or tried to kinda work their way into the texture of the paper wherever it was used. The price point on Amazon for the Magic Rub was just right at $1-2 each, but overall, I wasn't impressed with its results.
The pentel Hi-Polymer eraser tended to smear like the Magic Rub and also left behind too many eraser bits for me. I found it on Amazon for only about $1/eraser, but felt it was only slightly better than the Prismacolor in performance.
The first one to slightly impress me was by Faber-Castell. It didn't perform drastically different from the others, but didn't smear or leave behind a huge mess, and cost less than $1 on Amazon - so at this point is a contender.
The Factis two-toned eraser by Generals was the first eraser in today's test to give me a noticeable difference from the rest. It left behind large "crumbles" after each use (which I prefer), and seemed to leave the page slightly whiter than my Vanish when erasing graphite!
The downside of this one is price point. I had a hard time finding it for less than $9 each on Amazon. It performed beautifully though, so if you see one at your local craft store for less, I highly recommend grabbing it! 
The Tombow Mono sanded eraser "for ink" (below) has a sanded edge to it, which is kinda unique. I didn't know erasing india ink was a thing before today!
Out of all the erasers tested, the Mono definitely worked best at lifting India ink shading, but it was a little rough on the paper. I felt like if I'd been working on watercolor paper it would've shredded it, so handle with care if you pick one of these up.
The Staedtler Mars plastic eraser did a fantastic job. It was the best at lifting pastel, and did pretty well at lifting India ink. It's got a really nice shape and feels comfortable to hold, is widely available, and only about $1-2 all over Amazon. So far, this might be my fave!!
Make sure you click over to watch the video to see the remaining erasers I tested, and to get my FINAL recommendation if I had to choose an alternative to my beloved Vanish eraser!
Wanna Learn How to Draw a Face?
Feel like you've been putting your erasers to the test trying to draw a face?! I get it!!
If you're not sure how to draw a face, or have just started drawing faces, THIS IS MY JAM!! I'd love to make face drawing easier for you with my FREE whimsical face drawing guidelines. They're super easy to follow and will help you draw proportional facial features every time. Simply click the button below to request your free guidelines cheatsheet, and I'll email it right over! 
Once you print your guidelines out, check out this playlist and I'll teach ya how to use them while we draw and shade an easy face in pencil together, step-by-step.
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Karen CampbellFounder of Awesome Art School. Mixed Media Artist. Author of 18 Instructional Art Books!    
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"Karen is flipping hilarious and she's very real...I like the way she teaches in a way that really gives you confidence, whether you're a beginner or advanced there's always something new to learn!"
- Elizabeth W. |
What Fans Are SayingKaren, you are absolutely fabulous! You make me feel like I can draw anything. I have recently retired and finally have the time to do some of the art that I have loved since I was in school. I am really at the beginning of my art journey and I hope to learn as much as I can. Thank you for all you do. |
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