The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - November 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!
Chewing the Grass at Honister Pass by Heidi Seal
11.5 x 16.5 inches,Grafix drafting film
Being able to combine coloured pencils with PanPastel by layering drafting film over Pastelmat is a terrific way to easily create simple but effective backgrounds. It can add interest to the overall piece but remains slightly muted, leaving the subject centre stage. Using the Pastelmat for the sky in this particular drawing and the reverse of the film for the hills helps gives a sense of depth whilst allowing the sheep to stand out against the landscape, and the typically cloudy skies of the Lake District.
About Heidi Seal:
Heidi Elizabeth is a self-taught pencil artist from West Yorkshire who is inspired by nature and the world around her, creating artworks that show the vibrancy and beauty of the world we live in. Her subjects range from flowers to animals and scenery, still life and portraits.
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/heidielizabetharts
Childhood Reflections by Kathryn Regel
18x24 inches, Polychromos on Grafix drafting film
After 60 years, my mom decided to sell her house, my childhood home which was built in the early 1900s. We walked around the house, and I took photos, this one of the lace curtains she loves so much. What at first simply seemed like a recording of our history, upon a closer look, turned out to be a beautiful combination of the intricate lace curtains and the natural beauty surrounding the house reflecting on the glass. It brought back many sweet childhood memories. I set out to capture this image in vivid colors and chose drafting film because it lends itself to render precise details.
About Kathryn Regel:
Kathryn Regel lives and works in Hickory, North Carolina. A native of Wisconsin, Kathryn earned a BA in Art from the University of Texas at Dallas. She is a full-time artist, and her work has been shown in various juried exhibitions across the US and is the recipient of various awards for her work.
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/artandancestry/
Two Zebras Enjoying the Day by Sherry Goeben
9x11 inches, colored pencil on Grafix drafting film
I am forever looking for reference photos that have amazing light, contrast, or beautiful subjects. When I saw the the two zebras I realized this photo had fulfilled not one but all three of my criteria. It captured my attention and I knew immediately that I needed to draw these magnificent animals. I decided Grafix drafting film would be perfect for achieving those wonderful contrasts and vivid colors that Minka2507 had produced in the reference photo. Drafting film is one of my favorite surfaces to draw on with the colored pencils. The colors always pop and there are so many different techniques and options that can be used with the film. For this piece I used India ink on the back side for the most prominent stripes. Everything else on the zebras was drawn with colored pencils on the front side of the film. Wax pastels work wonderfully on the drafting film so the Neocolor II's were the perfect choice for the underpainting for the background. All the blending for the colored pencils and wax pastels was done utilizing a reptile heating pad underneath the drawing to warm up the surface so I could use paper stumps to blend everything. After everything cooled off I was able to go back in and add more details using the colored pencils for the background. These are some of the techniques I can use with the Grafix drafting film that make it such a joy to work on!
About Sherry Goeben:
Sherry Goeben, a well-known colored pencil artist within the Facebook community, is best known for capturing the “soul” of her animal subjects. She has won several awards for her artwork. Sherry loves to share her knowledge and techniques with fellow artists. There are three things that mean the most to her – God, her family, and doing art!
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/SherryGoeben
Siamese Fighting Fish by Steve Lowen
16 x 12 inches, colored pencil on Strathmore Mixed Media Blue
In the first instance, I wanted a challenge and a break from drawing botanical work which has dominated my coloured pencil art practice for a number of years now. Whilst the fish subject is different from flowers, the level of detail and colouring which I strive for, was in essence the same. However, a new substrate for me, coupled with using traditional watercolour with coloured pencil was the real challenge set to myself and to up my game too. Following spinal surgery in February, the loss of a dear friend on the back of a pandemic, drawing sustained me throughout and kept me going. This is the first drawing in coloured pencil, that really gave me the confidence in tackling different subjects and embracing new materials.
About Steve Lowen:
Steve is an artist based in the UK. His work is largely produced in coloured pencil, graphite and oil colour. The subject matter varies, botanical work and food are favourites. Steve's work has been shown publicly since 2014 and is in private collections in the UK and in Europe. He is a member of the UK Coloured Pencil Society.
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/SteveLowenArtist
These artworks are published in the NOVEMBER 2022 issue of COLOR Magazine.
FEATURED ARTWORKS FROM OUR FACEBOOK PARTNER GROUPS