For an artist, there is always a high level of excitement that comes with unwrapping a package filled with freshly acquired art supplies. However, the opportunity to receive a package containing coloured pencils from a discontinued line dating back to 2005 dwindles with each passing year, making it increasingly unlikely to acquire such coveted items. Fortunately, auction sites like eBay occasionally list Berol Karismacolor pencils, and I was extremely fortunate to discover a couple of sellers who are currently selling off stock from a craft supply clearance, allowing me to acquire some brand new stock. It was quite a surprise to discover some of the rarer colours in the collection as well. Pencils, both coded and non-coded, plus some discontinued colours can be found through these sellers. Links can be found in the article link at the bottom of this page. Karismacolor pencils were the European counterpart to the widely favoured Prismacolor Premier pencils. The original Prismacolor pencils debuted in 1938, while Karismacolor emerged in the late 1980s in England. In 1995, ownership of the company transferred and production shifted to the USA. The emergence of new European pencil brands likely contributed to the dwindling sales of Karismacolor pencils, and coupled with elevated shipping costs, led to their discontinuation in 2005. The Karismacolor pencils were originally offered in 72 colours, with each pencil prominently showcasing the designated colour name on the barrel. Over time, the colour palette expanded, and colour codes were introduced to align with the Prismacolor range. Throughout the production period, a total of 129 colours were created, but due to discontinuations, the largest available set consisted of 108 colours. Should you wish to acquire some of these pencils, the links that direct to the sellers of the Karismacolor pencils can be found on the webpage link below.
I have written a comprehensive article about these pencils, which can be accessed on my Step by Step Art website by clicking this link. Please be aware that I am not affiliated with these sellers. I am aware of the challenges in finding these pencils, and having had a positive buying experience myself, I wanted to pass on this information to others. I will endeavour to include references to other sellers offering these pencils once their stock has been sold, whenever possible; however, there may be situations where no such links can be found to share. If you have fond memories of the Berol Karismacolor pencils, please leave me a comment below. I would love to hear from you!
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It is always lovely to receive feedback from clients. Every single one of my commissions are created with care and you do get attached to the pet. You know you're unlikely to ever meet them in the flesh, but could pick them out in a crowd, having spent so many hours staring at and creating, their beautiful faces with all their tiny markings and (im)perfections. A thank you from a happy customer is a celebratory one. The fact that someone takes the time to send an email and to tell me how well the portrait was received, always brings a great sigh of relief knowing that they appreciated the time spent on the portrait. I thought I would share it here. Here is the framed portrait of Dougal, a Red Fox Labrador completed in coloured pencils. What a beautiful dog he is. If you want to see more of my coloured pencil art (including Rua, Dougal's sister), click here. If you are thinking of booking your own bespoke commission, find out more here. A BIG THANK YOU to Karen for her fantastic piece of work to complete |
Jetson - The 9 month old Newfoundland Dog |
George Darling |
Wishing you the very best for the New Year 2019!
I've completed all the Christmas commissions and took a well-deserved break to recharge. Now, I'm back in the studio, creating new articles and planning exciting art workshops for 2018 on my Step by Step Art website. There are numerous tasks to accomplish behind the scenes. If you're interested in booking a personalized commission or are an artist searching for helpful articles, mini-tutorials, and a chance to attend a 1-day art workshop with me, click on the links below to visit my website.
Here's hoping 2018 is a wonderful year for you!
Karen
The latest articles available at www.stepbystepart.co.uk
New articles coming soon to Step by Step Art
1 Day Art Workshops in Chesterfield, Derbyshire
DETAILS HAVE BEEN REMOVED AS THE WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED
Why not check out our current art workshops
Karen M Berisford
Buddy the Springer Spaniel - 11" x 14"Buddy's portrait was created using 5 different photographs. The body taken from this photo, the head from another, the tail from a third, the background from a fourth and some of the background flowers from a fifth image, all cut and pasted together to create the mock up of the reference image. Doing this can throw a whole lot of problems into the mix as different images can have different lighting, luckily I was able to ensure the correct balance as I was provided with lots of great quality photos that i could pull detail from. As you would suspect the grass took the longest as each blade of grass was applied individually and this was done in 3 layers so individually repeated 3 times! |
"I'm sitting looking at Buddy in pride of place on the wall, photo attached! It is absolutely lovely and it had the desired effect on Steve when he unwrapped - there were tears!! Everyone that has seen it has said how amazing it is with the amount of fine detail and so Buddy. If I manage to get a decent photo of Buddy next to it I will send it on! Thank you once again, it is lovely to have a painting of Buddy forever."
Esther
Dudley the Springer Spaniel - 9" x 12" in AcrylicsThis was a lovely composition but a tiny photo meaning that it pixelated when zooming in and the detail was lost in the face, especially around the eyes. The Commissionee loved the composition so much that I decided to see what I could do and asked if she could send some close up photos of Dudley taken in a less sunny environment and using all the photos together, I elaborated on the background/foreground somewhat and toned down the colouration on his head whilst still keeping the favoured stance. This was a challenge but I really loved the composition too and was happy with the final painting. |
"Just wanted to let you know that mum loves her portrait and we all cried our eyes out when we first saw it. What you've done is so special and we couldn't have asked for a better painting to remember him by. It captures his brilliant personality so well. I'll definitely be recommending you to my spaniel loving friends!
Picture of framed painting to follow soon!
Andrea xx."
The customer only had a few photos of Kita, having recently lost her, and I was limited to flash photos. The reference image was a good pose, but as flash distorts colour and detail, I had to research the breed and add a little artistic licence. The image was also slightly out of focus, but I found that I was able to apply a lot of detail by overworking the fur, and the final portrait was far more detailed than I thought possible. The final painting was framed in a black moulding called ASHGATE, which accentuated the light tones in Kita's fur. |
"Hi Karen, I just wanted you to know that I absolutely love my painting of Kita. Thank you so much, you have done the most amazing portrait of him. He was my best friend and my little boy and the painting has been hung in the living room so we can all admire him everyday! Thank you again xx"
Diarmid E-mailed me a great photo of himself, his girlfriend Max and their little French Bulldog Kyla stood in front of the famous red phone box from the film 'Local Hero' when they visited Pennan in Aberdeenshire. As the phone box only covered half the background and the other half would add nothing to the composition it was decided to leave the background out completely and simply write 'Pennan' in the corner of the portrait. As mobile phone images tend to 'flatten' detail, the fineness of the Coloured pencils brought back the sharpness of detail and I really enjoyed creating this portrait - I always love a challenge! |
"Hi Karen , Hope you had a lovely Christmas. Wanted to drop you a note to say that Max absolutely loved the portrait! She couldn't believe how well you'd captured the detail from the photo and was thrilled to pieces! We've already recommended you to friends and family and am sure we'll use your amazing skills again in the the future. Have a great New Year!! Diarmid"
This portrait was the last drawing I completed for Christmas and depicts 2 Bearded Collie's called Pyppa (L) & William (R) completed in Coloured pencils. I had taken some photos of them both a year earlier but as William (R) is a rather nervous little boy, I struggled to get any close ups of him. trying to distinguish between them after a year was a challenge too! I was provided with a few great quality photos which I could also use to add in their eyes a little more too. |
"Thank you so much for my beautiful portrait, you've really excelled yourself this time, its amazing!"
Step by Step Coloured Pencil Tutorial |
Prismacolor Premier Coloured PencilsPrismacolor Premier pencils are probably America's most popular coloured pencils, after buying and trying them out, find out what my thoughts are on these pencils. |
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Starting Out With Acrylic PaintsAre you thinking of trying out a new medium or looking to take up acrylic paints as a complete beginner to art? You can find lots of information on what product requirements you need as well as some helpful hints and tips to help you get the best out of your new medium. Most importantly when buying an acrylic paint range I explain what the differences are between cheap/student acrylics & professional/artists quality paints. Acrylics are a great medium as they offer fast drying results with great colour vibrancy which can be applied to achieve an oil style painting or a watercolour, versatility for everyone! |
Bailey - 10" x 12" Coloured pencil pet portrait
The portrait of Bailey has been modified to include the floorboards featured in Casey's portrait, ensuring visual continuity and balance. Originally, Bailey was seated on a green striped rug, but changes can be readily made upon customer request. To view Bailey's portrait and the other pencil drawings created for this client, please click the link below.
" Bailey just arrived! Well, about 15 minutes of tape removal ago. We are so chuffed! Bailey was loved by all of us, but loves my husband best, he was over the moon! We are blessed by your talent!
I just love him! Thank you so much! xxxx"
Obe - 11" x 14" Boxer Dog Acrylic painting
"Hi Karen, Your painting brought tears to my eyes and a huge smile to my lips. Thank you! I love it. He's home and on my wall." |
A website providing free help, advice, and tutorials for artists at all skill levels. |
Our website is designed to serve a diverse array of artists. We feature a variety of mediums such as coloured pencils, graphite pencils, acrylics, soft pastels, and others provided by contributors. We are planning to offer written step-by-step tutorials and mini-video tutorials for artists both in the UK and internationally. Additionally, you can request articles on particular subjects.
Through this website, you can reserve spots in pencil workshops with me. You can also access the latest newsletter for up-to-date articles, product reviews, recommendations, tutorials, and other art-related content that might capture your interest.
If you think someone else might benefit from this post, feel free to tweet it, or drop a comment below with any inquiries or insights. I trust you'll find the resources offered here valuable.
Help and advice is at hand if so....
- I need to have a range that allows multiple layering
- I need them to blend well for backgrounds and skin tones
- Will work well with fixative
- The pencils must be extremely lightfast and the colours strong
- Need soft and hard pencils for different areas of my work
- Black & White Test
- Hardness V's Softness
- 10 layer test - 'Mixed' layering
- Fixative test
- Blendability
The very popular Prismacolor Premier & Verithin ranges will also be added to this article very soon and an adaptation of this article (with even more information in) will be available to view and purchase (download or hard copy) from the USA's Colored pencil Magazine 'Student' version in the next few months.
Find out more about this magazine here: Colored pencil magazine - Student Edition
Art Tutoring Website Update
I began my own art group in 2011 when I lived in Chesterfield and my now defunct domain name for this website, www.chesterfieldartsgroup.co.uk, was created purely as an advertising tool for my art group. Over the last few years, my tutoring side of the business has adapted, and the website also needed to keep up with these changes. The domain name and website was renamed www.stepbystepart.co.uk, in keeping with the way that I tutor my art workshops. I redeveloped my website to provide help and advice to artists from all walks of life whether an amateur or professional. |
Chesterfield Art WorkshopsThere are now a couple of Chesterfield workshops planned for 2015. As always, places are limited, so if you are looking to attend one of my workshops, please get in touch as soon as possible. Click the link to view current workshops available |
Information available for other ArtistsMy workshop website has now been adapted to provide a hub of information for artists all over the world. There are articles that cover a variety of products and helpful information. I have always enjoyed sharing my own knowledge on a wide range of things from how to produce a pencil portrait to product recommendations that I have personally tried & tested, so I hope to bring on board other artists who can pass on their own knowledge too, which widens the pool into art mediums and products. |
Karen :)
The article discusses a portrait that demanded much more than merely replicating the photo reference. It features Ern, a chocolate Labrador Retriever. The commission, intended as a birthday surprise for a husband, necessitated that the final artwork be a true representation of his beloved dog.
The photograph presented is a breathtaking capture, initially appearing to be the perfect reference image. However, it became evident that the mouth was not in a naturally relaxed state, presenting a distended appearance rather than a typical, relaxed posture. Furthermore, the intense sunlight resulted in both overexposed and underexposed areas of his face, and the intricate details in the neck region were obscured by dark shadows. Observe the change in his colour when he steps out of the sunlight in the images below. It's as if he's an entirely different dog!
First, correspond with and confirm important details.
Thorough research is crucial before commencing the portrait.
Thank you so much for all the hard work and effort put in to make the numerous photos I bombarded you with come to life! The portrait is just amazing, beautiful and captures Ern perfectly!
Lots of Love, Kat, Vinny & Ern xxx
If you have a question, please share them in the comments below.
The exhibition is scheduled from October 6th to November 25th, 2012, at the Nuneaton Art Gallery & Museum in Warwickshire, UK. The entries will be judged by Dr. Sally Bulgin, Managing Director & Editor of "The Artist," Graham Brace, a founding member of the UKCPS, and Leah Lister, the Marketing Manager at Derwent.
" The UKCPS, also known as UK Colour Pencil Society was founded in 2001, inspired by a collection of people who, despite having never met, shared a passion for the art of colour pencil. They promote the art of drawing for the public benefit through the use of colour pencils by providing at least one annual exhibition to showcase work with workshops and demonstrations to help educate the public how to use colour pencils and by providing such other support to educate the public as the trustees deem appropriate. "
For more information about the UKCPS, please visit this page.
About the the development and inception of 'Snow Queen'
I find Colourfix paper to be a fascinating medium for coloured pencils. While the texture of the paper limits the number of layers I can apply compared to standard cotton papers, a few layers are enough to attain a comparable level of realism. It was delightful to work on this piece, and although its larger dimensions of 20" x 30" exceed my usual scope, I enjoyed the challenge.
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Karen M Berisford
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