About Us

Ann Kullberg's Colored Pencil magazine and website began in 1999...

But the whole story began much, much earlier. When I was 4, my mother wrote a letter to my grandmother, saying, "Ann is always drawing, drawing. That will be her special talent."  When we found that letter in the 90's, you can imagine how surprised we all were at Mom's insight!

Fast forward 25 years...

I saw my first colored pencil drawing at a relative's home and long story short - I learned a bit about colored pencil, borrowed Bet Borgeson's The Colored Pencil from the library, bought a set of 24 Prismacolors and plunged in. The minute I started drawing with those pencils, I felt "home". I loved the control, the rich colors and the ability to build color by layering. I entered my very first drawing into a small county fair and took First Place! I was off and running!

I was accepted to a gallery within a year and in a couple years was steadily receiving portrait commissions. Then my life changed, thanks to my affiliation with CPSA (Colored Pencil Society of America), when North Light asked me to write a book, Colored Pencil Portraits Step by Step, published in 1999.

That's when the real fun began!

Lots of "fan email" started pouring in from folks who loved the book, including one who asked if I could give online lessons which led to the idea of a colored pencil monthly magazine. I sent email to the 200+ artists who'd emailed me and soon had 50 subscription checks in my mailbox. Thus began Ann Kullberg's COLOR Magazine! (formerly named From My Perspective or FMP)

Since 1999, we've steadily added products designed to improve your colored pencil art experience - Project Kits, Workshops, Portrait Tools and more. The website and scope has grown in ways I couldn't imagine all those years ago, but it's all been lots of fun! As much as I love working with and for colored pencil artists, I couldn't do it all without some help here in my studio/office near Seattle.

The Team

 

Our Operations Manager - Priscilla Summers

Priscilla Summers is at the heart of all the operations at annkullberg.com, including our raved about customer service. She manages the entire manufacturing and shipping end of our business, making sure you get your orders accurately and quickly. She also takes care of inventory, our subscriber data-base, and much of the email we receive daily, and maybe most importantly...her attention to detail is most appreciated!

Our Graphic Design Editor - Garry Dimapilis

We send Garry pages of text and and dozens of images each month...and without fail, he sends us a beautifully designed magazine in record time, month after month. Every time I see a newly designed issue, I am a bit in awe at how he does it. Garry also designs our In-Depth Kits and books. Creative, dependable and soooooo easy to work with; we are well aware that we have a gem in Garry!

 

Our Copy Editor - Susan Cottman

Long-time magazine subscribers can remember the day when I was the only force behind the magazine, which ultimately meant plenty of typo's. It's hard to self-edit, I found out... So along came our trusty copy editor. Susan is a colored pencil artist in the local Seattle Chapter of CPSA, and when I found out she would be a whiz at finding all my many mistakes, I asked her to jump on board. Great decision! We now have an error-free issue every month. Love that!

Our Art & Technology editor and Tech Support - Katie Kullberg

Regular contributor to Ann Kullberg's Colored Pencil Magazine and our go-to techie, my daughter, Katie, is half the heart and soul of annkullberg.com. An amazing problem-solver with a mind far more logically inclined than mine, she is absolutely invaluable and I don't know what we'd do around here without Katie!

Designer and Marketing Assistant  - Ashley Chase

Ashley is one of the newest members of Ann's team, working hard to design beautiful publications and assist Ann in keeping up with the busy life of colored pencils! In her down time, she loves to garden and cook and hang out with her little dog, Lola. She's inspired by the intricate design already present in natural environments and goes to the beach often to recharge.

Acquisition and Media Manager  - Bleuie Acosta

Bleuie handles various submissions for our publications making sure files are in the proper format and images can be displayed at their best. He also coordinates with our Facebook partner groups to help promote artists and their artworks. With passion for arts and music, he loves creating CP artworks on canvas and playing the ukulele.