Colored Pencil


I recently started working in Colored pencil, as I was looking for a way to add color to my work and still remain 'portable', so I could bring my work with me when I go to and from the ship. I had a chance to take a Colored Pencil class in November 2007 at the Dunedin Fine Art Center, from a well-known artist, CPSA signature member & award winner,  Melissa Miller-Nece. I have always admired her work, and have taken classes from her in the past, so I jumped at this chance.

Learning from a 'formal' class has some real advantages- I learned a lot of techniques and tips, had a chance to get my work critiqued, and met a lot of interesting people as well. Melissa is a great instructor, too- and makes class fun!


Picasso Trigger. 2007.
Colored Pencil on Mi-Tentes
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Brooker Creek Spider,2007.
Colored Pencil on Bristol
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 I work with Prismacolor brand pencils for the most part. I have done a little experimentation with other brands, Including Derwent Studio, Derwent coloursoft, Dick Blick, and a few others, but I seem to like the softness and blendability of the prismacolors the best.

Smooth supports are my favorite- I use Bristol a lot, but also like hot press watercolor paper. For some drawings, I have used paper with a bit more tooth to it- Stonehenge, for example, or Mi-Tentes when I want to start out with a tinted background.

Not too long after I started playing with colored pencil, I discovered a 'method' of working that presented me with an interesting challenge- The use of only three colors (Red, Yellow, and Blue) along with a white pencil to blend and highlight. I have had a LOT of fun 'playing' with this limited color pallete- It is a real challenge, but with careful mixing, any color can be achieved using just these 3 colors! It is a great way to get 'used' to the colored pencils, and how the colors interact with each other.
 T he drawing on the right is the first one that I attempted with this method, Using only a Process red, Canary Yellow, and True Blue Prismacolor pencil, plus a white for the highlights and lettering. I was amazed at how vibrant the colors are, and at the range of color that I could get.


Dubble Bubble, 2007. 4" x 4", Colored Pencil on Bristol Smooth.


Blue Glass Marbles, 2006. 4" x 5".
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Peppers. 2007. 7" x 5".
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These two are also done with limited colors as well. Blue Glass Marbles was done with only 2 colors plus white- True Blue, and Raspberry. I switched to the Raspberry pencil because it is far more lightfast than the process red. The white highlights are a combination of leaving bare white paper to show through, and also the white pencil.

The other drawing, Peppers, was done with Raspberry, Canary Yellow, and True blue.


More Colored Pencil Work


Toucan,2007.
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Girl With Lorikeet. 2007.
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Christmas Cactus. 2007.
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Clownfish, 2007.
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Clownfish II, 2007.
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Eclectus Parrot. 2007.
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Mr. Atomic, 2007. 5" x 7".
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