ISBN's and Oil Pastel Techniques

     It's been a while since my last post, life is full, good and sometimes a little crazy. In my last post I assigned myself learning about ISBN's and Oil Pastel Techniques. Once again I learned that I didn't know as much as I thought I did! What I am sharing on these topics is to the best of my understanding... If I have something wrong, I'm not offended by kind correction.

Understanding ISBN's   
     ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It reminds me of a Social Security number for books. It is specific to the exact edition and format of a book. Many bookstores also use it in combination with bar codes to keep track of inventory and restock their shelves.

     When ready, I can get my ISBN numbers through Bowker Identifier Services which is the only authorized agency to buy it from. If your book is selected by a publisher they can also assign your book an ISBN that they have already purchased. Some self-publishing websites offer free ISBN's as an incentive to use their business. Right now the cost for one ISBN is $125. They also sell bundle packages which brings the cost down. If you want more details about ISBN's here is a link to a brochure from Bowker that is really helpful Bowker US ISBN Agency ISBN Guides: Basic Information.

     Here are a few things that I came across that were very basic but I hadn't even thought about them before:

• Hardcover and softcover books ARE considered different formats and require separate ISBN's. 
• Printers and publishers are different.
• Bar codes are purchased. 
• It is important to register a copyright of your work within a certain time frame in order to pursue monetary compensations.

     Purchasing an ISBN is a long ways out for me, but I feel much more comfortable with knowing some of the basics. I am confident I could navigate the ISBN process.

Time for a Little Art!   
     There are many different techniques with oil pastels. Below I've posted one of my favorite beginning oil pastel videos. It is a favorite for two reasons.The first reason is I think she did a really good job at showing a basic overview. Another thing I really like is she uses Pentel oil pastels, they are considered an introductory set.

     A lot of the videos are done with expensive artist or professional grade pastels. I'm just trying out pastels and I'm not ready to sink a lot of money into it. The texture of oil pastels can vary greatly, depending on the brand you buy. They can be hard almost like crayons or soft and creamy like lipstick. The texture of the oil pastel makes a HUGE difference on how you can use them. So two thumbs up for a video that shows me how I can use the pastels I already have.

     This next video I also found helpful. I have tried to implement it into much of the work I've done since watching it. If you look at an item it almost always has different highlights. shadows and slightly different shades of color. This gives dimension and interest. The rule of 3's, that the video below introduces, has helped me give better dimension and interest to my projects. 

     Here is a drawing I was working on. When I tried to sketch it out in pencil first, I was having a hard time with getting piggy to have the right expression. I couldn't figure out the right angles for the eyebrows and mouth. An idea popped into my head... make the expression I was thinking of and take a selfie! Haha! I'm not one for selfies, but I tried it and it seemed to do the trick. (Sorry, not posting it!) I could reference my expression for facial details in my picture. However, when my pig started looking a little too much like me... I decided I had better stop using my selfie. :) I think I may try and enlist my kids to let me take some good expressive pictures of them for a fun collection to reference.

   
      As for technique with the oil pastels, I chose to layer different colored pastels then use a lighter oil pastel to blend the layers together. I started with drawing the pig in pastel. Then I water colored all around the pig and over the whole rest of the page. Then I finished the outside of the pigs window with several different green and yellow pastels.   

     I've noticed in the beginning stages of drawing with pastels things just don't seem like they are going to look good. But when I keep building up the layers it can polish up really nicely. One thing that was mentioned in the first video clip above was the idea to get a higher quality white pastel that would make adding highlights at the end a little easier. I might have to try that. 

     One comment I heard a few times about this picture was "what are those yellow things?". So the pig is suppose to be inside a giant cucumber, the yellow spots are suppose to be the bumps on the cucumber. I guess that part was a fail. All the rest of the picture I was fairly pleased with.

     This next "week" (haha, it will probably be longer, but oh well) I will be spending a lot of time editing my story. I think that will help me plan out my illustrations and get me set up for the next stages of my book. Enjoy the sunshine! Ta ta for now!