The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - March 2019
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!
The Red Sweater by Maria Villioti
18x13 inches, colored pencils on Pastelmat
I love drawing faces. Portraiture is difficult because you have to depict characteristics, features and expression with accuracy. As an artist, I find appealing faces that reflect emotion. This is a portrait of my son, Vasilis, whom I have painted several times in the past. In this photo, Vasilis is 9 years old. It amazes me to see how fast he grows up every time I paint him. His skin is very white, almost transparent and I worked in many layers in order to depict it. The difficulty in painting children is to be able to get the right age. They often look older in the paintings. Their eyes must be sparkling, their skin clear and the shadows soft. I used Polychromos, Caran d'ache Supracolor and Pablo colored pencils on a Pastelmat surface.
About Maria:
Maria Villioti is an award winning painter, working with colored pencils and graphite. She is member of IGOR and Silver member of UKCPS. Her artwork has been published in several Treasure Volume books. She has participated in numerous exhibitions in UK, USA, Canada and Greece.
See more at: http://marvillioti.wixsite.com/mariavillioti
Jar of Marbles by Elaine Whiteside
9" x 12", Polychromos and Prismacolor on Claire Fontaine Ingres Pastel Paper, (using the reverse side for less texture)
As a predominantly soft pastel artist, this was a welcome return to colored pencil for me. I just love the pin point accuracy of colored pencils, the layering process, and the nature of colored pencils, i.e. no mess, stop and start easily. I worked from a reference photo provided by Ruth Archer of Lunar Sea Art, to whom I am indebted. The colors and abstract nature of the marbles really appealed to me and the way the light reflected of each of the marbles creating reflections and distortion. One of my ambitions is to be able, eventually, to create a cut glass colored pencil drawing - the challenge excites me.
About Elaine:
Elaine Whiteside is predominantly self-taught, taking up art in 2011. She has concentrated on using soft pastels and occasionally colored pencils. She lives in Northern Ireland. She is a featured artist on New Irish Art website, and enjoys drawing landscapes, animal and wildlife portraits and the 'out of the ordinary.'
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/EWhitesideArt/
Owl Attitude by Susan Morris
6.5" x 7.5" Prismacolor on
Strathmore Bristol Vellum
When I first saw the image, it made me laugh. Such a tiny little owl, peeping out of a hole in a tree, but ready to take on the world. It brought joy to me and I knew I had to try to capture and convey that personality and attitude through colored pencil with the hope that it would brighten someone else's day as it had mine. Looking at the little owl, I was reminded that as we approach life, one should try to have the same attitude....."Bring it on! I'm ready for it!" I hope others find amusement, encouragement, laughter, and joy through a little "Owl Attitude"
About Susan:
Susan has always been a creative person with several artistic interests. Eventually, she was introduced to colored pencils and knew she had found her artistic medium. As often happens, she drifted away from artwork for several years but returned to her passion in 2018.
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/shmorrisart
Mr. Toad's Broken Chair by Diane Masek-BLow
8x10 inches Bristol Vellum, Prismacolor, Polychromos, Verithin
I took the reference picture for this while on a hike in the Cascade mountains with a small group of my women friends. We are all in our 60's and 70's so our hikes have special meaning as we get older (and slower!). And they are always tolerant of me stopping and taking pictures of everything that catches my eye. I am always drawn to a picture that tells a story and this particular scene struck me because it made me wonder what had happened that broke poor Mr. Toad's favorite chair. I was particularly taken by the strong contrasts in values, which I really wanted to capture in my pencil work.
About Diane:
Diane has always been interested in art but put that interest on the back burner while she pursued a career. She discovered colored pencils early in 2018, shortly before retiring, and was immediately attracted to both their challenges and their simplicity.
These artworks are published in the MARCH 2019 issue of COLOR Magazine.
FEATURED ARTWORKS FROM OUR FACEBOOK PARTNER GROUPS