There are many different forms of art mediums.  From oils to soft pastels and everything in-between.  Finding the right medium to fit your artistic style can be a challenging task with so many mediums to choose from.  If you're on this site then you probably already use colored pencils or you're at least interested in them.  Here are my top 5 reasons to choose them over other mediums:

1.  They are precise!  You know exactly where that tip of the pencil is going to land and you further know what it will do once it gets there.  It is a wonderful thing to be able to plan and test as you progress in a particular art piece.  There are not many surprises like you might get from say a watercolor painting.

2.  They are so versatile and can mimic many other mediums.  Okay, okay.  You may not be able to make a colored pencil painting look like a clay molding of a bowl!  But, I have often heard people use expressions like, "it looks like an oil painting- I can't believe it is colored pencil"!  

3.  They're quick and clean!  Unlike many other art mediums, colored pencils are easy to use.  All you have to do is pick them up and use 'em.  There is no priming the pump, putting on special clothes, making sure the windows are open, and the list goes on and on.  I can pick them up from my drawing desk and draw for 2 minutes or for 4 hours.  When I'm done, I can put them down and leave them where they are.

4.  They feel good!  They feel awesome in your hand.  You know you have something special when you're cradling a Swiss made, Caran D'ache Luminance, 6901 Color Pencil "162" Phthalo Blue in your hand.  The weight from the cedar that houses the pigment with wax binders is just a good feeling!  No other way to describe it.  

5.  The product lines keep getting better!  It seems like each year or so there is yet another  pencil color released or entire product line of pencils that a manufacturer releases.  The popularity of colored pencils is becoming so huge.  There seems to be more focus on the quality of the artist grade pencils and more companies are adopting better standards for materials.  Companies are also becoming more committed to lightfast standards as well. 

It is exciting to be involved in a "new" medium.  When you compare this medium to many others I think we can call it at the very least "new-ER".  And that is just plain fun!

Why do YOU use colored pencils?

Are you ready to get started using colored pencil?  Download my getting started guide!