Sherry's Colored Pencil Corner

Good Enough To Eat

2008-01-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

After a few months of not having much time for art, I worked this piece as a Christmas gift for my sister. The crystal was daunting but I think it turned out okay in the end. It's 8" x 10", Prismacolors on White Stonehenge.

Illustration Friday - catching up

2007-09-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've been doing the IF pictures but not managing to get them posted, so I'm going to try and catch up a little. Here are three:

IF - Moon

IF - Missing

IF - Emergency

I was pleased with "moon" but not so much the other two. Oh, well, it's all about trying things out!

Emily's Wolf

2007-08-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to try my hand at some fur for a while, so I decided I'd attempt a wolf for Emily, since she's such a fan. He's about 6 x 7, Prismacolors on white Stonehenge paper, and I was pleased with the way he turned out.

Pink Lady

2007-08-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

This one I'm donating to the church as part of a fundraiser. It's about 6 x 6, Prismacolors on white Stonehenge. The reference picture was by rosevita at Morguefile.

Illustration Friday - "Poem"

2007-07-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

I did this art card for a trade at ScribbleTalk, but it also seemed perfect for this week's IF theme, as I had titled the card, "Tiger Lily, Burning Bright" to play off Blake's poem. I love it when things come together like that.

The illo without the Photoshop-added bit of poetry is ACEO size, Prismacolors on White Stonehenge.

Illustration Friday - "Discovery"

2007-07-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

I think this catches me up on the IF themes that came up while I was on vacation. What else would a science geek like me do for "Discovery"?

ACEO size, Prismacolors on Black Stonehenge.

Illustration Friday - "Geeky"

2007-07-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Classic geek!

ACEO size, Prismacolors and Derwent on Stonehenge white.

Illustration Friday - "Twist"

2007-07-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have some catching up to do posting my IF pics, since I've been on vacation. Here's my effort for "Twist," done on the road en route to Ontario...

Illustration Friday - "Camouflage"

2007-06-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

I was drawing this little fellow for another purpose but then he seemed to fit this week's topic too well to ignore.

He's ACEO size, Prismacolors on white Stonehenge.

Illustration Friday - "Rejection"

2007-06-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

This is funny. I was working on this picture for another project when my kids came along. They said "Oh, that's a cool idea for Illustration Friday, a rejected strawberry!"

So of course it had to become my IF picture for "Rejection." ;-)

It's ACEO size, Prismacolors on Stonehenge white.

Illustration Friday - "Suit"

2007-06-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

Whew! I thought I was going to blow my resolution to do this every week, but finally I had a chance tonight to scribble up something for "Suit." My total knowledge of Tarot cards is that they have four suits and sometimes beautiful artwork. Alas, my card does not have the beautiful art (and now I see that it's crooked!), but it does represent the suit of Cups. ;-)

ACEO size, Polychromos on white Stonehenge.

Illustration Friday - "Your Paradise"

2007-06-05T17:39:00.001-07:00

Just a quick doodle this week--my paradise is having an unlimited supply of books that I want to read. I'm very lucky to be in this state most of the time! This is a tiny section of one of my bookshelves...

It's about 5" x 2", graphite and Prismacolors on Canson drawing paper.

Illustration Friday - "Cars"

2007-05-30T13:11:00.001-07:00

Found this great reference picture over at morguefile by fox-out, but I'm afraid I didn't do it justice. However, since I was suffering from a touch of stomach flu at the time, I think I can be excused.

At any rate, it's ACEO size, Prismacolors on Stonehenge white.

Illustration Friday - "Signs"

2007-05-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, you know I'm a science fiction writer, right? So "Signs" automatically made me think of crop circles (strangely, I've never seen the movie by the same name). Crop circles are rather close to my heart as one of my early published stories centered around them. Even if they're all hoaxes, they're cool to look at. And if they're not all hoaxes...

Anyway, this is based on a crop circle that appeared in Wisconsin. It's ACEO size, Prismacolors on Somerset Velvet Newsprint Grey.

Illustration Friday - "Citrus"

2007-05-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

I love the bright colors and vibrant scents of citrus fruits, so this one was really fun to draw. ACEO size, Prismacolors on Stonehenge white. Mmmm, now I'm hungry...

Illustration Friday - "Neighbor"

2007-05-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

I finally found ten minutes (really ten minutes!) to sketch this little neighbour I'm always happy to welcome back to the neighbourhood. His appearance means spring is really here.

ACEO size, Polychromos on Somerset velvet newsprint grey.

Illustration Friday - "Remember"

2007-05-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Because even elephants need help to remember sometimes...

5"x5", graphite pencil on Strathmore 400 series recycled drawing paper.

Illustration Friday - "Polar"

2007-04-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Earth Day this week got me thinking about the polar ice caps, and I thought of the "Blue Marble" picture taken by the astronauts of Apollo 17. The original NASA caption read, in part, "View of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon. This translunar coast photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area to the Antarctica south polar ice cap. This is the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap."

ACEO size, Polychromos and Prismas on black Stonehenge.

Illustration Friday - "Fortune"

2007-04-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

I'm always excited by the good fortune of finding helpful and lovely ladybugs in my garden. However, I didn't know that their reputation as bringers of good luck is almost global. This little lady is ACEO size, Prismacolors on white Stonehenge. The reference photo is by jeroenven over at stock.xchng.

Illustration Friday - "Green"

2007-04-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

Green, green...I went looking for inspiration in the Flickr account of my dear friend Nancy and found a lovely piece titled "morning green"...so I guess this is "morning green redux." I like the glass but not so much the table...I will only plead that I ran out of time to work on it. ;-) It's about 3" x 4", Prismacolors on Somerset Satin white.

Fairy Gossip

2007-04-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

This is the only thing I've been working on lately apart from the IF pictures, and it took me quite a while. I worked the flower first, being too chicken to tackle the butterfly, or the fairy wings, or the fairy's skin...but eventually I got around to it all and I'm happy with the result. I'm thinking of a companion piece which I may start soon...

It's about 10" x 11", Prismacolor pencils on white Stonehenge.

Illustration Friday - "Snap"

2007-04-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

At first I was just going to draw some snapdragons for this topic, and then I started thinking about snap DRAGONS, and the next thing you know...SnapDragons! The line art for the dragons' heads is from Neon Dragon's Art Page, and I have totally not done them justice. There are absolutely lovely coloring pages there.

But I digress. SnapDragons is a little bigger than my usual ACEO size, about 2.5" x 4", Prismacolors on Rising Stonehenge white vellum.

Illustration Friday - "I Spy"

2007-03-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

You've been adrift for three days, just the two of you in a tiny lifeboat. To pass the time you alternate between scanning the horizon with your single pair of binoculars and playing "I Spy," although it's pretty boring:

"I spy with my little eye, something that is...um...blue."
"Is it the water?"
"Yes."
"My turn. I spy with my little eye, something that is...er...blue."
"The water."
(sigh) "Yes."

But then suddenly, your companion is looking through the binoculars and says, "I spy with my little eye...something that is...GREEN!"

ACEO size, Polychromos and Prismas on Somerset satin white.

Illustration Friday - "Total"

2007-03-19T05:50:00.000-07:00

This topic gave me pause at first, but then I thought of that old "guess the total" game I've played at so many bridal and baby showers...and jellybeans are just so much fun! ACEO size, Polychromos on Rising Bristol white vellum.

Illustration Friday - "Wired"

2007-03-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

I went searching the web for inspiration for this one, and an image search on the word "wired" turned up this cool flower design idea, where colored wire is incorporated into the floral arrangement. Not the best result I've had on black, and I can't seem to get a good scan that really reflects the colors, but it was fun to do. ACEO size, Prismacolors on black Canson Mi-Teintes.

And now for something completely different...

2007-03-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Emily has been wanting me to try drawing something from one of her manga books, so last night I tackled one for my art night project. This is Shia, a character from the Pita-Ten manga by Koge-Donbo. I liked the way she turned out, considering I drew the whole thing freehand (not my strength!). 8" x 10", Prismacolors and Polychromos on Strathmore recycled drawing paper.

Illustration Friday - "Hide"

2007-03-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

I guess it's the time of year, but thinking about "Hide" immediately made me think of Easter eggs...although I prefer the chocolate sort to jellybeans, I loved the colors in this Morguefile reference pic I found by ladyheart. ACEO size, Prismacolors on Rising Bristol White Vellum.

Illustration Friday - "Communication"

2007-03-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

I had this great idea for a triptych: an old phone like this one, a closeup rotary dial, and a cell phone, or something along those lines. However, "real life" didn't leave me a whole lot of time for art this week and I ended up just getting the first piece of the idea scribbled in a hurry last night. But at least I made it, so I haven't broken my resolution to do IF every week this year. This is ACEO size, 2B pencil on Rising Bristol White Vellum.

Illustration Friday - "Gravity"

2007-02-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

Ah, helpful gravity, pulling that lovely hot coffee down out of the pot and into my waiting mug... ;-) ACEO size, Polychromos on Rising Bristol White Vellum.

Illustration Friday - "Crash"

2007-02-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

I didn't know what to draw for this one, but since I live within sight of the ocean I suppose it's not too surprising that I went with a crashing wave. It has a rather impressionist feel to it, which I quite like. Looks best from about five feet back. ;-) ACEO size, Polychromos on Somerset Satin White.

Illustration Friday - "Sprout"

2007-02-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Just a doodle of one of the ivies on my kitchen windowsill. ACEO size, Micron pen and Koh-I-Noor woodless colour pencils on Buff Somerset Velvet. My Mom has been encouraging me to try more drawing with the pen--I like it; it's very freeing. Possibly because you know you can't erase. ;-)

Illustration Friday - "Red"

2007-01-31T06:35:00.000-08:00

I think I should have gone with a lighter support for this one, but it's all about learning. ACEO size, Prismacolors on Black Stonehenge.

Illustration Friday - "Super Hero"

2007-01-24T06:56:00.000-08:00

It's Mr. Furious, from my favorite Super Hero movie, "Mystery Men." Great movie to watch anytime you're feeling down (as long as you appreciate the wacky humor). ACEO size, white and ultramarine Prismacolors on black Stonehenge. Go Mr. Furious!

Illustration Friday - "80's"

2007-01-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

Sure, at first I thought of "The 80's", but that's not necessarily the topic--it's just "80's" so I went with something that comes in 80's. 88's, to be exact...

ACEO size, Prismacolors on Somerset Satin White. Just four colors: Black, White, Cool Grey 10%, and Black Grape. The reference photo is by Jadazie at morguefile.com.

Illustration Friday - "Buzz"

2007-01-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

We've taken on Illustration Friday as a creative family project this year. It will be interesting to see how we do...

This week, "Buzz." AECO size (2.5" x 3.5"), Prismacolors on buff Somerset Velvet. Thanks to dieraecherin and middlewick for their inspiring photos at morguefile.

Candy Cane Dream

2006-12-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

This is the artwork for this year's Christmas cards. I was quite pleased with the way they turned out. Polychromos & Prismacolor pencils on Stonehenge paper,
4.5” x 7”.

2006-10-06T05:19:00.000-07:00

Another gift! This one for my husband's brother-in-law, who collects gargoyles. I had a few false starts with this one but finally got it right (or right enough, anyway). It's from a photo of one of the Notre Dame gargoyles. Prismacolors, 5"x7" on Stonehenge paper.

2006-09-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

These dragons were a wedding gift for my sister Krista and her new husband Bruce. They took a loooong time and I was terrified at each new step that I was going to ruin them completely. However, it never came to that and they looked quite wonderful finished and framed, if I do say so myself. Prismacolors on Strathmore Artagain paper, 12" x 18".

2006-09-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

"Spring Flowers" is a project from Beverley Johnston's "Complete Guide to Colored Pencil Techniques." I started it in the spring and then it fell by the wayside, but I've just spent a couple of hours finishing it up. It's about 6" x 7.5", Prismacolors on Strathmore sketch paper.

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2006-06-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

This sunflower is from a morguefile photo by nasirkhan. It's all Prismacolors on grey Strathmore Artagain paper, about 5.5" x 7". My plan is to donate it to the school for their spring fair, but it's harder than I expected to give it away!

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2006-05-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

This is the first in what I hope will be a series of "Green Men," one for each season. "Green Man: Winter" is about 10" x 11", on white Stonehenge, all Prismacolors. From a line drawing in Lora Irish's book, "Wood Spirits and Green Men."

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2006-04-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

I think this is my best so far, from a reference photo at morguefile.com by wax115. The grapes are done on black Somerset Velvet paper, about 8" x 6", Prismas. I might do some tweaking on this one yet.

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2006-04-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

A tulip for spring. I couldn't seem to get a decent scan of this one--the shadows around the bottom and lower left edge are not there in real life, and the colors are much subtler. It's about 8" x 8" on Artagain paper, all Prismacolors. The reference is from morguefile.com, by photographer chamomile.

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2006-03-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

I decided to try a portrait, so this is Emily. My reference was a snapshot taken by her brother. What I really wanted to see was whether I could achieve a good likeness of her, which I think I did. Everyone who knows her knows immediately that this is her, so I'm mostly pleased with it. It's 8.5 x 11 on Bristol, with Prismacolors.

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2006-02-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

This lone tomato is from another morguefile photo, strangely enough taken by a user named pickle. This is on tinted Strathmore Artagain recycled paper, and is just about 3" x 3".

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2006-02-02T11:38:00.000-08:00

This is a project from The Colored Pencil Challenge website at www.cpchallenge.com. The lesson is by Anne deMille Flood. I did this on a stormy day with the winter wind howling outside, but the warm glow of the cat's eyes kept me warm. ;-) On Rising Stonehenge white paper, 6" x 5".

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2006-02-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

"Orange At The Beach" (at least that's what it looks like to me) is from a photo by solrac_gi_2nd at www.morguefile.com. It's 9" x 12" on Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Paper. I don't really care for my background but I like the orange and the leaves.

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2006-01-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

These peppers are another project from The Colored Pencil Solution Book. They're about 8 x 10. Overall I was pretty pleased with these.

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2006-01-19T20:22:00.001-08:00

This was from a reference photo I found at morguefile.com. Sometimes you have to hunt a little but there are some really great photos there. I loved the colors in the waterlily. This piece is on a watercolor postcard, so it's not very big.

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2006-01-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

Then I got really crazy and did this as a Christmas gift for friends. Another dragon pattern, but the colors are mine. This one is on 9 x 12 Canson Cream Drawing paper, with Prismacolor pencils.

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2006-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

After the pointsettia, I wanted to try a project where I had to (gasp) choose and work out the color palette and layers myself. The line drawing for this one is from The Great Book of Dragon Patterns by Lora S. Irish. He's small, only about 3 x 5.

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2006-01-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

I took a break over the summer, then started thinking I'd like to make my own Christmas cards. After a few false starts I finished this pointsettia, which came partially from another project in Lee Hammond's book, but I altered it somewhat to fit the format I wanted. I was really pleased with this one.

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2006-01-19T19:56:00.000-08:00

And another art card, again from Lee Hammond's book.

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2006-01-19T19:53:00.001-08:00

This is another project from Lee Hammond's book. Just art card size, 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

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2006-01-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

This project is from Lee Hammond's Big Book of Drawing. Another book that I can't imagine doing without now. Still having trouble getting colors to blend, but I keep working at it.

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2006-01-19T19:42:00.000-08:00

Another project from The Colored Pencil Solution Book. I really enjoyed doing this one. Can't seem to get a good scan of this one...

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2006-01-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

By this point I was buying books about colored pencil! This is a project from The Colored Pencil Solution Book by Janie Gildow and Barbara Benedetti Newton. The line drawing to start was provided, but the coloring is mine. This is a book I highly recommend!

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2006-01-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

This is Uranus, which spins on its side. The reference was a drawing from an astronomy book. By now I had some Prismacolors and was starting to think about layering color.

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2006-01-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

A spacescape of Neptune as seen from one of its moons. I based this on another drawing.

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2006-01-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

This was my first colored pencil picture, just done with school pencils and a photo from the cover of a Vesey's seed catalog. I had no idea what I was doing, just that it was fun...

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