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.

Red Rocks of Sedona

In my last post, I featured some of the artwork that can be found at the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona.  I thought I’d also share a few sample shots of the magnificent scenery that surrounds the chapel.



Cathedral Rock, located in Coconino National Forest.



The two rock formations at the far right are known as the Two Nuns.  The third rock formation from the right is called the Madonna and Child.

View Toward Eagle Rock, Sedona, Arizona, 2012

This is one of my favorite shots.  The sun was behind me, so the lighting was just right, and the color turned out perfectly.

I recommend using a polarizing filter, as was used here, to help achieve this kind of vivid color.  I also adjusted the standard picture style on my camera, increasing contrast by one and saturation by two.

All photos © 2013 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

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.

North of the Boulevard

North of the Boulevard, 2012
Graphite on paper
6 5/8 x 5 1/2 inches

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

This drawing represents a step in the direction I’d like to take my graphite work.  I took a lighter hand with the graphite, and left white space to allow context, rather than rendered detail, to tell the story.

Entrance I

Entrance I, 2012
Ink and watercolor on paper
6 x 4 1/2 inches

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Recently, I’ve been researching pen and ink artists and their techniques more intently.  As part of my studies, I re-read a free e-book from Artist Daily:  Pen and Ink Drawing Techniques:  Drawing with Ink to Create Art with Strong Contrast and Surprising Subtlety.

The e-book offers a great deal of insight into how different techniques render different results.  Especially helpful is the explanation about the difference between the European and American pen and ink traditions. 

Pen and Ink Drawing Techniques gives examples of each of these styles, but there are two contemporary artists I study that illustrate the difference, as well:  Nicole Wong usually follows the American tradition, where her hatch marks run along the form to suggest volume.  Tommy Kane follows the European tradition, where he uses hatching and crosshatching around the form to model his images.

While I’m an admirer of the European tradition, I’m drawn to the light, fresh and (deceptively) simple look of the American tradition.  Neither style is better than the other, of course.  Whichever one an artist chooses to use depends on personal preference and the results he or she wants to achieve. 

I highly recommend the Pen and Ink e-book.  To download a copy for yourself, you’ll need to register at Artist Daily, but it’s free, painless, and you’ll have additional access to information that will enhance your practice and knowledge of art.

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.

End of Day

End of Day, 2012

Graphite on paper

4.75 x 6 inches

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

For several reasons, I haven’t been satisfied with what I’ve been producing lately.  To shake things loose creatively, I decided that I needed to relax, get back to basics with pencil and paper, and see where it took me.

If you’re an artist, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Brush

Brush, 2011

Graphite on paper

6 x 4 inches

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

A humble little scene on the edge of civilization that caught my eye.

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.

Fall Reflection

Fall Reflection, 2011

Graphite on paper

6 x 4 inches

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

This view’s complexity, unusual backlighting and evocation of Monet’s Poplars compelled me to figure out how to render it.

Reynolds Family Winery, Napa, California

Reynolds Family Winery, Napa, California, 2011

Graphite on paper

12 x 8 inches

From a photograph by Elizabeth Weinberg

Private collection

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Drawing this complex scene stretched my skills and made me a better draftsman.

Morning Sunlight

Morning Sunlight, 2011

Graphite on paper

4 7/8 x 6 inches

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

For me, making art involves constant inner debate—whether to make something traditional or unconventional, something within or outside my comfort zone, something that is more likely to be admired by the majority or something that simply satisfies me.

As hard as it can be to break the mold, I find I’m more satisfied if I push my boundaries and try new things, be they media, techniques, styles, compositions, etc.  Some results are more successful than others, but the personal growth is invaluable.

At the Edge of the Pond

At the Edge of the Pond, 2010

Graphite on paper

5 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches

© 2011 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

I think that we sometimes see the subject matter of certain well-known artists and conclude that the subject matter that speaks to us can’t possibly measure up.  But we choose subject matter the same way they did:  It’s what we see around us, what has meaning to us, or what concepts we want to convey.  It’s the objects, the people, the colors, the lines, or the play of light against dark that we perceive as beautiful or interesting.  Subject matter doesn’t have to be monumental to be a poem worthy of interpretation.

Creek II

Creek II, 2010

Graphite on paper

5 13/16 x 4 9/16 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

I was compelled to draw this view because I recognized its similarity to a distinctive composition sometimes used by Van Gogh in the photo I took:  sharply diagonal lines terminated by a high horizon line.

When I was nearly finished with the piece, I took another look at Van Gogh’s work to write this blog entry.  The view depicted here is no Arles, and I’m certainly no Van Gogh, but I was surprised to discover that I’d unintentionally taken a photo of and drawn the same general composition that Van Gogh used in Flowering Garden with Path (July, 1888).

Stand

Stand, 2010

Graphite on paper

5 3/4 x 4 5/8 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

A drawing of a stand of oak trees that captures my attention every time I walk by it.

Respite

Respite, 2010

Graphite on paper

5 11/16 x 4 9/16 inches

Private collection

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

There’s a lovely little jewel of a park in the midst of a sprawling suburban neighborhood.  The landscape architect designed the park around mature oak trees on a hill that were there before the subdivision was built.

Creek I

Creek I, 2010

Graphite on paper

4 3/4 x 6 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

This wild view needed an impressionistic treatment.

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.

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.

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.