December 2019 Showcase - Colored Pencil Artwork

Every piece of art has a story. The three artists featured in the December 2019 issue of COLOR Magazine Showcase share the stories about their artwork for our blog. Read below to discover what inspired their wonderful art. 

Pysanky 2019 by David Hoque
15 x 19.25 inches
Caran d'Ache Luminance, Pablo, Faber Castell Polychromos and Prismacolor colored pencils on Strathmore 300 Bristol.
Artist’s own photo.

This is the third Pysanky colored pencil piece I have done and there will be more forthcoming. I enjoy the symmetry of the eggs and the absence of hard angles. To me this oval symmetry contrasts nicely with other elements in the piece and makes it easier on the eye. I also enjoy the rich details on each egg that have been painstakingly drawn on them by the artist celebrating Christian Eastern Orthodox religion and culture. These pieces are challenging for me. I have to take lots of studio subject photos and try to find a balance between the intense and busy details drawn on each egg and the other textures and elements incorporated in and around them. This piece will be displayed in my first solo exhibition with many others (including my other other two Pysanky pieces) in January 2020 at the Swift Creek Playhouse in Colonial Heights, Virginia.

About David Hoque:


David is an American fine artist borne in Monterey, California. He is a Signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and a juried professional member of the International Guild of Realism. He has a great interest in studying and creating artistic realism in watercolor and colored pencil and sharing his studies with the world.

See more at: www.artbyhoque.net

Through the Woods by Teresa Frazier
16 x 20 inches
Polychromos and Luminance colored pencils on Uart 500 sanded paper with a light touch of white pan pastel here and there.
Moose photo from Pixabay, with permission.

I absolutely love log cabins, I think because my happiest childhood memories are my visits to my grandmother"s house in the country. It was a small house that was originally made of log and then shingled and plastered. (What a shame). There was a small upper room where the logs and chinking were still exposed. I spent many a happy hour playing in that cozy, warm little room on cold winter days. She didn't live on a mountainside or near a forest, but those happy, safe moments in my life are what inspired me to do this drawing. I also love moose but having never seen one, I used a Pixabay photo. The rest of the scene is my imagination.

About Teresa Frazier:

Teresa is primarily a self-taught colored pencil artist. High school classes and a correspondence course and lots of trial and error are the sources of her education. She started her artistic endeavors with oil painting, but once she tried colored pencil, she jumped in with both feet and never looked back.

See more at: https://teresa-frazier.pixels.com/

Sweet Things by Jennifer Ridge-Cooke
16 x 20 inches
Caran d’Ache Luminance, Faber Castell Polychromos and Prismacolor Premier, on Clairefontaine Pastelmat.
Photo by Carol Tillyer, used with permission.

“Sweet Things” is a portrait drawn for my sister’s youngest child, Kasey, who had just turned ten. Kasey posted me a letter last year asking if I could draw her as she thought I was an amazing artist. I have her letter hanging in my art room as a reminder to myself when I have those self-doubting moments that all artists have. I read that letter and know that at a minimum I have at least one fan out there. It’s also a reminder that applies in reverse. I can admire qualities in people and just assume they know this about themselves, but it’s not always the case. I try hard to voice those thoughts now and add a minute of highlight to someone’s day.

This drawing is also my tribute to a beautiful girl, in a way voicing my thoughts as a proud auntie. She has always been gorgeously cute since a baby and has blossomed into a really lovely girl. At the age of ten, girls are still girls, just beautiful sweet innocent girls; the calm before the storm.

About Jennifer Ridge-Cooke:

Jennifer Ridge-Cooke has been a color pencil artist since 2007, when she was disabled temporarily with a back injury. Having always been very active, the need to do something creative while recovering led to the discovery of this art form. Jennifer loves drawing moments in time, especially those which incorporate emotion or evoke emotion.

See more at: http://www.facebook.com/jenridgecookearts/

These artworks were published in the December 2019 issue of COLOR Magazine.

Download the 40-page digital version of the magazine for just $3.89, or subscribe and save 15%. Each issue is packed with step by step projects, critiques, colored pencil tips, artist profiles and much more.