Colored Pencil Society of America, 19th Annual Exhibition

I am very excited to hear that my Mountain Lion artwork titled, "Reflections" was accepted in the Colored Pencil Society of America, 19th Annual International Exhibition.  This piece was done on tan Suede Mat Board, is done with 100% colored pencil and the size is 24" x 10".  The exhibition will be June 29 - July 31, in Dallas, TX.

This is a wonderful honor and I am just thrilled!!
Gemma

Racoon - WIP - Final

Hello All,

After studying this piece on the computer I found a few things I didn't like about it so I tweaked it a bit.

So...........  Here's my final piece.  If you are wondering what was bothering..... I found that the front, back leg seemed to be coming forward a bit.  So I worked that a bit to push it back.

Keep Scribbling!  Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 7

Hi All,

Well..... I finally finished this guy.  I'm pretty happy with the way he came out.  As I mentioned before he was done on Suede mat board, using predominantly Prismacolor pencils, some Derwent Colorsoft and some pastels (not to much pastel though).  The size is 16" x 20".

I'm still not sure what I'm going to title this piece so I'm still thinking on that.  I haven't heard of any suggestions from anyone so if you can think of something, please let me know. 

If any of you should have any questions or comments please speak up.  And..... I really really do need some help with a title.

Thanks for watching this Work In Progress.... and don't forget..... Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 6

Hi All,

I know this seems to be going kind of slow..... again.... LOL.  But, I have been very busy with the dog show stuff, my CPSA volunteer job and life in general.

Here's another update.  I'm continuing on with the same pallet.  A little bit of pastel, here and there but predominantly Colored Pencil.  I am using Prismacolor pencils and some Derwent Colorsoft Pencils.

I'm fairly pleased with the way this little guy is coming out.  I hope to have him done so I can enter him in either the Artists for Conservation Exhibition or the Society of Animal Artists Exhibition.  

This week I do have lots of other things going on so I may not have an update for a week or so but hopefully I can get some time in the evenings on this guy.  

If any of you have a suggestion for a title of this piece I would really appreciate your input.  I was thinking of calling it "Hanging in There" but I'm not real sure of that title.

Let me know what you think and if you have a suggestion for a title.  
Keep Scribbling,
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 5

Hello Everyone,

 Here's another update on this little guy.  I'm fairly pleased with the way he is coming out so far.  This really isn't a good stage to share because the difference in hair color really doesn't make sense.  If you refer to the reference photo I posted earlier it will make better sense.  The lighter redish color on his fur is due to the sunlight.

I don't really have much more to say or share with you so if you should have questions let me know.

Keep Scribbling!!!!
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 4

Hi All,

Here's another update.  I finished the little guys face (I still need to add his whiskers) and started to work my way down his front leg and his back.  I also got the tree limb he is hanging on done.

The limb was fun to do.  I used the same process I have been using.  I'm laying down the mid color first and then adding the lights and darks on top of that.  I also added some moss green and other greens to represent the moss on the tree limb, it doesn't show up that well in this image but in RIL you can definitely see the moss.

If you have any questions or comments don't hesitate to speak up.  Keep Scribbling!!!
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 3

Hi All,

Here's another update on the Raccoon.  I didn't bother to post the whole artwork because the only change was to the raccoon's face.  

I'm am using some pastels in this piece but not much.  I used pastel in the blue of the sky (pastel over pencil) and a few pastels under the colored pencil in some of the fur areas.  I would guess that this artwork is about 80% colored pencil so far.

One of the things I have found with the pastel is.... if you are using the harder pastels you need to lay those down before the CP.  If you use a softer pastel it will cover the CP.

I used pastel pencils in the rusty colored fur.  First I did an under-painting with the pastel pencils and then went over that with Colored pencil.  Another pencil that does really well on the Suede mat board is General's Carbon Sketch pencil.  It will layer over the CP quite nicely.  I was able to go in after the fur was almost complete and punch up some of the blacks.  

Keep in mind, because of the pastels that I'm using, this piece would not be eligible for the Colored Pencil Society of America's International Exhibition.  It would however; be OK for the "Explore This!" exhibition.

So far, I'm really enjoying drawing this cute little fella.  If you should have any questions let me know, I'll be happy to help in anyway I can.

Keep Scribbling,
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 2

 Hi All,

Well... As I'm sure you will all understand the holiday season kept me real busy so, therefore, I just didn't get much of a chance to draw at all.  Plus I had the commission piece (the Rottweiler called Abby) I had to finish before Christmas.

I finally got a chance to get back to work on the raccoon.  I was able to get the sky behind him done and just started his face today.  I still have some more work to do on the face but I thought I would go ahead and post my progress so far.

The first image is the total piece, it's 16" x 20" and it's being done on a very light beige suede mat board.  If you want to see the reference photo I'm working from it was posted in one of the earlier posts when I first started this guy.  You should be able to just scroll down a bit to see it.  If it's not on this page just click on raccoon to the right of this page. 

I thought I would post a close up of his face too.  The process I'm using is to lay down a mid color range colored pencil and then add light CP's and dark CP's on top of that.  That is the nice thing about working on suede board, it allows you to put light colors on top of darker colors and they show up quite nicely.  

I'm kind of anxious to get this guy done because I already have a few other drawings I want to get started on.  I actually have about 5 compositions all ready to go.  I guess that's what happens... your always thinking about the next piece you're going to work on. 


I plan on working on this guy quite a bit this week so keep checking back I hope to have some progress to share with you soon.  If you should have any questions or thoughts don't hesitate to speak up.  And.... above all don't forget to keep Scribbling!!


Gemma

Rottweiler - Work In Progress - 3 - Finished!

Hi All,

Well.... I'm calling this one finished.  I'm going to be delivering this to the person who commissioned me to do, tomorrow.  I'm excited about the timing of getting this finished.  The person I did this for has been at the dog show for the last three days and in just three days she got her Novice Obedience title on her male Rottie.  Not only did she get her title in just three days her scores were really high, they were 195.5, 196.5 and 190 out of 200.  That was so awesome!  She will be at the dog show tomorrow and I think it will be fun to deliver this to her after the last 3 great days she had at the dog show, she's been anxious to have me finish it.

I pretty much used the same pallet throughout the drawing except on the tongue.  There I used most of the pinks that Prismacolor has as well as some blue violet, henna, black grape, cool grey 90%, white and clay rose.

Now  I'm going to get back to my Raccoon I started, so watch for the updates on that piece.

If you should have any questions or comments please let me know.
Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

Rottweiler - Work In Progress - 2

Hi All,


Here's another update to the Abby Portrait.  I'm continuing to use the same pallet as I did in the last post.

Abby seems to be coming along nicely, I'm going to start working on the mouth next.  

As you can see I am continuing to draw in the color on the contour drawing.  I like finishing each little square inch as I go because that way I don't loose the contour drawing.  I also like working this way to keep me from being bored.  Every little square inch that is complete makes feel like I accomplished something even if I only work for a few minutes on the drawing.  Colored pencil can take quite some time to complete, some times up to 150 hours for one drawing.  If I finish one square inch at a time I have at least completed something, LOL.  As far as I'm concerned, there is really no right or wrong way to do it.  I know there are purists who think it's better to work on the drawing as a whole but..... I just don't do it that way and that doesn't mean it's the wrong way to do it.

I know I may seem like I am rambling regarding this issue but I have to say I have had more than a few people try to tell me that drawing in the fashion I do isn't the correct way to do it.  My answer to that controversy is..... as long as the end result is finished and looks correct who cares what I did to get to that finished product.  We all have our own way to "skin the cat" as they say.

If you have any questions by all means speak up......  And most of all Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

Rottweiler - Work In Progress - 1

Hi All

As I mentioned in the last post, I had to stop working on the Raccoon to do this commission of this Rottweiler named Abby.

Abby is owned by a friend of mine named Judy. She also owns Dutch, Dutch was bred with my female, Harlow and I kept one of the pups. I also did a commission of Dutch, if you're interested in seeing it you can find the post listed under Rottweiler.

The first picture is the reference drawing I'm working from. It was taken by Jack Fields who has given me permission to use his photo.

When creating a piece like this I start by drawing my contour drawing on sketch paper and then transferring it to the mat board. I do not do a detailed drawing, I just simply do a contour drawing. To get the proportion correct I use the grid system to draw the contour drawing. I then use transfer paper to trace the contour drawing onto the mat board. This piece is done with Prismacolor pencils on suede mat board. The nice thing about the mat board is you can leave the mat board as your background. It looks really nice for portraits and also helps speed up the process.

The colored pencils I'm using so far in this piece are 10-90% warm and cool gray, slate grey, deco blue, goldenrod, mineral orange, terra cotta, cloud blue, light peach, sunburst yellow, dark umber, indigo blue, true blue, white, black, chocolate, cream, greyed lavender, pumpkin orange, sky blue light, powder blue, blue violet lake, peach and sienna brown, these are not in any particular order of use. If you have any questions or comments don't hesitate to let me know.

Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 1

Hi All,

Well, here is a small update. I decided to put the background in first because the raccoon is so furry and the fur has to overlap the background.

The one thing I don't like about doing it this way is I really prefer to work on the animal so doing the background first tends to get boring for me. LOL

So far it is 100% colored pencil. I know I said I was going to use pastels but I don't know if I will. We'll have to wait and see how it goes.

I'm using predominantly Prismacolor colored pencils but have used one or two of the Derwent Colorsoft. When I lay down the layers on Suede board I put down the medium color first and then add the darks and lights on top of that. The size of the piece is 16" x 20 and I haven't come up with a title yet. If any of you have a good idea for a title let me know, I would appreciate the help.

If you should have any questions let me know, otherwise.... keep scribbling!
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress

Hello Everyone!

Here is the reference photo of the next "Work in Progress" I'll be posting here on my blog.

This photo was taken by Barbara Krans Jenkins who gave me the photo for my birthday. Thanks Barb!!! She took the picture of this guy in the tree in her backyard.

I couldn't believe how he was hanging in the tree as if he were a leopard or something, LOL. I already started the piece and should be posting the progress in the next day to two. I'm doing this piece on the Suede Mat board, the color of the mat board is an off white color called whisper. I'm using colored pencils and a little bit of pastel here and there.

Keep checking back to see the progress and don't forget..... Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

Mountain Lion / Reflections Series WIP 04 Completed

Hello All,

Well.... I finally finished this piece. I'm going to title it "Wild Reflections".

I continued to use the same technique and color pallet as mentioned before. 80% of this piece is done in colored pencil and the rest of it is done with pastel. I don't normally use pastel but thought it would be fun to give it try. Most of the pastel is used in the water area. The mountain lion is 100% colored pencil. After I sprayed it with workable fixative I went back with colored pencil and redefined some of the reflections in the water. I really enjoyed working on this piece. I plan on entering it in the CPSA "Explore This!" Exhibition, lets hope it gets accepted.

I am now working on another piece of an adorable Raccoon. Keep checking back, I should be posting the work in progress on the raccoon soon.

If you have any questions or comments let me know. Don't forget to keep scribbling!
Gemma

Mountain Lion / Reflections Series WIP 03

Hi All,

It's been a while since I have been able to work on this piece. Between the Colored Pencil Society of America Convention and vacation I just didn't have the time to work on it.

The Mountain Lion has been done with colored pencil with just a little bit of pastels for the highlights. The water was done by laying down 3 layers of colored pencil using Prismacolors, Moss Green, Dark Umber and Black and then blending it with a brush dipped in Gamsol and then slightly dried on a paper towel. I then created the details using Prismacolors Nupastels and the new PanPastels. I really like the effect this gave the water. If I get this piece done in time it will be my entry for the "CPSA Explore This!" show. I'm now starting to work on the Mountain Lions reflection, I plan to do that predominately in CP. Although, I will probably use pastels for the highlights.

If you should have any questions don't hesitate to ask and don't forget..... Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

Mountain Lion / Reflections Series WIP 02

Hi All,

Sorry I haven't posted an update before this. As Conventions Director of the Colored Pencil Society I have been really busy lately. We are finishing up all the final details of the Convention and I haven't had a lot of time for art. Hopefully after the end of the month I'll be able to spend more time on this piece. Even though we have been busy I always love seeing everyone at the convention and really really look forward to it. I hope to see many of you there this month.

I am almost done working on the mountain lion and will start the water and reflection of the mountain lion very soon. I'm enjoying working on this piece and hope it comes out as I imagine it should be. We as artists always seem to have a vision but often times the piece just doesn't come together as we envisioned. I have decided on a title for this piece.... I think I will call it "Wild Reflections". I want to thank all of you for your title recommendations I really like some of them. I think I will definitely use them in the series pieces to come after this one.

The image above is the full artwork so you can see I haven't gotten a lot done at this point. The one below is a close up of the mountain lion. If you should have any questions at all let me know. Don't forget...... Keep Scribbling!!!
Gemma

Mountain Lion / Reflections Series WIP 01

Hi All,

I decided to do a series of this Mountain Lion with Reflections. I'm not sure how many I will do but I do have a bunch of pictures of this Mountain Lion playing in and about the water. I figure I could at least do 3 to 5 pieces. I would also like to have the title of all of pieces in the series to include the words reflections, reflection, reflected or reflecting in the title. The first piece of the series was titled "Reflections". If any of you can help me with a title for this one I would really appreciate it. This first picture is the reference photo.
This piece will be done on the Suede board again. The color of the Suede board is called moccasin. I plan on doing this piece using Colored Pencils and pastel. If it turns out the way I hope and if I get it done in time, I plan on entering it in the Colored Pencil Society of America's, Explore This 7 exhibition.

So far it has predominantly colored pencil with very little pastel. I plan on using the pastel more in the background than on the cat. However; I did use pastel on some of the white highlight areas.

This is my beginning, I haven't got a lot done yet but hope to be able to work on it quite a bit next week.
Here is a close up of what I have done so far. As I mentioned before the pastel is only in the white areas. The rest of it has been done with Prismacolor colored pencils and Derwent Colorsoft colored pencils. I just love the way the Colorsoft pencils work with the Suede board.

If you have any questions or suggestions for the title please let me know.

Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

CPSA Silent Auction Donation WIP Finished!

Hi All,

Well.... I'm calling this one done.

I titled it "Solitude", it's 100% Prismacolor colored pencils on an 8" X 8" piece of gray Suede Mat Board.

If you have any questions let me know.

And.... Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

CPSA Silent Auction Donation WIP 4

Hi All,

Actually I'm really pleased with the outcome of this piece so far.

I'm very close to being done so I hope to have it finished by the end of this weekend. I have dog training tomorrow so probably won't be able to finish it then but, for sure by Sunday.

I'm continuing to use the same layering technique on creating this. I can't express enough how the Suede mat board allows me to create fur very easily. I just love this support and if you haven't tried it yet.... you gotta give it a try.

I have several photo references of this wolf and others from the same photo shoot so I am sure I will be creating more artwork from this subject. He is a very beautiful animal and photographed very nicely. If you are wondering how I get some of these great shots you should visit the following site: http://www.tripledgamefarm.com. They have trained animals where they take you and the animal out to a natural site and you can take a bunch of pictures. I love going to this place, it has been a while since I have been so hopefully there will be another trip in the near future.

If you have any questions let me know and I'll be happy to answer them.
Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

CPSA Silent Auction Donation WIP 3

Hi All,

Well this guy is coming along, it looks like I am going to be able to meet the deadline, phew.

I'm continuing to use the same process as I have explained in the prior posts.

I'm really enjoying doing this piece, I love the wolf's fur and his colors. He really is a gorgeous creature!

If you have any questions let me know. Keep Scribbling!!

Gemma