The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - September 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!
Molly by Dave Harder
6.5x10 inches, Prismacolor on Strathmore paper
Molly was my long time friend’s dog who she had gotten as a pup. As a co-worker, she would often bring her to work and Molly would say hello to everyone then promptly take a nap beside her owner’s desk. My friend wanted an illustration of Molly that her two girls could have so I gladly obliged. Being the only dog in the family was great because that meant she didn’t have to share the space underneath the Christmas tree. Unfortunately she recently passed away but she had a long, happy life and put a smile on everyone’s face that she met.
About Dave:
Dave graduated as a graphic designer and fell in love with pencil crayon illustration early on. He soon realized how slow a medium it can be but add some coffee and jazz music and time disappears.
See more at: http://www.instagram.com/harder.dave
Not Monet's Garden by Cindy Valek Mottl
11 x 15 inches, Colored Pencil on Fabriano Artistico Soft Press 300#
This work is my entry for a French themed art show to be displayed during the April 2020 concert by the Notre Dame Paris choir at my church, Emmanuel Episcopal in La Grange, Illinois. The scene is from reference photos I took with an iPhone at Hillwood Estate in Washington D.C. Florals are often the subjects of my work, but generally done as a closeup of a particular flower. This location, in the cutting garden at Hillwood, made me think of Monet's Garden, thus my French-themed piece for the show. The style is much looser than usual for me in keeping with an impressionistic touch. A variety of pencils were used to get the vivid color and effects - Derwent Inktense and Lightfast, Luminance, Polychromos, Prismacolor, Pablos and Brush and Pencil Titanium White with Touch Up Texture to add sparkle. I hope it transports viewers to a beautiful, tangled garden on a warm, early fall day.
About Cindy:
Chicago-based artist Cindy Valek Mottl has been working in colored pencil since 2000. Trained in oils and acrylics, with a B.A. in Art from Knox College, Cindy transitioned first to watercolor and then colored pencil to bring vibrant light and color to florals and portraits of people and animals.
See more at: http://www.CindyValekMottlArt.com
Psst, I am trying to sleep by Wietske Riemersma
24cm x 30cm , colored pencil on Ampersand pastelboard
When I saw this picture of this cat, I wanted to draw it right away. I loved the expression, softness and color pallet of that picture and also liked the unusual position of the cat laying on a pillow in a wooden box. So I ask permission to draw it and got the permission. I also wanted to try out a new surface, the Ampersand pastelboard. I liked it right away, I could put many layers on it. I used more than 10 colors for the eye. Also could put light over darks. I am very happy how the drawing turned out.
About Wietske:
Wietske Riemersma, born on 1966 and lives in Holland in the province Overijssel. She draws with pastel pencils/sticks a few years ago and started using colored pencil 8 months ago. She sometimes work with oil paint.
Lion by April Chan
11.5 x 16 inches, Polychromos and Lyra on Canson 1557 paper
There are countless layers of colored pencils and odorless mineral spirit in this lion. Drawing fur is not challenging. The challenging part is how to make it pop out. I darken the fur tone but how do I lighten those edges? I tried cream and white on edges but Orange is beneath it and things are not white enough. The fastest way is to simply sharpen my White and Cream pencils then draw. But I rarely sharpen my pencils, I sharpen it only if necessary. I am not used to losing pigment to the trash. There are a lot of questioning moments. Then I tried electric eraser. It required patience staring at the reference photo and use the eraser for the fur. There are moments I need to use Orange to draw around the edges. My eraser helps me more than I expected. This was a heavy task and I counted on my eraser to make it done. This made it special.
About April:
Born in Hong Kong, April Chan graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Social Science. She’s been drawing since December 2015 and using colored pencils help her find relief from grieving the lost of her pets.
See more at: https://aprilap.wixsite.com/aprilsunburst
These artworks are published in the SEPTEMBER 2019 issue of COLOR Magazine.
FEATURED ARTWORKS FROM OUR FACEBOOK PARTNER GROUPS