Favorite Toys

5/06/2009 09:52:00 AM Posted In Edit This 5 Comments »
Recently I was asked what my favorite studio toy is. After thinking it over, I decided that my very favorite is pencils. While I love lots of other things - pens, paints, ephemera, beads, fibers, ( need I go on?), what I love the most is pencils. I love the flexibility of them - they can make hundreds of different kinds of marks and textures, contrast and highlights can be spectacular, and the level of detail possible is amazing. They can produce richness and delicacy and they make rendering easier with the handy, dandy eraser. Plus, they are the most portable of all the art supplies and they can write on lots of different surfaces - that means you don't even have to take a sketch pad with you! You can use napkins, place mats, even scraps of paper you find laying around on the street if you're desperate enough (which I have been known to do). They won't drip or leak in your pocket or purse, and with just a small container, you can carry several of them at once, giving a wider range of effects than just one allows. I love colored pencils too, but that's a whole different story! I recently found out about a website that's all about using pencils for drawing, and it's wonderful! I'm sure I'll be checking on it often. You can find it here: http://www.sibleyfineart.com/index.htm

Here are a couple of drawings I've done - Chief Joseph was a gift to my mother after she and my step dad moved to New Mexico and became very interested in native American history and artifacts. The other is a quick drawing of a pair of shoes that both my sons wore when they were children. I especially love that one because it evokes so many sweet memories.

5 comments:

owenswain said...

Happy drawing to you from a fellow EDMer. Looks like you spend many enjoyable hours at your art-play. Good on you.

Focus_ret said...

What excellent drawings these are! I'm impressed with both of them.

Anne said...

These drawings are amazing! Thank you for sharing them! I'm in awe of your talent!

~Anne

Leah said...

beautiful drawings!!

Marva Plummer-Bruno said...

Wow! These are fabulous! So glad you stopped by my blog so I could come look at yours! :) Marva