McDowell Mountain Regional Park

McDowell Mountain Regional Park, 2010

Colored pencil on paper

5 x 7 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

During my trip to Arizona, I came to really appreciate desert flora.  In this depiction of McDowell Mountain Regional Park, I used expressive color to help convey the depth of the landscape.

Two Alliums

Two Alliums, 2010

Graphite on paper

4 3/4 x 6 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

This was an exercise in using different techniques than I normally use to depict a very detailed subject more impressionistically.

First, I toned the paper to a mid-value with a graphite stick and blending stump, then carved out the main shapes with a kneaded eraser.  From there I mostly used 6B and ebony pencils to render darker values and the kneaded eraser to pick out highlights.  The stump was again used here and there to soften certain areas and value transitions.

Exploring what are, for me, atypical techniques allows me to execute a look and feel that is completely different from my usual work.

Japanese Anemone

Japanese Anemone, 2009

Colored pencil on paper

3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

I attempted my first ACEO (Art Cards, Editions and Originals).  Working in such a small format took some getting used to, especially since I prefer to include a border around my images.

Wetland Landscape

Wetland Landscape, 2010
Graphite on paper
6 5/8 x 5 1/2 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse. All rights reserved.

Portraying the tangle of grasses and reeds in the middle-ground wetland was a challenge, but employing the patience to do this kind of detail can be worth the final effect. The trick is knowing when to stop.

Daffodils

Daffodils, 2009
Colored pencil on paper
7 3/4 x 5 7/8 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

I started this piece years ago and worked on it occasionally, but never finished it. Last year, I was organizing my art supplies, came across it, and decided to complete it.

I used Bet Borgeson’s tonal technique here, allowing the grain of the paper to show through.