Short Introduction
The workplace
To keep the painting table clean, always place a large piece of scrap paper or an old newspaper under the painting paper. Excess paint powder can then be swept onto this surface with a cotton pad and immediately rubbed in, thus disposing of it. This prevents paint powder from flying around and avoids unwanted messes.
The color sticks
They consist of bound mineral pigment. Seccorell powder is obtained from them using a grinding block. Seccorell is economical, lightfast, and harmless to health.
NOTE: Seccorell is also available in other sizes and versions, such as Studio - Large Metal Box and Atelier - Large Wooden Box with 24 different colors.
At the rub block
The pigment is rubbed onto the painting surface in the desired quantity. Each side of the rubbing block remains assigned to a specific color tone.
TIP: Before first use, you can color-code the four sides on the wooden edges to avoid confusing the rubbing surfaces; this will keep the powder and the already painted areas pure and vibrant!
The brush
serves to brush off the pigment still adhering to the rubbing block immediately after rubbing the color stick.
This process is important, because otherwise the pigment could later fall off in an unwanted place and change the picture if it is gently shaken.
IMPORTANT : The brush is only a cleaning tool and NOT a painting brush!
With your fingers
or the heel of the hand, the pigment is worked into the painting surface in fine circular or wiping movements. Smearing or dabbing with a cotton pad, handkerchief or similar is also possible.
TIP : For "sky", for example, smudge the powder in a circular motion, for "meadow" perhaps in an up and down motion and so on - this way, characteristic structures are created while painting.
With the primary colors
Red, yellow, and blue can be mixed to create many different shades: for example, all the colors of the rainbow (Goethe's color wheel), as well as brown and gray. (Green is also included in the Seccorell basic paint sets for finer nuances.)
The mixing
The colors are applied directly to the painting surface, either in the sense of a layering technique (i.e. layer of color on top of layer of color so that the layer underneath can shine through) or already in the powder stage to create new color nuances.
Tip : Here the image was built up from light to dark. When layering, each color should be worked in well so that the shapes don't blur each other.
The result
are watercolor/pastel-like works. The intensity can be varied from the most delicate touch of color to full tone - also depending on the structure of the painting surface. It is possible to continue painting at a later point in time if the pigment has not already been polished in to give it a glossy finish (the painting surface is then saturated).
TIP: The lighting effects were erased and the dwarf placed in the picture using a self-cut stencil
Drawing outlines and erasing
The colored pencils can be used like pencils for outlining. The branches can be drawn with a black colored pencil or, as shown here, with a felt-tip pen. An eraser can also be used effectively. First, the branches are sketched with the black pen. Then, blue Seccorell powder is sprinkled over the entire picture, rubbed in, and thoroughly polished with a cotton pad. Finally, snowflakes, snow patches, and the snowman are erased, and small details are added by drawing.
Seccorell on colored pencil drawing
Other techniques can be wonderfully combined with Seccorell! In this example, the ball and flower meadow were first drawn with colored pencils. Then, the areas were softly colored with Seccorell, and color transitions were created. In this way, the clear lines of the colored pencil blend with the vibrant color areas of Seccorell to create a harmonious overall impression.
Colored pencil on a seccorell background
First, the large areas for sky, sea, and beach were created using Seccorell. A sheet of paper served as a mask above the horizon to ensure a clear horizon line.
The sun, clouds and the beach mat were revealed with the eraser pen before details such as the palm tree, boats, birds and the reclining person were added with colored pencils.
Completely without fixing spray
The Seccorell technique gets by: By massaging in the individual colored areas, the picture becomes smudge-proof like a colored pencil picture. (Check with a clean finger!)
TIP: Polishing with a cotton pad or similar gives Seccorell pictures an even more elegant shine and even greater smudge resistance (however, this does not replace the previous working in with your fingers)!
To the drawing paper
no special claim is made. However, it must not be smooth like varnish. The colored areas tend to be smooth and shiny on fine-pored papers, and very intense but matt on coarse ones.
Rule of thumb : Any paper that can be colored with colored pencils can be designed with Seccorell. The only exception known to us so far is kite or very smooth transparent paper.
other materials
are also well suited for the Seccorell technique: sanded, untreated wood, plaster, eggs (rubbed beforehand with vinegar essence), clay, stone, shells, canvas, light-colored feathers,...
TIP: Stones should have a relatively fine surface structure so that the color is shiny and velvety soft. Pebbles are very suitable.
The tool cleaning
is easy: the rubbing block is anyway cleaned with the brush after each color abrasion, the fingers with water and soap or damp cosmetic tissues (drugstore).
TIP: It is advisable to place a piece of paper (e.g. newspaper) on the work surface before starting work.