Panther

This is one of those drawings that make me feel like I'm doing the kind of work that I'm supposed to be doing. I knew that I was going to draw this Panther as soon as I saw its photo in a magazine. I was totally immersed in the process - looking forward to working on it every step of the way.

It's this kind of work - the kind that brings you to that wonderful place where your concentration is so focused on your artwork - that reminds me of how grateful I am to be able to be an artist and to do the work that is so meaningful to me. I feel truly blessed to be able to do that.

Even though working with colored pencil is a very time consuming process for me, the end result always reminds me that it's worth every moment I spend on creating it. I just love being an artist!

This is colored pencil on Strathmore Illustration board, 8 x 11 inches.

Insect Art

I've always been fascinated with insects and think they're an interesting subject to draw. I like to draw them larger then life to bring out their beautiful colors and detail. My interest in insects is probably the main reason I enjoy doing scientific illustration.
I like drawing from life, using a magnifying glass to get all the fine details. This one was done from a very good quality photo - something that isn't always easy to find.
I have a small insect collection and have found the Internet to be a great source for collecting. I also go to museums to look at insects that are not commonly found where I live.
This is colored pencil on Stonehenge paper, 8 x 11 inches.

Toucan

This little guy was done as an experiment on black paper. I often use a black ink wash for a background on white paper since I have had trouble in the past with getting the intense color that I want. This time I did a value study in shades of white and light grays - I think it worked well. For me, it was a little like drawing in reverse - I had to think about creating more light when I usually concentrate on creating darks.
I also decided to combine the black of the bird with the black background - it tricks your eye into seeing the whole bird even though the only place I used black was on the bottom of his beak. It was not something that I planned and was pleasantly surprised when I finished his chest and saw the effect. I love when that happens!
This is colored pencil done on Strathmore Bristol, 9 x 12 inches.

Orchids

Here's a colored pencil botanical illustration that I gave to my Mother-in-law for her 80th birthday. She loves orchids and I'm happy to say that she was thrilled that I did that for her. Being the procrasinator that I am, I finished this, matted, framed, and packed it just 5 hours before we got on a plane to visit her. I didn't even get a chance to scan it or to take some really good photos of it.

I really like the simplicity of this piece - just a beautiful flower in all it's glory. I like doing this kind of artwork - botanical and scientific illustration meets my need for fine detail. I do enjoy art that tells some kind of story too, but I think this kind of artwork just stands on it's own in a very powerful way.

This is colored pencil on Stonehenge paper - 11 x 14 inches.

Carousel Horse

A few people have asked me about the art that I used for my Bookmark Art post, (see Feb. 23) so I thought I would include the whole image here.
You can see now how the small sample for the bookmark gives the viewer just a glimpse of the original piece.
I donated the original to our local PBS station for their annual auction, but before I did, I made several reproductions from digital images. I usually make 11 x 14 inch matted prints available for sale as well as note cards - and of course, the bookmarks that I give away for free.
This was done with colored pencils on Stonehenge paper.

Spring is in the air

This week I noticed the first signs of spring - the bulbs that I planted in my garden last fall are starting to appear. Here in Colorado, the beginning of March doesn't necessarily mean that there won't be any more snow this season, but I can't help feeling like spring is in the air.
These sunflowers seem to appear out of nowhere each year - I think a result of seeds falling out of my birdfeeders or squirrels attempting to store some food in the ground for the winter. I just let them grow wild in my backyard. I love the way they look and how birds, butterflies, and bees gather around them to feed - they are what inspired this painting.
This is the largest colored pencil painting that I've ever created - it's 24" x 36" - and it took me three months to finish. For the background, I used blue ink, which I applied with a sponge.
SOLD

Insect Art

This illustration was done about five years ago and is one of my favorites. It's part of a Scientific Illustration grouping that I did of four beetles drawn larger than life. It sold in a show put on by the colored pencil group that I belong to - the man told me that he was buying it as a birthday present for his wife, a scientist who fell in love with it.
I love drawing detail and I think animals are a fascinating subject to study and learn to draw. I mostly use photos that I've taken at zoos or museums since it's hard to find animals that will sit still long enough to draw them.
But since photos can make things look flat, I also use toy animals - those small, plastic, molded ones. Some have a lot of detail and it's helpful to see your subject in a three dimensional form. I can even set up little scenes this way, change the lighting, and design the composition. And, to be honest - I get to play as well!
This was done in colored pencil on Stonehenge paper.
SOLD

Update - Can You Ever Have Too Many Pencils?

My last blog on pencils has raised a question from a few of you - what do I use to store my pencils?
Most of my pencils are in these very cool ice cube trays that I found at either Bed, Bath & Beyond or Linens & Things - I'm not sure since I've had them for years. They're actually used to make ice cubes for long, plastic drinking bottles and cost about $3. I have about 10 of them and you can see in the photo how I use them to group colors together.

I made my other storage container out of PVC pipe from Home Depot. I cut the pipe to the sizes I wanted (about 30 pieces cut to a variety of heights to accommodate both long and short pencils) and hot glued them to a round piece of wood. All this is attached to a lazy susan.

I hope the photos help to clarify things, but let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!

Can You Ever Have Too Many Pencils?

I confess, I’m a pencil junkie - in my opinion, you can never have too many pencils. I just love them! I even have a collection of antique pencils, mechanical pencils, and several sets of old drafting tools. My collection comes from years of experimentation with the medium. There's never been a question about what to get me for my birthday!
For my colored pencil work, I mostly use Prismacolors, which are a wax-based pencil. Recently, I’ve been using Faber-Castell’s Polychromos, which are oil-based. Other pencil brands I use include Derwent, Cretacolor, Koh-I-Noor, Lyra, and Bruynzeel. I also use a variety of different graphite as well as pastel pencils. I don’t use water-soluble colored pencils very much, but they can save you a lot of time with putting down a layer of color. When I teach, I give my students several different brands of pencils, and if you’re new to colored pencils, I suggest you try a few to find one that feels comfortable to you.
Leave me a comment and let me know what brand of pencils you use and share what you like about them.

First blog

Thought I'd start my first blog with a small daylily study I did in colored pencil - it's an 9 x 10 on white, bristol paper. I decided to use a black ink wash for the background after I found the white background made the flower look too flat and the black background seems to be more dramatic. I've worked on black paper with colored pencil before and have had trouble getting intense colors, so I think using the black ink this way may solve that problem. I do know that other colored pencils artists will apply an "underpainting" of white or cream over black paper to help make top layers of color more intense. That method doesn't seem to work well for me but may be worth experimenting with if you're having the same problem.
I also like the way the light hits on areas of the pedals - I want to work on that effect more. The center of the flower could probably use more darks too.