OCA Start Drawing - Part 2 Observation in Nature

I am late to the party with blogging! For my first OCA unit I stuck to what I know best and used a sketchbook for my learning log, but as a perfectionist it seemed to take so much time, so for my next assignment and hopefully for the rest- I will use this! I also thought this would be a good way to keep in contact with other OCA students.

Exploring coloured media

 Soft Pastel
+ Smudges and blend well, looks good blended with water, expressive marks
- Some areas don't blend well and clump together

Oil Pastel
+ Looks good when etched into
- Doesn't smudge wel or blend with other colours

Watercolour Pencils
+ Adds nice texture and depth, looks good added to watercolour paints
-  Colours don't always blend very well

Metallic Pencils
+ Certain colours blended nicely, would be good for adding highlighted areas to drawings

Coloured Pencils
+ Works well hatched over watercolour and with eraser to add highlights
- Need fine grain paper as too much of the paper shows through

Felt Tip Pens
+ Really interesting with water added
- Colours don't mix and its hard to vary the pressure effectively

Coloured Biro
- Doesn't blend very well, and colour selection isn't very good

Staedtler Pens
+ Nice vibrant colours, good quality of line
- Colours don't blend

Wax Crayons
+ Look great melted and mixed, can etch into, could be very expressive
- Colours don't blend very well and doesn't create solid areas of colour

I think the best medium  for detailed work would be the pencil colours and perhaps the coloured biros as they have very delicate tips. When using coloured pencils I always find they are excellent for creating detailed lines.
My favourite medium that I experimented with here is the melted wax crayons, I think - used correctly and with a bit of practice I could make some lovely marks and textures with them!