"Jealousy" Colored Pencil Drawing

I completed this 8"x10" colored pencil drawing of marigold flowers on yellow paper during early June. The pencils used were Prismacolor brand, and the paper was Canson Mi-Tientes cadmium yellow.

I started, as usual, with a light sketch of where the marigold flowers would go on the page, and where I might insert some greenery in the background:

Then I got to work really adding layers of dimension. I highlighted the edges of the marigold petals with cream, then went over the cream with yellow, to make the edges really stand out. Then I added dark red, purple, and black in the shadows of the petals, blending those in with a basic red color up to the yellow edges.

At this point of the process, I also started filling in the background as I went around and finished adding dimension and depth to the marigold flowers.

Often when I use colored paper like this, I leave some of the background uncolored to let the natural vibrancy of the colored paper do some of the heavy lifting. But for this drawing, I just loved the way it looked using the paper as a "backlit" effect and letting the yellow paper come through the colored pencil layered on top of it. It really draws attention to the yellow highlights of the edges of the marigold petals and makes them pop. So I made sure to fill in the entire background with leaves, greenery, and darker shadows/dirt (more similar to how they'd be found in nature, as part of a garden or landscaping or potted plant), rather than leaving some of the background yellow. It was a lot more work to color in all of that negative space, but I really think it makes the piece.

And here is the completed piece:

I really love the way this one turned out!

I have stopped listing these original drawings on my Etsy page for now, since I decided it wasn't worth the listing costs when my originals are so rarely purchased online. But if you are interesting in purchasing this drawing (or any of my similar 8"x10" colored pencil drawings), they are all available for sale through me directly. Please leave a comment below or send me an email at afrownfe[at]gmail.com for more information.

And in the meantime, you can still visit my Etsy store for notecards! I have several notecard sets for sale there, from Michigan- and Great Lake-themed designs to abstract patterns and prints of floral colored pencil drawings like this one. :)

"Energy" Colored Pencil Drawing

You may notice that the table surface in the background of these pictures looks different than usual - instead of drawing this on the dining room table like I had been doing for colored pencil projects, I've moved my colored pencil station upstairs to the spare bedroom. That room was an office space for both me and my husband for the last several years, but we've recently moved our computers down to the basement, freeing up that desk space for drawing upstairs. It won't work for larger drawings (if I ever have time to do large drawings again!) but for small 8"x10" drawings, the desk is a perfect size. I like being just down the hall from my baby's nursery, since I usually squeeze in time for these drawings while she's napping or after she goes to bed at night.

This latest drawing was completed in May. The subject matter I chose was cattails, which symbolize energy. As usual, I used Prismacolor brand pencils. The paper is Canson Mi-Tientes cadmium yellow.

I started with a sketch of the composition, lightly shading in where the cattails and long grass would go:

Then I started shading in the shadows of the cattails, and coloring in the blades of grass. Because of the different types of reedy grass around the cattails, as well as the lights and shadows, there were actually several pencils I used to color in the different grasses: green, a greenish-blue, cream, yellow, dark red, dark blue, and black.

Here is the completed drawing:

I have stopped listing these original drawings on my Etsy page for now, since I decided it wasn't worth the listing costs when my originals are so rarely purchased online. But if you are interesting in purchasing this drawing (or any of my similar 8"x10" colored pencil drawings), they are all available for sale through me directly. Please leave a comment below or send me an email at afrownfe[at]gmail.com for more information.

And in the meantime, you can still visit my Etsy store for notecards! I have several notecard sets for sale there, from Michigan- and Great Lake-themed designs to abstract patterns and prints of floral colored pencil drawings like this one. :)

"Roasted Marshmallows" 4x6 Watercolor Paintings

This set of three 4"x6" watercolor paintings is called "Roasted Marshmallows" for its color scheme - from the light yellows and oranges of gently roasted marshmallows to the darker browns and blacks marshmallows turn when people like me purposefully put their marshmallows in the bonfire too long, let them catch fire and char, and then blow out the flame like a birthday candle. :)

I started by tracing patterns onto watercolor paper, then taping down the paper so it would stay flat while I painted.

I wanted the color scheme to be somewhat symmetrical, with the darkest painting in the middle. So I used lighter browns and yellows for the first painting.

For the middle painting, I used a medium brown mixed with black pigment.

Finally, for the third painting I went back to a lighter color scheme (though not quite as light as the first one). This painting also has a bit of light orange mixed in with the yellow, instead of brown.

Here is the finished set of three watercolors:

I framed the paintings in a single frame with a mat with three openings for three 4"x6" paintings. Because the fronts are unsigned, these abstract paintings can be hung in any direction, horizontally or vertically.

"Gelato Bar" 4x6 Watercolor Paintings

This set of three 4"x6" watercolor paintings is called "Gelato Bar" for its pastel color scheme, which reminded me of the row of fruity flavors of gelato available at a large gelaterie in Florence, Italy.

As with all of my patterned watercolor paintings, first I selected which patterns to use (out of the literal hundreds I've designed in Adobe Illustrator over the years). I traced these patterns onto separate pieces of watercolor paper cut to 4"x6" and then taped them down to keep the paper flat while I painted.

The first painting in this trio has a pastel orange-yellow color scheme.

For the next painting I completed, I used a pastel blue-green color scheme.

Finally, I used a pastel pink and purple color scheme for the third painting.

I just love these colors! Here is the completed set of three:

I framed the set in a single frame, with a mat that had three openings for 4"x6" artworks. Because the fronts are unsigned, this frame can be hung in any orientation or direction, horizontally or vertically.