The Art of Nature Exhibit

This show promises to be excellent, with many talented artists exhibiting their work.  I am excited to have my work included with theirs!  I’ll have three new pen and ink drawings in this show, which opens on April 09, 2011.

Exhibit postcard

If you’d like to go to the opening reception on April 08 and need directions, please leave a comment.

Postcard artwork:  Beetles © Jessica Huppi.

New Surfaces

Pheasant feather in colored pencil, on Colourfix paper, 2.5" x 3.5"

The piece above is on soft umber Colourfix paper, 2.5″ x 3.5″.  I think this feather was from the neck area of a Ring-necked Pheasant.  I use these feathers in my colored pencil class as a beginner exercise; they are easy to draw, and the beginners don’t need to worry about how to draw volume or cast shadows (yet).  Although the exercise uses a different surface.

I like to try new surfaces, and Art Spectrum’s Colourfix paper is intriguing, especially as it is available in multi-color packs of ATC-sized pieces.  It has a gritty surface and takes colored pencil really well, without unduly wearing down the pencil as rough surfaces can do.  It’s a very “forgiving” surface too, as it erases without changing the texture of the paper, and I was surprised that you can put light color over dark, and it will cover!  You don’t really need to use a lot of pencil layers, as you might with other papers.

Some of my students have tried it, and those who have really like it.  It covers more rapidly than bristol board or other papers.  You can also purchase it in primer form, to paint onto any surface.  We are trying the “clear” primer, painted on Stonehenge paper (it’s still drying…..).  I will definitely be exploring this surface some more….

Student Works in Colored Pencil

Well, it’s been too long since I’ve last posted (more on that later), and I’d like to show you some work done by students from my colored pencil class.  All artwork is used with their permission and is copyrighted by the artist.

The pet portraits were done from memory and reference photos taken by the artists themselves.  See my rules for posting others’ artwork below.

"Ginger" by Amiri

“Ginger”‘s reference photo was a tiny image, with a completely different background.  Nice work! I did not use a flash when taking this photo, but there is still some glare from all the layers of colored pencil.

Untitled, WIP Australian Shepherd, by GK

This is an unfinished piece, or WIP (work in progress) that I thought would be nice to show as it progresses.  Now I wish I had taken photos of it sooner!  This piece will likely not be burnished as the one above was, and you can see many layers of small pencil strokes.  I can’t wait to see this one get finished.

Pittosporum sprig, by Carol

This photo is a little dark, and doesn’t really do the drawing justice.   Carol collects twigs and branches on her walks, and draws from life.  A very elegant piece!

My rules for posting student artwork:

• artwork must be created by the student from life or from a reference photo taken by the student
• artwork will only be posted with the student’s permission, and will be attributed to them as they request
• student work created using published materials as a reference will  not be posted here without first obtaining the original artist’s permission

Landscape Studies

My students are now working on landscape studies.  Their assignment is to choose a photograph of about 4″x6″ or 5″x7″ and sketch out a value study in graphite, roughly the same size as the photograph (without tracing).  The value study should have white, black, and at least one other value.

These are their value studies (photos used with their permission):

Landscape value study by Eloise

Landscape value study by Kate

The next step will be to transfer their drawings to Bristol board (preferably vellum surface), and start adding color with colored pencils.

I think this is a good exercise to break out of the mid-values that some of us get stuck in from time to time (I know I do!).

Catching Up

It’s rather foggy and damp today in Sacramento, so I’ve been thinking about a day-trip my sketching buddy Laura and I took one hot day last summer, to Butterfly Valley in Plumas County, California.  We actually used our art supplies this time, instead of just driving them around all day……ahem.  But that’s another post.

Butterfly Valley is famous, in botanical circles, for the 5 species of native carnivorous plants that thrive there.  Our quarry was the Cobra Lily, or Darlingtonia californica.  It’s not a lily at all, but a pitcher plant.

Stand of Darlingtonia californica in Butterfly Valley

I’ve been fascinated with carnivorous plants for awhile now…aren’t they strange looking?

A little red on this one...

I was looking for one that wasn’t all green all over; even though plants are my specialty, the green, green, green is rather boring to draw sometimes.  The more variable ones were in direct sunlight where it was really too hot to sit for any length of time.  So I found a spot in filtered sunlight and sat for about 5 hours or so.  I was going to do a double-page spread in my large sketchbook, but that was taking too long.

Green, green, green

I settled for a portrait of one pitcher, in a smaller sketchbook.  The sketchbook is a Hand Book Journal, 5.5″x8.25″.  I like this one because the paper is buff-colored, and has a little tooth to it, and takes a little watercolor well.  It also has this nifty elastic closure, so if the paper buckles a little bit, it will still smooth out later.

My field kit, with work in progress

Below is the finished sketch.  I used my favorite green, a combination of Winsor Yellow with Sap Green (Holbein).  A little Moonglow (Daniel Smith) in the shadows, and a touch of Alizarin Crimson and a little Burnt Umber here and there.

Sketch of Darlingtonia pitcher

I plan to spend more time in Butterfly Valley next summer, so look for more posts in the future!