Pencil Arts Society Annual Exhibition - Selected Artists and Award Winners

The very first Online International Juried Exhibition of the Pencil Art Society went live today.  It has a dedicated website so that over time it will build up a history of the exhibition. I wish all art societies were this well organised!

Best in Show - Bianca Eva by Cristina Iotti
19.7″ x 23.6″
NFS
Graphite & Coloured Pencil on unknown paper

• You can see the Gallery of 60 selected images online.  The works in this exhibition have a lot in common with the UKCPS and CPSA exhibitions in terms of subject matter and stylistic approach.  The exhibition certainly includes some excellent work from a technical perspective. 
• The Juror was Bob Ebdon - the Founder of the UK Coloured Pencil Society in 2001
• I'm listing all the 35 juried artists below with links to their websites.  Entries came in from all over the world including Canada, the United States, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain! 
• This is a page about the awards - also listed below.  The Pencil Society decided that they would limit the number, in order to showcase only the best of the submissions. Prismacolor, Canson, Derwent, Curry's and Dick Blick are all sponsoring the exhibition. The combined value in cash and art supplies of the prizes offered prizes is over $1800 CAD .

The aim of the Pencil Society is to demonstrate to the world the best of what pencil can do.

This is a dream come true for all of us. Such a response from our members! So much beautiful work! We were blown away by the entries we received, and our juror Bob Ebdon had a very difficult time choosing which would be included in the show. Alexandra Bastien, PAS Exhibition Chair

Those interested in pencil art will want to note that there are two categories of artwork in the Gallery:

• 100% Pencil Works: for drawings that consist of solely graphite pencil, solely charcoal, solely conté, solely coloured pencil (used dry or with solvent) or solely watersoluble pencil (used dry) — used separately or in combination with each other.
• 50% Pencil Mixed Media Works: for drawings that consist of at least 50% of ANY of the five PAS-accepted pencil media — solely graphite pencil, solely charcoal, solely conté, solely coloured pencil (used dry or with solvent) or solely watersoluble pencil (used dry) — used separately or in combination with each other AND with 50% any OTHER media.

The Pencil Society Online Exhibition 2013 - Awards

Best in Show $500 cash prize. Plus Free Entry to the 2014 international exhibition and one year free membership

• Bianca Eva by Cristina Iotti (see the image at the top of this post) Christina is an Italian artist working in coloured pencils. You can see more of her portfolio of carefully worked cross hatched artwork on her website

First place $325 product (sponsored by prismacolor) Plus Free Entry to the 2014 international exhibition and one year free membership

• Share the burden by Alexandra Bastien A graduate of the School of Fine Arts of the Saidye Bronfman Centre in Montreal, Alexandra is also a signature member of both CPSA and UKCPS and has won numerous awards.

Other Places and Honourable Mentions

• Second place: Working Horse Team by Leonie Bell New South Wales, Australia 
• Third place: Model Soldier by Susan E. Poole UK 
• First honourable mention: Falling into Place by Arlene Steinberg
• Second honourable mention: Exposed by Darlene Jordan Pfaff
• Third honourable mention: Spring's Sentry by Lissa Rachelle Robillard

Excellence in Drawing 

• Indiana Barn by Diane Wright (Diane Wright Art Journal)  Diane has a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from the University of Northern Iowa and lives in Mitchellville, Iowa.  She includes a number of tutorials on her website and links to them in her blog.

Special recognition for the use of pencil with mixed media

• Blue Eyes by Christine Karron  Christine was born and raised in Estonia and now lives in Alberta in Canada.  She attended the Willy-Brandt School in Art and Design while living in Germany.

Master Pencil Art Status

The first artists to receive Master Pencil Artist Status (MPAS) were Sheona Hamilton-Grant, Denise J. Howard, Karen Hull and Wendy Thompson.

Selected Artists

Thirty Five artists had work selected for the exhibition.  I've highlighted my personal favourites below with a comment.

Two works

• Carolyn Bain – Ontario, Canada
• Alexandra Bastien, CPSA, UKCPS Silver – Quebec, Canada
• Nancy Bélisle – Quebec, Canada
• Leonie Bell – New South Wales, Australia
• Pierre Blanchette – Quebec, Canada
• Kathy Dolan – Ontario, Canada
• Tanja Gant, CPSA – USA  I love both the composition and technical execution of Speak no evil. This artist has an incredibly light touch and real finesse - which is a skill I'd commend to others who work in pencil
• Kim Hamby – USA
• Sheona Hamilton-Grant, MPAS – Germany (Black on Grey on White) 
• Sharon Hester – Florida, USA
• Denise Howard, CPSA, UKCPS, MPAS – California, USA
• Karen Hull, MPAS – Australia (Karen Hull Art) 
• Darlene Jordan-Pfaff – Canada
• Christine Karron – Canada
• Louka Kurcer – Quebec, Canada
• Manon Leclerc - Quebec, Canada
• Mary L. “Rusty” Parenteau – Arizona, USA
• Andrea Placer – New Jersey, USA
• Julie Podstolski – Western Australia (juliepodstolski)  I love the juxtaposition of old and new in Rear View.  I always feel I can tell when an artist has been working on a theme for some time - and I wasn't in the least bit surprised to find more excellent drawings of modern day geishas on the artists website.  Developing a theme and a suite of work is such a good way of persuading an gallery to show your work
• Susan Elizabeth Poole, ASGFA, UKCPS – United Kingdom
• Lissa Rachelle Robillard – Canada (Co Founder of the Pencil Art Society)
• Adolfo Fernandez Rodriguez – Spain
• Arlene Steinberg, CPSA – USA
• Wendy Thompson, MPAS, CPSA – USA
• Erica Walker – Canada
• Diane Wright – Iowa, USA (Diane Wright Art Journal) 

One work

• Allison Fagan, CPSA – Ontario, Canada  I loved the idea of a riot of colourful shirts. The technical execution looks like it might fall a little short but the impact is really strong. For me it would have been even better if done much bigger - at least life size.
• Kate Ferguson – Victoria, Australia (Kate Ferguson)
• Cristina Iotti – Modena, Italy  I can concur with Bob's choice of Best in Show.  Bianca Eva is a very worthy winner - and nice to see Best in Show go to a mixed media work!
• Judith Angell Meyer – Colorado, USA
• Alison Philpott – British Columbia, Canada
• Daniela Rioux – Manitoba, Canada
• Sue A. Seggeling – Illinois, USA
• Virginia Tupper – New Brunswick, Canada (Virginia Tupper)

It seems to be that the Society has been very well organised and is to be congratulated for getting such a good response to its first exhibition.  Here's hoping they go from strength to strength.

Who Painted This? #47

Who painted this? #47

This week there are two changes to the normal challenge.

1. This is another crop of a painting. Remember the rules - you can only use WORDS to identify this painting via a database of paintings.  
2. You need to tell me - as a comment on this blog - who this is, which painting she features in and who painted her.  Tell me also what you can find out about this artist. 

This week the winner will be the person with the BEST answer rather than the first to respond - so you don't have to rush and have got time to do some research.

For those who've not risen to the challenge before please take a minute to read the rules - see below.  The questions which need answering don't stop at "Who painted this?"

How to participate in "Who painted this? #47"

PLEASE make sure you read the rules before posting a comment - and ONLY POST ON THIS BLOG what you think is the answer.

"Discover Art" Bookazine to launch next month

The front cover of the first edition
of Discover Art

Next month, some of you are going to be seeing and hearing about the launch of a new publication called 'Discover Art'.

This is a new magazine for artists.  Technically it's actually called a bookazine - which is a magazine big enough to rate as a book!

The other big difference is that the majority of its distribution will be digital - of which more later!

James Hobbs, who's a very experienced editor of art magazines and a fellow Urban Sketcher in London, is editing 'Discover Art'.

I'm sold on the idea behind this new publication as it aims to go beyond some of the more simplistic how‐to formulas and rules of how to copy somebody else's style which all too often fill magazines.

Instead I understand Discover Art will be aiming to help and support artists to find their own creativity and distinctive and personal way of working through experimentation and experience.  So it's not so much how to produce art like a well known artist so much as how to produce art that is unique to you!  I'm definitely in support of that!

Features in the first edition include an article by me..... :)

Its features include

• in‐depth, inspiring looks at paintings by accomplished artists using watercolour, acrylic, oils and coloured pencils, as well as digital media, such as iPads

• interviews and profiles of successful artists including this year's BP Portrait Award winner, Susanne du Toit,

• how a blog and social media can help readers share and promote their paintings and drawings online

• how to meet like‐minded artists through art clubs, societies and sketchcrawls

• information about leading art materials to try out

• a look behind the scenes into the studios and work spaces of artists

• help in choosing the perfect painting holiday

• how selecting the right frame can be the crowning moment of any work of art

• a resources guide to help in finding art courses, exhibition opportunities and ongoing support

Mine is the article with the title "How social media can help the artist".  (I've just signed off the final version!). The main challenge was containing it to the word limit I was given as this is a topic which I could write a book about!

I'm very encouraged by seeing the websites and some of the art of the artists involved. The first edition of Discover Art will also include articles by

• Lucy Duke and Joe Dowden on watercolour, 
• Thomas Doran and Iain Holman on oils, 
• Anne Davies on acrylics - I love the look of her website!
• Rachel Munn on coloured pencils. I was absolutely raving about Rachel Munn's botanical art in pencil only last month at the Florum exhibition in Kent - see Florum 10th Anniversary Exhibition - review - drooling might be more accurate - so I can't wait to see what she has to say about working with coloured pencils.  
• Susan Murtaugh on iPad art. I'm also really looking forward to reading Susan Murtagh's article as she produces some really great digital art - and she's already been been profiled by that well known talent spotter Charley Parker of Lines and Colors!

Copies of the launch issue are set to be well in excess of 100,000.  It will be circulated as both a digital copy to databases of practising artists and will also be available in print via WHSmith, Martin McColl, Easons and key art shows throughout the year.  If you are on the GreatArt database you have no worries - a copy will be on its way to you next month.

There's also another bit about me in this magazine - but I won't spoil the surprise and will tell you about that one after the launch! 

The Big Drawing Book Review 2013

I have to confess.

I a serious addiction to books about drawing and sketching. For me books about drawing were a way into finding out different ways of drawing, how people drew in the past, how to render accurately - and why rendering in ways which are looser can be more interesting.  Books opened my eyes to what was possible and encouraged me to find new ways of drawing. I developed an interest in mark-making.

Some of my collection of Books about Drawing

Back in 2007, I spent a month reviewing drawing books and encouraging others to do likewise - see The Big Drawing Book Review

Since then we've had a huge resurgence of interest in both drawing and sketching.  I see drawings more often in exhibition. Urban Sketchers got off the ground, other drawing projects followed such as Sketching in Nature appeared and we now even have a new art prize for drawing.

As this is Big Draw I'm therefore proposing to repeat The Big Drawing Book Review in 2013

The Big Drawing Book Review: What does this involve?

The idea is simple. I'll explain what I'm doing below.  If you'd like to join in and also rate the drawing books you like or recommend that would be wonderful - it's good to share!

What I will be doing

This October I'm going to be reviewing books about drawing - instruction books, books about drawings by specific artists, reviews of drawing practices, and books about sketchbooks - on my blog Making A Mark Reviews.

My reviews will focus on:

• Basic Facts about the book - title, author, publisher - and who the book is aimed at. 
• My opinion about the content - with reasons. 
• Who the book is suitable for eg 
• beginner - somebody wanting to learn how to draw 
• improver - somebody wanting to learn more and improve their drawing 
• advanced - somebody who is already knowledgeable and skilled who wants to face new challenges, to learn about artists and different drawing practices 
• Readability - A comment on how well the author writes and how accessible the book is. Are points made clearly - and can I remember them afterwards! Also what level of reading the book is pitched at. 
• Presentation/Quality of Binding - Whether it looks good and feels good. For me this is often influenced by the quality of the images and the way text is laid out 
• Value for Money - Is it good value for money? 
• Overall quality - Would I recommend it - and if so, the reasons why.

Every Sunday I will then highlight the books I've reviewed on "who's made a mark this week?"

Last time I also developed a website which highlighted books about drawing and sketching I recommended.  See The Best Books about Drawing and Sketching.  This also linked to reviews by me and the other bloggers who participated in the Review.

That site has become extraordinarily long - and very popular - since 2007 and is now slow to load. Unfortunately the site format where it's hosted has changed recently. As a result, I'm now looking to revise it into a number of sites which are more targeted to particular interests e.g. advanced drawing - or books most suitable for beginners; or people who want to draw specific subjects or learn specific techniques e.g. perspective drawing.  See How to draw perspective for an example of the new sites I'm developing.  The existing site will then become a hub for the specific interests.

If you want to join in with The Big Drawing Book Review 2013:

• YOU need to send me a link to your review 
• I will then include a link to your blog post in the listing each week on this blog.

I'm going to be using the rating we all used last time to sum up the book.  This is it.  Please also use it if you feel comfortable with it.

Rate your book!Finally, after making it clear who you think the book is aimed at, try and decide whether it rates:

• 5 pencils - go out and buy this book right now if you have the money. In your opinion, an essential book for anybody seriously interested in drawing and/or learning more about drawing. 

• 4 pencils - a seriously good book about drawing; definitely one you want to own at some point - maybe one for the Christmas present list if you're broke 

• 3 pencils - good effort but nothing which really distinguishes it from other books. It's just this author's take on the basics. The sort of book which is good while you are reading it but doesn't stick in your memory. 

• 2 pencils - undistinguished in your view. For example: content may be a rerun of previously published books and/or remixed with a new front cover; presentation may not be particularly noteworthy. 

• 1 pencil - buying this book would damage your wallet but is unlikely to enhance either your knowledge, skills or enjoyment. It may also hurt your eyes! (Unfortunately there are a few of these out there - although I'm assuming we've probably weeded through a few of these without buying!) 

If you've got any queries please leave a comment below

If you'd like to join in also leave a comment and I'll put your blog into my feedreader.  You can do as many or as few reviews as you like.

Books about Sketchbooks on my bookshelves

Note:  This project has been initiated by me in the spirit of learning that underpins The Big Draw but is not registered with or associated with The Big Draw which is more event-related.

POLL: Who is your favourite artists' paint manufacturer?

This poll explores which is our favourite manufacturer of paints for artists? Who are our favourite colourmen?

Some of the firms which make art materials have been around for a very long time. Others are more recent.

Schminke Horadam Gouache Paint Tubes

I'm not making any distinction as to:

• different brands of paint - I'm focusing entirely on the manufacturer's name
• whether they make just one or all the different types of paint (eg oil, watercolour, acrylic, gouache, casein, egg tempera) 

I'm also not including the smallest manufacturers and paint which is less easily available.

Who is your favourite artists' paint manufacturer?

You can vote for your favourite paint manufacturer in the poll in the side column.  The closing date is 31 October and I'll report back on the results on this blog soon after that.

The options are:

• Blockx
• Chroma
• Daler Rowney
• Daniel Smith
• Da Vinci
• Gamblin
• Golden
• Grumbacher
• Holbein
• Kremer
• Lefranc & Bourgeois
• Liquitex
• Maimeri
• M. Graham
• Michael Harding 
• Old Holland
• Pebeo
• Royal Talens
• Schminke
• Sennelier
• ShinHan
• Vasari
• Winsor & Newton

I'll be repeating this exercise for other art materials (dry media; paper; canvases; brushes etc)

More about Artists Colourmen

Below are some links to databases and historical records of artists' colourmen over the years.

• National Portrait Gallery - British artists' suppliers, 1650-1950. This is a biographical directory of British and foreign firms of artists’ suppliers and colourmen operating in Britain and British firms operating overseas.
• National Gallery of Victoria - Artists Colourmen - this is a database of  the stamps, stencils, labels and marks representing Artists’ Colourmen stamps which have been found on artworks in the NGV Collection.

Here's a link to:

• my website Which is the best brand of watercolour paint for artists?
• my previous polls:
• Which are the best artist quality oil colours? (Results)
• W&N: the best brand of watercolour paint for artists