As you can see on step #1, it’s impossible to layer a hard medium over a softer one. The pink colored pencil can only make indentations and scratches over the light blue artist crayon. Here is where the Icarus Drawing Board can help you.

On step #2 the thick layer of crayon is thinned out on the warm zone with a gray paper stump. I use the side, not the point of the paper stump and make small circles until I'm left with a thin, saturated layer of color.

After moving the paper to the cool zone, I’m now able to easily layer colored pencil over artist crayon (see step #3).

#1 - Layering Colored Pencil Over Artist Crayon or Oil Pastel

#2 - Layering Colored Pencil Over Artist Crayon or Oil Pastel

#3 - Layering Colored Pencil Over Artist Crayon or Oil Pastel

A new step-by-step of "Round-n-Round" is ready for viewing on Icarus Art website.

Round-n-Round (1)

Round-n-Round (2)

Round-n-Round (3)

Round-n-Round (4)

Here is a step-by-step of "Rose Petal". You can view it in its entirety on Icarus Art website.

Rose Petal (1)

Rose Petal (2)

Rose Petal (3)

Check out the new step-by-step of "Snake River Pebbles" on Icarus Art website.

Snake River Pebbles (1)

Snake River Pebbles (2)

Snake River Pebbles (3)

The Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California was this year's host of the 14th Annual Conference of the American Society of Botanical Artists. Icarus Art was one of the exhibitors and I demonstrated my new Icarus Technique to the numerous attendees.

ASBA Conference 2008 (1)

ASBA Conference 2008 (2)

Read my step-by-step article "Melt your CP!" in From My Perspective, an online colored pencil ezine by Ann Kullberg. You can also view the step-by-steps on Icarus Art website.

"Effervescence" Drawing

"Effervescence" In Progress

"Effervescence" Finished

Read about the Icarus Drawing Board on Katherine Tyrrell's blog Making a Mark.

My new technique (Icarus Technique) has been officially approved for International Competitions by the Colored Pencil Society of America.

The second demonstration of my new technique using a heated drawing board (prototype of the Icarus Drawing Board) took place at the Los Angeles Chapter meeting of the Colored Pencil Society of America on October 6, 2007.

The first demonstration of my new technique using a heated drawing board (prototype of the Icarus Drawing Board) took place at the at the San Diego Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society of America on April 6, 2007.