Our next featured artist is Alexis Marcou. Alexis graduated from the University of Plymouth & since then has illustrated for large brands such as Nike. We asked him to answer a few questions about his work and life as an illustrator:

What inspires you and your work?

One of the greatest sources of inspiration for me are photographers portfolios.

I am also inspired by creative blogs, movies and other artists work.

What are your goals as an artist?

To improve my techniques and create illustrations that hopefully will inspire others.

Which artists inspire you?

Many artists inspire me such as Richard Estes, Carine Grasset, Masamune Shirow and David Downton.

Do you have any top tips for drawing?

To be patient is of the greatest importance and to use the best instruments/materials for you. Also it is always good to practice a lot.

How and when did you start drawing?

I was very young when I started to drawing. I started out of curiousity.

How has your style changed over the years?

It evolved gradually into a more cubic and expressive style.

What have you learned about yourself and your work over the years?

I think the most important thing I learned over the years is to appreciate other people's artwork more and to be my hardest critic.

What are the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of being an artist?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist I think is the positive feedback. The most enjoyable aspects are being able to work with a variety of people and work on new techniques which most of the time result in suprises.

You can find out more about Alexis on his website: www.alexismarcou.com

In June last year, we blogged about DiegoKoi, a photo-realistic artist from Italy. We were so astounded by his work that we caught up with him to see what he’s been up to.

Since we spoke last DiegoKoi has been awarded the Audience Award for Best Artist at NonfermArti 2011 and will be collaborating with esteemed artist Calidonna Isabella in an exhibition.

DiegoKoi sent some recent drawings including some close up shots showing his remarkable analytical ability. Despite only being 23 years of age, DiegoKoi’s ability to show light & shade and unbelievable perspective in his work has astounded viewers worldwide.

What do you think?

You can 'Like' DiegoKoi on Facebook

Val Webb takes us through an illustrated guide to drawing eyes - let us know what you think!

Eyes are challenging to draw, but they are also a lot of fun -- and the eyes are often the key to expressing human emotion in a drawing. Here's a short, step-by-step tutorial on drawing realistic eyes in pencil. For your model, cut a pair of eyes out of a magazine photo or crop a pair from an online image. Cut away the rest of the face so that you won't be distracted as you concentrate on this drawing exercise. When you have finished, I'd love to see your results! My email is studio@valwebb.com.

Val Webb is an illustrator of flora, fauna & fairies - she also teaches botanical and nature drawing. Please visit www.valwebb.com for more information.

Keith McMean, watercolour artist tells us about the importance of sketching.

This is the first blog post I have written for Derwent Pencils and hopefully it won’t be the last.

Most of you might know that I am by definition a watercolour artist but as we all know the foundation of any good painting is the drawing that everything hangs on. Imagine what it would be like if the angles on a building were not quite right, this causes the viewer a slight discomfort and sometime they have no idea why but one thing they do know is they won’t be purchasing that painting or sketch!

Drawing and sketching are the fundamentals that any artist should master before even thinking about adding paint to paper or canvas. I remember holding a painting workshop many years ago and one of the students said to me “but I can’t draw a straight line” and my response was “there are no straight lines in nature, only man made” admittedly it was a landscape workshop we were on. But this doesn’t get away from the fact that drawing is key and care and attention should be paid to.

I have completed a small sketch of one of my favourite places, Whitehaven harbour and this is something I have painted and sketched a lot over the past 30 years and I never tire of looking at and painting it.

But what I have tried to capture is the essence of the place with this tonal sketch, sometimes I might even write the colours on the sketch to remind me, such as sky Ultramarine and yellow ochre and so on, this is a great way to bring the scene back when you are in the studio ready to paint.

I don’t underestimate the power of the pencil and I am sure that there are lots of pencil artists out there thinking ‘that’s rubbish’ and maybe it is, what I am getting at here is that using pencils for really detailed work or tonal sketches doesn’t matter, it’s the fact that YOU CAN use them to an end.

So next time you are in the art shop and you stumble on a box or rack full of pencils don’t dismiss them by thinking “what could I use them for?” there are a million and one things you can use them for…so go on use them!

Until next time.

Thanks so much to Keith for his interesting opinions on sketching. For more information on Keith's work, why not visit: http://www.thesocialartist.co.uk

We asked world-renowned web designer Grace Smith to tell us a little about how she uses sketching to develop ideas for her design work.

Sketching & Design: a Perfect Combination

Sketching isn't optional for me as a designer, it's essential. I can't go straight to digital at the start of a project, I always start off with some browser templates or Moleskine (and a few Derwent pencils!)

Sketching kick-starts my creativity and allows me to get ideas out on paper and is the fastest way to brainstorm and convey as many ideas as possible with the least amount of effort.

Process

Staring at a blank Photoshop canvas is not a great way to start a project. Although it may sound exciting to just jump straight in, it can also be quite overwhelming. Sketching gets you over this hurdle and allows you to quickly explore concepts and ideas. I see it as the frame upon which I craft my projects.

Whether it's a website design, logo design or iPhone app design, it all begins with a pencil and paper. Sketching enables me to break down ideas and fully explore design and layout options and I find putting it down on paper tends to raise questions and ideas, and leads to changes.

I focus on wireframing and layout when sketching for Web Design and iPhone UI Design, looking at the overall picture instead of minor details too early in the process. I usually start by jotting down the main points and goals of a project on a separate page, which I can then quickly refer back to when I'm sketching.

This is the exact process I used when redesigning my own site - Postscript5, which was recently relaunched. Brainstorming ideas and sketching out layouts for each area of the site led me down some creative avenues I wouldn't have experimented with had I not taken the time to sketch!

I sketch quickly and freely as I'm not concerned with how it looks but on developing and exploring ideas. Plus usually no one but you sees the sketches so don't get caught up in  trying to draw a masterpiece!

My process for Logo Design differs slightly in that the sketches are scanned and digitally treated (in Photoshop or Illustrator). However before the sketches are treated they are shown to the client for feedback and revised, only at this point are they then scanned and given a design treatment. This allows for quick iteration and feedback and makes for a much more efficient design process.

Benefits

As you begin sketching at the start of a project, you soon discover potential obstacles and problems that you may not have seen until much later in the design phase. I've therefore found that while the approach may differ slightly on each project, sketching has cut down dramatically on revisions later in the design stage.

As a designer it now means huge amounts of time aren't invested in refining concepts and solutions which may not be in the right direction, as the sketch (or a sketch turned into a wireframe) can be shown to the client, for approval.

Resources

1. Sketching Resources for User Experience Designers

2. To Sketch or not to Sketch

3. Collection of Printable Browser and Wireframe Sketching Templates

4. An in-depth look at my Wireframing process

Conclusion

Too many people get hung up on not being able to draw, but great drawing skill isn’t necessary to capture your ideas. Sketching should be fast and loose, you're not trying to recreate a Picasso, it’s about transferring ideas from your brain to paper.

It's the place where you make your mistakes and your discoveries and lay the foundations of your ideas.

Now excuse me while I go and grab my Derwent Pencils and Moleskine and get sketching!

Bio

Grace Smith is the principal designer of Postscript5, a small, boutique web design studio based in Northern Ireland, where she works with clients from around the globe.

THIS COMPETITION FINISHED AT 12PM, 17TH AUGUST

Derwent make their fine art pencils in one of the most beautiful parts of England, the Lake District so they are very conscious of how important it is to love and protect the world around them.

Derwent cares about trees; it uses Californian Incense Cedar wood from forests accredited to the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) in the manufacture of its pencils.

The new Derwent Fine Art eco Sketching Pencil, with its hexagonal barrel and unpainted natural finish, is made using high quality artist-grade graphite, a naturally occurring substance sourced from Sri Lanka. It is available in 5 key degrees from a crisp, non-scratchy 2H for fine lines to a soft and smudgy 6B for darker shading. The first time, Derwent believes, that an eco-friendly sketching pencil has been made available in a range of degrees which are perfect for sketching and drawing.

To limit waste the packaging is made from recycled paper and is 100% recyclable. You can also remove the perforated hanging tag and re-use the pack to store the pencils when not in use.

Derwent works hard to protect the planet. They have been awarded the Queen’s award for sustainable development for their commitment to the environment. They developed a unique eco friendly process, using UV light, to coat the barrels of their pencils thereby avoiding the use of harmful chemicals and solvents. And, when they built their new factory in Lillyhall they incorporated a number of eco-friendly features; they store and re-use rainwater, while waste wood chippings created in the manufacturing process are burnt to heat the factory and all the offices feature motion sensor lighting in order to save energy.

To win 1 of 20 packs simply answer this simple question:

What kind of wood are our pencils made from?

Just leave your answer at the bottom of this blog post to be in with a chance! We'll pick a winner from the correct answers at random on Wednesday, 17th August 2011 at 12pm. Only one entry per person please. Good luck!

Bridge and Brook

Here's a great tutorial on how to draw a lovely bridge and brook using a variety of techniques with only a few pencils.

(Finished drawing 6” x 91/2”) Materials used:Derwent Sketching pencils HB, 2B, 4B. Smooth white cartridge paper 120lbs

Sketching pencils have a soft, extra wide graphite strip, perfect for quick, free style sketches and bold line drawings. Available in 3 degrees, HB, 2B and 4B.

1. Begin with the HB pencil and a simple line drawing positioning the bridge and rocks. Using a loose hatching technique begin to sketch in the grasses behind the bridge. Use a diagonal stroke for the darker shadow section on the rocks.

2. Change to using the 2B and pressing firmly, hatch and cross hatch the underside of the bridge and the rocks immediately in front of it.

Using firm confident strokes draw the bush on the left. Using shorter looser cross hatching strokes position the grasses.
Add a few shorter strokes to darken behind the light on the bridge. Keep all of your strokes fairly loose and avoid ‘shading’.

3. Using 4B complete the foreground rocks and add more grasses.
Using horizontal strokes only, darken the banks of the brook. With circular movements suggest swirls in the water and add a rock or two if you wish. Finally using the HB pencil and a gentle pressure suggest some clouds by crosshatching.

You can download this as a printable step-by-step from our website. (6th project down)

Step-by-step & illustrations by Fiona Peart