September 2021 Showcase - Colored Pencil Artwork
The three artists below, featured in the September 2021 issue of COLOR Magazine Showcase, share their beautiful artwork and the inspiration behind it here in our blog.
Light at the End of the Day by Eileen Nistler
15 x 20 inches
Colored pencil and crayon, on 6-ply museum board.
(Artist's own photo)
“Do what is meaningful, not expedient.” Jordan Peterson
Most of my work for the last few years has been still life paintings. I grow a lot of flowers and I have a wonderful sunflower garden. Many of my paintings include a plank from our corral that is probably older than I am. This adds to the texture that I enjoy drawing. Sunflowers are simple, cheerful, and yellow, all traits that I enjoy. This particular arrangement had some big sunflowers that are a little reminiscent of VanGogh sunflowers.
My medium of choice is colored pencils. I’ve used them since my college architecture days. I love the precision and I detest washing paint brushes.
My work is inspired by Baroque painters Rubens and Caravaggio. I am a true and devoted follower of the chiaroscuro style. Extreme value (lightness and darkness) creates drama like a spotlight on the characters of a play.
About Eileen Nistler:
Eileen was born and raised in Wyoming but left for 17 years to pursue an education, travel, and a short career as an architect. Then the magic of Wyoming called her back. She now lives in the house that she drew in her first paintings as a child. Much of her inspiration comes from living and loving on a working ranch in Wyoming.
See more at: www.eileennistler.com/
My Leap Year by Victoria Shewbrooks
8.5 x 6.5 inches
Colored pencil and acrylic paint on Ampersand sanded pastel board
(Photo from Pixabay)
I wanted to celebrate my leap year birthday, so why not draw a frog for myself, as I leap into a new year of life? Only, this piece leapt four years into the next leap year before I managed to finish it. That’s quite a leap! I fell in love with this little amphibian. The real challenge was using colors that I don’t normally gravitate to and actually shy away from.
When I laid out all the colored pencils I would use on this piece I thought, What have I done! Could I actually use bright yellows, oranges and greens that I usually run from? It was very intimidating but I wanted to push through and have fun with it. Exploring a new color palette is really enlightening and refreshing. Focusing on the details of this little creature was my main intent to share with the viewer; how handsomely dignified this occupant of the forest is, and to remind me to take the leap whenever it presents itself, wherever that may take me.
About Victoria Shewbrooks:
Victoria Shewbrooks is a self-taught artist, illustrator, and nature photographer. Her focus in art is to share the beauty of creation, whether nature, creature, or human. She works in pencil and colored pencil and loves the results of a simple line on paper.
12 x 8 inches
Faber Castell Polychromos on Strathmore Windpower (Bristol Smooth)
(Photo from 123RF)
"Still Life with Kumquats" was drawn for a tutorial (available on my website) with only five pencils: red, yellow, blue, black, and white. By mixing the primary colors, you can easily get additional colors. For a full-fledged, realistic drawing, you do not need to have large sets of pencils at all. It took two working weeks to create this artwork. The drawing appears three-dimensional because the foreground is made clear, and the background, which is out of focus, is blurred. This little trick mimics the way we usually see three-dimensional objects. Another trick is that by working in layers, the stroke looks neat after the drawing is finished, which affects the overall appearance of the work.
About Ekaterina Putyatina:
Ekaterina always preferred graphite pencils to paints, so colored pencils became an extraordinary discovery for her. At the age of 14 she graduated from art school, and before entering the institute, took private lessons in graphics for a couple of years. In 2013 she graduated from the institute with a major in design.
See more at: https://eputyatina.com/
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