The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - June 2022
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 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!
Satin Bowerbird by Brenda Milstein
11.7 X 16.5 inches, colored pencil on Pastelmat Board
A couple of years ago I took up photography and one of my loves is photographing our native birds here in Brisbane, Australia. On one of my trips I had to stay in the one spot due to a fall that temporarily restricted me from walking about the forest areas. This is where I took the photos of the female Satin Bowerbird who flew in and perched on a rock just a few feet away from me. How lucky I was to be so close and to spend so much time being mesmerized by her beautiful blue eyes. I loved this photo and knew I would want to draw her. It isn't often these birds come and perch so close so I felt very privileged that she stayed for as long as she did. The female’s eyes are a stunning blue and you find yourself just gazing at their beauty until the bird takes flight. The background on the Reference photo although lush with greenery did nothing for this SPECIAL LADY hence the need to use some artistic license by blurring and darkening it to give her centre stage. This in turn gave me grief trying to create the bokeh effect I desired. I spent many hours trying to get the right blend of the lighter greens moving into the deeper darker greens with coloured pencils. Not an easy task. There are many, many layers on the background that even the Pastelmat Board was having difficulty with but eventually I managed to get the values I wanted. Also getting just the right blue for her eyes was a bit tricky and took longer than I thought but with patience I hope I've done her justice.
About Brenda Milstein:
Brenda Milstein started drawing about 14 years ago at the age of 60 after her children had left home. She dabbled in water colours and decided to take a small course at the local Botanical gardens then tried portraiture in graphite so she could draw her grandchildren. This in turn led to coloured pencils and her love of drawing birds.
See more at: https://brenbi5.wixsite.com/brenzart
Henry is like a Towering Tree by Elizabeth Heath
8x20inches, colored pencil on Stonehenge
Henry's portrait is a visual prayer; inspired by Hosea14:5-7. God's Blessing: I will be like dew to you, you will blossom like the lily. God will send down your roots, your young shoots will grow, your splendor will be like an olive tree, your fragrance like a strong, majestic cedar. You will tower and your branches will provide protection. I also gave Henry the Towering Trees in depth picture with scripture added. I hope when Henry views the pictures he feels loved. The picture captures his delightful and adventurous personality. Henry's name also means "house ruler", which is fitting for him compared to a towering tree whose branches will provide protection. His sister also has a "tree" portrait.
About Elizabeth Heath:
Beth did not always want to be an artist, but she's always desired to create a picture for someone. At first it was a homemade birthday card complete with a poem and pennies taped inside. During her banking career she turned data into analysis and colorful graphs to support banking policy changes. Now, it's portraits inspired by scripture and love.
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/Watering-Visions-LLC-Art-by-Beth-115048410189244
Lost My Mittens by Holly Horn
22x30 inches, colored pencil on Graffix drafting film
This little girl's thoughtful expression caught my eye and made me pause to take a closer look. Her cozy coat with its lively colorful pattern and whimsical hat suggest a sense of playfulness and joyful adventure on a chilly winter’s day. At the same time her expression reveals the wariness and wisdom of an old soul. As I was pulled in to explore her portrait further, I saw that her hands were red, which suggested that her thoughts may have been more about the dismay of lost mittens than focused on a winter adventure. She leaves me wondering about her story and reflecting on similar experiences I have had. The juxtaposition of the child's emotions reminds me how each of us experience a range of feelings at any given moment in time. At the beginning of the pandemic I felt an impulse to focus on faces. I have created over 75 portraits of people and pets over the past two years. I am consistently intrigued and continue to be inspired by the stories our faces reveal to the world.
About Holly Horn:
Holly Horn is an internationally award winning artist and teacher. Her artwork in colored pencil, pastels, and watercolor is saturated in color. She specializes in portraiture of people and pets. Co-founder and past president of the Saint Louis Watercolor Society, Holly loves encouraging other artists, through her online art classes.
See more at: https://www.hollyhornfineart.com
Colorful Eats by Tracey Chaykin
11x14 inches, colored pencil on PastelMat
As an avid organic gardener, I love being able to just go in the backyard and pick what we need for dinner! It brings me great joy to get down and dirty to create delicious sustenance. I love sharing all that we harvest, the colors, the varieties, especially since my garden is all in containers. I mostly have a great deal of pride in my peppers and tomatoes being an Italian who makes her own sauce. This particular day, I was so impressed with all the colors of our harvest, I decided to arrange the veggies in a rainbow pattern. The blue platter I had used was a happy accident in providing the perfect background. It was interesting to work thru this piece and realize how many actual different colors I used for each type of veggie. Being a gardener, I actually thought about the growth process of the particular veggie I was working on for color selection. An example being the San Marzano tomatoes on the left. When these first start forming on the vine, they are a light green. That’s exactly what I started with before applying various shades of orange and red. This piece was a great way to show off our colorful harvest and was even more pleasurable to create a lasting work of Art. Perfect for the Kitchen!
About Tracey Chaykin:
Tracey Chaykin is an award-winning Colored Pencil artist from Napa California. Tracey loves providing all kinds of subject matter utilizing the Colored Pencil medium on it's own or combined with other mediums. Tracey's goal always is to achieve a level of Realism leaving the viewer feeling as if they are there!
See more at: https://www.traceychaykin.com
These artworks are published in the JUNE 2022 issue of COLOR Magazine.
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