Blog | Helen Carter Artist

How to draw Waterdrops

Learn the basics of drawing waterdrops with colour pencils.

Colour Pencil Clinic

Helen Carter

Nov 243 min read

How to draw SHINY things

How to draw believable shine with colour pencils.

colour pencils

Helen Carter

Oct 104 min read

Green colouring with the blog title overlayed

Pastelmat - smooth layers to cover the grain

How smooth do you really need your pastelmat drawing to be?

colour pencils

Helen Carter

Sep 25 min read

Essential Colour Pencil Supplies for Beginners

What supplies do you really need when starting out?

colour pencils

Helen Carter

Jun 204 min read

BLUE IRIS: Free Colour Pencil Tutorial

This short step by step tutorial will help your colour pencil skills grow.

colour pencils

Helen Carter

Apr 265 min read

Drafting Film - Smooth your layers.

The most common problem for new colour pencil artists when working on drafting film is knowing how to get smooth layers. By smooth, I...

Helen Carter

Mar 64 min read

Drafting film? No thanks.

Said anyone who hasn't tried it yet. Drafting film takes a bit of getting used to it's true, and there are pros and cons to using it,...

Helen Carter

Feb 153 min read

close up image of two yellow swatch cards with a hole in.

Swatching and Colour Picking for colour pencils

Every time I hear that a beginner is struggling to 'pick the right colour' I shudder.

Helen Carter

Oct 28, 20244 min read

a soap bubble drawing surrounded by colour pencils

Make your colours POP on black paper

Using colour pencils on black paper can make for a brilliantly vibrant artwork, but you need to have a few tricks up your sleeve

Colour Pencil Clinic

Helen Carter

Aug 29, 20244 min read

a hand drawing an orange flower with a pencil

Mastering Blurry Backgrounds in your drawing

Blurry backgrounds add depth and make a picture look finished.

colour pencils

Helen Carter

Jul 16, 20243 min read

an intersecting red and blue circle with the blog title overlayed

Am I Layering or am I Blending ?

These words are used interchangeably, but while they’re done at the same time, they aren’t the same thing.

colour pencils

Helen Carter

Jul 11, 20242 min read

a cat snoozing on a doorstep in front of paint peeling blue door

Feel the Fear...

You've heard the old saying, ' feel the fear and do it anyway' In this blog I talk about how that's a good thing.

Helen Carter

Feb 9, 20234 min read

Ten Arty Items I couldn't be without

What ten art supplies would I most want with me on a desert island?

Behind the scenes

Helen Carter

Sep 1, 20226 min read

The benefits of being a Pet Portrait Artist.

I get a little bit personal and talk about why being a pet portrait artist for for five years was hugely rewarding.

Commissions

Helen Carter

Aug 3, 20225 min read

Being an Artist Ambassador for Derwent

A little look at what it's like working with a big brand like Derwent, and what you can do to get on their radar.

Behind the scenes

Helen Carter

Jul 7, 20224 min read

Derwent Chromaflow - Super easy blending and a huge colour payout

Where do Derwent's Chromaflow pencils fit in to their growing colour pencil offering? Read my review and let me know if you agree.

art

Helen Carter

May 31, 20220 min read

How to draw Waterdrops

How to draw SHINY things

Pastelmat - smooth layers to cover the grain

Essential Colour Pencil Supplies for Beginners

BLUE IRIS: Free Colour Pencil Tutorial

Drafting Film - Smooth your layers.

Drafting film? No thanks.

Swatching and Colour Picking for colour pencils

Make your colours *POP* on black paper

Mastering Blurry Backgrounds in your drawing

Am I Layering or am I Blending ?

Feel the Fear...

Ten Arty Items I couldn't be without

The benefits of being a Pet Portrait Artist.

Being an Artist Ambassador for Derwent

Derwent Chromaflow - Super easy blending and a huge colour payout

Make your colours POP on black paper