The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - June 2023
Corresponding with the art gallery that is featured each month in Ann Kullberg's COLOR Magazine, The Pencil Box blog series will give artists a bit more space to share insight and inspiration about their colored pencil art. Make sure to check out FB group links at the bottom of this post. Call for entry is posted every month in participating Facebook groups - join in the fun and your artwork could be featured, too!
Here I Am! by Brenda Eneboe
10 x 10 inches, colored pencil on Grafix Drafting Film
When my CPSA district chapter 212 asked members to help with a group project for the Sonora Desert Museum art show this summer and the theme is, “Colorful Arizona,” I thought of the photo I took of my little dog Cody. A southwest styled blanket wrapped around a Chihuahua seemed to fit! I’ve never had any art displayed in a gallery before, so I wanted this piece to be special. I’ve drawn dogs, but I’ve never drawn blankets. “Here I Am!” started as a challenge to myself to learn how to draw fabric on Grafix Drafting film only using colored pencils, but as I drew, I became immersed in the textures, folds and patterns. I love realism and tried to capture that with Cody peeking his head out, but I also loved the abstract shapes and forms the blanket created around his little face. He looks like royalty to me…well, he does “rule” our home!
ABOUT BRENDA ENEBOE:
Brenda Eneboe has always loved to draw, but life, jobs, marriage and 3 children got in the way. Since retiring, Brenda loves learning everything about colored pencils through online workshops, tutorials, etc. She’s a member of Bonny Snowdon’s Academy, CPSA and active in her local Arizona chapter.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091867177766
Judgemental Juliet by Harriet Blaskett
12 x 9 inches, colored pencil on Grafix Drafting Film
This drawing is special to me because it reminds me of time spent with my family and shows me what I can achieve when I challenge myself and persevere. I took the reference photo when I was out for lunch with my parents at my local farm shop called ‘Juliet’s’ and it was also feeding time for their free-range hens. I set myself the challenge of drawing something different in between my usual furry subjects to push myself out of my comfort zone and it certainly did that. Her judgemental expression (and a fair few biscuits) kept me going when I was getting lost drawing all those feathers. I love how fierce she looks and how many captions work for her, I think she looks like she wants to speak to the manager!
ABOUT HARRIET BLASKETT:
Harriet started drawing with coloured pencils in 2020 and hasn’t stopped since. As an animal lover her choice of subject was obvious, the bond people have with their pets is so special. Her aim is to capture not just a physical likeness, but also that ‘extra something’ that makes our pets so unique.
https://www.facebook.com/HB.petportraits/
Lola by Sheri Engel
16x20 inches, colored pencil on Pastelmat
Lola was a gorgeous chihuahua loved by all that met her. She was a beautiful soul. I was honored to have the opportunity to draw her. Her owners are dear friends of the family that we have known for years. They have a café named after Lola, and they plan to hang the drawing in the café as a memorial to the cafe's namesake. I always approach memorial drawings with an effort to capture as much of the essence of the pet as I can. Fortunately, they had an excellent reference photo for me to draw from. I love the way the light hits her face. I tried to draw the light shining through her ear and lighting up her eye. I feel I was able to draw her sweet expression that shows so much of her personality. The blanket proved to be a challenge with all the textures, but was fun to complete.
ABOUT SHERI ENGEL:
Sheri is an award-winning artist living in California. She started drawing with colored pencil 9 years ago with no prior art experience. She is mostly self-taught. She loves drawing portraits of pets, but dabbles with all sorts of other works inspired by nature. She creates depth by capturing light.
https://www.facebook.com/SheriEngelArt
Pickles by Suzanne Collier
9x12 inches, colored pencil on Grafix Drafting Film
This drawing is from a photo I took of my son's pygmy goat, Pickles. I was visiting them in Washington state and Pickles was out of her enclosure and had wandered onto the porch where I was sitting. She climbed up on a stack of wood pellet bags and looked so happy up on that little man-made mountain, so I took a few photos of her. She was looking at me so intently with those sparkling blue eyes. I began thinking about what pencil colors I would use to draw her. I knew when I saw her standing there, that I wanted to do a drawing with her blue eyes, her colorful fur, as well as the background with the lines and color splotches on the logs of the house and the white pellet bags with the stylized red and orange lettering. In my drawing, I wanted to capture her spirit and her watchful, happy personality. This was a memorial drawing for my grandson Tristan, who loved and took care of Pickles the little goat.
ABOUT SUZANNE COLLIER:
Suzanne Collier is a color pencil artist living in Missouri, USA, with her four dogs, cat and partner Paul. Her love of art led to obtaining a BFA in Art Education and teaching for 25 years. Retired, she discovered Bonny Snowdon and joined her in 2020 on Patreon and her Academy.
https://www.facebook.com/suzannecollierfineart
These artworks are published in the JUNE 2023 issue of COLOR Magazine.
FEATURED ARTWORKS FROM OUR FACEBOOK PARTNER GROUPS