The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - February 2026

Glacier Bay Ice by Eleanor Doermann
12" X 18", colored pencil on Magnani Pescia

This image is from a cruise trip I took with my family to Glacier Bay, Alaska in 2000. It is the only time I have visited Alaska, and I was awed both by the massive scale and the vivid colors of the landscapes. Perfect material for color pencil drawing!  I was able to get up close to this ice floe to photograph it by kayak, which was like entering another world. My goal in drawing it was to capture the intense blue hues that even now remind me of the sensation of frigid clean air emanating off the ice.

Eleanor Doermann:

Eleanor received formal art training from an amazing teacher in high school. She learned how to incorporate color pencil in several workshops in the 1990’s. Since then, color pencil drawing has been part of her life through its ups and downs, and she has recently started sharing her work publicly.

Tyson the Wolfdog by Kathe Lewis
25 x 35 cm, colored pencil on Pastelmat

Tyson is a very special loving dog of the Czech Wolfdog breed, giving him half his genes from wolves. This shows in his behavior where the instinct determines a lot of different reactions than what you see in domestic dogs. At the same time he shares the rest of his genes with domestic dogs, so he is basically a silly goofy boy with the call of the wild still in his eyes. He lives next door to us and we often hear his evening song when howling at distant cousins. I those this subject for my experiment using pastel and coloured pencils together, so the initial layer is done with Panpastel, and the following detailed layers with coloured pencils. I like this method and will certainly do it again.

Kathe Lewis:

Kathe is a retired goldsmith from Denmark where she has worked and taught crafts all her life. She took up drawing and painting in her senior years, working in watercolour and coloured pencils but also experimenting with other media. The aim is hyperrealism, the subjects are natures creature.

Facebook: Kathe Lewis Art

Honoring Heritage by Lynda Selaya
14x17, colored pencil on Bristol Stonehenge

"Honoring Heritage" is a visual depiction from my imagination of what it may feel like welcoming Indigenous heritage into ones soul. I used Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol mineral spirits for blending to create this symbolic journey. Upon viewing, it's important to know that Indigenous peoples culture past and present exemplifies the values and spiritual awareness of life that I have attempted to display in "Indigenous Heritage."  I displayed Eagle feathers to be representative of honor and authority being mindful that feathers should be displayed pointing up. Mountains are where heaven and earth meet. The sunset is life giving, radiating warmth and is to show gratitude for a new day/life in this special honoring. Stepping stones represents the long journey of awareness of being Indigenous. Mind, Body and Spirt are represented as three eagles. Water is life, reflection in the water represents the awareness of oneself. Pride, strength, stability, authority, reflection, respect and love.

Lynda Selaya:

Lynda is a self taught artist who's focus is mainly on colored pencil. She takes and uses her own photo references and adds her imagination to express what she wants world to  see.

Facebook: Lynda's Dream Art Studio

Open Your Wings by Sandra Veillette
11 x 14 inches, colored pencil on Pastelmat
Photo ref: Fraida Gutovich @ Free Artist Reference Photos by WenPhotos

I fell in love with the reference photo because of its poetic atmosphere. A gentle softness emerges from the monochrome color palette, creating a calm mood, subtly illuminated by warm touches of color in the wings. In the morning light, the two cranes stand together: one remains still with its wings closed, while the other opens its wings in a graceful gesture. This contrast suggests balance between rest and movement. The crane spreading its wings invites us to embrace renewal, to welcome new beginnings, and to dare stepping beyond familiar paths.

Sandra Veillette:

Sandra Veillette works as a full-time professional forester in Quebec, Canada. Since 2021, she has specialized in realistic drawings using colored pencils. Having grown up surrounded by nature, wildlife and domestic animals are her subjects of choice. She practices her art on a part-time basis.

Facebook: Sandra Veillette - Artiste