Results of using Conte crayons on watercolor paper

This is the final result of the Conte crayon portrait drawings when I photographed them to list. These were taken under brighter lights where I photograph all my drawings and paintings. When I saw the photos on my screen, I was disappointed. The change in lighting brought out all the flaws in these drawings that I didn’t notice with my eye. I wanted to take the clone brush in Photoshop, and smooth out all the rough spots, but I know that wouldn’t be an honest depiction of the drawings. I can’t do that.  

Where it went wrong: I used watercolor paper for these drawings, which I think was a huge mistake. The paper has just enough tooth in it to make the Conte crayons skip, and miss places on the paper. I didn’t realize that while I was drawing. I went over every inch of these with a tortillon, and thought the colors were blending okay..other than the hard lines, I mean. It’s pretty obvious, I was wrong. 

The amount of paper showing through is not at all pleasing to my eye. I have the same dislike for the results I’ve had painting directly on canvas, which is why I make the surface of my canvas smooth with molding or modeling paste before I use them. Or, I use collage paper and/or watercolor paper underneath my paintings, depending on the piece.

I have a strong dislike for working on bare canvas. It’s always been a pet peeve of mine to see the splotchiness of the substrate showing through, so these will all have to be reworked somehow. 

This is where the “crayon” part of the Conte crayon title comes in, I think. These look similar to the results I get if I’m using crayons to draw, although Contes are hard, and aren’t as waxy, imo. I understand now why they have “crayons” in the title. The final result is a mixture between hard pastels and crayons. 

I’m thinking there are three ways I can correct this error, but haven’t decided how I’m going to approach it yet. I might try to use a slightly wet brush to smooth out the Conte crayons, and see I can move the color around enough to cover up the paper peeking through. If I can’t get a more desired result, I will draw over these with oil pastels or I’ll paint over them with acrylics. I have to read more about the Conte crayons before I try anything to be sure it’s okay to mix them with other mediums. 

Final thoughts: My opinion about Conte crayons is mixed. When I started the first drawing, I didn’t like them at all. The lines I was making were too hard, and couldn’t be blended easily. If you look, you’ll see them. By the third & fourth drawing, I had changed my mind because I had kinda sorta figured out how to make the lines softer. I actually thought I liked them almost as much as oil pastels at that time. The final result tho? I want to like them, but I can’t say I do…yet. I think I need more time to work with them before I decide. 

I know I don’t like using them on watercolor paper, that’s for sure. I think the problem can be easily solved by using drawing paper instead of watercolor paper, since drawing paper is smooth, and doesn’t have any tooth. Luckily, I just bought some drawing paper a couple weeks ago, so I have some on hand to use. I’ll have to experiment, and get back to you. The jury is still out at this time. 

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