Color Pencil Drawing Update : Cloudscape

It's been a while since I posted an update on the cloudscape. Progress has been slower than usual but I have been putting in the odd hour here and there over the past week and I was surprised to see how much it had changed.

Work has slowed partly due to an influx of editing work (two websites to make and a couple of portfolios to photograph), and partly due to a 50% sale at my local garden store. The problem with buying lots of half price plants, is that you still have to dig full price holes. But I did manage to time it just right to let Mother Nature do the watering for me.

Fast Food Debris Charcoal Drawing (Carbon Footprint #20)

Phew! I was beginning to think I had bitten off more than I could chew, but I finished this drawing just in time. "Name that Sketch" really would not have been the same without the sketch!

Lulu is particularly fond of this one. She's been hanging out in the studio again, sniffing the air with a hopeful look on her face. In fact the final drawing was nearly swept away just as I was photographing it - prey to a frantic tail, over-happy at the prospect of lunchtime.

Description : Fast food cups and boxes, napkins and chicken nugget containers litter the table. Want fries with that?

This charcoal still life drawing is part of the “Carbon Footprints” series.

Pineapple Hull charcoal and pastel drawing (Carbon Footprint #19)

mmmmm - the hot studio lamp has been toasting this all day and the smell of gently warming pineapple has permeated the studio. It's making it very difficult to leave and very enjoyable to return.

Description: Charcoal and pastel combine to give this large still life drawing the look of an old hand colored photograph. The pineapple has been sliced and cored, leaving just an empty skin. But the warm golden orange combines with cool acid yellow to give a mouthwatering taste of the missing fruit.

This charcoal still life drawing is part of the "Carbon Footprints" series. Affordable Giclee Art Prints available to buy on Etsy

Glorious Color in the Mail : Pan Pastels

Is there anything more splendid than receiving a box full of art supplies in the mail?

The joy of discovering blobs of pure color amongst the peanuts completely banishes the nagging guilt of overspending.

Yes, I would have got a better deal buying a pre-packaged set of colors - the landscape set, or the portrait set or just the general "artist colors" set. But each one only had a few colors that really sang to me, so I decided to buy just those colors instead.

And look! they each come with their own little sponge. I think I am going to need a mini laundry for all my sponges soon.

And here are my new Prismacolor Art Stix, along with some regular pencils to give you an idea of their size. They are very good for some loose scribbling and for covering a lot of paper in a short amount of time and for not getting bogged down by the details too quickly.

Colored Pencil Art Work in Progress : Cloudscape I

That storm's really brewing up a treat now.

Watermelon Rind charcoal and pastel drawing (Carbon Footprint #18)

It's amazing what you find when you clean up. I found a whole tin of Faber Castell pastel pencils that I bought on eBay ages ago, mistaking them for regular color pencils. They had been squirrelled away for a rainy day...and there have been plenty of those recently.

When I finished the charcoal drawing of watermelon rind, I realised that what I really loved about this still life set-up was the cool pink flesh contrasting with the acid green skin.

And then I remembered the pastel pencils. I quite like the subtle effect. I think it has the feeling of a hand colored old photograph.

Description : Humble, everyday watermelon rind is transformed into a sculptural, almost abstract piece of art in this delicate pastel and charcoal picture. Perfect artwork for your kitchen or dining room.

This charcoal still life drawing is part of the "Carbon Footprints" series. Affordable Giclee Art Prints available to buy on Etsy

Colored Pencil Art Work in Progress : Cloudscape I

I'm rather enjoying the ArtStix, especially for the final burnishing stage which can really get a bit tedious. And they feather the edges of the clouds into the sky rather well too.

I have ordered a few more to play with...resistance was futile.

Colored Pencil Art Work in Progress : Cloudscape I

Nudged into action by all the fabulous stormy cloudscapes we've been having this summer, I have started on a new large drawing.

To cover the paper quickly at this early stage I am trying out Prismacolor's Art Stix. They are a block of solid color a bit like a traditional pastel stick, but made from the same "lead" used in their color pencils. Being Prismacolor, they have a wax binder, so I expect to contend with the waxy bloom at a later stage of the drawing - which can sometimes happen with a heavy application of this brand. I will finish off the finer details with traditional pencil, but it is so liberating not to have a tiny point to work with at this large planning stage.

Colored Pencil Art Work in Progress : Illuminated III

I think the addition of the door moulding really helped to stop that top triangle from taking you out of the picture and keeps your eye cascading through the rest of the composition.

This completes the paper bag triptych and I'm going to have fun putting them together and deciding on the framing. I hope they will form part of my two person exhibition in January at the West Orange JCC. Provided they don't sell before then!

Avocado Skin charcoal still life drawing (Carbon Footprint #17)

It wasn't until I started drawing that I realized quite how much space an avocado pit takes. There's hardly any room left for the flesh. Good job avocados are so darn tasty. The price per pound on that pit must be huge.

I like to scoop my avocado right from the peel for an afternoon snack. Or for a super fast dinner - sliced, with rare cooked ahi tuna steak...over wilted spinach salad...drizzled with mango dressing...

Oh yummy, now my mouth is watering. Is it dinnertime yet? How do you like your avocado?

Picture Description : Dramatic black and white charcoal drawing of an empty avocado skin and pit. Creating art from garbage.

This charcoal still life drawing is part of the “Carbon Footprints” series.

Affordable Giclee Art Prints available to buy on Etsy

BLOG : Beware! Wet Paint