What a little time and practice will do

A year ago shortly after I started working with colored pencils, I developed a painting from a photograph of a goldfish. I was very pleased at the time with the results of the exercise. This year, my students wanted to do that goldfish project. So, I wrote up the instructions, included a line drawing and the original reference photo and we went to work. When the project was finished, my students had done a very good job and learned a great deal about how to work with reference photos. More important for me was seeing the difference that a year of working with the medium made in my work. In the last year, I have spent a lot of time learning to manipulate the medium, but also working from photos and making a serious effort to really see what I was looking at. The difference between the original work and the new rendering of exactly the same subject is startling. Both pieces are done on the same paper, white Bristol Plate, and are rendered using the same Prismacolor Premier pencils. The moral of the story? Practice, Practice, Practice!!!!!

Here is the original goldfish rendering done in 2008:


Here is the 2009 version of the same goldfish:

Testing

reference photo

I have been wanting to try out the Dick Blick colored pencils. They are less expensive than the Prismacolor that I normally use and could help me keep my supply costs down when I am teaching at retreats or conventions. I bought a 12 pencil set to try, so my color choices were limited. The Blick pencils seem to be highly pigmented. They perhaps have a bit more opacity than the Prismacolor. This may be more a function of the specific colors that are included in the 12 pencil set than a characteristic of the entire line. They also seem to be a tad bit harder and less creamy. While I was working today, I was sitting in the sun holding a yard sale, so being a little harder was a definite advantage. They do seem to blend well and layering colors was not a problem. I used both the colorless blender marker from the Prismacolor line and the Prismacolor colorless blender pencil and both worked equally well. Overall, I like the pencils and will continue to experiment with them. I will probably purchase a larger set so that I will have a wider range of colors to work with as well.

Her is my experimental work. It is developed from a photograph taken by my husband several years ago. Because the poppies are intensely colored, I was able to make use of the limited palette of colors I had available to me. The only addition I needed to make was a white pencil from my Prismacolor set. The work is done on gold Mi-Tientes paper and is approximately 6x8.

What's on my drawing board?

I have been working on a number of new pieces recently. All of them are in colored pencil and all have been developed from photographs. Here is one based on a photo sent to me by a student. The original photo included a lot of leaves, branches and other "clutter". In order to make the apples the focal point of the painting, I eliminated most of the background from the photo. The painting is done on gold Mi-Tientes paper. Even working on the smooth side of the paper, there is still some texture to contend with. Mi-Tientes is primarily used for pastel work. I think that colored pencil done on Mi-Tientes has a bit of the soft look of pastel. I selected the color of the paper because it compliments the undertones of the apples and gives the piece a sort of glow. The piece is approximately 6x8.

Reference

Same Design, Different Medium

Sometimes you find a reference that you really like. When this happens, you may find that you want to paint it over and over again in different mediums, or different color palettes. These two paintings are both done using the same reference photo. This reference was in a Gourmet magazine several years ago. I contacted the photographer through the magazine and got his permission to use the photo as a reference. He was very gracious.

The first version of the compote is done is oils. It is painted on 8x10 gesso board, my favorite support for oils. The painting was done by first creating an underpainting in Burnt Sienna and then applying the color over it.


The second version is in colored pencil on black cardstock. This one is approximately 5x5. The result is a very different looking painting.

JAL Studios to Host Seminar

I am pleased to announce that I am hosting a seminar with Ros Stallcup in June of 2010. Ros is a nationally known decorative painter who has a number of books published under the Gran's ---- titles. (Gran's Garden, Gran's Gifts, Gran's Welcome, Gran's Attic, and others) She specializes in flowers and fruits, but also does some more scenic designs. All of the work is done using DecoArt American acrylic paints on a variety of surfaces. Here are some photos of projects that I have painted with Ros.

The seminar is scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 11-13, 2010. If you would like more information about this seminar, you can contact me through this blog. Please provide your e-mail address so that I can send you the information. This is a hands-on seminar with one project completed each day. Seating is limited.

Here Kitty

Yesterday I had to do a demonstration to advertise my classes at Pat Catan's. I did a colored pencil demo and I may have a couple of new students as a result. The piece I chose to work on was a portrait of my friend's Siamese cat. The finished piece is about 4x4 on grey cardstock. In order to make the composition more interesting, I cropped the photo down to include just the cat and the flowers he was peeking through. Just because there is a lot of stuff in your photo, that doesn't mean you have to use it all. The cropped composition is more mysterious. You wonder what he is watching. Is he stalking something? Is he hiding from something? It gives you an opportunity to "write" your own story about what is happening.

Reference Photo

Colored Pencil Portrait

Baskets, Baskets!

I had so much fun making my basket at the Buckeye Retreat in February that I joined a basket making class here at home. I have made two baskets so far. They have both turned out very well. The weaving is very relaxing and uses different skills than painting. It is a fun way to spend a day. Here are the two baskets from my class. One is a shoulder basket that may be used as a purse (although it is a bit awkward for a purse) and the other has an insert so that you can serve food in it.