Materials for Coloring & Watercolor Classes

Supply List Of Materials for the Kirk Bear Canyon Library Classes:

These are some of the art supplies I used to create the demo examples for the class.

Some supplies will be provided by the library.

You may prefer to use supplies you already have, and that’s perfectly fine. Your results may

be different ... and that’s fine too.

If the suggested brands are not available, feel free to substitute.

Please avoid anything labeled “student” or “academy” grade regarding paints and pencils,

which tend to be lesser quality and can be difficult to work with. For the same reason, never

buy the generic or store brand of pencils or paints (such as Artist’s Loft or Master’s Touch) sold by

 Michaels and Hobby Lobby.

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• HB drawing pencil

• Kneaded eraser

• Pencil sharpner ( the hand held KUM brand is good)

• Watercolor:140lb cold pressed watercolor paper, 9”x12” (Strathmore, Arches, Fabriano)

• Colored Pencil: Strathmore Bristol Vellum 9x12” pad

• 3 watercolor brushes: #1 round, #4 round, 1⁄2” chisel, #1 round ( I love the yellow nylon

“golden taklon”, Simply Simmon, and Coteman synthetic brushes, which are inexpensive

and durable and perform very well. Sometimes they are called “synthetic sable.”

• Something roomy upon which to mix your watercolors: a white palette or an old china

plate or white Styrofoam plate.

• A beginners watercolor tube set of the Royal & Langnickle which has a variety of colors at

a good value to start out. Coteman small pan set of watercolors is also nice and affordable.

• White gouache, any brand (an opaque watercolor) or FW white liquid acrylic.

• Prismacolor, Koh-I-Noor, or other Artist Quality colored pencils. Info HERE on brands.

Colored Pencils for Coloring Classes

Colored Pencil Classes at the Kirk Bear Canyon Library March 6 & 20, 5:30 - 7:30.

Ready for some creative coloring but confused about what to get, where to start?

There are a lot of options out there and it can be a little overwhelming for the beginner, if you don't know what you're looking for. In the many years of drawing, I have tried a lot of brands, types of pencils, products.

Colored pencils have so many possibilities. It's a slow enjoyable medium with a zen like quality as layers of shading are applied. That's why coloring is recommended for stress relief - Slow, creative unwinding. The continued popularity of coloring books is evidence - they are Everywhere.

The following is a list of colored pencil brands I have tried and own. I often mix the brands to get the results I want.
I have featured the current popular brands with some prices and quality info.
Links enclosed are to:
 Michaels (online coupon), Sarnoffs of Tucson, Walmart (Prismacolors, best deal),  Amazon.

    Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils
$$   Pros: Artist Quality. Rich buttery pigments, blends and layers beautifully.  Large color selection. Online color charts available on their site for download. Available at many places, even at Walmart.
       Cons:  Soft core lead breaks easily. Not all colors are lightfast.
        Wax Binder. Can develop a waxy haze on top of layers.

   Prismacolor Verithin Colored Pencils
$$  Pros: Artist Quality. Rich pigments, Large color selection. Hard lead core does not break easily            and keeps a sharp point. Good for fine details.
      Cons: The harder lead makes blending a bit more difficult.
      Wax binder.

   Koh-I-Noor Polychromos Colored Pencils
$$  Pros: Artist Quality. Nice pigments, blends and layers easily. Hard lead core does not break easily      and keeps a sharp point. Up to 72 color selection. Michaels carries this brand. Blends nicely with         Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils and Faber-Castell pencils. Get the ones Encased In Wood.
     Cons: Only found in select stores. The wood cased ones only found online.
      Oil binder. No wax haze, clean finish.

      Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils
$$$ Pros: Artist Quality. Rich pigments that blend and layer beautifully. Large color selection. Online        color charts available on their site for download. Most colors are lightfast. Lead is harder, keeps a        sharp point longer, doesn't break easily.
       Cons: A bit more expensive.
       Oil Binder. No wax haze, clean finish.

Sarnoffs of Tucson and Michaels offer the artist quality pencils individually to purchase. Another reason to buy artist quality - they are usually available individually in case you run out of your favorite colors.
Or would like to try a new brand but don't want to buy a whole set of the higher end products.
* Bottom line (no pun intended): get the best materials your budget can afford.

So don't wait - just start!
Stay tuned for paper suggestions. Art results depend not only on the pencil choice, but more importantly, the paper choice.

There are additional media combos for colored pencils like inks and mirco pens, watercolors for later posts. Mixed media is my very favorite method of creating.

Happy coloring!

Wildlife Painting - Mixed Media Class

For artists who like to dabble in a variety of media I'm offering classes in mixed media painting. Colored pencils with an underpainting.

It's my favorite method to work in, whether mosaics or painting because I like the effects of a variety of media and most of my work has a foundational underpainting.

The Barn Owl below was painted with an under painting of watercolor, then refined with colored pencils. White feather dots are gel pen.

Interested in advancing your art skills? Contact me for class information via this blog in the comment section below or my Facebook page Sue Betanzos Design where you can message me and post your questions.

Color By Number Hummingbird Class

Here is the design for the May 4 coloring class at Kirk-Bear Canyon Library which will have a simple animal color by number.

The design has a few numbered areas that will help understand shading for beginners. Especially in the feather areas. There will be a walk though demo, step by step showing what colors to layer where.

The hummingbird design is available at the Pima County Library in a bilingual coloring book I illustrated for the Tucson Botanical Garden years ago called My New Backyard Garden.

Student materials:
• Quality colored pencils
• Watercolors or watercolor pencils
• Couple of small brushes #1 & #2  or a fine to medium water brush.
• Enthusiasm and a smile!

Rose Rainbow

This design is a repeat type from a coloring book I actually bought. Most of the books out there don't appeal to me At All, but this one did for a few designs.  It's called Joyous Blooms. I know part of the appeal was the flowers and quotes, which I love.

It was fun to experiment with for watercolor on the Bristol Vellum. To see how much water the paper could take before deteriorating or buckling too much. Overall it did surprisingly well. Good for student practice. Below are materials used for this project.







Materials for Watercolor Pencil Session April 6, 5:30 - 7:30:
• Watercolor pencils or watercolor set.
• Water brush and or 2 brushes: #1 round brush, #2 round brush. Synthetic.
• Colored Pencils
• Clipboard or other board to tape your project onto.

A 5x7" design will be provided. Pencil sharpeners will be available for use.
Aaron Brothers, Michaels, Jo-Anns, Sarnoffs are resources for the materials.
Call or go online to their websites to make sure they have them in stock.

Creative Coloring Students

Yesterday's colored pencil class had a nice turnout and everyone had fun. I hope all came away with at least one good tip to improve their future coloring experiences.
The sample coloring cards provided a practice area to try out blending, shading, different colored pencil brands, new materials. It's a nice introduction to the world of colored pencils.





There are so Many, many ways to use them and the best fun is experimenting with new materials, techniques. Having someone in person show them where you can ask questions is helpful in addition to the tons of information found in bookstores, internet etc.

One of the things I really enjoy is the camaraderie and interest we experience when getting together with like minded enthusiasts. Coloring is relaxing, fun and easy to learn. Get a few basic shading and blending techniques down to take it even further. It's addicting.

Maybe we can start a Coloring Club...  :)
It's nice to get together, share information and just talk art. Find quality artist supplies at Sarnoffs and additional local places.

Materials for Colored Pencil

For those that enjoy coloring with colored pencils and either attended or want to attend another session for colored pencils at the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library, a bit of information on colored pencils and the materials list.
Colored Pencils are great, portable and now are enjoying more popularity due to the trend of adult coloring books. There are many brands and versions of colored pencils and products out there. I like to combine several to get the effects I want.

Here is a list of materials recommended for awesome coloring - Happy Coloring!

Colored Pencil Session at the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library February 20 10 am - noon

• Quality colored pencils. Artist quality pencils Do make a big difference. They have more pigment (hence the price difference). You will not have to press hard on the paper when coloring, which flattens the tooth of the paper. Feather touches will produce rich vibrant colors - you will Love them.
• Artist quality paper. Acid free, PH neutral paper means your art will last forever with proper care. Many of the adult coloring books are printed on acid free paper. Select ones with heavier paper.
• Kneaded eraser. Looks like gray putty and can be used to lift color.
• Clear tape. To remove color in addition to the kneaded eraser.
• Good pencil sharpener. I like the Faber Castell brand or Kum brand. The blades last longer and depending on the pencils, you will be sharpening to keep the point. More on that below.
• Sanding paper. The sanding paper is another way to keep your pencil points sharp. Little artist pads are available from an art store or make your own with 220 grit wood sandpaper.
• Small artist sketchbook. To make your color charts of your pencils, record the colors. I like to make a small color dot of each color to see how they shade.
• Pencil. To make notes for colors etc. I like mechanical ones - no sharpening :)


Some materials will be provided for the students to try out at the library sessions. For some resources to get these materials, I have listed them in this POST.

Below I have listed some materials I like for colored pencil artwork. Try some and find what you like best. Curiosity and experimenting with different materials is how you will learn and form your own favorites list of art toys.
I like using a variety of brands, each has their own qualities.

• Faber Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils.
Rich in pigment, they go on smoothly with the lightest touch. Most of the colors are very lightfast.
As an oil based pencil, the lead is slightly harder than a wax based pencil. They hold a sharp point longer, last longer, have high quality wood casings. My favorites.

• Prismacolor Verithin Colored Pencils.
They are the fine lead version of the regular Prismacolor Colored Pencils. I often use them for fine line work. They hold their point longer than the softer regular Prismacolor. Wax based.

• Prismacolor Colored Pencils
I started out with these wax based colored pencils and still have quite a few of them as well as the Verithins. Richly colored, buttery soft wax based lead lays down smooth color, but constantly needs resharpening to hold a fine point. They also get a waxy bloom after a few layers that needs a fixative. Although I still use them sometimes, it's mostly the PC Verithins I use from this brand. Wax based.

• Derwent Inktense Pencils
They go on like watercolor pencils but what I really like is they behave like acrylics. Meaning, once they are dry they are permanent. This means that multiple glazes can be applied. It also means you can't go back to remove or lighten the color once it has been laid down with water. Colors are lovely, rich. A set of inexpensive small to medium brushes is recommended. Very little water needed.

• Mona Lisa Odorless Mineral Spirits
Solvent blending liquid. One of my methods of blending colored pencils for a base. Dries fast, Very little is needed. If you are coloring in one of the coloring books, do a test first on similar paper and use inexpensive small brushes.

• Kum and Faber Castell Pencil Sharpeners
There are Many sharpeners out there. I like these german products because of the quality blades that last longer. Since I mostly use the small hole of the two holed sharpeners, I just switch out the blades when one gets dull. The small two hole sharpener is about 2.60 at Sarnoffs in Tucson :) Great value.

*A last note on artist grade colored pencils.
Besides being wonderful to work with, artist quality brands also sell the pencils Open Stock.
This means that you can buy the colors individually to either add to the set or replace when you need more of certain colors - instead of having to buy a whole set for one or two colors.

Go to your local art store and get one color to try out the brand. Choose a color that doesn't come in the smaller sets and you will have an additional color when you Do get that set :)

A Little Quail Whimsey In Colored Pencil

Happy Sunday!
Think I'll call this finished and stop picking at it. I deepened the contrasts and colors to add interest, bring it more into focus.
Another colored pencil session is scheduled at the Kirk Bear Canyon Library on Saturday afternoon Feb. 20, 10 am - noon.  It's free so bring your colored pencils and learn some basic coloring tips.
Read more about class materials and where to get them HERE.

Quail Whimsey - 9x12" Colored Pencil, Strathmore vellum 100 lb

I used a lot of under painting layers in different colors to add depth. The only black used is on the quail, which was also under painted with a warm maroon to keep it from looking flat black.

I  Highly recommend quality pigment rich pencils to work with such as: Koh-I-Noor, Faber Castell, Prismacolor. All available locally in Tucson or online.

Gambel's Quail Whimsy

Havng fun with this colorful little piece in colored pencil. Fanciful, bright and cheerful, this piece makes me smile when I think of these adorable birds.
Gambel's Quail, prickly pear, Variegated Fritillary butterfly.

Another colored pencil session at the Kirk Bear Canyon Library coming Saturday Feb. 13 or 20 in the early afternoon. Contact the library for more details :) Beginners and intermediate.

Gambel's Quail Whimsy - 9x12" colored pencil, Strathmore vellum paper

Little Quail & Colored Pencil Class Jan. 13

Playing with a quick little sketch.  More quail :)
The butterfly has been adjusted in Photoshop. Tracing onto heavy paper today.
The image might be available for this Wed. 13 night colored pencil class at the Kirk Bear Canyon Library.  Fun to color!

Colored Pencil Session Jan.13!

Just a few more days to register for a relaxing two hours of creative coloring! Jan. 13 from 6 pm - 8 pm at the Kirk Bear Canyon Library in Tucson.

Bring your new niftie Christmas giftie coloring books and pencils or create on one of three designs that will be provided. I'll show you how to blend colors and give a bit of info on the pencils & materials.

Oh, and the images provided for this session are copied onto thick, heavy artist quality paper, not the thin paper that most coloring books are printed on. Just saying...  :)
It's one of my pet peeves - the cheap paper most of the adult books are printed on. They bleed, are not acid free, usually too smooth for pencils.

I always think that if you're using good materials you will be much happier with the results. Rich colors come from paint/pencils that are made with more pigment, are more lightfast (fade resistant) hence the cost. Good paper will not bleed as much or at all and is worthy of your efforts.

 Here are some supplies I use and recommend for students:

• Faber Castell Polychromos, Koh-I-Noor Polychromos, or Prismacolor Colored pencils sets. (note: while Prismacolor are acceptable for class, it's not a brand I recommend as much due to the quality control issues with the pencils)

• Mona Lisa oderless paint thinner (and a container to hold it in, like a glass baby food jar)

• Synthetic brushes for blending with the paint thinner. Filbert or straight edge

• Pencil sharpners. Electric or hand held

• Kneaded eraser, clear tape, eraser stick (Derwent pencil eraser)

• Tape for securing your art to your clipboard. Masking or low tack tape

• Heavyweight art paper in medium or smooth or vellum. Strathmore Bristol 100 lb. is an inexpensive paper sold in pads at many art stores

• Clipboard to tape your work to. A size larger than your artwork to tape it to
• Dusting brush to remove dust

For nice coloring experiences I recommend copying the image onto decent artist quality paper like a Strathmore Bristol Vellum 100 lb.  It comes in a pad of 20 sheets or so in several sizes.
Yes, the copiers can handle the heavy paper - up to 140 lb. for most - just feed it through the bypass side and do a test with card stock first.

The materials listed above can be found at these stores:
*(note: the first three offer 40% online coupon off 1 item)
• Michaels
• Aaron Bros
• Hobby Lobby
• Sarnoffs (Tucson local art store)
• Posners (Tucson art store)
• Arizona Art Supply (Tucson art store)
• Dick Blick online ordering

Let's Color!

De-stress after the holidays.
This is an informal, Free mini class where you can play with colored pencils, learn a few blending tips. Coloring is such a relaxing, therapeutic activity - a big reason for the explosion of adult coloring books that are found Everywhere.

Bring your own colored pencils. A set of 24 is recommended. Get a good brand such as: Derwent, Faber-Castell. Prismacolor is also common.
Places to get your pencils: Michaels, Arizona Art Supply, Sarnoffs. Dick Blick for online order. Register with the Kirk Bear Canyon Library in Tucson, limit 10 people.