November 2025 Showcase - Colored Pencil Artwork
The three artists featured in the November 2025 issue of COLOR Magazine Showcase share the stories behind their beautiful artwork here in our blog.
Bun Bun by Ann Holder
13 x 16 inches
Luminance, Pablo, Derwent Lightfast, and Polychromos colored pencils on Strathmore 500 Series Bristol vellum. (Reference Photo from Unsplash.)
When my kids were small, they called rabbits or bunnies “bun buns.” To this day, they’ll always be bun buns to me. At one point, we had a large brown lop-eared bunny, named (of course) Bun Bun. That bunny was surprisingly tolerant of toddlers, which amazes me.
Back then, we had a 1990s classic red plastic Little Tikes car, the kind you pedaled with your feet that had a place in the back to store things. Guess where the bunny rode? I can still picture it: his fluffy head peeking over the top of the seat while a child drove him down the sidewalk. Later, my second child of three raised two rabbits on our small farm in Missouri. One looked a little like the one in this picture. It, too, was like a pet, but I’m not sure if the leash training" idea ever took off. It had a new name: Ginger. It was a special time: kids, bun buns, and simple treasured moments.
I chose this image to draw because of these sweet memories and because of the pose of this darling bun bun: the radiant light shining through its ear, the texture of the soft fur, and the vibrant life the green background displays.
All together it expresses to me the need for a brief pause in my day — to take a moment to remember, ponder, consider my direction, and to live with intentionality and mindfulness. Life is precious. Each moment is a gift that matters. Rejoice in it. Be glad in it.
About Ann Holder:
Ann Holder is an artist based in the picturesque mountains of Highlands, North Carolina. Her medium is colored pencil, which enables her to create details, textures and vibrant colors in her pieces. Through her art, Ann hopes to inspire others to see the magnificence of God’s creation through beauty, goodness and truth.
See more at www.annholderart.com
Portrait of an Artist by John Robak
16 x 20 inches
Prismacolor and Verithin colored pencils on Bristol vellum. (Artist's own photo reference.)
Portrait of an Artist is an homage to all artists. I used a variety of photographs I had taken at various art fairs for references. I looked for poses that would fit my design, and I made up the entire background. Compositionally, I wanted the viewer to be attracted initially by the man in yellow on the far right and then follow the shorter figures to the artist. Her intense focus makes her oblivious to the observers, and her head and arm are symbolically isolated by the frame on the easel behind her. She works alone, despite the activity around her.
This is how I view my experience as an artist, and I’m sure it is true for others. When I sit at the drawing table, the world drifts away and clock faces disappear. I immerse myself in the lines and shapes and colors, and I am captivated by the prospect of making something unique appear. Jealously, I create for myself, for the satisfaction of knowing these elderly hands can still perform, despite the calendar’s date. And when I put down my pencils and awaken to reality, I can gaze upon my effort as an observer and marvel at what these hands have done. This drawing represents all who work to enrich themselves and to present a unique view of the world to others.
About John Robak:
John Robak is a retired high school English and art instructor. During his 30 years as an educator, he developed innovative courses in drawing, painting, cartooning, photography, film history, crafts and art history. He also taught drawing and painting in adult education programs. He was last employed as a college adjunct, teaching drawing.
See more at www.johnrobak.com
Sun Blossom by Virginia Carroll
33 x 22 inches
Prismacolor and Luminance colored pencils on Grafix .005" two-sided matte drafting film. (Artist’s own photo reference.)
Living in a desert, I have become enamored of the desert flora, particularly the varieties of cactus. This cactus seemed special. Even though it was only a lowly prickly pear of no particular variety, I found it so appealing that I knew I had to use it as the main subject of a drawing. The rhythm provided by the structure of the pads and blossoms and their soft colors, along with the one bright blossom, lent itself so well to the format I worked with in the drawing. I used the dark background to enhance the light colors and the sharpness of the cactus spines.
Working on drafting film, especially on Grafix .005" two-sided matte, makes it easy to create a dramatic drawing, as you can use the back and the front of the film to create special feelings of distance and foreground that enhance the environment of the drawing.
About Virginia Carroll:
Virginia was fortunate to have a mother with enough foresight to send Virginia to drawing lessons as early as age six. She studied art at all school levels and majored in art in college. Even now, as an accomplished artist, she attends interesting workshops, believing you should never stop learning. Art is her life!
See more at www.virginiacarroll.com
Download the digital version of the magazine for just $4.99, or subscribe and save! Each issue is packed with step by step projects, critiques, colored pencil tips, artist profiles and much more.