OnlyPencil Drawing Tutorials » aceo

Making Your Own ACEO Cards

onlypencil — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 02:36:06 +0000

I’ve been asked often where i buy the blank cards to make my ACEOs and i always tell them that i make them myself. There are benefits to making your own rather than buying them already made. The most important is the cost, its much cheaper to make your own than to buy them made. I’m not saying that its gonna cost an ‘eye’ to buy them already made, but you do save a couple of dollars. Its not hard to make them, just tedious, but one sheet of paper can make you quite a few cards to work with. You can choose to sit down and go at it and get that out of the way so you can concentrate on drawing/painting on them.

If you don’t know what an ACEO is, here is the accepted definition. ACEO stands for “Art Cards, Editions and Originals”. These cards have one main rule – they are 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches – the size of a trading card. Why make ACEOs? Well the main reason i started making them was to promote my artwork. I was having a hard time selling my larger original art pieces, people we’re complimenting them but no sales. Well i came upon ACEOs while searching the web and i saw how popular these little cards were. They are not only sold, but they are also traded,just like baseball and hockey cards. They are fun to make and because of their size don’t take too long to make. I started making a couple and began selling them on eBay and noticed that they were selling fairly well. Don’t expect to make millions selling them, but they can be priceless in promoting your artwork. My main goal with these cards was to get exposure and get my work out there. The reason why ACEO are great for this, is because they are affordable. Think about it, you’re giving buyers the opportunity to buy an original piece at a price that is affordable. That’s how is saw it and that is why they are so popular. If you’re a buyer, i can understand the hesitation of buying from an unknown artist. ACEOs take away some of that fear. Don’t expect that all ACEO you make will sell. What sells depends on what you create and if its unique. People buy art that is different, that stands out from the rest. Keep that in mind. There are ACEO makers out there that stick to one theme and do very well. If you want to see what im talking about, go to ebay and search for ACEO. You will see how popular they are and the variety of that is available . Ok ill tell you now how i make my cards. I will make another post on how you can use ACEO to promote your artwork.

Before you make them, you gotta first choose the type of paper that you’d like to use. If you’re going to paint use a paper that is made for painting. For example, if you want to make watercolor paintings, choose watercolor paper, either cold pressed or hot pressed. The same goes to the other mediums. I use pencil so the paper that i use is bristol vellum. There are people out there that don’t like using this paper because it has a slight tooth to it. If you’re one of those you can go for Bristol Smooth. Paper choice depends on personal preference so the best advice i can give you when choosing paper is to try different ones until you find one that you’re comfortable with. You will have projects where the paper that you use will not work. I like working with bristol vellum, its got a slight texture which i love when i draw animals, especially for the hair. But when i work on a portrait of a person, i choose a smoother paper. I could use the vellum paper, but the skin tones would not be as smooth as if i were to have used the smoother paper. it’s not a rule, because your style of drawing might work with a paper that others think is not right to use. Buyers might see that unique look and will buy. Drawing is all about having fun and experimenting, you will not only grow as an artist but you will enjoy the whole process of creating art.

Once you have chosen your paper you will now look for a template to trace. Find a card that measures 2.5″x3.5″. The easiest thing to do would be to find a baseball card or hockey card. I have used the same card to make my ACEOs for the past 5 years. Its a Marylin Monroe card that i got when i was like 14 years old. I used to collect comic book cards and i still have them stacked somewhere. I once bought a pack of baseball card and that Marylin Monroe card was included. I remember thinking that it was going to be worth millions one day, ah how i miss my innocence. Well enough with my childhood, now that you have your card you now trace it on the art paper that you chose. The number of cards that you get will depend on the size of the paper. I user a pad of 14″x17″ Bristol Vellum and i make around 20 cards from that single sheet. One quick note on paper that i did not mention. If you enjoy a bright paper i suggest you go for Canson Bristol Smooth or Canson Briston Vellum. Strathmore papers have a slight cream color, you will only notice it if you compare it side to side to a paper that is whiter. Ok, lets continue.

Once you have outlined the cards, all you have to do now is cut them out. I suggest using a sharp blade. I tried using an xacto knife but i noticed that they get dull pretty fast. I now use box blades that i buy at a dollar store. You can get 5 different kinds for a dollar. They work great for this and will last you a long time. Make sure you use a metal ruler as well because when cutting. If you use a plastic or wooden ruler you will have some unfortunate accidents. The problem with wooden and plastic rulers is that when you are running the blade along the ruler, the blade might cut into the ruler and climb over the ruler. Using a metal rulers removes this because the blade can’t cut through metal. Like i mentioned, this is tedious but i think its worth it once you have made them. These are also great for sketching. I use these cards to practice drawing textures and testing new techniques. Hopefully these cards will help you

ACEO Speed Cat Blue Jay Pencil Drawing

onlypencil — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:25:36 +0000

Lately I’ve been working mostly on these miniature drawings. I’ve been recording them also to give you an idea of how i work. These videos have been sped up because they take me a couple of hours to complete. Now, as I’ve mentioned before, these tiny pieces of artwork are not only fun to draw but are a great way to improve on your drawing techniques. Their size forces you to be much more careful and allows you to use your tools in different ways. This drawing is different than my others, because this one tells more of a story and is not just an animal portrait.

I love animals and their way of life makes it fascinating to study. In this drawing my goal was to capture a moment where both animals are doing their own thing in the same space. The blue jay looking beautiful and singing to the world and the cat wandering around with it instinct always alert and ready. The blue jay bird has no clue that its being watched and if he doesn’t watch out can become lunch. This is how i see it but you can see it any way you want to since art can be interpreted in different ways. Well here it is.

Tools Used:
2h Pencil
6h Pencil
2b Mechanical Pencil
6b Progresso Pencil
Stylus
Kneaded Eraser
Color Shaper
Eraser

The Hunter
The techniques that i used in this drawing are the ones that i use in all my drawings. I took my time working on the cat since it took such a small area on the paper. I didn’t want it to get lost in all the other detail and i wanted the viewer to be able to tell that it was a cat that was hiding. In all my drawings i try to put as much detail as possible in the eyes to bring the animal to life. In this drawing the cat’s eyes are more visible and detailed because the cat is the main character in this story. Even though the blue jay is part of the drawing the cat is the one that draws you into the artwork. I used the stylus(needle) to create the hair on the cat and some of the hair on the blue jay. The challenge was adding some hairs that were going to be visible under the leaves that were over the cat. These kind of challenges is what makes drawing fun and gives you such satisfaction when you see the pencil drawing complete.The blue jay in this drawing is the cat’s object of desire, its what its wild instincts are after. I put the bird on a wooden pole, challenging the cat’s hunting skills, as to say “there it is, can you catch it”. The detail on the blue jay, since its a pencil drawing you can’t see if its blue, but through the markings you should be able to tell what kind of bird it is.The surrounding foliage was added to give the image a jungle kind of feel. A place where if you’re not careful you can lose your life as there are predators hiding in every shadow. Through the leaves i was able to give the drawing a bit of depth to suggest to the viewer that the cat is hiding in the distance. The leaves that are closer to the bird are much larger than the leaves that are covering the cat. The leaves were first outlined and i added the the dark background which made the leaves jump out. The smaller leaves were made using the stylus(empty pen). I first outlined the leaves and then with the stylus indented the lines. After that it was just a matter of running the progresso pencil over the lines which made the leaves jump out. By making some leaves darker than others i was able to suggest which leaves were under shadows and which ones were hit by some light. To darken the indented lines i just ran the color shaper over the lines which blended the surrounding graphite into the white lines. I made sure that i made the indentations thicker at the top of the lines so they had somewhat the shape of a leaf. After running the progresso pencil over the lines i outlined the leaves with my mechanical pencil to give the leaves a much sharper look.

I had to use all my techniques to finish this drawing and im really happy with the results. Like i mentioned at the beginning, this is not only a pencil drawing, but a pencil drawing that tells a story and i believe i was able to do that. Despite its small size, this is by far one of my favorite drawings that i have made. This drawing took me approximately 3 hours to complete and you get to see it in 7 minutes, lucky you. Well i hope you enjoyed the video and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.

ACEO Speed Lone Wolf Pencil Drawing

onlypencil — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:51:01 +0000

Here is a new miniature speed pencil drawing. I wanted to make this one different from my other ones. I combined two drawings in one to make a single image. The sunset and the single wolf. It gives the final image a different look and feeling. This one measures 2.5″x3.5″ and is done with pencil of course. If you don’t know what an ACEO is here is a brief definition. ACEO stands for “Art Cards, Editions and Originals”. These cards have one main rule – they are 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches – the size of a trading card. I draw these much more frequently than my larger drawings. I enjoy working on these because they have helped me improve my techniques in so many ways. Just the fact that they are so small has helped me in finding ways in adding as much detail as possible in small areas. When i decide to work on a larger drawing, i just do the same with those drawings by working in small areas allowing to add much more detail. They might me longer to finish but the end result is amazing because of the amount of detail that i have put in. One more reason they are great is because they affordable to art collectors. My larger drawings are much more expensive than the ACEOs. These miniature drawings are not only original drawings but they are also affordable. If the buyer enjoys these miniatures they can later purchase a larger piece. There are many benefits to making these tiny treasure, the biggest is that they look good.

Well here is a video that i recorded while drawing. I have sped it up because this one took me around 2.5 hours. Watch it and ill explain a couple of things once you’re done.

Tools Used:

-Pencils 5h,2h,6b

-Kneaded Eraser

-Mechanical Pencil 0.5(2b)

-Eraser Stick

-Color Shaper

-Stylus

Lone Wolf Pencil Drawing

The reason why this one took me long is because of the hair detail. I have used the same technique that i explained in the Drawing Realistic Hair tutorial. I’m a big fan of textures, i love the look and the feeling that this technique gives to the drawing. It also gives an illusion and allows the viewer to study the drawing much closer out of interest. Looking at the image up close you can see the fine lines that have been made using the stylus, which proves that its a pencil drawing. But as you look at the image from a distance, these lines merge and give the illusion of hair and its texture. I know there are other artists that make hair look smooth, but i believe that it loses some realism if it looks like that because animal hair has texture. But there are all kinds of ways of drawing and this is how i enjoy doing it.

The image above is a closeup of this drawing. You can see the hair detail and how the indentations look up close. It not only gives the hair a bit much more realism and textures, but also a unique look that will separate it from other pencil drawings. Remember that this is a miniature so this is a close up of a tiny area of the drawing, about 1″x1″.

Look at the flow of the hair, the indentations are not straight, they criss-cross each other giving a more realistic look. If they were straight they would just look weird and unnatural. After studying other images of animals hair you will understand the flow of hair on the face, body and other parts. This understanding will greatly improve your drawings. Like I’ve mentioned before, you can’t draw what you don’t know or understand. You’ll be surprised that most animals have the same flow of hair on the face. The only difference might be the thickness of hair or color, of course shape of the head will also make a difference. Study different images and you will understand what i mean. The main focus on this drawing is the wolf of course, the trees and sunset in the background are mostly to give the drawing more impact. Well i hope you enjoy this drawing and if you have any questions please contact me. This drawing is for sale right now, so if you’re interested you can find it here.

ACEO Speed Pencil Male Gorilla Drawing

onlypencil — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:03:50 +0000

Well here is another speed drawing that i recently finished. I love textures and contrast and this drawing has both of those things. These are always great to work on hopefully you will enjoy it. Making these drawings help me in improving techniques and control of pencil. Its a great way to also increase the time that you spend adding texture since they are smaller you take your time.Tools Used:-Pencils 5h,2h

-Kneaded Eraser

-Mechanical Pencil 0.5(2b)

-Eraser Stick

-Color Shaper

-Stylus

If you have any questions please contact me.

Speed Pencil Drawing of Lion

onlypencil — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:49:43 +0000

Click to play

Well here is the second speed drawing that i have done so far. This one took me a bit longer to finish but it was worth it. It measures 2.5″x3.5″ and even though its small in size, its full of detail. I love drawing lions because of the simple reason that they are so beautiful and powerful.Tools Used:
2h Pencil
6h Pencil
2b Mechanical Pencil
6b Progresso Pencil
Stylus
Kneaded Eraser
Color Shaper
EraserIf you have any questions please contact me.

Speed Pencil Drawing of Silverback Gorilla

onlypencil — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:42:03 +0000

I’m going to be drawing an animal everyday live on this blog. You can view it live on the screen that is on the right side where there is a picture of a tabby cat. I have done two so far. I have this silver back gorilla and a lion. They are both miniature drawings and the video is sped up because they take me around 2 hours to finish. I put lots of detail into these drawings even though they are small. I use all the techniques in these videos that i have used in the tutorials, so hopefully these videos will give you a better idea of how i use them. Well i hope you enjoy and if you have any questions please contact me.