Colored Pencil Squares!

This is a class project I taught with 3 students and I would like to teach it in more classes. This was kind of a "warm up" for me, I haven't taught this method in quite a while.

 This first turtle drawing is mine as I want to show the progression of work. As a surface we used 8x8" cradled DaVinci Pro Medium Texured Gesso Panels from Jerry's Artarama art supply company. I coated the panels with Art Spectrum Liquid Colourfix pastel primer which gave the panels a very textured sanded surface. I chose a neutral background color, it will end up being covered with colored pencil but will show through the colored pencil in areas. You can draw directly on the primer with colored pencil.

I pressed hard with the colored pencils to fill in the sanded texture. You'll see as I'm working the background how textured this surface can be. To burnish the pencil into the shell of the turtle I used Prismacolor Colorless Blender Pencil. You can find these blender pencils at most art or craft stores. 

To smooth out the textured background, I brushed Gamblin Company Gamsol odorless mineral spirits onto the layers of colored pencil. The mineral spirits will dissolve the pencil and allow it to flow like paint. 

I sprayed Krylon UV Resistant Clear coating over the drawing. Then painted the sides of the panel with acrylic paint in a blue that would compliment the drawing. The entire piece will be varnished with Krylon Kamar Varnish .

These three following images are student work. Two chose the turtle design and the third liked the tomatoes on the vine. Below, the student who created this turtle chose to change colors to her own palette and paint around the turtle in acrylic. She also added a few "splashes" of acrylic to the turtle for interest. These two turtle drawings were done in Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils. 

This student used Faber Castell Polychromos pencils with Prismacolor Pencils. The Polychromos are oil based and have a harder point so they help push the pencil into the grooves of the surface. 

 

Cape Cod Art Center Workshop

I taught a 2-day colored pencil workshop at Cape Cod Center for the Arts in Barnstable, Massachusetts. After an introduction to working with colored pencils: materials and techniques, students worked on small still life drawings to get used to the medium. One the second day we worked the sunflower drawing with colored pencil on UArt 800 sanded paper. I wanted students to become familiar with colored pencil drawing on sanded paper and how it differs from non-sanded (traditional) papers.

Small class and still paying attention to Covid social distancing but it was really fun to be able to work together in person!

 

Altered Book Workshop

I taught a really fun altered book workshop at Warwick Center for the Arts in Warwick, Rhode Island.  Students brought books and ideas to the workshop and I helped them create a piece of art from an old book. There was lots of cutting and gluing all day! We also had visitors in the Art Center to look at the Altered Paper, Prints and Books exhibit that coincided with the workshop.

 

Sailing the Seas Book Sculpture

I have an Ocean Racing & Offshore Yachts book that someone gave me and had an idea to recreate a similar book sculpture I created a few years ago. I hand colored that other book sculpture with watercolors and later wished I had let it remain the natural whites of the pages. I created this piece with sculptures cut and folded from the pages in this book. Wow! It really is fun when I get going and good use for old books and old plastic drinking straws so they don't end up in the ocean!

I am part of an Altered Paper, Prints and Books exhibit that opens June 23rd, 2021 at Warwick Center for the Arts, Warwick, Rhode Island. The exhibit runs through July 24th with an opening reception on July 1st, 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Here are a few of my altered books.

 

Colored Pencil Workshop at Cape Cod Art Center

 

I will be teaching a 2-day colored pencil workshop at the Cape Cod Art Center on Saturday & Sunday, August 14 & 15, 2021. This will be an all level workshop, I can work with each student to their ability. We will work from still life set ups and continue on from there depending on what students would like to learn. 

For more information go to CCAC link: https://capecodartcenter.org/classes-workshops/aug-14-15-colored-pencil-drawing-with-kendra-ferreira/

New Colored Pencil Tutorial!

I am excited to announce my new colored pencil In Depth Tutorial created through the Ann Kullberg Team. Have you wanted to try drawing luscious candy apples in colored pencil? This 28-step tutorial will help you to learn one color at a time. 

Download the tutorial here, the cost is only $12.99

 

Two New Workshops!

I am teaching two workshops:

UPCYCLED BOOK SCULPTURE WORKSHOP 

Tuesday & Wednesday July 13 - 14, 2021, 10 am to 4 pm

Warwick Center for the Arts

3259 Post Road, Warwick, Rhode Island 02886 • (401) 737-0010

Members: $130 / Non-Members $150

In this 2-day workshop we will transform your book into a unique piece of artwork. There are endless possibilities of ideas for repurposing books into something fun and imaginative. A book sculpture can create a special memory or just a fun piece to embellish you home. Students will learn about techniques for altering books, folding pages and adding embellishments such as collage and color to pages.

This will be an in-person program, so we will be taking covid precautions. 

SESASIDE TREASURES IN WATERCOLOR PENCIL WORKSHOP 

Saturday, June 26, 2021, 10 am to 4 pm

Warwick Center for the Arts

3259 Post Road, Warwick, Rhode Island 02886 • (401) 737-0010

Members: $90 / Non-Members $125

In this one-day workshop we will be capturing the essence of the coastline by drawing and painting shells and other seaside treasures. Artists of all levels can discover the versatility when working with watercolor pencils. We will learn about tips and techniques on how to manage the color wet or dry as well as how to mix and layer colors, create washes and textures. Watercolor pencils are portable, versatile and great for travel, quick sketching or a detailed drawing. They can be used alone or combined with other mediums.  This will be an in-person program, so we will be taking covid precautions. 

For More Information Click HERE for the WCFA website

Image Transfer on Pottery

Creating image transfer in just black and white, experimenting with pattern.

Here is one of the forms I use to press into the clay to create the dish/tray form. 

Lemon drawing just after being transferred. I still need to clean up edges.

Image has just been transferred on the clay. This is going to be a little octopus dish after I press it into the form. 

Here I am working on a clay form, this is a container I handbuilt from coils and added image transfers of the nautilis shells on the three sides. 

On this platter I decided to get more illustrative with the sea coral and shells. 

 

Colorful Candy Apple Drawing!

Here is my most recent drawing, I chose to draw colorful candy apples because I love bright colors especially reds! I worked on Strathmore 500 illustration board using Prismacolor and Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils. The drawing is 15x15" and I use my own photo reference. I make lots of candy apples and then photograph them for later use. I would prefer to draw from life but they begin to melt and change color and texture rather quickly. So ... we eat them instead! Feel free to ask questions or comment!

Here are just some of the colored pencils I used. Notice the candy apple surfaces don't look smooth. The texture of the paper is showing though the pencil.

In this photo, I used the small bristle brush to burnish color into the paper and create the smooth surface in the apples. I also used the white colored pencil to burnish the light reflected areas by applying white on top of color.

 

Image Transfer Drawing on Clay

We've been lucky to have been able to spend the winter in Jupiter, Florida and I have been taking Image Transfer on Clay & Handbuilding Ceramics classes at the Lighthouse Art Center in Tequesta, Florida. I chose to try a new medium which is working with clay and really am enjoying another method of drawing and transferring the drawings onto clay. The drawing is done on newsprint with needle tipped bottles of underglaze and then colors are painted on with colored slip (liquefied suspension of clay particles in water). I have been using white slip as the background.

The slightly wet drawing is then transferred (rubbed) onto slightly wet clay. I am using a red Hawaiian clay because I like the contrast of the dark clay against the light colored and white slip on the drawings. I then press the clay into a form to create the dish or tray and clean up the edges. 

I always think it's such a great learning experience to experiment with new mediums and techniques.

Drawing on paper with the underglaze.

Finished turtle dish

Transferring the (underglaze and colored slip) drawing from the newsprint onto the clay

Finished lobster dish after being kiln fired. Colors aren't perfect, the white slip is varied in thickness which makes it more interesting.

New dish in progress and before kiln firing. Cleaning up edges next.

Little fish dish, the only piece that has come out perfectly formed and painted! Wow!
But I'm still learning.

Little octopus dish in the making

Pot  and saucer I made for my orchid with a ginko leaf design.

Round fish dish with a crack! But still fun to display or use.