KAREN CAMPBELL, ARTIST
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Let's Get Your Creative Juices Flowing!!!

The Ridiculous Adventures of Unboxing Blackwing Vol. 192!

7/2/2023

2 Comments

 


​I'm OBSESSED With Blackwing Pencils!

If you're new to my world, Blackwing pencils are my absolute favorite drawing pencils! I love the weight of them, the feel of them, and how magical they are for shading faces!
One Blackwing pencil basically gives you the power of an entire pencil set all wrapped up into ONE pencil.

Because I love Blackwings SO much, I subscribed to Blackwing Volumes to get a limited edition box of Blackwings four times a year :)
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​​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.
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LAST TIME I unboxed my Blackwing Volumes subscription box, my nice, relaxing Saturday night turned into a horrendous CRAFT project!!  Not at ALL what I'd expected. ?
​
So... I've been sitting on my unopened subscription box for a couple of months because I just don't wanna do any more crafts!! (Check this video out if you want a laugh!)

Fingers crossed Blackwing Vol 192  is craft-free...
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As soon as I opened the box, I was really intrigued by the bold color scheme and the words "Don't carry the world upon your shoulders," inscribed on one of the pencils pictured on the box. 
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As I turned the box around, I noticed a list of songs and quickly discovered this month's theme: Lennon & McCartney!! YAY!! 
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Wanna Try Blackwing Pencils?

I hear ya!! I rarely reach for anything else when I sit down to draw (except my mechanical pencil when I need a super fine line).  Blackwings are expensive, and cheaper by the dozen. If you wanna give them a try, you can grab a box of 12 on Amazon for around $35. If you've got an artsy friend or two, you could also go in on a box together. I've also occasionally seen a pack of 3 floating around Amazon.

If Blackwings just feel totally out of reach for you (I get that too!!), pick up a smaller pencil set by another quality brand like Faber-Castell for less than half the price, or simply play with whatever #2 pencil you have lying around the house! Seriously!! The most important thing is what you DO with a pencil, not which brand you use!!

Wanna Learn How to Draw
​Paul McCartney & John Lennon?

So you're NOT gonna believe this crazy coincidence. I literally JUST wrapped up lessons for the Fun Fab Drawing Club on how to draw John Lennon & Paul McCartney in the style of Simon Chow, so I can't believe how timely these Lennon & McCartney Blackwings are!!
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To enjoy these drawing lessons, join me over at Awesome Art School in my Fun Fab Drawing Club! I'll show you step by step, start to finish how to draw Paul McCartney and John Lennon from scratch. 

You HAVE TO SEE what some of my Fun Fab Drawing Club students have been posting in the Facebook Group from these lessons. 
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Amazing, right?! I love how each one looks so unique!! I'm also a little surprised to see how many more John pix are trending in the group right now! He seems to be the group fave at the moment :)

Drawing Idea for When You're On the Go

​I started the little watercolor journal spread below on a recent flight. It's not finished, so it's the perfect opportunity to show you how my Blackwing Vol 192 pencils work!
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​I don't know what it is about being on a plane that makes me feel a little self-conscious, but I don't love art-ing in front of the people next to me. I know it's weird because I have people watching my videos and doing lessons with me all the time in my art clubs, but when I'm in the middle of creating and filming - I'm totally alone. No one is watching me in the moment. 

If you ever feel like that, but still want to art on a plane or anywhere on the go - I've got a fun drawing idea for you.
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Use a template and just shade and/or watercolor some shapes! I've got this awesome circle template that fits right into my travel art journal, and for whatever reason, I don't feel weird tracing a bunch of circles onto the page (even if someone is watching!). It's super low-stress and takes the pressure off. 
Use a blending stump to add a little shading to your shapes, or even better - try a little watercolor over graphite. Watercolor locks IN your graphite layer and accentuates it.  Not long ago I reviewed a fun watercolor palette by Derwent called Graphitint. 
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If you're not familiar with Graphitints, they're watercolors with graphite mixed in, so the colors look a little dirty and edgy (shown above), which I kinda love. Derwent's Graphitint Paint Pan Pocket Set is a small palette, and perfect for travel, especially if you're thinking about doing any moody fairies, landscapes, or cityscapes! 
Watch my full review on Graphitints over pencil here:
And my ridiculous unboxing of Blackwing Vol. 7 here:

​Wanna Stay in the Loop?

And get notified EVERY TIME I publish a new video on YouTube? ​Join my Email Newsletter!

​As my way of saying thanks - grab a copy of my FREE Fun Fab Swatch Sheet or my Whimsical Face Drawing Guidelines! ​

Need More Resources?

❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON
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❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP
​

Thanks for hanging out with me today!! ​
2 Comments

UNBOXING Blackwing Volume 7 Fiasco + The BEST BLACKWING PENCIL for Drawing

27/9/2022

3 Comments

 
What's the deal with Blackwing pencils anyway?! Lots of drawing artists love them, but why? Today, I'm talking ALL things Blackwing in this product review, will show you which Blackwing pencil is best for drawing, and can't wait to share the unboxing of my FIRST Blackwing Volumes Subscription Box!
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Wanna learn how to draw an easy face in pencil? Download 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 and I'll send it straight to your inbox!
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Once you print your cheatsheet out, meet me here to draw and shade the face below...
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​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.
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I'm OBSESSED with Blackwing pencils! The one above is my absolute fave and is what I'm drawing with in all of my videos (unless I need a finer lead and the weight of my mechanical pencil). 

If you're new to Blackwing - these pencils are basically the "aristocracy" of the graphite world. Some people only care about that, but I'm definitely not one of them. 

What I care about is the drawing experience a pencil provides for myself and my students. 
​I've discovered working with one single Blackwing pencil gives me the experience of having an entire pencil set and specialty eraser - packaged into a single pencil. Most importantly - it gives me FAB results!
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I often see the trio above of white, gray and black packaged together as a set on Amazon.  Make sure you click over to the video if you want to learn more about the difference between the Blackwing pencils in this set and see how they write.

Each pencil from this set has a different "hardness" to the graphite inside it. The white one is called Blackwing Pearl and has the hardest lead. It creates the faintest/thinnest lines. The gray one is a Blackwing 602 with medium soft lead and creates medium bold/slightly thicker lines than the Pearl. This one has been a favorite of musicians, authors, and artists since the 1930s! Two of the 602's most passionate followers include John Steinbeck and Shamus Culhane (animator for Disney's Snow White - who asked to be BURIED with his Blackwing 602!).

The black one above has the softest lead and is my favorite. It's the Palomino Black Matte and gives me the greatest range of light to dark for shading. Depending on how much pressure I use on my paper - I feel like this one can give me anything from a low H to an 8B. ALL of those values packed into one pencil make this one extremely valuable!
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Another thing that makes Blackwings unique is their eraser. The Blackwing pencil eraser has a rectangular shape that reminds me of working with my Tombow mono eraser. Even better - the erasers are totally removable and replaceable. You can flip the used side over to start using the opposite side, or slide it out completely to replace it.  So cool, right?! 
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The cheapest way to try Blackwings out is to grab one at your local art supply shop (typically around $4/each), or to drop a box of 12 into your Amazon cart. 

I know they're expensive, and the price point's not for everyone. If they're not in your budget, FINE! Pick up any old pencil you have lying around your house and draw with that. Who cares what YOU draw with! The most important thing is that YOU DRAW :)

When you're ready and have a few extra bucks - experiment with a pencil set like this from Amazon or your local craft store. 

If you're in the market for MORE than a pencil set - you might just LOVE the set of drawing supplies I curated with Jerry's Artarama called 
The Fun Fab Illustration Set. ​
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The pencils in this kit are by Cezanne and provide a super dark 12B  - which I never even knew existed before I tried them! 
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If you've been following me for a while - you know I'm a busy girl and kinda love flying by the seat of my pants! If I've got somewhere to go and want to bring my sketchbook ... for me - it's SO much easier to fly out the door with one pencil (that does literally everything), instead of fumbling around with an entire set. 
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Make sure you click over to the video to see the great reveal of what's inside this month's Blackwing Volumes Subscription Box! It's my very first one, and happens to be Blackwing Volume 7 - a tribute to animator Chuck Jones (illustrator of Wile E. Coyote).

I have a feeling there might be some limited edition Blackwing animation pencils inside! So excited to check it out...

​Come on!!
​
​Thanks for hanging out with me today!  

❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON
❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON
❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP  
❤️ FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
3 Comments

    Karen Campbell

    Founder of Awesome Art School.  Mixed Media Artist.  Author of 18 Instructional Art Books!

    Posting on YouTube every single Wednesday of the year!  

    The Alliance of Independent Authors - Author Member

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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 Saying

Karen, 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.

​-Jill Y.

I ordered your Fun Fab Faces book and loved it! I was having a little trouble getting the noses I wanted and now it's easy! Also, I love how you stressed how important having the three tones in your drawing is. Thanks a bunch!

-Donna L.

Thank you Karen! I never though I could do faces. You broke it down so it was understandable! And I love your book! I got it yesterday! Can't wait to start practicing! It's so much fun!!!!!

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Thank you for the encouragement to get back into my drawing and painting. After being away for 35 years.  THANK YOU.

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Contact ME

  • HOME
    • About Me
    • Courses
    • Add your art to Instagram!
    • Fan Artwork
    • Retreats
    • What Students Say...
  • Drawing Club
    • See ALL the Projects!!
  • MIXED MEDIA SOCIETY
    • See ALL the Projects!!
  • CELTIC COLLECTIVE
  • Books
  • Blog