The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - September 2025

Rock My World by Alice Duffy-LaBonte
19 x 19 inches, colored pencil on Canson Mi-Teintes

Rock My World is my first ever color pencil drawing. Although I started with a practice drawing of an apple and lemon, I wanted to do a still life of my favorite things. Rocks, copper cookie cutters, quilts and dried plants are some of my favorite things and I like how the bird’s eye view captures them and their cast shadows. I like to draw reflections and distortions, so having the rocks in some water in a glass jar was a challenge for me. I like how the colors and objects move your eye around.

ALICE DUFFY-LABONTE:

Alice has just recently started using color pencils. She lives in Arizona and loves to draw found objects (especially if they’re shiny). She does use other art mediums, but is always working on a color pencil drawing.

Facebook: Alice LaBonte Art




Mini-Me by Angelique van Gaans
24x20 cm, colored pencil on Pastelmat

Mini-Me is a drawing of myself as a little child, no older than two and a half or three. Up until this point in my artistic journey, I had mostly followed tutorials and drawn fur — soft textures, safe subjects. But I felt it was time to explore something deeper: the human face. And what better way to begin than by looking inward? In this piece, I tried to capture the delicate emotion caught in that old photo — a quiet tension toward the unfamiliar photographer, mingled with the very first trace of a smile. As the portrait emerged beneath my hands, something quietly beautiful began to unfold. For me, emotion is what breathes life into a drawing, what sets it apart from even the most perfect photograph. This image, over half a century old, now lives on as a gentle, lasting memory.

ANGELIQUE VAN GAANS:

Angelique van Gaans creates memory portraits of people and animals. In her work she places emotion, especially visible in the eyes and facial expressions, at the heart of each portrait. Angelique is also a canine behavior therapist, works with dogs on a daily basis and owns 2 Malinois.

Facebook: Angelique van Gaans - Fine Art



Leaves by Leonie Swift
21 x 29.5cm, colored pencil on Grafix drafting film
Photo ref: Jeremy Thomas (Unsplash)

I have always loved trees, but deciduous trees are a particular favourite. I grew up in southeast Queensland, where deciduous trees were rare. So, falling autumn leaves have always held a fascination for me. There's something special about the gentle yet powerful energy behind the changing seasons. One of my favourite quotes comes from F.B. Meyer: “The mightiest forces are the stillest. Whoever heard the day break or detected the footfall of Spring through the woods?” It reminds me that even when it seems as though nothing is happening, God's amazing, unseen forces are always quietly working. The fun part about this piece was that it allowed me to use all the colours of my pencil box 'rainbow', too!

LEONIE SWIFT:

Leonie has explored various media over the years, including oils, pastels, and illuminated lettering. Two years ago, she took up coloured pencil and it quickly became her favourite. She loves the gentleness of a pencil and the control it allows, especially for pieces requiring fine detail.

Marlies Avenius
29,7x42 cm, colored pencil on Fabriano Bristol
Photo ref: Stefanie Worbs

This drawing was meant to be a piece for my portfolio but ended up being commissioned by my dear Friend Steffi who kindly supplied me not only with the photo for this drawing of her sister's chihuahua, but also one for her own dog which I will also draw in the future. “Lexi”  turned out to be probably the biggest challenge I have faced so far in my coloured pencil journey. This was also the first pet portrait and dog I have ever drawn. Also, my first blurry background. Despite the nerve wrecking creation, I am quite satisfied with the outcome. I've learned so much and know what I need to change next time.

MARLIES AVENIUS:

Marlies Avenius is a self-taught traditional artist based near Munich, Germany. She dabbles in several mediums such as coloured pencil, graphite, acrylics, and watercolours. Her main subject are fantasy artworks, but she also enjoys creating realistic artwork from reference very much.

Facebook: Marlies Avenius Fine Art