The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - October 2025

The Queen and her Retinue by Abigail Balza
5x5 inches, colored pencil on Strathmore Bristol Vellum
Photo ref: Jordan Bissonette

I drew this as a thank you gift for the local beekeeper that came and removed a honey bee hive that had made its home in our barn. We were surprised to learn that there were upwards of 20,000 bees! This drawing features one of the beekeeper’s beautiful queen bees and her retinue that cares for her. It was fascinating learning more about honey bees and hive dynamics. This piece challenged me with all the fine details and different textures, and I will have to admit that I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but I loved watching it all come together. I look at bees differently now, admiring their beauty every time I come across one. They are such important insects and I am looking forward to drawing more in the future.

ABIGAIL BALZA:

Abigail is a part-time colored pencil artist located in Oregon. Always having a love for animals and nature, her artwork focuses on pet portraits and wildlife art. Abigail has three young boys, who keep her busy between drawing sessions.
Facebook: Abigail Balza Art




I Was Here First! by Darren Gwatkin
10 x 16 inches, colored pencil on Rising Museum Board
Photo ref: Emily Taylor

I was recently browsing through a wonderful local wildlife photographers images looking for a new subject to draw (with permission) when this image of 2 kingfishers taken by one of his students stood out to me. It instantly grabbed my attention, the vibrancy and fluidity of the birds was something I had to try and capture. Discovering the hidden colours and textures in the feathers and trying to recreate it on the page was both challenging and exciting. When sitting in my studio it reminds me so much of growing up in Wales, i can almost smell the river as the 2 birds decide who gets the branch. My father would be watching through his video camera, trying to capture which would succeed while calling us to take a look. It's amazing how an image can suddenly bring up so many good memories.

DARREN GWATKIN:

Darren is an engineer and artist living in the West Midlands UK, but is originally from South Wales. He has always had a passion for drawing but primarily used graphite pencils until the last few years when he's fully submersed himself with coloured pencils.
Facebook: Gwatkin Artworks.




Early Morning Essence by Deborah Peters
16x12 inches, colored pencil on Fabriano Black
Photo ref: Elisa Grobe

For the many horse photos I have taken, very few have had a timeless feel. This is what inspired me to create 'Early Morning Essence'. When I noticed how the light kissed the horse and rider in a moment of composed thought, I wanted to capture that feeling..... that complete moment of relaxation before starting out on a long day of mustering. Having a love of light on dark, it was the perfect photo to draw on the Fabriano Black Black paper using my Polychromos in shades of black and white. Drawing on black paper is the perfect way to play with the light and to really take notice of the direction it is coming from, where the highlights are at their brightest and where the shadows drift through darker shades making their way to the darkness. This photo was truly a pleasure to draw.

DEBORAH PETERS:

Deborah's journey to color pencil art started about 15 months ago after buying her first set of colored pencils, 120 Faber-Castell Polychromos in a wooden box. She fell in love with them and as a result, they are always her first choice for inspiration and joy to keep the spark alive.

Boujee by Shari Rabold
19 x 13 inches, colored pencil on Pastelmat

“Boujee” was our first homebred in over 15 years. From day one, she was all class with a little sass—just boujee. Thankfully, she is also one of the most photogenic horses I have ever met, so I set out to try to capture all her beauty in a drawing. With her pale golden color and the subtle features of the bridle, it proved to be a unique challenge. Boujee has since moved to an amazing new home in Texas, so this drawing has become even more meaningful. It has also set a standard for the quality of work I look to produce as I continue to learn and improve.

SHARI RABOLD:

Shari has always loved art and horses. In 2023, she found Bonny Snowdon and joined the Ignite Academy. With colored pencil, she was able to combine vivid color with detail and precision in a way that made her artwork come alive like never before. One could say she finally found her happy medium.