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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Impatiens

Impatiens, 2009

Watercolor and ink on paper

3 15/16 x 5 7/16 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

This piece puts me in mind of a Japanese woodblock print.

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.

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums, 2010

Graphite on paper

6 x 4 3/4 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

Employing a device used by certain oil artists I’ve studied, I just suggested the leaves here.  It grounded the flowers, yet allowed them to remain the focal point of the piece.

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.

Balloon Flower

Balloon Flower, 2010

Graphite on paper

4 1/2 x 5 3/4 inches

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

I’ve rediscovered my blending stump.  I really like the effects I’m getting with it.

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.