Tag: sketch

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Grafcube RGB Studies, Paris

A water soluble graphite painting of a Cafe in Paris, painted with Caran d'Ache Grafcube RGB

I’ve been curious about the Grafcube RGB – water soluble graphite sticks – from Caran d’ache for a couple of years now and I finally managed to purchase some while in Paris!
Their colors are very subtle and only appear once wet.

Caran d'Ache Grafcube RGB - Water Soluble Graphite Sticks Review

To test them I tried capturing a few precious moments while working around the very limited palette.

A water soluble graphite painting of a bridge in Paris
A water soluble graphite painting of a passage in Louvre Paris, painted with Caran d'Ache Grafcube RGB
A water soluble graphite painting of an Eiffel Tower Detail
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Faber Castell Soft Pastels (36 mini) – First Impressions and Review

A soft pastel painting of the sea and a big wave crashing on the shore

It’s been years since I last touched any kind of pastels, but for my birthday, I received a 36-mini set from Faber-Castell. So, I figured it was the perfect time to try again.

Exploring the Colors – First Studies:

Three Soft Pastel drawings of similar landscapes during different times of the day. Morning, late afternoon and evening lighting study

To get a feel for the set, I started with three small nature studies, each under different lighting conditions.
I wanted to understand the range of colors and how they interact with each other.
It was mesmerizing to watch the pigments blend, shifting and merging effortlessly under my fingertips. One of the things I really enjoyed was how light colors could cover darker ones—and vice versa—something you don’t get as easily with other mediums.

Bringing It All Together – A Sunset by the Lake

A soft pastel painting of a lake with the reflection of a warm sunset in the water and a forest in the background

After those initial studies, I moved on to a larger piece: a lake at sunset.
This painting was an attempt to combine the different palettes I had tested before, layering warm and cool tones to create depth.
I have to say, I love how vibrant the colors are—soft pastels really pop in a way that watercolor doesn’t.

Testing Detail – A Close-up Sea Scene

A soft pastel painting of the sea and a big wave crashing on the shore

For the final painting, I wanted to push things further and see how much detail I could achieve.
I chose a close-up sea scene, playing with a mix of blurry and sharp elements.
This was a great test of control, figuring out where I could refine edges and where to let the colors softly transition.

Final Thoughts

Painting with soft pastels is incredibly satisfying—the rich, velvety colors, the tactile blending—but it’s also very messy. If you’re thinking of trying them, just be prepared for dust-covered hands (and probably a desk that looks like a crime scene of color). But in the end, it’s absolutely worth it.

Have you tried soft pastels before? What’s your favorite way to use them? Let me know in the comments!

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Charvin Paints Watercolor Travel Set – First Impressions and Review: Plein Air Watercoloring at Xyliatos Dam

A watercolor plein-air painting of Xyliatos dam in Cyprus

This weekend, I ventured to Xyliatos Dam for a plein air painting session, eager to test my new Charvin 12-pan travel watercolor set—a thoughtful gift I recently received.

While the dam’s water levels were dishearteningly low after a dry season in Cyprus, the scene was still captivating. The reflections in the remaining water, framed by shadows of dense trees, rugged mountains, and scattered clouds, offered a challenge I couldn’t resist.

The Landscape: Nature in Reflection

Xyliatos Dam sits quietly in the heart of the forest, where the stillness is broken only by the whisper of the wind and the occasional bird song. The water, though sparse, was like a mirror for the world above it. The dark greens of the pines, earthy browns of the mountains, and fleeting patches of sunlight created shifting reflections that felt both melancholic and beautiful. While the lack of water was a poignant reminder of the struggles with drought in Cyprus, it also emphasized the resilience of the forest surrounding the dam.

Testing the Charvin Watercolor Set

This plein air session also served as my first test of the Charvin watercolors. While the 12-pan set offers a charming and very interesting range of colors, I quickly noticed a few quirks:

• The paints are slightly sticky in texture, which made them harder to control for fine details.

• Blues and greens, though vibrant, have a tendency to bleed through layers, even after significant drying time. This was most evident when building up reflections and layering shadows in the water.

• On the plus side, the yellows and earth tones handled beautifully, blending seamlessly into the natural tones of the landscape.

To prepare for the session, I created a small color palette with swatches of each shade, noting how they behaved and their tendency to bleed. I’ll include the palette below for anyone curious about how these paints perform in practice.

The Painting Experience

Despite the challenges with the paints, plein air painting at Xyliatos was a deeply rewarding experience. The low water levels meant I had to focus more on the textures and shadows of the surrounding landscape, letting the reflections tell their own fragmented story. The sticky nature of the paints forced me to adopt a looser style, which brought its own charm to the piece.

If you’ve visited Xyliatos Dam or have tried Charvin watercolors, I’d love to hear your thoughts! How do you adapt to supplies with quirks? Or what’s your favorite plein air spot in Cyprus?