QUICK & EASY! Mixed Media Portrait in Stabilo All Pencil, Pan Pastels & Paint Pens ["Hot Dog" Style]10/5/2022
Creating mixed media portraits is one of my FAVORITE things to do! When I don't have a ton of time to art, I'll use my quick Hot Dog System to layer just FOUR mixed media art supplies.
I asked 20 of my artsy friends about the simple mixed media art supply combos THEY love and have TONS of FUN ideas to share with you in a FREE 32-page PDF (you're welcome!). This packet contains our BEST, tried and true, 4 art supply combos- "HOT DOG" style. 
Click the button below to download this FREE 32-page stack of ideas just filled with Hot Dog System inspiration!
Today I'm testing a new-to-me mixed media art supply combo recommended by one of my artsy friends, Alexa. Straight outta the Hot Dog Packet on page 3 - we're combining my beloved stabilo all pencil with pan pastels and paint pens on cardboard. If you're a beginner in the world of mixed media art, or just curious about these tried and true art supply combos - today's video (and FREE 32-Page Packet ) are FOR YOU!!
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.
Today's combination of mixed media art supplies comes from page 3 of the Hot Dog Packet, and is a recommendation by artist, Alexa Ali Doebler.
She's suggested we create on cardboard. Feel free to use the back of a cereal box, an Amazon box, whatever. You can also just as easily do this project in an art journal (preferrably one filled with watercolor paper because we'll be activating a water soluble pencil with water). It's up to you! 
I'm using cardboard like Alexa suggested. To get this party started, I'm covering my cardboard "canvas" with some swaths of white gesso (skip this step if you're working in a watercolor sketchbook or journal).
As you'll see in the video, I'm using a cheap foam brush to apply it. These are amazing for SO many applications and can easily be washed out and reused for a long time. Typically gesso is used as a primer for acrylic paint, and absorbent ground is the primer for watercolor and water soluble products. However, because I know the Stabilo All Pencil in Black SO well as a product, I know it will perform beautifully when layered over white gesso. 
To draw in the face for today's mixed media portrait, I'm sketching her in with my mechanical pencil first. I find this super helpful because I can erase if I need to. If you don't have an eraser you love, this one is my favorite.
Today's sketch is quick and dirty because I'm more into trying out the art supply combo and seeing how the layers work together, than making the drawing my life's work!
I know her neck is totally wonky, but I'm just letting it be since I'm in a hurry. Try to ignore that for now, LOL. 
To activate the stabilo, I'm using my favorite watercolor brushes by Polina Bright (check out this video for a full product review of them!). If you'd like to get a set for yourself, Polina has extended a coupon code to my followers for 10% off if you enter my full name in caps (KARENCAMPBELL) at checkout on her website or in her Etsy shop.
Something to remember about the stabilo is that is WON'T stop activating. Some of my students LOVE this... and some HATE it. I love that feature, but I just want you to be prepared for how it will behave before you try working with it if it's a new art supply to you.
Now it's time for pan pastels. I'm still SUCH a newbie with these- but that's ok! I'm ready to learn!
There's a cute little pan pastels applicator that looks like it fell out of an eye shadow compact. This will help you dab color on wherever you want it, and do some blending. 
I spent a little time playing with the pastels - incorporating shading into the face and hair to add dimension. At this point in the project, I was also just experimenting with what the pan pastels were capable of and how they worked. They're actually really fun!
Then it was time to bust out the paint pens. I'm just using whatever is hanging out on my art table. I've got a white sharpie paint pen and dabbed on a few highlights with that, then added some outlining and scribbles with my black posca paint pen. Simple, fun and done!
I hope you enjoy this quick mixed media portrait tutorial! Have fun experimenting with your art supplies, and make sure you post your version in the Facebook Group if you do the project too!
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
1 Comment
How have I NEVER tried pan pastels before in any of my mixed media portraits?! I KNOW!! I just purchased a pan pastel set of 80, and am super excited to PLAY with them for the FIRST TIME. Will my pan pastels portrait fail on yupo paper? Is layering pan pastels easy or hard? What art supplies "play nicely" with them? NO CLUE!
Today's mixed media art supply demo is all about letting go & discovering the answers on my own as I play. It is in this space of experimentation where we can truly be FREE as artists! If you're new to pan pastel art like me, need a little push to TRY something new, or curious if you should add some pan pastel colors to your own art supply stash - THIS VIDEO is FOR YOU! 
I don't about you, but I like to dive in "blind" whenever I experiment with a new art supply! I think it's fun to not know how things are gonna work, how they'll react together, and figure it all out by myself first!
Then I love to dive into research LATER if things went wrong, because for me - my experience helps me to craft my knowledge. My hope for you with today's video is that you feel empowered to try anything and everything you want to all by yourself. You can learn SO much by doing this!! 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. 
I found an awesome face shading reference photo on DeviantArt that inspired today's project. He's a side profile drawing in 3/4 view.
If you'd like to try drawing a 3/4 portrait, and need a little help, click the button below to download my FREE 3/4 view Face Drawing Guidelines! I'll email them right over to you. 
The paper I'm using today is called Yupo paper. It's 100% non-pourous, and basically plastic! When you draw on it - you'll experience a really slippery sensation, like 80x slippier than bristol!
As you'll see in the video- it doesn't matter how many times I've drawn a face, I ALWAYS go back to basics and sketch in my face drawing guidelines first. This helps me ensure the face I'm drawing will come out with facical features that are proportionate. If you need help getting the proportions of the 3/4 portrait correct, CLICK HERE to download my free cheatsheet. 
If you're interested in learning more about how to draw male faces check out my book - How to Draw Fun Fab Fellas. I don't draw guys nearly enough, honestly! And they're really fun because the angles in their faces are SO different from women.
As I was drawing this particular guy, I really felt like he was turning into a young Van Gough!
Since I'm totally doing this project from the perspective of a pan pastels beginner... and also new to working on Yupo paper- I have no idea how my first layer of pan pastels is going to stick to the paper, because it literally has zero texture and feels like a skating rink.
If you don't have any pan pastel sets yet, I recommend trying the set of 20, or the skin tones set of 7. I used one of the pan pastel Sofft tools (they came with my pan pastels set of 80), to apply some color to the background, and it was seriously done in under a minute. If you need some applicators, try this little set of 12 mini sponges, and/or this set Craft Ink Blending Brushes. 
I experimented with trying combining my pan pastels and Prismacolor colored pencils, but wasn't patient enough to work with that for a long period of time. It was great for adding some detail in the beard (above), but I needed something bolder and faster to work with.
I discovered using my Neocolor IIs by Caran d'Ache really worked well and helped me to achieve the depth I was struggling to get out of the pan pastels alone.
I had heard pan pastels are eraseable, but they didn't erase well with my beloved vanish eraser. I also tried using the eraser on my Blackwing pencil, and had much better luck. I love chiseling highlights out of the face shading I do, so enjoyed playing with this fun pan pastels technique!
If you know me and my work at all, you know I'm a HUGE FAN of outlining. And you may know that as soon as I pull out my pentel pocket brush, the project is basically over! LOL. I hope you have fun with this demo, and enjoy working with pan pastels on your own as much as I did! |
Karen CampbellFounder of Awesome Art School. Mixed Media Artist. Author of 18 Instructional Art Books!    
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