Autumn Walk

Autumn Walk, 2013
Colored pencil on paper
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches

© 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Noodling around with my relatively new palette of oil-based colored pencils.

Smethwick

Smethwick, 2012
Colored pencil on paper
14 x 7 inches
Private collection

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Is it a drawing or a painting?

Colored pencil artists sometimes refer to their work as paintings.  Works in pastel are often called pastel paintings.  Jo Wood, a bead embroidery artist, describes her work as painting with beads.

Regardless of where the line is drawn, so to speak, I feel as if I’m painting when I use oil-based colored pencils, which were used for Smethwick and Between the Drive and the Boulevard.

Between the Drive and the Boulevard

Between the Drive and the Boulevard, 2012

Colored pencil on paper

6 x 4 inches

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

After trying several papers over the years, I think I’ve finally found my preferred support for colored pencil:  bristol board with a vellum finish.

Bristol vellum has just enough tooth for adequate layering, but not so much that the tones look overly grainy without burnishing.  (Depending on the subject matter, I often prefer a little graininess when working with pencils.)  I’m also able to achieve what I want to with more defined pencil strokes.

Light graphite erases from bristol vellum relatively easily, and I’m able to adequately lift color with a kneaded eraser.  My kneaded eraser is as important a drawing tool as any pencil, so the latter benefit is important.

The other side of the bristol vellum I’ve used has a smooth finish, although I found that it’s too smooth for adequate colored pencil layering.  However, I understand that a smooth surface like this works well for photorealistic graphite drawing, which I have yet to test for myself.

A Fine Day in Green and Blue

A Fine Day in Green and Blue, 2011

Colored pencil on paper

4 x 6 inches

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

For this piece, I wanted to sketch loosely and not overthink it, the way I enjoy drawing the most.  I like the sort of retro I look I get when I draw this way.

Firestorm

Firestorm, 2011

Colored pencil on paper

8 1/8 x 4 inches

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Lately, I find I’ve been instinctively handling colored pencils as I would graphite pencils (often holding the pencil more loosely away from its point and positioning the pencil at a more acute angle to the paper) to help achieve form, texture and fine juxtapositions of colors, as opposed to choking up on the pencil to carefully lay in smooth tone.  I find this method to be freeing and think the results are visually interesting.

Purple Crocus in Sunlight

Purple Crocus in Sunlight, 2011

Colored pencil on paper

6.5 x 5 inches

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Previous to this drawing, I’d never employed monochromatic underpainting.  However, accurately capturing the values in the crocus petals was essential to the results I wanted to achieve, so I used lilac to underpaint them first.  I then applied additional colors to attain the ultimate hues I wanted.

I’m pleased with the result.  The drawing reminds me of the vintage botanical illustrations I admire so much.

Cranesbill

Cranesbill, 2011

Colored pencil on paper

5 x 5 inches

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

There’s nothing like taking a closer look and noticing something one would never have seen otherwise.  It’s like discovering treasure.

In reality, this cranesbill was white.  While I was struck by the perfection of the bloom, at first I didn’t think it would make an interesting enough subject.  But upon closer inspection, I saw subtle blues, lavenders and greens in the petals, and I had to draw it.

Clematis Jackmanii Superba

Clematis Jackmanii Superba, 2010

Colored pencil on paper

5 1/2 x 4 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

I’ve learned a little more about using colored pencil on paper with a smooth surface.  I’m finding it to be less forgiving than paper with more tooth, and what can be done with layering is more limited.

Cosmos

Cosmos, 2010

Colored pencil on paper

5 x 5 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

How to approach negative space can be a challenge.  One needs to make sure colors, values and detail, or lack of the latter, complement the focus of a piece, not distract from it.  The ethereal shapes and colors in the negative space of the photo I took for this piece provided the perfect complement for the cosmos.

Black-Eyed Susans

Black-Eyed Susans, 2009

Colored pencil on paper

4 x 3 3/16 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

One of my favorite perennials.  They add such a bright note to the garden.

Cattails

Cattails, 2010

Ink and colored pencil on paper

8 x 6 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

An experiment using ink with colored pencil.

Wild Asters

Wild Asters, 2010

Colored pencil on paper

4 1/2 x 6 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

I was determined to capture the beautiful royal colors of the aster petals.  I also enjoyed working with the smooth-surface paper I used here.  It accepted the pigment as if it were butter, and I like the soft tonal results.

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.

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.

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.