I look at a lot of art, and I don’t tend to see colored pencil drawings popping up in the mix of esteemed or daring artworks. Oils, pastels, graphite, watercolor, ink, even conte is common in museums and galleries, but colored pencils seem to be a material outgrown as soon as any of the others are acquired.
As a kid I had a disappointment set of pencils. The colors looked exciting in the box, but for soft paper they were way too hard, and had more wax than pigment. I figured all colored pencils were wuss sticks. Then I got a set of 12 Derwent, and made some of the first drawings that I ever liked. It wasn’t the “thing” in the drawing that I loved, it was watching the pigment grab onto the paper fibers. I could watch that all day.
The colors were limited, but the pigment was rich and vibrant. The color took eagerly to the paper. I was to a sad end, though, because I hadn’t yet learned that the core of a pencil is breakable, so after dropping them on the floor a few dozen times I was blocked by the frustration of trying to sharpen the wood away from shafts as they cracked and crumbled with every 1/4 inch removed. I’m sorry to say that with this tiny impasse, I gave them up entirely.
After 30 years I’ve rediscovered pencils. Yes, really. It took a year like 2020, but yes I’ve come round. Here I am, after countless pigment sticks and fluids, I’m back to the simple thing I started with all those years ago. I’m back in love with the pencil.
I’ve found that each brand of pencil offers a different “feel.” Some are rich and buttery like fine oil paints, others are soft and crumbly like delicate soft pastels. If you get a set of pencils with a good amount of pigment, and paper with enough tooth to allow the colors to build and blend, you have yourself a delightfully tidy art kit that’s great for travel, or for this continued quarantine, for drawing while sitting at a desk. No paint or charcoal dust in the keyboard. Nothing spilled, dripped, spread, smeared or crusted dry and ruined. Color lives patiently in the pencil, and when called, lands with sensitivity on paper, only.
Finding myself conveniently at my desk for another day, I did some art hunting for colored pencil drawings, and I have a few new V. Notes on the way. Feeling inspired, I splurged and ordered two new art supplies to try: a pad of Strathmore paper specially made for colored pencils, and a set of woodless Koh-i-Noor colored pencils. I promise not to drop them.
Drawings by Amy Erickson
Man, Color Pencil on Paper, 4″x7″, 2020
Amy Erickson lives and works in Seattle. She likes to draw with colored pencils.
Sugar Violet, Graphite and Color Pencil on Hand-Toned Paper, 9″x12″, 2014
“I use color pencils because they are an immediate way for me to explore color without having to fuss with mixing paint. I can use them for slow and detailed realism or for quick and painterly sketches. I can erase color pencils in the beginning stages of a drawing so it is less intimidating to sketch with them than with watercolor. They are not as messy as chalk pastels but I can still produce gestural and layered effects. Color pencils are the perfect medium to use when I don’t feel like painting but I want something more fun than tonal drawing.” – Amy Erickson
This show at MoMA was brought to my attention by a League member. (Thanks Chris!) He had been there to see it and said it was impactful to see works in context not by culture, but by timeline. What was happening while Matisse painted his ladies? What was the dominant art world thinking about at the time, …
Gallery hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM Evening hours: Tuesday and Wednesday from 5-7 PM Admission is free. The M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery is located at the north end of Seattle Central’s Atrium Cafeteria in the main campus building at the corner of Broadway and Pine. The art …
What is Casein? Casein (kay’seen) is a quick-drying, water based medium with a milk-based binding agent. Casein has the wash capabilities of watercolor, the smooth opacity of tempera and gouache, and the richer textures of oils and acrylics. Brushes dipped incasein keep their finesse, producing clear, crisp lines. Unlike oils, casein is a clean, water-soluble medium requiring …
This first image was from the ‘Transience and Eternity’, Angie Dixon’s exhibition at Foster/White in the 1990’s. It was a combination of installation and paintings. It was about creation and the formation of everything before it becomes tangible. The paintings were meant to be of the actual tangible results of the creative formation. The installation …
Colored Pencil Drawings by Amy Erickson
I look at a lot of art, and I don’t tend to see colored pencil drawings popping up in the mix of esteemed or daring artworks. Oils, pastels, graphite, watercolor, ink, even conte is common in museums and galleries, but colored pencils seem to be a material outgrown as soon as any of the others are acquired.
As a kid I had a disappointment set of pencils. The colors looked exciting in the box, but for soft paper they were way too hard, and had more wax than pigment. I figured all colored pencils were wuss sticks. Then I got a set of 12 Derwent, and made some of the first drawings that I ever liked. It wasn’t the “thing” in the drawing that I loved, it was watching the pigment grab onto the paper fibers. I could watch that all day.
The colors were limited, but the pigment was rich and vibrant. The color took eagerly to the paper. I was to a sad end, though, because I hadn’t yet learned that the core of a pencil is breakable, so after dropping them on the floor a few dozen times I was blocked by the frustration of trying to sharpen the wood away from shafts as they cracked and crumbled with every 1/4 inch removed. I’m sorry to say that with this tiny impasse, I gave them up entirely.
After 30 years I’ve rediscovered pencils. Yes, really. It took a year like 2020, but yes I’ve come round. Here I am, after countless pigment sticks and fluids, I’m back to the simple thing I started with all those years ago. I’m back in love with the pencil.
I’ve found that each brand of pencil offers a different “feel.” Some are rich and buttery like fine oil paints, others are soft and crumbly like delicate soft pastels. If you get a set of pencils with a good amount of pigment, and paper with enough tooth to allow the colors to build and blend, you have yourself a delightfully tidy art kit that’s great for travel, or for this continued quarantine, for drawing while sitting at a desk. No paint or charcoal dust in the keyboard. Nothing spilled, dripped, spread, smeared or crusted dry and ruined. Color lives patiently in the pencil, and when called, lands with sensitivity on paper, only.
Finding myself conveniently at my desk for another day, I did some art hunting for colored pencil drawings, and I have a few new V. Notes on the way. Feeling inspired, I splurged and ordered two new art supplies to try: a pad of Strathmore paper specially made for colored pencils, and a set of woodless Koh-i-Noor colored pencils. I promise not to drop them.
Drawings by Amy Erickson
Amy Erickson lives and works in Seattle. She likes to draw with colored pencils.
“I use color pencils because they are an immediate way for me to explore color without having to fuss with mixing paint. I can use them for slow and detailed realism or for quick and painterly sketches. I can erase color pencils in the beginning stages of a drawing so it is less intimidating to sketch with them than with watercolor. They are not as messy as chalk pastels but I can still produce gestural and layered effects. Color pencils are the perfect medium to use when I don’t feel like painting but I want something more fun than tonal drawing.” – Amy Erickson
Amy’s favorite: Faber-Castell brand, and woodless color pencils.
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