Category: drawing

Charcoal Still Life Quarter Wedge Squash

Published on by kmgunnart3 Comments

A charcoal still life of a squash, with a quarter cut out and a wedge sliced off to reveal the rich flesh and seeds within.  Vegetables are a popular subject for still life works, right up there with flowers.  I did a little research into still lifes, and discovered this was an art category that women play a prominent role in, even back into Renaissance time.

charcoal still life drawing Quarter Wedge Squash
Quarter Wedge Squash, charcoal on (European) paper, original available $80 actual size is 23 x 31 cm

The original is roughly 12 by 9 inches (23 cm by 31 cm, made in France), on 100% cotton paper, with a coat of fixative, and available.  It is currently on display at El Amigo Restaurant in Crescent City, Florida. If you live outside the area, you can purchase the original through Daily PaintWorks and have it shipped to you. Prints are available at my Pixels store, and accessories and more styles of prints are at my RedBubble store. 

I revisited the idea of charcoal still life drawings again, with my Apples 3 in charcoal being the one I like best (so far). Even more charcoal artwork is here, and I will continue to add more simply because I enjoy the medium so. I will also be doing more still life art, because there is just something classical about it that appeals to me – and on occasion, I even manage to bring in some produce from my attempts at gardening, including more squash.

Blooming Pink Rose in oil pastel

Published on by kmgunnart1 Comment

This technically-a-drawing* of a pink rose was my first project using oil pastels on black canvas paper.  It scanned nicely, but like oil paint, oil pastel just looks better in person.  There is a quality to the work that neither camera nor scanner is able to convey, which is one reason I am announcing that this (along with Red Tulips and Electric Yellow Rose) are going to El Amigo Restaurant in Crescent City for local display later today.  I should probably note that artwork on display is also for sale if anyone wishes to purchase the originals. 

Mockup of oil pastel drawing Blooming Pink Rose in a white frame on a light green wall, which complements the vibrant pink.
mockup of Blooming Pink Rose in a white frame on a green wall

If you are out of the local area, you can purchase originals through Daily PaintWorks, which uses PayPal.  For those who want prints, including in larger or smaller sizes, those can be purchased through my Pixels store, and for those who like accessories like apparel, mugs, or a clock can buy that through my RedBubble store.

bright pink rose in oil pastel on black canvas paper
Blooming Pink Rose, 9 by 12 inch oil pastel on black canvas paper, original available

* I define a drawing as anything where the original surface is still visible, while a painting has the entire surface – whether paper or canvas – completely covered with the medium (watercolor, pastel, etc.)

Oil pastel notes

As is probably obvious from the scan, I did not blend my oil pastels as well as usual. Instead I was trying for a looser and fresher, more spontaneous look to this piece. I was still experimenting with this medium, and even though blending can be a very important factor in oil pastel paintings, I wanted more a drawing feel to it (if that makes sense). I’ll also note that the original drawing is sealed with Mod Podge to prevent smearing (and cat paw prints!).

Rose drawing notes

Just a few relevant notes for this: I used a reference photo, and to be honest I don’t recall which one. I have a folder full to bursting of reference photos for roses, and will crop and edit them as needed and sometimes forget which went into what drawing or painting. But the reference photos serve one major purpose for me, and that is to grid out the petals, which is what I did for this one. The second reason I use ref photos is to get the shadows right. I can’t even say for sure the rose in the photo I used is even a pink one, because part of holding an artistic license is the privilege of changing a flwoer’s color when I want.

A Single Candle drawing in colored pencil

Published on by kmgunnart5 Comments

A single lighted orange candle in the darkness, the flame’s glow burning brightly.  Colored pencil on black paper, this is a study for a more complex still life drawing idea I have in mind.  The study turned out so nicely, I had to offer it up. 

color pencil study of A Single Candle on black paper, lighted orage pillar candle with flame the focal point
A Single Candle, 9 by 12 inch color pencil on black paper, original available

Original is 12 by 9 inch paper, and can be bought via Daily PaintWorks.  Prints are available at my Pixels store and accessories at my RedBubble store.

Technical drawing notes

Because I am asked by other artists wanting to try this technique, I thought I should share one very big tip and some smaller drawing tips I used to achieve this lighted candle effect. None of these are original – I found most in various YouTube videos on the subject – but here they are in one spot for reference.

  • Use a reference photo – this is mine
  • Outline where you want what on the drawing
  • On the brightest parts, use white pencil first for a base layer, fading to the black of the paper
  • For that pale yellow glow, lay down an underlayer of pale yellow before going over it with the intended color
  • for a visual example of the white underlayer, see my post on my Christmas Candle still life drawing

Lighted candle drawings

I’ll likely be doing even more drawings of lighted candles, because not only are they a fun challenge to draw or paint properly, but I just love watching a candle’s flame dance as the air moves around it. Also, I love trying to capture that warm glow of candlelight, not only in the flame itself but the way it lights all the objects around it. I especially intend to do some still life drawings featuring lighted candles, as those tend to be my favorite compositions.

Blue Dragonfly colored pencil drawing

Published on by kmgunnart2 Comments

A colored pencil drawing on toned paper, Blue Dragonfly shows a very common visitor to our property.  The dragonflies don’t tend to hold still long enough for me to take a couple dozen potential reference photographs in hopes of having one turn out decent, so I found the reference photo over on a site called Morguefile, which has thousands of copyright-free photos for artists and graphic designers to use.

This year we have seen a new color variation of dragonfly – in addition to the blues, the greens, and the copper/rust ones, I remarked the other morning that we have now seen a black dragonfly with yellow segments on the tail. They also have some stunning earth-tone red eyes, about the same shade as the burnt sienna in my oil paints.  Once I get a good enough grasp on the dragonfly body and wing shapes, I’ll try to draw one of those as well, but for this piece I decided to start with the most-familiar blue dragonfly.

colored pencil drawing of blue dragonfly resting on a strand of babr wire on tan toned paper with abstract green shapes as background
Blue Dragonfly, 9 by 12 inch colored pencil drawing on toned paper, original available

The original is available through Daily PaintWorks.  Prints are available at my Pixels store and prints and accessories are at my RedBubble store. My dad says this particular drawing is his favorite artwork I’ve done to date. Considering he has seen my drawings from age five on, that puts it above the couple thousand or so I’ve done the past four decades – so high praise from him.