Category: Derwent Coloursoft Pencils

Busy few months with Commissions

22/1/2018

Last year (2017), I started receiving Christmas orders as early as September, which kept me busy throughout the season. From mid-October onwards, I worked 10-12 hours a day, creating a schedule list for each day to ensure that all the portraits were completed on time. Some orders were from overseas, and I had to make sure that any frames ordered were received well in advance as framers tend to be very busy during the festive season. My goal was to finish all the orders a week before I travelled to my hometown of Chesterfield, but I worked late into the night before my journey.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and the person who commissioned it met me at the train station in Chesterfield to collect the portrait of Star the Chow Chow. The painting had travelled with me for six hours on a bus, coach, and train inside my suitcase. The lady who commissioned the painting gave me a lovely bunch of flowers. I was delighted to see the recipients' positive comments on Christmas day after receiving their beloved pets' portrait. Click on any of the images to visit the progress pages.

I've completed all the Christmas commissions and took a well-deserved break to recharge. Now, I'm back in the studio, creating new articles and planning exciting art workshops for 2018 on my Step by Step Art website. There are numerous tasks to accomplish behind the scenes. If you're interested in booking a personalized commission or are an artist searching for helpful articles, mini-tutorials, and a chance to attend a 1-day art workshop with me, click on the links below to visit my website.

Here's hoping 2018 is a wonderful year for you!

Karen

Find Out About our Commissions

Visit the Step by Step Art Website

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Currently on the Easel....Mr & Mrs Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland

7/3/2017

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I was approached by a returning customer from the USA to create a Coloured pencil portrait of a Barn Owl and offered to create a few mock ups of compositions before I began as I always do. As a lover of photography I have a large photo reference library of various animals and birds including Barn Owls and so put together 5 different compositions one of which was the 2 Owls on the wall which became the basis of the portrait. The second stage was creating a few mock ups of the Owls within different backgrounds and finally, with the Owls and background in place the last collection of mock ups made were with various walls for the Owls to stand on which were in focus and added interest to the final composition. Many of my Wildlife portraits are created this way.

Early progress of a Coloured pencil portrait of Barn Owls on a wall

The first stages

Progress of a Coloured pencil Barn Owl on tan Ursus paper

Mr Owl so far

I chose a tan toned paper to work on which matches the warm tones of the Barn owls as well as giving strength in colour to the lighter tones such as the whites. The tonal background will be created using Derwent's Coloursoft range pencils which are soft and blend well for great effect and the Owls & the wall will be created using the caran Dache Luminance pencils which are ideal for very fine detail and strength of colour. A base layer of tones and loose detail is first applied to the whole of the portrait before I then apply the stronger & finer details to completion.

Coloured pencil Barn Owl head portrait in progress

Loose details of the male Owls face

Drawing moss on a wall within a Barn Owl portrait created with Coloured pencils

The moss - a good 3 hours in....

The Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland (UK)

This portrait is based on actual Barn Owl territory at Cresswell in Northumberland (UK). It is a 40 minute cycle ride from where I live along the beautiful coastal route of Lynemouth through to Cresswell pond, this place regularly has Photographers set up waiting for this little guy to make an appearance. Sitting in the undergrowth of the wide open field which connects to a lagoon where you can regularly see Avocets, Oystercatchers & even Otters on the rare occasion, is an area overlooking the coast and is ideal for field mice and voles. I wait patiently as I see him in the distance, flying silently and hovering on numerous occasions, not at all phased by the long line of photographers with their huge cameras on tripods waiting to get some great photos themselves. There is something breathtaking about seeing such a Bird in the Wild and feeling honoured that this Owl continues it's daily journey passing close by whilst I click the rapid fire button on my camera. Here are some of those photos.

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Step by Step Art - Articles for all artists which include product reviews & art tutorials

18/3/2016

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A website offering help, advice and tutorials for artists of all levels - For free!

If you're new to art and need advice on what products to buy or are an experienced artist looking to compare brands, my Step by Step Art website can help. I offer articles on various products and recommendations and constantly add new pages. Click on any of the images in this post to visit the article that interests you. This will open a new tab and direct you to the Step by Step Art website.

Our website aims to cater to a wide range of artists. We cover various mediums, including coloured pencils, graphite pencils, acrylics, soft pastels, and other mediums offered by contributors. We have plans to provide written Step by Step tutorials and mini-video tutorials for artists in the UK and beyond. You can also request articles for specific topics.

David Beckham pencil portrait in progress

Snow Leopard eye in coloured pencils image

Coming Soon! - Not currently available

On this website, you can book pencil workshops with me. Additionally, you can subscribe to my newsletter to receive the most recent articles, product reviews and recommendations, tutorials, workshops, and other art-related information that may interest you.

If you know someone who may find this post helpful, you can like or tweet it or leave a comment below with any questions or thoughts. I hope that you find the information provided on this website to be beneficial.

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Looking for advice on which coloured pencil brand(s) to buy?

19/7/2015

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Help and advice is at hand if so....

For those who are not aware, I also have an official 'Step by Step Art' website that allows you to book an art workshop, or read one of my articles, that cover a plethora of art related subjects including coloured pencils, paper reviews and pastel reviews too. The article section is still in the early stages but I will continue to add more articles as often as possible. My latest article focus's on coloured pencil brands, as I trial a selection of coloured pencil brands, which I currently have in my personal collection.

Berol Karisma, derwent coloursoft, Caran Dache Luminance and Faber Castell Polychromos pencil image

Read the Article by clicking the image above - opens in a new window

This article shows the 5 most important factors that I look for when selecting my professional pencil range:

I need to have a range that allows multiple layering
I need them to blend well for backgrounds and skin tones
Will work well with fixative
The pencils must be extremely lightfast and the colours strong
Need soft and hard pencils for different areas of my work

The 5 'tests' shown in this article includes:

Black & White Test
Hardness V's Softness
10 layer test - 'Mixed' layering
Fixative test
Blendability

This article also gives information on the importance of paper weight (gsm), information on each pencil including costs (GBP) and lightfast ratings as well as my own thoughts on 'adapting to coloured pencils' . I hope that this will be of help to all coloured pencil artists out there from those starting out looking to buy their first range to those interested in how each brand compares to the others.

The very popular Prismacolor Premier & Verithin ranges will also be added to this article very soon and an adaptation of this article (with even more information in) will be available to view and purchase (download or hard copy) from the USA's Colored pencil Magazine 'Student' version in the next few months.
Find out more about this magazine here: Colored pencil magazine - Student Edition

Read the Article 'Comparing Coloured pencils' here

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USA's Coloured Pencil Magazine - June's featured Artist

29/5/2015

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I was approached by the editor of America's Colored pencil Magazine to be their featured Artist in the June issue (2015), this is a wonderful magazine for Coloured pencil enthusiasts and I was honoured!
Most of my Artwork included in the magazine was created especially for this purpose and as such, some pieces of Art have never been seen before. The cover image was actually the completed recce piece of a Coloured pencil Workshop that I ran last year in Chesterfield and completed only for use in the Magazine. If you would like to purchase a copy you can do so in 2 ways - via a Printed copy (1 - 2 weeks delivery) or download the digital copy right away - prices are as follows:

Printed copy $5.99 £3.87* Delivery (1 - 2 weeks) £2.96*
Digital copy $2.99 £1.93*

*prices may vary due to exchange rate

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New Artworks coming soon....

25/5/2015

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Inside the studio of Coloured pencil Artist Karen M Berisford

I was recently approached by a pencil Magazine to write an Article on myself and my Coloured pencil Art for a forthcoming issue (more details will follow on the magazine). It is always a compliment knowing that someone likes my Art and wishes to find out more, especially when it is being published in a Magazine that goes out to a world wide audience too. I have spent the last few years creating bespoke Commissions and so decided to challenge myself by creating all new pieces of Art for the magazine, some that were specifically created to represent the 'story' that will be included alongside these pieces of Art - a story that I very rarely share publicly.

As I only had 3 weeks to complete the drawings, I pulled a few unfinished works out the archives to complete and I also began a few brand new pieces too - these works all represent my true artistic interests from Birds which is where I first began, to Big Cats which allow me to really push my boundaries with details, a Human portrait which I just love creating and of course the Pet portraits which I have always loved to do as these animals have all brought so much joy

Karen M Berisford in her Newbiggin Art Studio working on a Springer Spaniel

and happiness to their owners and deserve their memorial portraits, reminding us every day of those happy times spent together and the special bond we have.

There were a few pieces I was unable to complete for the deadline (Springer Spaniel above) as I did not want to rush them being so detailed however, all these pieces will be added to my website with their dedicated page as to how they were completed and for those available for sale, a chance to purchase the original or buy a print or 2.

Details will be added on my News page once the Magazine is out (June Issue) with a link to the website where you can purchase a Print copy or a digital copy to download. This magazine is a must for any Coloured pencil lover or for anyone simply wishing to read 'my story' as it's the one and only time I'll share it publicly.

Costs are as follows:
Printed Copy $5.99 £3.87* €5.46* Delivery (1 - 2 weeks) USA $4.06 UK £2.96*
Digital Copy $2.99 £1.93* €2.72*

*Due to exchange rate, these prices may vary

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Boxers on The Easel

8/2/2015

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It appears that my side of the art studio is full of Boxer dog artwork at the moment. I have been asked to produce quite a few boxer dog portraits over the years, although I do all other breeds and pets too.
I am currently completing three separate coloured pencil portraits for customers, which are as follows:

10" x 12" of Holly
8" x 10" of Lennox
12" x 16" trio of Boxers called ABBIE, DOLLY & ARTHUR

Holly (far right) is nearing completion now and I hope to finish it tonight dependant on my obsessive 'tweaking' necessity. The trio of Boxers (top) are still in the very early stages and the base tones are currently being applied, so the fine detail has yet to be added. This is the second portrait I am completing of Lennox (bottom left), the first portrait was completed last year and his Mum, who absolutely loves her boy, wanted another portrait and chose this lovely pose of him. You can view all the portraits together on this page HERE

If you are looking to commission your own pet portrait and wish to find out more, you can find some information on my COMMISSIONS page, just drop me a line if you have a bespoke portrait idea - I love a challenge!

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Busy few months with Commissions

Currently on the Easel....Mr & Mrs Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland

The Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland (UK)

Step by Step Art - Articles for all artists which include product reviews & art tutorials

A website offering help, advice and tutorials for artists of all levels - For free!

Looking for advice on which coloured pencil brand(s) to buy?

Help and advice is at hand if so....

USA's Coloured Pencil Magazine - June's featured Artist

Printed copy $5.99 £3.87* Delivery (1 - 2 weeks) £2.96*
Digital copy $2.99 £1.93*

*prices may vary due to exchange rate

New Artworks coming soon....

Boxers on The Easel

Author

Categories

Archives

SERVICES

COMMISSIONS

HELP & INFORMATION

Busy few months with Commissions

Currently on the Easel....Mr & Mrs Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland

The Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland (UK)

Step by Step Art - Articles for all artists which include product reviews & art tutorials

A website offering help, advice and tutorials for artists of all levels - For free!

Looking for advice on which coloured pencil brand(s) to buy?

Help and advice is at hand if so....

USA's Coloured Pencil Magazine - June's featured Artist

Printed copy $5.99 £3.87* Delivery (1 - 2 weeks) £2.96*Digital copy $2.99 £1.93**prices may vary due to exchange rate

New Artworks coming soon....

Boxers on The Easel

Author

Categories

Archives

​SERVICES

​COMMISSIONS

​HELP & INFORMATION

Printed copy $5.99 £3.87* Delivery (1 - 2 weeks) £2.96*
Digital copy $2.99 £1.93*

*prices may vary due to exchange rate

SERVICES

COMMISSIONS

HELP & INFORMATION