October 2018 Showcase - Colored Pencil Artwork
The three artists featured in the October 2018 issue of COLOR Magazine Showcase submitted stories about their artwork for our blog. Read below about their inspiration for each of these colorful subjects.
Clowning Around by Kylie Carney
9.5 x 14 inches
Fabriano Artistico paper, and various colored pencils (Faber Castell Polychromos, Pablos, Luminance, Polychromos, Holbein)
(Photo from Pixabay)
My usual subjects are food and flowers, but I wanted to challenge myself with this gorgeous clownfish. I love snorkeling and this picture reminds me of the sense of relaxation I get from snorkeling. I aimed to create a sense of the diffused light and the contrast between the bright clownfish and its duller surroundings. Getting the colors right was the biggest challenge. Because of the dim light underwater, the colors are muted and often difficult to choose. I used the Arty app at times to help in selecting colors and also used Zest-it solvent to create smooth, saturated color transitions. All up this painting took around 30 hours to complete.
About Kylie:
Kylie Carney is a self-taught color pencil artist residing in Brisbane, Australia. Her favorite subjects are still life, food and flowers. Kylie loves the challenge of creating highly realistic works and capturing texture and form.
See more at: https://www.instagram.com/kylie.carney/
Brotherhood of the Sixth Dimension by Elizabeth Kincaid
13.5 x 21 inches
Luminance and Prismacolor colored pencils on Stonehenge
(Own reference photo)
This is a drawing of my husband and his scientific partner. They are deep in discussion about their work in solving problems in the field of Crystallography. They write mathematical programs that deal with space in multi-dimensions. I have shown the foundational program for their work in the background. I was struck by the intense focus in their faces as they were working. I love that they will spend hours and days like this. They were oblivious to my pointing a camera at them that day. This is my first portrait in colored pencil. I embossed the Stonehenge paper to create the letters and hair. The striped shirt was a fun challenge. Stripes are a wonderful way to show three dimensional form.
About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth Kincaid is a well-known watercolor artist who recently took up colored pencil. She is the author of Paint Watercolors That Dance With Light and has taught for many years. She fell in love with colored pencil and shows her work in local galleries and juried shows. Her new website features both watercolor and colored pencil.
See more at: https://www.elizabethkincaid.com
Lisa by Annemieke de Wit
16 x 10.5 inches
PanPastels, Prismacolor pencils on Stonehenge
(Own reference photo of my daughter, Lisa)
I made the photo on a sunny spring day when we were visiting Amsterdam Zoo. I loved the light on her face and thought it would make a nice drawing, also with the long hair touched by the sunlight. I always use fawn Stonehenge cotton for portraits of people because I think the color of the paper is a very good base for skin tones. For darker skin tones I use a darker paper. I decided to use PanPastels as a base, because it creates a very smooth layer and a thin one which means I can put more layers of colored pencil on top without saturating the paper too soon. I also wanted to make a drawing in which most of her long hair would be visible, so the paper is a bigger size than what I normally use for a portrait. It took around 40 hours to finish, but because I always work on several drawings simultaneously it's hard to give an exact estimate. I added a few highlights in the hair using a white Caran d'Ache Neocolor II, a wax crayon which is great for adding lighter colored details on top of darker colors. I don't do many people portraits these days, I mostly draw pets and wildlife, so I guess that makes this one a bit special - and the fact that it's my daughter!
About Annemieke:
Annemieke is a colored pencil artist from the Netherlands, who draws mostly pets and wildlife, with the occasional portrait in between. She has been drawing for more than 40 years, first in graphite, and since 2010 exclusively in colored pencils.
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/annemiekesart/
These artworks were published in the October 2018 issue of COLOR Magazine.
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