The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - July 2022

The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - July 2022

Corresponding with the art gallery that is featured each month in Ann Kullberg's COLOR MagazineThe 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 FB group links at the bottom of this post. Call for entry is posted every month in participating Facebook groups - join in the fun and your artwork could be featured, too!


When Oceans Rise by Linda Phillabaum
7x12 inches, colored pencil on Mi-Tientes Touch

Always looking for inspiration, I attended an interview of a colored pencil artist. The artist stated that she uses Canson Mi-Tientes Touch paper to render seascapes. She then gave a quick demo of her technique. Her method of rendering her seascape intrigued me. The demo inspired me to challenge myself and step away from the comfort of my normally used process. Very soon after the interview I searched the internet, on free reference photo sites, for the perfect seascape to try this new technique. I was immediately taken in by the wave photograph I ended up using. I felt it was the perfect image for the plans I had formed in my mind and scribbled down notes during and after the demo. This was to be my next drawing. Challenging, yes, but that’s exactly what I needed. I was excited to use a surface and technique that was new to me. The technique was uncomfortable for me but I pushed through. I’m pleased that I did, as this technique took less time to complete this drawing than it would have taken me using my usual process. I was very pleased with the results. However, I may not be doing too many more seascapes, so I then ask myself, “would this technique work just as well on a different subject matter?”. To answer that question, I need to jump out of my comfort zone again and try a different subject using this technique. I am currently working on another piece using this technique, a landscape. I look forward to seeing the results. Who knows, this technique/surface may become a second ‘comfort zone’ for me to work in with my many colored pencils.

About Linda Phillabaum:

Linda was raised in Illinois where she was introduced to colored pencil art. She soon became a member of the Chicago CPSA. In 2010 she became an instructor for Beech Tree Studio. In 2015 she moved to Texas where she is the Vice President of CPSA chapter 224. She lives with her husband John. They have a daughter and two grandchildren.

See more at: https://www.facebook.com/lindaphillabaumfineart



Dilapidated by Millie Simbeck
8” x 12” colored pencil on Koh-I-Noor paper

While out for a ride one day, I happened upon this old store on a horseshoe bend, along an old back road. It was so dilapidated and parts were falling in. The serenity of the area was so peaceful and calming. The weathered wood had the most gorgeous blueish tint to it and all the painted surfaces definitely showed their wear. But oh, that reflection in the front store windows was so mesmerizing, I just had to capture that fleeting moment and create this piece. It sat there all by itself with no other structures around, making me feel like I needed to share and preserve its existence.

About Millie Simbeck:

Millie is from Saint Marys. Her favorite medium is Colored Pencils, because of its control and blending abilities. She has also worked in watercolor, oils and acrylics along with stained glass, glass etching and many other mediums. She also loves the outdoors for inspiration, kayaking, hiking and metal detecting.

See more at: https://www.facebook.com/artbymilliesimbeck



Balancing Act by Sarah Fitchett
11 X16.5 inches, colored pencil on Derwent Lightfast

My sister, Jo's 50th Birthday was coming up and as usual I was struggling to find her a present, however, Jo loves frogs and when I saw these three red eyed tree frogs hanging off a piece of bamboo on iStock I decided to draw them for her birthday. They were a joy to draw with their bright colours and smiling faces and I'm very pleased to say my sister absolutely loves them. This was also a review of the Derwent Lightfast paper using Lightfast pencils only. I had had the Lightfast paper for sometime but had not tried it out so this seemed an ideal opportunity to put Lightfast pencils to Lightfast paper, I did not appreciate the effort of burnishing. A technique I am not familiar with but soon got the hang of, even though it made my wrist ache!! I will be drawing more frogs, they are great fun to draw with their bright colours and curious faces.

About Sarah Fitchett:

Sarah is 57 years old, works full-time doing a really hectic job and squeezes in coloured pencil art at the weekends as a means of relaxing. She would really rather do art than the proper job but is a bit rubbish at self-promotion.

See more at: https://www.facebook.com/SarahsAnimalPortraits/



Froggy by Susan Buling
10x8 inches, colored pencil on Canson drawing paper

This drawing is from a photo I took last summer at the Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio. We visit there often with our 11-year-old grandson Mack, spending the day exploring the woods and fields and ponds. It’s an inspiring place for an artist and I take lots of photos for reference. I decided to draw this one on black paper to bring out the amazing color of the frog and the lily pad. And I loved the challenge of working almost exclusively in green but still making sure that the frog looked 3-dimensional and separate from the lily pad, and that the water droplets and wet skin looked real. I used Prismacolor pencils and since I was working on black, I was able to add many of the white highlights first and draw around them. I’m not a fast or prolific artist. I take my time, often walking away for a day or two to come back with fresh eyes. The original drawing was larger including several other lily pads. But I decided I didn’t like the balance, didn’t think that they added anything, and cropped them out of the drawing. Since I usually draw still-life compositions, I was pleased with how this came out.

About Susan Buling:

Susan Buling has been drawing with colored pencils since she was in high school. Retirement gave her time to experiment with different pencils, papers, and techniques. She’s enjoying the creative process. When she’s not drawing, she makes hand-painted garden bells out of wine bottles.


These artworks are published in the JULY 2022 issue of COLOR Magazine.

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Comments (1)

Love the artwork in the Pencil Box!
And especially enjoy getting to know more about the artists!

Linda H Clark - May 25, 2022

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