My artwork "Above and Below" (colored pencil and oil pastel on the Icarus Drawing Board) has been awarded the Expy Best of Show and Prismacolor Award in "Explore This! 6", the Colored Pencil Society of America's online exhibition. The juror, Dr. Barbara Grazul Hubbard, has selected the work of 55 artists for this annual prestigious exhibition which will run until January 31, 2011.

Edit (2/4/10): Katherine Tyrrell  wrote a post about "Explore This! 6" on her blog Making a Mark. You can read her wonderful comments on my artwork by clicking here.

My art studio has a high cathedral ceiling with a wooden beam running across the middle. Several months ago I had the brilliant idea to install a swing which has become one of the most useful features in my studio. I discovered that by taking 3 to 5 minute breaks on the swing every few hours or so, not only do I get re-energized but my concentration level increases. The motion of swinging is also very relaxing and soothing and it seems to foster creativity and right brain thinking.

Note: if you are subscribed to my RSS feed and are unable to view any images in the feed, please resubscribe using this link.

I'm so thrilled that my artwork "Above and Below" (colored pencil and oil pastel) was accepted into "Explore This! 6", the Colored Pencil Society of America's online exhibition. This annual exhibition, which opens on February 1st and runs until January 31st, 2011, is for artwork where colored pencil is combined with other media.

The starry sky of "The Butterfly Effect" could not have been accomplished in colored pencil without the Icarus Drawing Board. The choices would have been to painstakingly draw the blue sky around the white of the paper or to paint masking fluid over hundreds of stars. Instead I came up with the following technique:

Step 1: I laid down several different blue Neocolors II on the warm zone.
Step 2: I used a gray paper stump to thin and blend the crayons on the warm zone. This is accomplished by making small circles with the paper stump while cleaning the excess wax with a paper towel.
Step 3: I kept on working until the colors were evenly blended.

Step 4: I grated a blue colored pencil on a sand paper block.
Step 5: I shook the blue speckles over the crayon background.
Step 6: I grated a white colored pencil on coarse sand paper.

Step 7: I shook the white speckles over the crayon background.   
Step 8: After placing a sheet of tracing paper over the colored pencil speckles, I pressed down with a brayer on the warm zone.
Step 9: The speckles melted into the blue background and created a starry sky effect.

For another example of "speckling" see Snake River Pebbles.

Happy New Year, everybody! Buon Anno a tutti!
My 2010 resolution? To pay attention to what is small, unassuming or overlooked. One never knows - sometimes the smallest action can have GIANT consequences.

21'' x 26'' - Wax-based Media (Colored Pencil and Artist Crayon)
Created with the Icarus Drawing Board
Look for a post next week where I'll demonstrate how I did the background.

From our family to yours, have a wonderful Christmas Day, full of love, joy and goodwill. Auguriamo a tutti un Natale pieno di gioia e serenita'.

The Colored Pencil Society of America has announced the names of the two workshop teachers for the 18th Annual International Convention and Exhibition in Santa Clara, California. I'm thrilled to be  one of them. Here is the announcement:

"We have two talented instructors for our workshops on Thursday and Friday of Convention Week. Allan Servoss, CPSA will be stretching our minds and drawing skills with his workshop entitled "Beyond Technique: Drawing from the Heart and Mind. Ester Roi, inventor of the Icarus Drawing Board, will demonstrate and instruct class attendees to "unleash the potentials of wax-based colored pencils" using heat with her workshop "Wax and Heat, A Match Made in Heaven." We will also have a Saturday outing to practice drawing in plein air under the tutelage of Melissa Miller Nece, CPSA. These events provide a great experience for sharing and learning with other artists."

Please check the CPSA blog for more information on the 18th Annual International Convention and Exhibition and their website for the complete Prospectus.

On step #1 I layer on the cool zone process red, pink and white colored pencils over light blue artist crayon (see more on "layering" on previous post). I use the side of the pencil, not the point.

After moving the paper to the warm zone I start blending with a paper stump. Here, again, I'm using the side, not the point, and make small circles as I blend. Step #2 shows you the blending in progress.

On step #3 you can see the end result: a very smooth and flawless color gradation. This technique will allow you to blend a large area in a very short time.

As you can see on step #1, it's impossible to layer a hard medium over a softer one. The pink colored pencil can only make indentations and scratches over the light blue artist crayon. Here is where the Icarus Drawing Board can help you.

On step #2 the thick layer of crayon is thinned out on the warm zone with a color shaper or a gray paper stump. I use the side, not the point of the paper stump and make small circles until I'm left with a thin, saturated layer of color.

After moving the paper to the cool zone, I'm now able to easily layer colored pencil over artist crayon (see step #3).

The Icarus Art December newsletter was sent out yesterday.  If you'd like to register for the newsletter, you can go to the homepage of Icarus Art and click the sign up button on the top right corner.