June 2019 Showcase - Colored Pencil Artwork

The three artists featured in the June issue of COLOR Magazine Showcase submitted stories about their artwork for our blog. Read below about their inspiration for each of these beautiful works of art.

Yumi by Harriet Bevan
11 x8 inches
Faber Castell Albrecht Durer, Derwent Drawing pencils, Caran D'ache Luminance on Clairefontaine PastelMat
(Client’s photo, used with permission)

It's always an honor to be asked to draw a much-loved cat, and the fact that someone has chosen me, out of many fabulous feline artists, also makes it a big responsibility. The reference photos I get asked to work from are often blurred and pixelated. Yumi's photo was so perfectly clear that I was worried I wouldn't be able to do it justice. I always aim to capture the light and softness as well as detail. There were lots of very subtle color graduations in Yumi's coat, which made it a joy to work on; I was constantly swapping over my pencils adding a light touch here and there. I'm quite haphazard in my approach. I am particularly pleased with how Yumi's fluffy legs came out in this.

About Harriet Bevan:

Harriet Bevan is an emerging artist from the North of England, best known for her cat portraits. Now about to turn professional, she began producing her own work in an informal art class. Gradually incorporating pen and pencil into paintings, she fell in love with colored pencil, and has worked exclusively in the medium for the last three years.

See more at: https://m.facebook.com/harriet.bevan.art/

Submerge by Barbara McGee
8 x 10 inches
Colored pencil on Stonehenge
(Artist’s own reference)

When my husband swims it is a beautiful thing! Armed with an underwater camera and the right light I am able to capture a wonderful merging of flesh tones and swimming pool blues. These photos make great reference shots for drawings and paintings. I love the irresistible patterns of color and juxtaposition of recognizable versus abstract forms. Colored pencil provides an immediate brain-to-hand expression that allows subtle gradations and nuances that I don’t find so readily with other mediums. This piece was drawn applying multiple layers of color, without burnishing the surface, so the texture of the paper remains intact. I love this subject matter and will definitely continue exploring its rich possibilities.

About Barbara McGee:

Barbara McGee was born on Quebec’s north shore, Sept-Iles by the sea. She studied art in Montreal at Academie des Arts and received a BFA from Concordia University. She moved to Toronto and worked at several advertising agencies. She since moved out of the city to raise her family. Barbara wrote and Illustrated the children’s book “Counting Sheep."

Wilbur the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel by Cathy Settle
8.25 x 11.75 inches
Polychromos, Prismacolor, Luminance, Pablo pencils and pan pastel on drafting film
(Photo by James Lowther. Used with permission.)

I had agreed to provide a prize for an online dog show competition and had the honor of choosing the winner from around 60 wonderful entries.I was offering to draw the winner and it was great to be able to see so many fabulous reference photos as a lot of my commission pet portraits are from photos of poor quality. It wasn't easy to just pick one but I'm so glad I chose Wilbur as the owner was a young boy who had saved his pocket money for the entry fee. He was so pleased that his photo was the winner; it made me feel like I'd gone with the right choice.

I chose to use drafting film as I find I can achieve very fine details on this smooth surface. I do find that it takes a bit of getting used to though, as some of the colors don't seem as dark, so sometimes I had to choose shades darker than I normally would and you have to use a very light touch as it won't take as many layers otherwise. The other problem I've found is that it's unforgiving if you make a mistake, sometimes using an eraser makes the surface impossible to cover, so no mistakes allowed. I do love the finished effect though; it has a sheen that is almost of a photographic quality.

About Cathy Settle:

Cathy Settle loved drawing in childhood, but it took over 30 years for her to pick up her pencils to help her to relax to cope with work stress. Admiration of her pet portraits gave her the encouragement to pursue her childhood dream of being an artist. Cathy gains her inspiration from the beauty of creation and enjoys recreating fine details.

See more at: https://www.cathysettleart.com

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

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