The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - February 2017

Corresponding with the art gallery that is featured each month in Ann Kullberg's COLOR Magazine, The Pencil Box blog series will give artists a bit more space to share insight and inspiration about their colored pencil art. Make sure to check out links at the bottom of this post for our Facebook group partners - join in the fun and your artwork could be featured, too!

Big Red by Bev Lewis
16" x 12"
Prismacolour and dark indigo Faber Castell polychromos pencils on drafting film.

This beautiful chap is a red ruffed lemur who lives at Bristol Zoo North Somerset in the
UK. The inspiration for this picture was the magnificent rust red of the Lemur's coat and the contrast with his black face which, in the sunlight appeared to be almost blue.The reference photo is my own and was taken on a Birthday visit to the zoo a few years ago. He was very obliging and posed very nicely for me in the autumn sun. I have exhibited this picture at the UKCPS annual exhibition where it got a Highly Commended award which I was very pleased with.

I enjoy working on drafting film and I was able to get the extra depths of detail in the fur quite easily. The prismascolour pencils work well on film and I found that layering was not an issue here as it can be on this support, this is the reason I love to use it for
animals and birds as layering for fur is a very different technique to the technique used in layering for other subjects. As I was using drafting film I was also able to scratch out the highlights on the tips of the fur and his whiskers, giving a wonderful highlight to the backlit animal. I used Faber Castell polychromos dark indigo pencil for the black areas, his face, paws and tail because as I very, very rarely use black (a dead colour in my opinion) I will frequently use this indigo colour when I need to render a black animal, in preference to any other brand of indigo, as it is a very dark blue, all of the indigos are too bright. To render his wonderful red coat I used many different colours from yellows, oranges, reds, browns and even purples to achieve the depth and thickness of his fur. This picture took many hours to complete and I was very pleased with the finished image.

About Bev Lewis
I am a professional artist and illustrator with a passion for drawing animals. I am a Signature member of the UK Coloured Pencil Society (UKCPS Gold), regularly exhibiting at their annual exhibitions and winning a number of awards along the way. I love using coloured pencils because of the increased control they allow me. The results have an amazing detail and realness, which I strive for in each of my pictures. I take commissions for pet portraits.

Sunhat by Helen Green

This piece is based upon a photograph kindly submitted for use by Jacki Edmonds (FB page Photo's for Artists). It is drawn using Faber-Castell Polychromo's and Caran
d'Ache Luminance on Daler-Rowney smooth bristol board - blended with Zest-it -
approximately A3 size. I was drawn to the lovely pose of the child and the complexity
of the knitted sunhat. This is the first time I have attempted to draw anything knitted and the complexity of the stitches took some time but I enjoyed the challenge.

About Helen Green

I am an artist based in Lincolnshire, England, specializing in detailed family and pet portraiture. I have been drawing all my life but also dabble in oils and pastels. Pencil is my preferred medium and am delighted that coloured pencil work is getting the recognition it deserves in the art world. I have a successful Facebook page and have won several awards for my work in the local area. I am also featured in the publication '1 Man 100 Faces' by Simon O'Corra. See more from Helen here.

Three Lanterns by Teddi Bandt

When I saw the reference photo I used for this, I instantly knew I had to render it and
make it mine. It is me. It is where I am from. It is so familiar that it could have been the
barn on the farm I grew up on in Wisconsin. During every moment at my drawing table I was present in this barn. Lost in my past, each element of the drawing became real to me.

The textures of the weathered wood with peeling paint, the rusting cans with the labels a mystery, the worn out work boot and the dusty, yet shiny lanterns are so familiar and comfort food for my pencils. Achieving the rich tones required many layers and was quite time consuming, but a wonderful journey. The suede matboard surface allows me to portray items with highly saturated tones. I listed which colors I used in each area to allow me to maintain continuity of the tone. This was a remendous help as I tried working from left to right, but soon found myself moving to what ever area interested me at the time.

I was particularly attracted to this photo I used with permission from Joan McDaniel
(Photos for Artists group on facebook) not only because of the subject, but also
because of the assortment of colors and surface textures throughout the composition.
With a purposeful reference photo I am able to translate the subject with feeling and
present it the way I see it. I often liken it to reading a book. The author gives us the
information they feel is important and it's up to the reader to transpose it in their own
minds. It is the same with art.

Although I am more than willing to try tackle different subjects, choosing those that are expressive and relevant to me result in a piece I can't help but be proud of. What is a success in my eyes, may not impress some, but my hope is that my paintings tell a story to the viewer even if the subject isn't interesting to them. My greatest satisfaction, still, is having the opportunity myself to revisit my past, live in the present, or go places I have never been through my art.

I am always happiest in my little studio. My art is so much a part of who I am that I feel it defines me. I'm sure all artists feel the same. And of course there are days I wonder if it is a blessing or a curse. The drive to include studio time in every day is tremendous.

About Teddi Bandt

At a very young age I knew that art would always define me. My Midwest upbringing is reflected in much of my art. Primarily self-taught, I enjoy learning new mediums and absorbing all I can from books, other artists, and experimenting. While working with my husband at our business and raising 3 children, I wasn't able to paint or draw for 20 years. The past 10 years have afforded me more time to paint and draw again. I don't know how I survived without it. I am determined to grow as an artist. This is just the beginning.

Oriental Beauty by Leanne Moss

Earlier this year I set myself the challenge of drawing portraits of people having
previously only worked on animals, it is a daunting trying to capture the essence of the a person in a drawing.

This work is the second in a series I have decided to do based on beauty and our different perceptions of what is beautiful in a world that can be so ugly.

The Geisha is an icon in Japanese culture a symbol of beauty and grace and I am
fascinated by the place they hold in society. My drawing hopes to capture a snapshot of a life that revolves around beauty, art and culture drawing us into her world and showing us her inner beauty.

About Leanne Moss

I am rediscovering my love and passion for drawing after a long absence. I hold a degree in Fine Arts and enjoy capturing special moments and memories through my art.

These artworks were published in the February 2017 issue of COLOR Magazine.

FEATURED ARTWORKS FROM OUR FACEBOOK PARTNER GROUPS

• AUSCPA Australian Coloured Pencil Artists and Friends
• Colored Pencil Artist League
• Coloured Pencil Pushers
• THE CREATIVE COLOR PLACE - for Color Pencil Artists
• Colored Pencil Corner