Once in a while I have a crazy idea – like replicating a fine art piece on a card – so let’s visit Van Gogh for today’s inspiration!
I wanted to see if I could replicate the look of Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting below – it’s always intrigued me with its textures and swirling colors, and it seemed perfect for these little bears to look out over that kind of scene:
Starry Night by VanGogh
Tutorial
Wasn’t that crazy fun? I love how the pencil gets all soft when it’s on water….so cool. The Inktense Pencil colors I used: Felt Green 1530, Sienna Gold 0240, Tangerine 0300, Tan 1720, Sea Blue 1200, Sun Yellow 0200, Charcoal Grey 2100, and Ink Black 2200.
Inktense Pencil Color Lists
See the chart below for swatches of all the colors. There’s no easy answer to tell you which set to buy “first” except the 72…there’s a very common list in EACH set, so if you start with a small one, you’ll end up with duplicates.
Set of 12: Sun Yellow, Tangerine, Poppy Red, Fuchsia, Deep Indigo, Sea Blue, Teal Green, Apple Green, Leaf Green, Baked Earth, Bark, and Ink Black.
Set of 24: Sherbet Lemon, Sun Yellow, Tangerine, Poppy Red, Chili Red, Shiraz, Fuchsia, Violet, Iris Blue, Bright Blue, Deep Indigo, Sea Blue, Teal Green, Apple Green, Field Green, Leaf Green, Mustard, Baked Earth, Willow, Bark, Charcoal Grey, Black, Antique White and a non-soluble Inktense Outliner.
Set of 36: Sherbet Lemon, Sun Yellow, Sienna Gold, Tangerine, Poppy Red, Cherry, Chili Red, Shiraz, Fuchsia, Red Violet, Mauve, Violet, Iris Blue, Bright Blue, Deep Indigo, Peacock Blue, Iron Blue, Sea Blue, Teal Green, Apple Green, Field Green, Leaf Green, Iron Green, Ionian Green, Felt Green, Tan, Saddle Brown, Indian ink, Mustard, Baked Earth, Willow, Bark, Charcoal Gray, Black, Antique White and a non-soluble Inktense Outliner.
Set of 72: Sherbet Lemon, Sun Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Sicilian Yellow, Golden Yellow, Sienna Gold, Tangerine, Cadmium Orange, Burnt Orange, Poppy Red, Chili Red, Cherry, Shiraz, Red Violet, Fuchsia, Mid Vermilion, Scarlet Pink, Hot Red, Carmine Pink, Crimson, Deep Rose, Mauve, Thistle, Violet, Dusky Purple, Dark Purple, Deep Violet, Lagoon, Navy Blue, Deep Blue, Peacock Blue, Iron Blue, Iris Blue, Bright Blue, Deep Indigo, Sea Blue, Teal Green, Dark Aquamarine, Green Aquamarine, Mallard Green, Vivid Green, Beech Green, Hooker’s Green, Light Olive, Spring Green, Fern, Iron Green, Ionian Green, Apple Green, Field Green, Felt Green, Leaf Green, Amber, Oak, Red Oxide, Madder Brown, Dark Oak, Mustard, Tan, Saddle Brown, Baked Earth, Willow, Bark, Indian Ink, Sepia Ink, Chinese Ink, Payne’s Gray, Neutral Gray, Charcoal Gray, Ink Black, Antique White, and a non-soluble Inktense Outliner.
Some product may be provided by manufacturers for review and use. Compensated affiliate links are here at no cost to you. I appreciate your support of my work with your purchases! Full affiliate and product disclosure | My trusted partners in art
- Mama Elephant Clear Stamps, Bear Hugs
- Arches Cold Press Paper: EH – BLICK
- Inktense Pencils BLICK – (all size sets)
- VersaFine Ink Pad, Onyx Black
- Silver Brush Black Velvet Round #8 BLICK – AMZ
287 Comments
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MY favourites are the impresionist, and more Monet and Renoir.
I would say O’Keefe. Really enjoyed your card Sandy.
I would have to say that Monet is one of my favorite artists, but Georgia O’Keeffe is a very close second because of her beautiful flowers!
I love this card. Van Gogh and Starry Night are my favorites. I was lucky enough to see it in New York a few years ago. I couldn’t believe I was actually looking at the real painting.
What you can do with these pencils is absolutely amazing. As someone who is very interested in drawing myself, I’d love to have the opportunity to try them out! I’m definitely intrigued by somewhat abstract art, so I’d have to say that my favorite artist is Dali.
Van Gogh is high on my list but also Renoir and Monet. I couldn’t get over how the people in Renoir’s paintings seem to move when you see the real paintimgs. Thanks for the chance to win your generous gift!
Love love love your Van Gogh rendition. I might have to try it someday. My favorite artist… I have so many, having taught elementary classic art to homeschool kids for years… I think it’s a toss up between Van Gogh and Monet… Oh and Georgia O’Keefe! Love her close ups of flowers.
It’s really nice to see someone else trying watercolors who fights the lack of control.
Love watching your videos.
My favorite of the old masters is Raphael (not as much his paintings but his drawings)
But as far as card making goes I think you could do some fun things with Monet or Degas
What a really amazing project! I love the intense colors.
Monet’s style might also translate well for “artistic” stamping!
I think Alphonse Mucha would have to be a favorite. I like Art Nouveau as well as Art Deco. The tiles from those eras have the colors and designs I absolutely love. Your version of Starry Night is adorable with the addition of bears. Not something I would have thought about. Then again you are the artist.
I am a true 80s child so my favorite artists are Andy Warhol and Patrick Nagel.
This card is amazing! I love it. You are so talented!
Georges-Pierre Seurat (A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte).
Beautiful work with the Inktense pencils! I like the artist Paul Klee and Dale Chihuly who is a glass artist. Thanks so much for the chance to win! I enjoy your videos very much! Amy Neff
Love your Van Gogh card! It is amazing! Van Gogh is a favorite artist of mine!
I am a huge fan of renaissance paintings. I think one of my favorites is Sandro Botticelli! This card was very cool that you did!
I love Monet but, adore Barbara Fox. Her roses appear so real you could pick the petals right off the paper/stem and the dew drops appear so true to life. I’m just getting started into water coloring and saw your Van Gogh video with mama bear. Loved watching you work and listening to your instruction while giving a bit of a history lesson at the same time. It really made your video interesting and enlightening. I loved hearing your talk about the watercolor pencils you were using and would LOVE to have a set!
Amazing technique and card. My favorite “real” artist is William-Adolphe Bouguereau. The skin on his figures! You can feel the pulse of their arteries.
I love Monet! Your card is AWESOME!
I’ve always enjoyed Norman Rockwell, but I love the watercolor that Dawn of WPlus9 does. I am awestruck each time I see her work!
WOW! This is simply amazing! I just love coming to your blog for inspiration and a “sigh” of happiness! One of my fav. famous painters is Jack Vettriano… I love his romantic paintings!
I can’t say I have a favorite…. I love this card! I really enjoy your videos. You are very talented and while I enjoy many blogs and follow along with other YouTube people you definitely have your own style and I love it and I am older than 36 too lol…. I hope if nothing else I will create beautiful scrapbooks for my kids and cards I hope they love forever! Love and hugs!
Amazing! Van Gogh and Monet are my favorite artists.
Love the card and technique. Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge through your videos. My favorite has always been Monet. I love the way these pencils work the color. I only have a small selection of (other Brand) watercolor pencils, but they are not nearly as in(k)tense 🙂 as thee.
I lived in Barcelona for a while so I became a huge Picasso fan!
Would love to see some Monet, Seurat (and of course Vermeer, but he requires a bit more drawing ability!) for the classics, and Edward Hopper for modern. Love watching your videos!
This is absolutely amazing… way beyond my abilities but I can only dream. Beautiful, Sandy. I’d love to see you CAS other painters. Artist: Marc Chagall
I like Claude Monet and i love your Starry Night. Thank you for sharing and for the great giveaway.
Georgia O’Keefe – love her style!
Would love more Van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Monet or Salvador Dalí.
I really like Norman Rockwell-not sure if he is considered a classic painter…. And thanks so much for giving me yet another blog to subscribe to. Lydia’s blog is great…
Definitely Norman Rockwell and Thomas Kinkade. They project the U.S. and our values – the “Masters” seem to be “Old World” which is beautiful in it’s own right. TFS your talent which is wonderful!
This card was adorable. And the fact that you used Starry Night was the reason I watched it in the first place. Amazing painting. As for my favorite artist? I have two! I’ve absolutely adored Grandma Moses since I was a little kid. My own Grandma had a big book of her work that I’d read through and admire every time we went to visit. When I reached high school, I went to an art camp in New York and we visited Jackson Pollock’s house. The fact that he created with such huge canvases, 2x4s, and outdoor house paint amused me. He’s my second favorite and I tend to mimic him a lot for background work. I even have a bookshelf that I splattered like his paintings!
Wowzers, this is gorgeous! I have never tried watercolor pencils – these Inktense pencils are amazing – and so is the artist! As for a favourite famous artist, I’ve always enjoyed Lesley Anne Ivory. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway! Would be tickled half to death to win these pencils!
Norman Rockwell
Sandy you did a great job!! I just got an email from one of my artist blogs or magazines that was all about Van Gogh and then you pop up with this card, I think that was weird but awesome!!! Thanks for the chance to win!
Sandy, YOU are my favorite famous artist, and I’m also a huge fan of Michelangelo. I always learn something new when I visit with you. Thank you for sharing your artistry and your technique.
Edgar Degas is my favorite. I love his ballerinas!
I love Degas paintings but probably because my daughter is a dancer. It’s always inspiring watching you create. Thank you Sandy.
OH!!! You chose my absolute favorite painting! My teacher in third grade placed small copies of paintings by various artists on the classroom bulletin board. I happened to sit by the bulletin board and Van Gogh’s Starry Night was right beside my desk. I admit that I paid more attention to the painting than her teaching on some days. LOL My favorite color has always been blue. I could daydream in the sky’s swirls for hours and I made up stories about the people in the village. Thanks for the memories. Thanks for sharing your artistic talents. I cannot wait to try the technique and create my own sky!
Mission accomplished, you did great on replicating Starry Night. I really like Monet, and sad as it is, there is another artist who did a lot of beautiful western landscapes & Yellowstone paintings and I can not for the life of me think of his name right now. (This will drive me crazy till I either remember it or give up & Google it.)
3am…it’ll come to mind at 3am. LOL.
I love Dalí and Van gogh!!! My favorite picture is Starry night. Your card is awesome!!! 😉
Not sure I could do these pencils justice but I sure would try! I’d say Monet is my favorite too. Thanks for the chance to win! 🙂
Great card and video! It really inspired me to try somehing like this out! As my favorite painter is Monet, I would love seeing you recreate some of his water roses!
Holy cow! That was amazing! We have an inexpensive print of that art piece upstairs…My husband LOVES Van Gogh! I think I love Monet more, though….
Definitely Van Gogh and Starry Night is my favorite painting. You are too young to remember but Don McLean had a song, “Vincent” which was about Van Gogh…haunting. Love this card!
What a great card and I loved watching you create it on your video!! I can’t say I have a favorite artist but we always had a huge coffee table book of MC Escher’s works when I was growing up and I couldn’t stop looking at it!!
Hi Sandy,
So glad that I can finally leave a comment! Loving the Vincent VanGogh style card. What a great idea!
Like I said in my email to you, one of my favourite artists is John William Waterhouse. He painted Circe Invidiosa in 1892. It is quite a dark painting but shows such emotion. My other favourite artist is Vincent VanGough as I love the bold brush strokes in his paintings. We recently went over to a country town in the middle of South Australia called Coober Pedy. They have an art gallery showing some beautiful Aboriginal artwork. One of mine and my daughter’s favourites was Tommy Crow. His artwork is amazing!
Van Gogh…he is most optometrist’s favorite because they believe that he was nearsighted and that is why starry nights is blurry and has halos and they also believe that he had glaucoma because you loose your red/green vision with glaucoma. So Starry Night is my favorite painting! I have it hanging in my entry way.
Loved your Starry Sky card! One of my favorite artists is M.C.Escher, but that is the math nerd in me. I also love anything by Thomas Kincade. I just want to visit every place he painted!
I love so many different artists that it’s hard to choose just one. One of my favorite classes in college was art history. I guess I’d have to say that I like Vermeer the best. Or maybe Renoir. No, Dali! Oh, I can’t choose just one! One thing I know for sure is that I love your Van Gogh impression!