Gemma Gylling, CPSA - Glassgems Studio

Touched by a Mountain Gorilla!!

2012-01-27T09:36:00.000-08:00

This is a must see for all of you wildlife lovers out there. Check out the Gorillas..... this is something that I would love to do. http://ourlighterside.com/2011/12/27/touched-by-a-wild-mountain-gorilla/

Animal Defenders International Lion Donation, Finished!

2012-01-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!!

Well.... after a long recovery I think I am almost back to normal. I am so glad I had the back surgery because things seem to be so much better. I am told it may take about 4 months for the nerve pain to go completely away but I am far better then before the surgery.

I FINALLY got Simba done!!!!!!!! It seemed like it took forever but I guess it's understandable with the back issues and surgery. It's really nice to be back drawing!

As I mentioned before Simba was done with 100% colored pencils on Suede Mat Board, it's 18" X 14". Next I plan on having it photographed and then I will have it matted and send it to Animal Defenders International. I attached an image of the finished piece along with a close up of part of his mane.

I'm happy with the finished piece and I hope that ADI will not only like it but will hopefully be able to use it in some way to help raise money for all of the great work the are doing world wide. I do plan on selling limited edition prints of him along with some note cards. I'm pledging 10% of any of the sales I earn from the prints and note cards to ADI.

If any of you should have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to speak up.

Next I plan on working on a Lion cub. I will be creating workshop book of the Cub and will be teaching that class in April (date to be determined) in Copperopolis, CA at the Town Hall Arts/Galerie Copper. I will then be able to offer both the cub and the wolf for future workshops.

Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

An Update on My Health

2011-12-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Many of my Facebook friends have already heard this so please forgive me for repeating myself.

Over a period of 3 months I have suffered a great deal with severe back pain. My doctor finally did an MRI on me and found I have a ruptured disc and a pinched nerve. My Neurosurgeon was very concerned because over the months it took to finally diagnose what was wrong with me, I had developed a limp that they call drop foot. This could end up as a permanent limp and can become worse, with an exaggerated limp, if I waited much longer to have the surgery. My doctor wanted me to do the surgery right away but I couldn't because I had been on Motrin for quite some time (Motrin thins your blood). I had to wait 2 weeks to get the Motrin out of my system before I could do the surgery. I had a vacation scheduled to go to Costa Rica for two weeks. My doctor didn't want me to go but I told him I couldn't cancel (I was leaving for the trip in just 2 days) besides, I could spend the two week period relaxing on a beach or stay at home and play with my three Rottweilers, LMAO. He agreed that if I was very careful I could go on the vacation. We took care all of my pre-op stuff right then and there and I left for vacation in 2 days (unfortunately I had to be very careful and couldn't do a lot of things even if I was on medication to control the pain). I got home from Costa Rica December 11th and on December 12th I had back surgery and went home on the 13th. My doctor stressed that I should not be bumped around or fall (yeah right, with 3 Rottweilers in the house). So with that being said.... my husband came up with the great idea of putting an X-pen around my reclining chair so the dogs can't get to me and try to climb up in my lap or jump up on me. So that explains the picture of me with a fence around my chair, LOL.

Up until now I have been in to much pain to deal with much of anything. Fortunately I am starting to feel better so therefore I should be able to start working on Simba the lion again. I'm thinking I will try to do some drawing tomorrow. I just have to figure out how to do it while I am reclining, my doctor says I can't do to much sitting. Hopefully I will have an update to Simba soon.

I want to thank all of my followers for being patient while I have not been very consistent with my art and blog posts. You all have a Happy Holiday and most of all..... Keep Scribbling!

Gemma

Animal Defenders International Lion Donation, WIP05

2011-10-23T23:18:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!!

Well... after a month or two I am finally able to draw. My back is doing better but it isn't completely well yet. My doctor prescribed some medication that is helping considerably.

I finally got a chance to do some work on Simba. I've gotten most of the fun stuff done and I'm now working on his mane. He is such a pretty boy, I'm really enjoying doing his portrait.

I was hoping I would have him done by now but this setback with my back injury took care of that. I have less than 2 weeks before I will be teaching the workshop on the Ann Kullberg Colored Pencil Cruise so I'm thinking I probably won't be able to finish him before I leave but we'll see.... I'm going to give it a try. If you should have any questions at all please don't hesitate to speak up.

Thanks for checking in and don't forget to keep scribbling!
Gemma

Update on Me!

2011-10-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

I thought I should let you all know what's going on with me. I recently hurt my back and have a pinched sciatic nerve. I've been down with this for about a month... very painful!!!

I've been going to a Chiropractor but decided it was a good idea to go to my doctor as well. My doctor requested some blood tests to make sure all is good there and she has given me some Motrin and mussel relaxers.

I am starting to feel better and I'm hoping to be back to normal soon. I haven't been able to draw because it hurts to sit or stand for to long so..... as I get better I hope to be able to get back to the lion.

Thanks so much for following me and don't forget to keep scribbling!!
Gemma

Animal Defenders International Lion Donation, WIP04

2011-09-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Here's another update on Simba! As you can see I am moving right along. I'm starting to get the background in on the right side as I go along.

So far I have used 100% colored pencils and it's done on Suede Mat board. When I work in colored pencils I use several different brands. Most of this is done in Prismacolor however; it does also have Derwent Studios, Derwent Colorsoft, Faber Castell Polychromos, Derwent Artist and I think that's about it. If you're wondering why I use so many different brands.... it's because of color choice and also because the different pencils behave a bit differently and are better for some things. As an example I really like Derwent Studios for fine fur, they are a harder pencil which makes it great for fine hair. I have found I don't have any problem at all with mixing different brands of pencils. They all seem to work fine with one another.

If you should have any questions don't hesitate to speak up and comments are also welcomed.
Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

Another Lion Rescue by ADI

2011-09-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

For those of you who have been following my "Work In Progress" on Simba the lion, I thought I would share a wonderful video with you!!

I just got an email from Lisa, at Animal Defenders International (ADI) and they have recently rescued several other Lions from the Bolivian Circus! This video shows Pancho, Temuco, Chitara, Delila and Kenya all being released in their new 20 acre habitat. It is unbelievable, that up till now, these lions lived in a cage no larger than a bed for all of their lives. It is so incredible to watch them in this video romp and play after being released to their new habitat in Colorado.

ADI is an incredible organization who are doing incredible things for these captive animals. Enjoy the video of Pancho, Temuco, Chitara, Delila and Kenya in their new habitats.

Animal Defenders International Lion Donation, WIP03 - Closeup

2011-09-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Nancy asked that I post a closeup of the muzzle, in one of her comments. So...... here it is!

If you have any questions just speak up and keep scribbling!!

Gemma

Animal Defenders International Lion Donation, WIP03

2011-09-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!!

I hope all is doing OK with those of you on the East Coast after Hurricane Irene!!!

Here's an update of the Lion I'm doing for Animal Defenders International. As you can see I haven't gotten a lot done, life just seems to be getting in the way, LOL. I'm hoping to be able to spend more time on it in the next couple of weeks.

I'm using the same procedure as I usually do, nothing really new so, I can't think of anything else to say about this guy. I'm still working in the mouth area so there will be some changes, I'm sure, in that area, with the next update.

If you should have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to speak up. Have a great day and most of all don't forget to Keep Scribbling!!

Cheers,
Gemma

Animal Defenders International Lion Donation WIP02

2011-08-27T00:35:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!!

First and foremost..... I hope all of you are staying safe on the East coast. Please, please take care of yourselves... that is the number one thing you need to think about. My thoughts are with each and every one of you.

Here is the next update on my sweet lion named Simba. He is such a gorgeous boy and I love watching him and telling everyone about him when I am volunteering my time at PAWS.

I'm still doing some work on the nose so please don't judge that yet. He's done in mostly Prismacolor and Derwent Studio Colored Pencils on Suede mat board. You are only seeing part of the upper half of what will be the finished piece.

This piece will be donated to Animal Defenders International (ADI). ADI was the organization that were instumental in getting the the lions to PAWS. They are also paying for the care and habitat for the lions at PAWS. They are a wonderful group of people who are very passionate about freeing animals from the deplorable conditions in the circus' and any other deplorable conditions all around the world. Simba was one of the lions who was released from the Bolivian circus. He and three others from Bolivia, are now living a wonderful life in there very very large habitat at PAWS.

If you should have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to speak up. And.... don't forget to keep scribbling!!!!

Cheers, Gemma

Performing Animal Welfare Society - PAWS

2011-08-25T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

As many of you may know, I volunteer my time as a Docent for the lions at Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). Every year PAWS has an event called the Grape Stomp. This event helps raise funds to feed and house all of the animals at the Sanctuary. The San Andreas PAWS site (Ark2000) has Elephants, Lions, Tigers and Bears living there and can really use all of our help. This is not only a wonderful cause it is also great fun and chance to see the Sanctuary and Animals. If any of you live near San Andreas, CA or plan to visit the area October 15, 2011 and would like to attend the Grape Stomp you can find information about the event at the links below:

Grape Stomp Flyer
Performing Animal Welfare Society Website

I will be there by the Lion's habitat so I hope to see many of you there.
Cheers!!
Gemma

Animal Defenders International Lion Donation WIP01

2011-08-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

As many of you probably already know I volunteer some of my time at Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and Animal Defenders International (ADI). If you are interested in reading more about these organizations here is a link to their websites: http://pawsweb.org/ and http://www.ad-international.org/adi_usa/. ADI was instrumental in getting a ban against animals in circus' in Bolivia. After the ban went into effect ADI brought 4 lions from Bolivia and placed them at PAWS (as well as rescuing several others from there and placing them in other sanctuaries). I am a docent for the four lions at PAWS. I met the founder and Director of ADI at PAWS and promised them I would create a drawing of one of the lions from Bolivia to donate to them to do what they want with it. I think they are going to try to do an auction on the artwork. They recently sent me a photo of Simba to work from and that reference photo is to the left here in this post.

I started working on Simba...... this is all I have done so far. Of course... I'm only showing a portion of the drawing at this point. The drawing is 18" x 14" on a light beige Suede Mat board and it will be 100% colored pencil.

As you can see, I draw the grid right on the drawing and the reference photo. This helps me keep track of where I'm at as I create the drawing. I am still working on this area so it isn't finished yet. You can see I need to push the values a bit more than I have at this time. I'm also seeing I need to do a bit more with the eyes. It's amazing how posting it the computer can make you see some of that stuff you don't see prior to posting it.

As always.... if you should have any questions or comments let me know and above all..... keep scribbling!!!
Gemma

Mexican Riviera Cruise, Colored Pencil Workshop

2011-08-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Just thought I would let you know that there are only two spots left on the Colored Pencil Cruise to the Mexican Riviera.

Here is a link with the details regarding the Cruise: http://www.annkullberg.com/cruise_home_mexico9.php

It should be lots of fun, there will be 9 days of fun and three of the days will be Colored Pencil workshops, taught by, Ann Kullberg, Linda Hardy and myself.

Come join us and keep scribbling!!
Gemma

Ostrich - WIP05 - Here's Lookin' at Ya

2011-08-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Well... I finally finished this guy. I'm going to title it "Here's Lookin' at Ya". It's 100% Colored Pencil on UArt, 600 grit sanded surface and the piece is 16" X 16".

I'm fairly happy with it, I have to say I struggled a bit with the UArt but I am getting used to it and I'm sure I will be using it again. I also used the heated Icarus Board which help saturate the paper very quickly.

Next I have to do a commission piece. It will be an male African Lion. That piece is being done for Animal Defenders International, they are a group I do some volunteering for. I'll be posting a work in progress so don't forget to check back.

If you should have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. Comments are welcomed as well. Don't forget to keep scribbling!!

Gemma

Stroke of Genius 4, Best of Drawing Contest

2011-07-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Well... I guess you might be wondering what happened to me. As I am sure you can imagine, as the Conventions Director of CPSA, I was extremely busy with the convention planning. I have to say, CPSA pulled off another great convention but I am glad to get back to my art.

I just got some extremely good news. I got an email notifying me that one of my pieces of artwork was accepted in the "Strokes of Genius 4, Best of Drawing" contest. The really great thing about this news is that the winning contestants will have their artwork published in one of the Northlight books called "Stokes of Genius, Best of Drawing". They had 1650 entries and only accepted 112 artists. I have no idea which drawing they accepted but I'm supposed hear the details by August 6th.

The two artworks I entered are posted here to the left. They are "Rest Stop" and "Gulliver".

As of right now, there are 2 Stokes of Genius books publish and one on pre-order. Stokes of Genius 3 will be published and available in November so I'm thinking the Stokes of Genius 4 (which is the one my artwork will be in) won't be available for at least a year or so. None the less... this is a very exciting milestone for me as a colored pencil artist. I am definitely doing the happy dance!

Here is the link for the accepted artists: http://www.artistsnetwork.com/medium/drawing/strokes-of-genius-4-winners-announced. I want to congratulate the rest of the Colored Pencil artists who made the cut. I see several names I recognize and am very proud to be included with those colored pencil artists I admire.

I am back to work on the Ostrich and should have an update very soon. I am also starting the planning of a Lion I am doing for a commission. As soon as I finish the Ostrich I will start the Lion and will post that work in progress.

Don't forget..... Keep Scribbling!!!
Cheers,
Gemma

Sleeping Lion Cub WIP - 03 Silent Auction Piece - Finished

2011-06-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I'm calling this one done. It's done on Ampersand's Pastelbord and it's 100% Colored Pencil. The nice thing about the pastelbord is you can vanish it when you are finished and does not have to be framed under glass.

This piece is all vanished and ready to go and is 6" X 12". I've decided to title it "A Lion Sleeps Tonight". Laurene Puls came up with the title.... Thanks Laurene!

If you should have any questions or comments let me know.
Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

Sleeping Lion Cub WIP - 02 Silent Aution Piece

2011-05-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Here's an update of the piece I'm doing for the Colored Pencil Society of America silent auction.

There's not a whole lot to say about the piece. It's done in 100% colored pencil on Ampersand's Pastelbord.

I'm close to being done so it looks like I will be finished with this piece in time.... Phew, LOL. So far I'm happy with the piece.... of course I just love the subject matter, this little guy is so darn cute sleeping with one eye half open. As usual I'm having a problem with coming up with a title, if any of you have a suggest it would be greatly appreciated.

If you should have any comments or questions just let me know and above all..... Keep Scribbling.

Cheers,
Gemma

Sleeping Lion Cub WIP - 01 Silent Aution Piece

2011-05-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I thought I would post the piece I am creating for the Colored Pencil Society of America Silent Auction.

This piece is done on white Pastelboard and is 6" x 12" and done with 100% colored pencils.

Here is the first update of the little lion. If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to speak up.

So far I'm using some new pencils by Jerry's Artarama called SOHO and prismacolor.

If you are wondering at what stage the Ostrich is at.... I had to put that one on the back burner in order to get this piece done in time for the Silent Auction. This piece has to be done within a month, I will be posting more updates as I progress.

Keep Scribbling, Gemma

Ostrich - WIP04

2011-05-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Here's another update on the Ostrich. I'm now working on the feathers under his chin and along his left side so, they still need some work.

As I mentioned before I may have to take a break on this guy soon because as soon as I get the support I ordered for my CPSA Silent Auction piece I will start working on it.

I will post my progress on the Silent Auction piece and continue to post any progress on this piece as well.

I'm having fun creating this guy... he just cracks me up every time I see him. I sure hope I can express the feeling I am trying to get with him.

He's 16" x 16", on UArt and 100% Colored Pencil. As mentioned before.... I'm using the Icarus heated board to blend the colored pencil. What a great tool that board can be.... I just love!!

If you have any questions or comments let me know. Don't forget... Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

Colored Pencil Society of America, 19th Annual Exhibition

2011-05-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to hear that my Mountain Lion artwork titled, "Reflections" was accepted in the Colored Pencil Society of America, 19th Annual International Exhibition. This piece was done on tan Suede Mat Board, is done with 100% colored pencil and the size is 24" x 10". The exhibition will be June 29 - July 31, in Dallas, TX.

This is a wonderful honor and I am just thrilled!!
Gemma

Ostrich - WIP03

2011-04-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Here's another update on the Ostrich. I'm probably going to have to stop working on this piece for a while to create my Silent Auction donation to CPSA for the Convention. I will do a work in progress on the silent auction piece as well, so keep checking back. I had to order the support I plan on using for the silent auction piece so I will continue on this until I get that order.

As for the Ostrich.... I'm continuing to create this piece using predominantly Prismacolor pencils along with some Derwent Colorsoft Pencils. I am also continuing to use my Icarus heated board to lay down the pencils. I am actually drawing while on the heated section on the board and then blending the pencil using a stomp. I'm really enjoying using this process, it gives you a feeling of painting rather than drawing.

The image I posted is only the upper half of the piece. The piece is actually 16" x 16" square and I haven't started working on the lower half yet.

If you have any questions or comments let me know, in the mean time..... Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

Ostrich - WIP02

2011-03-30T00:39:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I'm moving along fairly slowly on this. I have had a lot of distractions. We were at a dog show for 4 days and when I got back I had lots of CPSA work I need to get done. I do believe I will be able to get back in my studio tomorrow so hopefully I will have some more progress soon.

This Ostrich is really fun to do, he is quite the challenge though. I used my Icarus board on the background and on the beak so far. I also went back and drew in the white/light fuzzy hairs that go into the background using the Icarus board. I just love that heated board because it allows me to add the white/light hairs into the background and they actually appear opaque. It definitely gives you a feeling of painting at times.

I'm hoping I'm able to portray the inquisitiveness that this guy had. He was so interested in my camera lens and was just about to peck at it. He was totally in my face. In fact... I think that is what I am going to title this piece.... "In Your Face".

Along with the Icarus board I'm using predominately Prismacolor pencils and a few of my favorite colors of the Derwent Colorsoft pencils. They react quite nicely on the Icarus board.

I can't think of much more to say for now. If you should have any questions or comments feel free to speak up.

Don't forget to Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

Ostrich - WIP01

2011-03-12T13:25:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Here's my first update on this piece, this is just a portion of the drawing. The finish drawing will be 16" x 16". So far I'm using Prismacolor Pencils and Derwent Colorsoft Pencils on UArt. This piece will be done with 100% colored pencils.

I'm also using my Icarus board to help blend the Colored Pencils. For those of you who are not familiar with the Icarus board... it's a heated board that has a cool area and a heated area. You can lay down your the color on the cool side and then move the piece over to the heated side to blend the layers using a stump. Using the Icarus board gives you a feeling of painting rather than drawing. You can also keep the painting in the heated area even while laying down the colored pencil. I really like the way the colorsoft pencils react using the Icarus board. If any of you are interested in learning more about the Icarus board here is the link: http://icarusart.net/. If you have any questions at all let me know.

Keep Scribbling,
Gemma

Ostrich - WIP

2011-02-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Here's the reference photo I'm using to create my next piece. This photo what taken while we were in Arizona at a place called "Out of Africa". When I took this picture this guy was just about to peck my lens, he got very close.

This piece will be done with 100% Colored Pencils on UArt Sanded Surface, the 600 grit. The finished piece will be 16" x 16" and I plan on using this exact composition so it will be one really big face, LOL.

Keep checking back and don't for get to keep scribbling!! Gemma

Racoon - WIP - Final

2011-02-22T09:41:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

After studying this piece on the computer I found a few things I didn't like about it so I tweaked it a bit.

So........... Here's my final piece. If you are wondering what was bothering..... I found that the front, back leg seemed to be coming forward a bit. So I worked that a bit to push it back.

Keep Scribbling! Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 7

2011-02-21T20:30:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Well..... I finally finished this guy. I'm pretty happy with the way he came out. As I mentioned before he was done on Suede mat board, using predominantly Prismacolor pencils, some Derwent Colorsoft and some pastels (not to much pastel though). The size is 16" x 20".

I'm still not sure what I'm going to title this piece so I'm still thinking on that. I haven't heard of any suggestions from anyone so if you can think of something, please let me know.

If any of you should have any questions or comments please speak up. And..... I really really do need some help with a title.

Thanks for watching this Work In Progress.... and don't forget..... Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 6

2011-02-14T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I know this seems to be going kind of slow..... again.... LOL. But, I have been very busy with the dog show stuff, my CPSA volunteer job and life in general.

Here's another update. I'm continuing on with the same pallet. A little bit of pastel, here and there but predominantly Colored Pencil. I am using Prismacolor pencils and some Derwent Colorsoft Pencils.

I'm fairly pleased with the way this little guy is coming out. I hope to have him done so I can enter him in either the Artists for Conservation Exhibition or the Society of Animal Artists Exhibition.

This week I do have lots of other things going on so I may not have an update for a week or so but hopefully I can get some time in the evenings on this guy.

If any of you have a suggestion for a title of this piece I would really appreciate your input. I was thinking of calling it "Hanging in There" but I'm not real sure of that title.

Let me know what you think and if you have a suggestion for a title.
Keep Scribbling,
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 5

2011-02-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Here's another update on this little guy. I'm fairly pleased with the way he is coming out so far. This really isn't a good stage to share because the difference in hair color really doesn't make sense. If you refer to the reference photo I posted earlier it will make better sense. The lighter redish color on his fur is due to the sunlight.

I don't really have much more to say or share with you so if you should have questions let me know.

Keep Scribbling!!!!
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 4

2011-01-29T21:34:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Here's another update. I finished the little guys face (I still need to add his whiskers) and started to work my way down his front leg and his back. I also got the tree limb he is hanging on done.

The limb was fun to do. I used the same process I have been using. I'm laying down the mid color first and then adding the lights and darks on top of that. I also added some moss green and other greens to represent the moss on the tree limb, it doesn't show up that well in this image but in RIL you can definitely see the moss.

If you have any questions or comments don't hesitate to speak up. Keep Scribbling!!!
Gemma

Colored Pencil Magazine

2011-01-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I almost forgot to share some of my very exciting news with all of you!

There is a brand new magazine out called Colored Pencil Magazine. The very first issue has a feature article about me and my artwork is also on the cover, I was just thrilled to pieces.

If you are interested in buying that edition of the magazine you can go to the following link: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/Issue/147542

If you would like to subscribe to the new Colored Pencil Magazine you can do that at this link: http://coloredpencilmag.com/

I hope to have an update of the Raccoon very soon so keep checking back. Don't forget to keep Scribbling!!

Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 3

2011-01-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Here's another update on the Raccoon. I didn't bother to post the whole artwork because the only change was to the raccoon's face.

I'm am using some pastels in this piece but not much. I used pastel in the blue of the sky (pastel over pencil) and a few pastels under the colored pencil in some of the fur areas. I would guess that this artwork is about 80% colored pencil so far.

One of the things I have found with the pastel is.... if you are using the harder pastels you need to lay those down before the CP. If you use a softer pastel it will cover the CP.

I used pastel pencils in the rusty colored fur. First I did an under-painting with the pastel pencils and then went over that with Colored pencil. Another pencil that does really well on the Suede mat board is General's Carbon Sketch pencil. It will layer over the CP quite nicely. I was able to go in after the fur was almost complete and punch up some of the blacks.

Keep in mind, because of the pastels that I'm using, this piece would not be eligible for the Colored Pencil Society of America's International Exhibition. It would however; be OK for the "Explore This!" exhibition.

So far, I'm really enjoying drawing this cute little fella. If you should have any questions let me know, I'll be happy to help in anyway I can.

Keep Scribbling,
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 2

2011-01-16T21:49:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Well... As I'm sure you will all understand the holiday season kept me real busy so, therefore, I just didn't get much of a chance to draw at all. Plus I had the commission piece (the Rottweiler called Abby) I had to finish before Christmas.

I finally got a chance to get back to work on the raccoon. I was able to get the sky behind him done and just started his face today. I still have some more work to do on the face but I thought I would go ahead and post my progress so far.

The first image is the total piece, it's 16" x 20" and it's being done on a very light beige suede mat board. If you want to see the reference photo I'm working from it was posted in one of the earlier posts when I first started this guy. You should be able to just scroll down a bit to see it. If it's not on this page just click on raccoon to the right of this page.

I thought I would post a close up of his face too. The process I'm using is to lay down a mid color range colored pencil and then add light CP's and dark CP's on top of that. That is the nice thing about working on suede board, it allows you to put light colors on top of darker colors and they show up quite nicely.

I'm kind of anxious to get this guy done because I already have a few other drawings I want to get started on. I actually have about 5 compositions all ready to go. I guess that's what happens... your always thinking about the next piece you're going to work on.

I plan on working on this guy quite a bit this week so keep checking back I hope to have some progress to share with you soon. If you should have any questions or thoughts don't hesitate to speak up. And.... above all don't forget to keep Scribbling!!

Gemma

Rottweiler - Work In Progress - 3 - Finished!

2010-11-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Well.... I'm calling this one finished. I'm going to be delivering this to the person who commissioned me to do, tomorrow. I'm excited about the timing of getting this finished. The person I did this for has been at the dog show for the last three days and in just three days she got her Novice Obedience title on her male Rottie. Not only did she get her title in just three days her scores were really high, they were 195.5, 196.5 and 190 out of 200. That was so awesome! She will be at the dog show tomorrow and I think it will be fun to deliver this to her after the last 3 great days she had at the dog show, she's been anxious to have me finish it.

I pretty much used the same pallet throughout the drawing except on the tongue. There I used most of the pinks that Prismacolor has as well as some blue violet, henna, black grape, cool grey 90%, white and clay rose.

Now I'm going to get back to my Raccoon I started, so watch for the updates on that piece.

If you should have any questions or comments please let me know.
Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

Rottweiler - Work In Progress - 2

2010-11-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Here's another update to the Abby Portrait. I'm continuing to use the same pallet as I did in the last post.

Abby seems to be coming along nicely, I'm going to start working on the mouth next.

As you can see I am continuing to draw in the color on the contour drawing. I like finishing each little square inch as I go because that way I don't loose the contour drawing. I also like working this way to keep me from being bored. Every little square inch that is complete makes feel like I accomplished something even if I only work for a few minutes on the drawing. Colored pencil can take quite some time to complete, some times up to 150 hours for one drawing. If I finish one square inch at a time I have at least completed something, LOL. As far as I'm concerned, there is really no right or wrong way to do it. I know there are purists who think it's better to work on the drawing as a whole but..... I just don't do it that way and that doesn't mean it's the wrong way to do it.

I know I may seem like I am rambling regarding this issue but I have to say I have had more than a few people try to tell me that drawing in the fashion I do isn't the correct way to do it. My answer to that controversy is..... as long as the end result is finished and looks correct who cares what I did to get to that finished product. We all have our own way to "skin the cat" as they say.

If you have any questions by all means speak up...... And most of all Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

Rottweiler - Work In Progress - 1

2010-11-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

Hi All

As I mentioned in the last post, I had to stop working on the Raccoon to do this commission of this Rottweiler named Abby.

Abby is owned by a friend of mine named Judy. She also owns Dutch, Dutch was bred with my female, Harlow and I kept one of the pups. I also did a commission of Dutch, if you're interested in seeing it you can find the post listed under Rottweiler.

The first picture is the reference drawing I'm working from. It was taken by Jack Fields who has given me permission to use his photo.

When creating a piece like this I start by drawing my contour drawing on sketch paper and then transferring it to the mat board. I do not do a detailed drawing, I just simply do a contour drawing. To get the proportion correct I use the grid system to draw the contour drawing. I then use transfer paper to trace the contour drawing onto the mat board. This piece is done with Prismacolor pencils on suede mat board. The nice thing about the mat board is you can leave the mat board as your background. It looks really nice for portraits and also helps speed up the process.

The colored pencils I'm using so far in this piece are 10-90% warm and cool gray, slate grey, deco blue, goldenrod, mineral orange, terra cotta, cloud blue, light peach, sunburst yellow, dark umber, indigo blue, true blue, white, black, chocolate, cream, greyed lavender, pumpkin orange, sky blue light, powder blue, blue violet lake, peach and sienna brown, these are not in any particular order of use. If you have any questions or comments don't hesitate to let me know.

Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

Juried In the Artists for Conservation

2010-10-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I'm excited to announce that my Mountain Lion artwork titled "Reflections" has been accepted into the Artists for Conservation annual exhibition.

I am honored to have my artwork displayed with some of my favorite wildlife artists such as Robert Bateman, Terry Isaac, Val Warner and many more. If you are interested in seeing the virtual exhibition just click on this link: http://www.artistsforconservation.org/virtual-exhibit

Also... I thought I would let you know that I had to put the Raccoon on hold for now because I have a commission I'm working on. I'll post the progress on the commission soon.

Keep Scribbling,
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress - 1

2010-10-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Well, here is a small update. I decided to put the background in first because the raccoon is so furry and the fur has to overlap the background.

The one thing I don't like about doing it this way is I really prefer to work on the animal so doing the background first tends to get boring for me. LOL

So far it is 100% colored pencil. I know I said I was going to use pastels but I don't know if I will. We'll have to wait and see how it goes.

I'm using predominantly Prismacolor colored pencils but have used one or two of the Derwent Colorsoft. When I lay down the layers on Suede board I put down the medium color first and then add the darks and lights on top of that. The size of the piece is 16" x 20 and I haven't come up with a title yet. If any of you have a good idea for a title let me know, I would appreciate the help.

If you should have any questions let me know, otherwise.... keep scribbling!
Gemma

Raccoon - Work in Progress

2010-09-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Here is the reference photo of the next "Work in Progress" I'll be posting here on my blog.

This photo was taken by Barbara Krans Jenkins who gave me the photo for my birthday. Thanks Barb!!! She took the picture of this guy in the tree in her backyard.

I couldn't believe how he was hanging in the tree as if he were a leopard or something, LOL. I already started the piece and should be posting the progress in the next day to two. I'm doing this piece on the Suede Mat board, the color of the mat board is an off white color called whisper. I'm using colored pencils and a little bit of pastel here and there.

Keep checking back to see the progress and don't forget..... Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

Mountain Lion / Reflections Series WIP 04 Completed

2010-09-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Well.... I finally finished this piece. I'm going to title it "Wild Reflections".

I continued to use the same technique and color pallet as mentioned before. 80% of this piece is done in colored pencil and the rest of it is done with pastel. I don't normally use pastel but thought it would be fun to give it try. Most of the pastel is used in the water area. The mountain lion is 100% colored pencil. After I sprayed it with workable fixative I went back with colored pencil and redefined some of the reflections in the water. I really enjoyed working on this piece. I plan on entering it in the CPSA "Explore This!" Exhibition, lets hope it gets accepted.

I am now working on another piece of an adorable Raccoon. Keep checking back, I should be posting the work in progress on the raccoon soon.

If you have any questions or comments let me know. Don't forget to keep scribbling!
Gemma

Mountain Lion / Reflections Series WIP 03

2010-08-31T15:16:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

It's been a while since I have been able to work on this piece. Between the Colored Pencil Society of America Convention and vacation I just didn't have the time to work on it.

The Mountain Lion has been done with colored pencil with just a little bit of pastels for the highlights. The water was done by laying down 3 layers of colored pencil using Prismacolors, Moss Green, Dark Umber and Black and then blending it with a brush dipped in Gamsol and then slightly dried on a paper towel. I then created the details using Prismacolors Nupastels and the new PanPastels. I really like the effect this gave the water. If I get this piece done in time it will be my entry for the "CPSA Explore This!" show. I'm now starting to work on the Mountain Lions reflection, I plan to do that predominately in CP. Although, I will probably use pastels for the highlights.

If you should have any questions don't hesitate to ask and don't forget..... Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

New!! 9 Night Mexican Riviera Cruise Colored Pencil Workshop!

2010-08-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

9-night Mexican Riviera Cruise aboard the Carnival Spirit
November 4-13, 2011
Class size firmly limited to 24. Book early this class will fill!
To register or for information: 1-800-253-0116

$899 includes all three workshops! (Interior stateroom/double occupancy, price subject to availability, taxes and departure fees are additional; group rate available for guests not taking workshops)

The three Colored Pencil Instructors are:
Ann Kullberg
Gemma Gylling
Linda Lucas Hardy

To see the cruise itinerary and more info on the workshops go to to: http://www.annkullberg.com/cruise_home_mexico9.php

Mountain Lion / Reflections Series WIP 02

2010-07-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Sorry I haven't posted an update before this. As Conventions Director of the Colored Pencil Society I have been really busy lately. We are finishing up all the final details of the Convention and I haven't had a lot of time for art. Hopefully after the end of the month I'll be able to spend more time on this piece. Even though we have been busy I always love seeing everyone at the convention and really really look forward to it. I hope to see many of you there this month.

I am almost done working on the mountain lion and will start the water and reflection of the mountain lion very soon. I'm enjoying working on this piece and hope it comes out as I imagine it should be. We as artists always seem to have a vision but often times the piece just doesn't come together as we envisioned. I have decided on a title for this piece.... I think I will call it "Wild Reflections". I want to thank all of you for your title recommendations I really like some of them. I think I will definitely use them in the series pieces to come after this one.

The image above is the full artwork so you can see I haven't gotten a lot done at this point. The one below is a close up of the mountain lion. If you should have any questions at all let me know. Don't forget...... Keep Scribbling!!!
Gemma

Mountain Lion / Reflections Series WIP 01

2010-06-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I decided to do a series of this Mountain Lion with Reflections. I'm not sure how many I will do but I do have a bunch of pictures of this Mountain Lion playing in and about the water. I figure I could at least do 3 to 5 pieces. I would also like to have the title of all of pieces in the series to include the words reflections, reflection, reflected or reflecting in the title. The first piece of the series was titled "Reflections". If any of you can help me with a title for this one I would really appreciate it. This first picture is the reference photo.

This piece will be done on the Suede board again. The color of the Suede board is called moccasin. I plan on doing this piece using Colored Pencils and pastel. If it turns out the way I hope and if I get it done in time, I plan on entering it in the Colored Pencil Society of America's, Explore This 7 exhibition.

So far it has predominantly colored pencil with very little pastel. I plan on using the pastel more in the background than on the cat. However; I did use pastel on some of the white highlight areas.

This is my beginning, I haven't got a lot done yet but hope to be able to work on it quite a bit next week.

Here is a close up of what I have done so far. As I mentioned before the pastel is only in the white areas. The rest of it has been done with Prismacolor colored pencils and Derwent Colorsoft colored pencils. I just love the way the Colorsoft pencils work with the Suede board.

If you have any questions or suggestions for the title please let me know.

Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

CPSA Silent Auction Donation WIP Finished!

2010-06-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Well.... I'm calling this one done.

I titled it "Solitude", it's 100% Prismacolor colored pencils on an 8" X 8" piece of gray Suede Mat Board.

If you have any questions let me know.

And.... Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

CPSA Silent Auction Donation WIP 4

2010-06-18T16:28:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

Actually I'm really pleased with the outcome of this piece so far.

I'm very close to being done so I hope to have it finished by the end of this weekend. I have dog training tomorrow so probably won't be able to finish it then but, for sure by Sunday.

I'm continuing to use the same layering technique on creating this. I can't express enough how the Suede mat board allows me to create fur very easily. I just love this support and if you haven't tried it yet.... you gotta give it a try.

I have several photo references of this wolf and others from the same photo shoot so I am sure I will be creating more artwork from this subject. He is a very beautiful animal and photographed very nicely. If you are wondering how I get some of these great shots you should visit the following site: http://www.tripledgamefarm.com. They have trained animals where they take you and the animal out to a natural site and you can take a bunch of pictures. I love going to this place, it has been a while since I have been so hopefully there will be another trip in the near future.

If you have any questions let me know and I'll be happy to answer them.
Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

Colored Pencil Workshop At Sea!!

2010-06-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Canceled - See the newest scheduled 9 day cruise to the Mexican Riviera! Information on the newest cruise is posted August 2nd, 2010.
Our first ever 14-night Panama Colored Pencil Workshop Cruise!
Join us on the Celebrity Constellation - Around $100 a day, including workshops!!!!!

Class size firmly limited to 30. Book early!
To register or for information: 1-800-253-0116

$1,559 includes all three workshops! (Interior stateroom/double occupancy, price subject to availability, taxes and departure fees are additional; group rate available for guests not taking workshops)

The three Colored Pencil Instructors are:
Ann Kullberg
Gemma Gylling
Linda Lucas Hardy

To see the cruise itinerary and more info on the workshops go to to: http://www.annkullberg.com/cruise_home_panama.php

CPSA Silent Auction Donation WIP 3

2010-06-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Well this guy is coming along, it looks like I am going to be able to meet the deadline, phew.

I'm continuing to use the same process as I have explained in the prior posts.

I'm really enjoying doing this piece, I love the wolf's fur and his colors. He really is a gorgeous creature!

If you have any questions let me know. Keep Scribbling!!

Gemma

CPSA Silent Auction Donation WIP 2

2010-06-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I'm sorry I haven't posted before this, I was on vacation and when we got back I came down with a really bad cold. We had a wonderful time while we were in Costa Rica but it was a real bummer coming down with a cold afterwords. LOL.

I am continuing to follow the same layering process as I described in the previous post. Again... as I mentioned so many times before, I love creating animal fur on the Suede Board, it allows me to add light, dark and medium colors as if I am painting with opaque paint rather than transparent colored pencil.

If you have any questions regarding the process I use, don't hesitate to ask in the comments area of this blog.

Enjoy and Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

CPSA Silent Auction Donation WIP 1

2010-05-06T22:25:00.001-07:00

Hello All,

Here is my first update on the wolf. I probably won't get much done this week on this piece because I have a lot of stuff going on.

I plan on doing this piece with all Prismacolor colored pencils. It's done on gray Suede board. As you can see I haven't gotten to much done yet but I thought I would go a head and post the progress because it will be a week or so before I can work on it again.

When doing animal fur I lay down a medium color first then I add several light and dark colors on top of that. I keep playing with it until I get it where I want it. I always draw the fur in the direction it grows on the animal. This is very important to do to get that realistic look.

If you have any comments or questions just let me know.
Keep Scribbling!!! Gemma

CPSA Silent Auction Donation WIP

2010-04-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

I was invited to donate an artwork to the Colored Pencil Society of America Silent Auction at the convention this year.

I decided to draw this wolf for the silent auction. I photographed him while I was in Montana a few years ago. What a beautiful animal they are!

I plan on doing the wolf on gray Suede Mat board and of course using colored pencils.

I have several shots of this wolf so I'm sure I will do more artwork from my reference photos in the future.

Be sure to check back because I will be posting updates of the progress on this piece. Don't forget.... Keep Scribbling!! Gemma

A Golden Retriever Named Reba - WIP Final!!

2010-04-28T19:41:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

Ok... well here she is.... all signed and approved and ready to deliver.

Thanks everyone for your kind comments and thanks for following this Work In Progress.

My next drawing will be a wolf, which will also be on suede board and will be my silent auction donation for the Colored Pencil Society of America Convention.

Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

A Golden Retriever Named Reba - WIP 4

2010-04-27T19:09:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

I'm going to call this one done.... I haven't sprayed it with a fixative or signed it yet because I want to have my client approve it first.

I really enjoyed drawing this sweet little face, Reba is such a sweet dog, so I hope I was able to capture that look.

As soon as I get an approval I will sign it, spray it and re-post it here on my blog then.

Comments and questions are welcome and thanks for following this Work in Progress.

Don't forget to keep Scribbling!
Gemma

A Golden Retriever Named Reba - WIP 3

2010-04-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Here's another update of Reba. I'm very close to being done.

I'm continuing to use Prismacolor and Derwent Colorsoft pencils. What I do when drawing hair is I lay down the medium color first and then add the lighter and darker hairs on top of that. I continually play with the hair going back and forth with the light, medium and dark hairs until I get it looking the the way I want it. One thing with the Suede Board is the earlier layers are always a bit ugly. When working on Suede board, you need to hang in there with the drawing because it does go through ugly stages.

I tend to always draw a small patch to completion as I go. It's not necessary to draw that way on the suede board, it's just the way I do it. I work that way no matter what support I'm using.

As I have mentioned before, the suede board color is moccasin. If you should decide to try the suede board, be careful not to pick a color darker than moccasin, it would be difficult to cover if it were darker.

If you should have any questions at all, let me know.
Keep Scribbling!!
Gemma

A Golden Retriever Named Reba - WIP 2

2010-04-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Here's another update on Reba. I haven't gotten a lot done this time but I still thought it would be nice to keep you posted on my progress.

I just love the lighting on the reference photo and I'm having fun creating that lighting in the portrait.

I'm still using Prismacolor pencils and Derwents Colorsoft pencils. I have to say..... I just love working on this Suede Mat board. If you haven't tried it you should.

Keep Scribbling!
Gemma

A Golden Retriever Named Reba - WIP

2010-04-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I thought I would share the latest commission piece I've been working on.

This piece is being done on the Suede Mat board, the color of the suede is moccasin. I will be leaving the background as the suede. I'm using Prismacolor Colored Pencils and Derwent Colorsoft Colored Pencils. I really like using the Colorsoft pencils on the Suede mat board and I also really like the nice colors they have to offer. I am still working on the right side of Reba's face as well as the left side of the top of her head. Reba has a lot of red in her coat so I need to be careful to capture that and not be tempted to lean more towards the golden color that most of the goldens are.

The reference photo I'm using is the clients photo. I love how my client captured the lighting on this photo. It's very dramatic with a lot of highlights on the right side of Reba's face. It's a nice photo at a high resolution and very clear. The most important thing to remember is the finished piece is only going to be as good as the photo it's being created from. I don't know how many times I have been given a really bad photo and asked if I can fix it. The big problem with that is it's very difficult to draw what you don't see.

I will continue to post the updates so be sure to check back and remember..... keep scribbling!
Gemma

A Brand New Colored Pencil Kit!!!

2010-04-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Well... this is the reason you haven't heard from me for a while. I was working on my brand new "Ann Kullberg Colored Pencil Kit" and it was a secret until Ann announced it on her E-zine. This Kit will give you step by step instructions on how to create this cute little Yorkie on Suede Mat Board.

The kit includes the Suede board, the step by step instructions, a reference photo to work from, a contour drawing to trace and seven demo pictures of each stage of the drawing. The kit will be released for sale in about two weeks and you can purchase it on Ann's site at http://www.annkullberg.com.

As soon as Ann has the kits available I will be posting them on my site for purchase as well. When I do I will post a link of where it can be purchased.

This cute little guy is my Mother's dog (my brother.... lol) and his name is Chico. He is just as cute as a little bug. He doesn't realize just how small he is, only 4 pounds! He and my Rotties get along great but, as I said, he forgets just how small he is. I had a lot of fun drawing him so I hope you will enjoy drawing him as much as I did.

If any of you should purchase the kit and need help in anyway be sure to send me an email with your questions.

Keep Scribbling,
Gemma

Reflections - WIP - Finished!!! Again, LOL

2010-03-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Well.... isn't it funny how you post your piece on online and then see it on the monitor and start finding things you just didn't see before it was posted. That's what happened to me, so.... I tweeked on it a bit more and now I think I am happy with it, LOL.

Enjoy... and keep Scribbling!

Gemma

Reflections - Work in Progress - Finished!!

2010-03-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Yayyyy!!! I finished it, what a relief!

When creating the water I laid down a layer each of Moss Green, Dark Green and Dark Umber. I then used Gamsol to blend the three layers into the tooth of the Suede. When doing this I use a bristle brush, load the brush with the Gamsol and then dab it on a paper towel before I start blending the three layers.

I then finished the reflection of the lion completely. Now that the under layers of the water is down and the reflection of the lion I start glazing Moss Green, Bronze and Artichoke over all the water and the lion. I then went in and added some blue and light reflections.

I then sprayed it with fixative. It's all ready to enter into the CPSA Exhibition..... lets keep our fingers crossed.

Here is a closeup of the upper part of the drawing.

Here is a closeup of the lower part of the drawing.

I hope you enjoyed this work in progress and if you have any questions at all please let me know. And....... don't forget...... Keep Scribbling!! Gemma

Reflections - Work in Progress - update 5

2010-02-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Well... here is the next update. I'm continuing to work my way down using the same techniques as before.

One of the things I noticed about the suede board is it actually seems to work better if you use a duller pencil. Although; I am using a fairly sharp pencil when laying down the fur. It's interesting.... drawing on the suede board really doesn't feel like drawing, instead it feels more like I'm painting. I just love it and I have to say I think this will be my support of choice more often than not.

I can't remember if I told you where to get the Suede Mat board.... I get it from my framer so, if your looking for it check with your local framer. It can be quite pricey but it comes in a very large sheet of 30" X 40" so you can do several pieces from that sheet. The color I used on this one is called Moccasin. One of the things I learned from a fellow artist is you don't want to work on the darker colors of the suede board, you will have a problem covering it.

If you have any questions just fire away and.... by all means keep Scribbling!! Gemma

Reflections - Work in Progress - update 4

2010-02-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Well I'm moving right along on this one. I really don't have a lot to say about it at this point. I've been using the same colors and technique and just moving my way down the support.

Oh.... I do have one thing to say, hahaha. When it came time to do the splash, I found I was having a bit of an artist block. So I decided to do what I preach to my students in my workshops... well fancy that, LOL. I cut a little square in a white piece of paper to make a very small window. I placed the window over the area where the splash was on my reference drawing and Voila..... it no longer was a splash. It suddenly became nothing but colors, shapes, lines and values. Another thing I will do at times is have my laptop near by with the reference photo on it and zoom way in on a small area, that helps too.

If you have any questions at all let me know.... and.... Keep Scribbling!! Gemma

Me and My Dog

2010-02-21T20:02:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

I thought you may enjoy what I did today. My other passion is showing my dogs in Obedience. Today I showed my Rotti, Harlow, at a dog show. This is a movie of her and I doing our thing in the ring. Just click on this link to view it: http://www.glassgems.net/HarlowDogShow022110/HarlowDogShow022110 .html

Let me know what you think by commenting.... it may not be drawing but it is another art.
Keep Scribbling,
Gemma

Reflections - Work in Progress - update 3

2010-02-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

I finished the lions face and started working my way over to the grasses on the right side of the artwork.

I have about a third of it done now, I sure hope I can finish it before the Colored Pencil Society of America Exhibition deadline. The deadline is March 31st. so if I keep working hard at it I should be able to finish it. I tend to work very slow but I am trying really hard to finish this in time.

As you can see the grasses are starting to grow out of the water. Water is always fun to create but doing it on this suede board makes it so much easier. You can lay down your dark colors and then draw the reflections on top of the dark. It is so much more like painting than colored pencils usually are done on Stonehenge or Watercolor paper. I did the grasses also by laying down the darker colors and then drawing in the individual grasses on top of that. Then I came back with black and drew in some negative space to give it the depth I was trying to achieve.

I also like the softness I am able to get on this suede, it is wonderful to do animal fur on. The Suede Board can be hard to find at times but all you need to do is go to your favorite Framer and ask them to order it for you. It comes in sheets of 30" X 40" and in lots of really nice colors. You do want to be careful and not choose a color to dark because you may have a problem covering the suede board.

If you have any questions or comments just ask away. Keep Scribbling! Gemma

Reflections - Work in Progress - update 2

2010-02-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

This is the upper right section of the drawing so part of what has been drawn on the left is cut off in this section of the image.

I'm using lots of different brands of pencils on this one. I'm using Prismacolor, Derwent Studios, Derwent Colorsoft, Lyra and Polychromos. I really like the way the Derwent Colorsoft pencils work with the suede board. It almost behaves like pastel, it is very cool.

One of the things I really loved about the reference photo is the dramatic morning lighting. The subject is very light on one side and dark on the other. This type of lighting gives the painting a very dramatic feel and a warmth that catches the viewers eye. Hopefully I will be able to pull this off because this is what, I feel, will make or break this painting.

I'm layering lots and lots of colors to give it the real fur look. In the lighter areas I laid down the lighter colors first and worked in some darker colors and then went back to the lighter colors. In the darker areas I laid down the medium color and then the lights and dark on top of that.

One of the things I noticed in my last update was, I didn't get the values quite right on the log and the shadows from the lion on the log needed to be darker as well. This is something I corrected in this update. Personally I like the log much better now.

Here is a close up of the Mountain Lion head. You can see how I use lots and lots of colors.

If you have any questions just ask and I'll be happy to answer what I can.

Keep Scribbling!! Gemma

Reflections - Work in Progress - update 1

2010-02-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

Here is my start on my colored pencil piece titled "Reflections". This is the upper left corner of the piece. The size of this artwork is 10" X 24". As you can see I tend to start in the upper corner (or the eyes) and work my way down and across.

I chose Moccasin Suede Mat board as the support. I love applying colored pencils on the suede board. It allows me to lay the layers down as if I am painting. I can add the highlights on top of the dark colors and still have them really pop. Typically I would have to save my highlighted areas because Colored Pencil is transparent, but with the suede board it reacts as if it is opaque.

I start out by drawing a very detailed contour drawing and then transfer it to the Suede Board. When I'm doing the fur on suede board or a sanded surface I tend to lay down a layer of medium color and then feather in the dark and light hairs. That tends to give it that real fur look. I used the same approach on the log, lay down a layer of medium color and then added darks and lights on top of that. I also use Gamsol to blend some of the areas. This helps dissolve the pencil down into the tooth of the suede board.

When I am creating my colored pencil artwork I break each piece of the reference photo down to little squares. This way I am looking at lines, shades, color and shapes. This approach makes it much easier for me to get the realistic look. If you decide to try this approach yourself you may want to take notes of what colors you used for the different areas. I personally don't take notes because I have worked with colored pencils long enough I almost always use the same color of pencils to achieve a certain look, but at first, I did keep notes. If you have any questions let me know and I will be happy to answer them.

Mountain Lion with Reflections - Work in Progress

2010-01-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

While in Montana a few years ago I took this photo of this Mountain Lion. I love how the reflections reflect the face in full view along with the splash of the water and ripples as he is stepping in. I got several shots of this Mountain Lion and hope to do several of them with Colored Pencil and maybe do a piece in pastel.

I decided to do this one on beige Suede Board. I will be filling in the drawing completely, there won't be any of the suede board showing as I did with the Rottweiler below. I love how the suede board works with the colored pencils. The interesting thing with the suede board is you can add your highlights on top of dark pencil and it shows up quite nicely. The suede board works very similar to a sanded surface. If you haven't tried it you should.

I now have the contour drawing done and I'm starting to color it in. I should have an update of my progress in a few days or so. If you have any questions at all feel free to speak up.

Finally Back - Zebras Are Done And A New Portrait Too!

2010-01-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

It's been a long time since I posted and I do apologize for that. We had a few deaths in our family and my Mother was very ill for quite some time. She is doing well now and things are finally coming back to normal.

The Workshop I taught in Livermore was a wonderful success and I had a great time teaching it. I finally got a chance to get back to drawing and was able to finish Zebras. I decided to title this "LOL". It was very interesting working on the Artboard and I have to say I would definitely do another piece on the board. The arches paper attached to the board accepts Colored Pencil quite well and was really fun to work with. If any of you are interested in looking into the Artboard surface you can go to this link: http://www.art-boards.com/

During the time I was away from my blog I was asked to do a portrait of a beautiful Rottweiler named Dutch. Dutch is the Father to the litter of puppies my dog, Harlow, gave birth to in August. She had seven cute little puppies and we decided to keep one of them. We were able to find homes for all of the others. We named our puppy “A National Treasure” and his call name is Cage. I just hope he turns out to be as beautiful as his Mom and Dad.

Well anyway…. The portrait I did of Dutch was done on Suede mat board, the color is called Moccasin. I love the way the Suede board works with the Colored Pencil. One of the things I like best about the suede board is you can add the lights on top of the darks and they show up very nicely. It behaves a lot like a sanded surface. The other nice thing about it is you don’t have to do the background; you leave the suede board in that area, which seems to work quite well on a portrait.

I’m glad to be finally be back updating my blog and I promise I will be doing updates much more often than I have in the last 4 months, so please come back and check for more updates.

Wildlife/Animal Workshop in October

2009-09-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

I will be giving a workshop at our local CPSA District Chapter in Livermore, CA. The workshop will be held October, 24-25, 2009. If any of you are interested in the details please let me know.

Here is a brief summery of the workshop I will be giving:

Participants in Gemma's workshop will learn to create realistic animals using colored pencils. By learning to draw an animal's eye, nose, mouth and fur, participants will master the steps needed to create believable looking animals. Students will learn how some common household items can be used to blend, burnish, impress lines and create very believable animal characteristics.

Gemma will share her secrets on the best ways to break a reference photo down to small manageable sections rather than viewing the drawing as a whole. There will be a discussion on photography as it pertains to your animal/wildlife artwork and Gemma will share how to create a good composition from your own reference photos. She'll discuss the best ways to create a great drawing utilizing Photoshop to combine photos, including discussions on what to consider and how to avoid mistakes when putting an animal into a surrounding area or scene.

On the second day the participants will learn how to draw a portrait of a Lion cub. The reference photo you will be working from is from a photo shoot that Gemma took while on an African Photo Safari. You will learn how to create the realistic look of young cub using Colored Pencils on Uart Paper.

For the complete flyer of the workshop go to: http://glassgems.net/GemmaGyllingOct2009Workshop.pdf

Our Alaskan Trip

2009-08-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well we had a wonderful time while we were in Alaska. We saw lots of wildlife, ate lots of food and was lucky enough to have wonderful weather. We went on several excursions to get a way from the ship and see Alaska. While we were out we saw grizzly bears, black bears, orca, humpback whales, bald eagles and hawks. Here are a few of my favorite photos I took, while on the trip. Enjoy!!

CPSA Convention & Exhibition

2009-08-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

Wow what a week. I arrived at the Marriott hotel in Duluth, GA Sunday July 26 and left Sunday August 2. During that time I was learning my new position as Conventions Director on the National Governing Board of CPSA. While learning the new job, kept me quite busy I still had a wonderful time and enjoyed meeting lots of people.

The Exhibition was incredible! Jeff George's piece, "Life and Death", won the CIPPY award and was a site to behold. There was a hidden item in the artwork, you just have to go to his site and find it. Here is the link to that piece on Jeff's site: http://www.jeffgeorgeart.com/jeffgeorgeart/Life_and_Death.html

Another one of my favorite pieces was Elizabeth Patterson's titled, "Sunset at Sweetzer, 11 PM". Her work is simply wonderful. Her artwork was one of the top three awards. Here is the link to that piece on her site: http://www.eapatterson.com/pages/SUNSET_AT_SWEETZER_11pm.html

There were several other pieces I really liked. If you get a chance you can order the DVD from CPSA which has the entire show on it along with the Explore This 5 exhibition. It is definitely a must see.

I didn't have a chance to take many pictures because I was running around learning the new job. If you want to see a fantastic write up on the convention go to Teresa Mallen's blog, she did a wonder job with lots of pictures. Here's her link: http://teresamallenstudio.blogspot.com/

Sorry this post is so short. I am getting ready to head for Alaska. I won't be able to get much artwork done while I'm gone so I most likely won't have a post on my current artwork for a while either. Hopefully I when I get back I will have some great photos of Grizzley bears to show you.

Artwork From Pastel Workshop by Lesley Harrison

2009-07-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

I have to say that Lesley Harrison is one of the nicest people you would want to meet. She is very generous and a great teacher. Her artwork is absolutely Excellent!

The workshop was three days long and it was in Placerville, CA. The first day we worked on techniques and started to do a kittens eye. The second and third day we worked on this adorable little kitten named "Lola".

Lola was done on Velour dry mount paper in a light gray color. We used soft pastels, hard pastels and some pastel pencils. I just loved working with the pastels on the Velour paper, it gives you such a soft look and yet it allows you to get the detail in as well.

I will definitely be doing more of my animals with Pastels on Velour. I had a great time and really liked Lesley's process to achieve the realism I love to get.

If you ever get a chance to take a Workshop from Lesley, I highly recommend it. She is a wonderful artist and a great teacher. She said she was going to be doing another workshop in Sutter Creek, CA in November. I'm sure the information regarding this upcoming workshop would be posted on her website. Here's the link: http://www.harrison-keller.com/

"Africa From the Back Side" Photography

2009-07-23T20:41:00.001-07:00

In September, 2008 my husband and I took a trip to South Africa. That had to be the best vacation I have ever taken. We went to two Game Reserve Parks and I took over 5,000 pictures of the animals. Wow... what an experience.

I recently decided to try to enter some of my photos in a photography contest given by "Photography Forum Magazine". One of the photos I entered was the zebras on the left. I titled the photograph, "Africa From The Back Side". From what I understand, there were 3,500 photographers that entered that contest. I entered 4 of my photos. I just got a letter from the magazine telling me that one of my photos was accepted. I was so excited I was literally jumping up and down. The accepted photos will be published in a coffee table book titled "Best of Photography 2009". They still need to judge the show for the winners and we will hear the results of that judging August, 17, 2009. I don't expect to win anything but, I am just absolutely thrilled that I was accepted in the show along with being published in the book.

If you are interested in the information about the contest you can go to this link: http://www.pfmagazine.com/index.aspx

Hiding Place - CPSA Silent Auction Donation

2009-07-23T20:03:00.001-07:00

This Sunday I will be leaving for the Colored Pencil Society of America's 17th Annual Exhibition and Convention. I was invited to donate one of my small pieces of artwork for the Silent Auction.

The piece I am donating is this little raccoon, the title of the piece is "Hiding Place". It's 10" x 7" and matted to 11" x 14". It's 100% Colored Pencils done on UArt 800 grit. I mostly use Prismacolor pencils and Derwent Studio pencils. Some times I do use some of the other brands. I found that it really doesn't matter if you mix the oil based and wax based pencils. I haven't had a problem doing this. This was the first piece I did on the UArt sanded surface paper. I just love that paper and I am sure I will be doing many more of my Colored Pencil pieces on that surface. If you haven't used it yourself I highly recommend it.

The reference photo for this little guy was one that I took while I was in Kalispell, Montana. There were two raccoons, they were so cute so I got lots and lots of pictures of them. I'm sure I will do more art from those reference photos. I found it is always fun to do artwork from your own photos. It's a real sense of accomplishment.

Zebra's Laughing Out Loud - WIP Continued

2009-07-18T00:03:00.001-07:00

Well... I was able to get another one of the zebras in. I thought I would post what I have done so far.

Tomorrow I am going to go to the three day workshop I talked about in another post. I will be learning to do Animals in Pastels. I'm really looking forward to taking this workshop. The instructor is Lesley Harrison. In case you want to see her work here is a link to her website: http://www.harrison-keller.com/

Anyway.... back to the zebras. I like how these are coming along. In fact I kind of wish I would have done them larger like I usually do. These are only 8" x 10", that's a lot smaller than I usually work. I really like the Artboard with Arches hot press water color paper on it. I love how the pencils lay down and it seems to take lots of layers.

I probably won't be able to get much work done on these in the next couple of weeks. I have lots going on but if I do I will be sure to post the progress.

Zebra's Laughing Out Loud - WIP Continued

2009-07-13T00:00:00.001-07:00

I was finally able to get some work done on this piece. Here's a quick update.

I think I really like the Artboard surface. It seems to accept a lot of layers and is quite easy to blend the colored pencils. I'm looking forward to seeing what the piece looks like once it's varnished and in a frame.

This is a really fun piece and I am really enjoying creating it.

Gemma Gylling Workshop - TBA

2009-07-08T01:02:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I have been gone for about a week and I'm now preparing for the Colored Pencil Society of America Convention.

Most likely I won't have an update on the zebras for a while because this month I am just swamped with things going on. Next week I will be going to the Pastel workshop taught by Lesley Harrison. After that I will be going to the CPSA 17th Annual Exhibition. I am a board member so, therefore have lots to do to prepare for the convention.

I thought I would take this opportunity to let you all know that I will be giving a workshop at our local CPSA District Chapter. The workshop should be in the month of October but I am not sure of the exact dates yet. All I know at this point is the workshop will be in October in Livermore, California. If any of you are interested in the details please let me know and I will provide you with that information as soon as it scheduled.

Here is a brief summery of the workshop I will be giving:

Participants in Gemma's workshop will learn to create realistic animals using colored pencils. By learning to draw an animal's eye, nose, mouth and fur, participants will master the steps needed to create believable looking animals. Students will learn how some common household items can be used to blend, burnish, impress lines and create very believable animal characteristics. Gemma will share her secrets on the best ways to break a reference photo down to small manageable sections rather than viewing the drawing as a whole.

There will be a discussion on photography as it pertains to your animal/wildlife artwork and Gemma will share how to create a good composition from your own reference photos. She'll discuss the best ways to create a great drawing utilizing Photoshop to combine photos, including discussions on what to consider and how to avoid mistakes when putting an animal into a surrounding area or scene.

On the second day the participants will learn how to draw portrait of a Lion cub. The reference photo you will be working from is from a photo shoot that Gemma took while on an African Photo Safari. You will learn how to create the realistic look of young cub using Colored Pencils on Uart Paper.

Pride's Promise - Professional Image

2009-06-29T23:14:00.001-07:00

I got the image back from the professional photographer so I thought I would post it here.

I always have my work professionally digitized. That way in the future if I want to have prints, postcards, notecards and so forth I have a really good image to work from.

I plan on selling giclee' prints on canvas of this one. I haven't decided what size yet but once I do I'll post it here. It will be a limited edition run of 150 prints. As I said I'm not sure of what size but I'm thinking I may have it done in the actual size of the original which is 12" X 20".

As for the Zebras I have the contour drawing done and I started putting in the sky. I really don't have enough done to post yet but will hopefully have something soon.

Zebra's Laughing Out Loud - WIP

2009-06-23T23:29:00.001-07:00

We went to a wildlife park near Sedona, AZ called "Out of Africa". They have this one area called the Serengeti safari where you drive thru in an open bus. At one point we stopped and some Zebras came up to the bus to get their treats. It struck me funny because it seemed as if they were laughing. I got several photos of them but not one of them was what I would call a great picture.

Photo #1

As you can see here two of the Zebras look pretty good but the one in the back isn't in the best position. Also the one in the front really isn't laughing, his mouth is closed.

Photo #2

On this photo the Zebra in the front has his mouth parcially opened. I liked that better than the front Zebra in photo #1.

Photo #3

Here is a pretty good photo but the Zebra is all by himself and I liked the idea of having three of them together.

Final Reference Photo

So..... started with photo number one in Photoshop. I erased everything except the two front Zebras. Then I took just the mouth of the front Zebra in Photo number two and placed it over the mouth of the front zebra (now he has his mouth open). Then I erased everything except the Zebra in Photo number three and added what was left in the back of this version of the Zebras. Then I found a sky picture I and added that in the background. And.... Voila!!! I now have more of what I was looking for. I will use this reference for my drawing.

As I mentioned in my last post, I will be using the Art Board with the Hot Press Arches watercolor paper mounted on it. I will start drawing my contour drawing on the Art board tomorrow. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Oh.... and the title of this piece will be "LOL".

Pride's Promise - Finished!!

2009-06-22T16:33:00.001-07:00

Well I finally finished this one. I'll be taking it in to have it professionally scanned so I will re post it as soon as I get that scan back. This really isn't a great digital file of it. It definitely looks better in person.

I should be starting another piece in the next day or so. I plan on drawing some Zebras. I will post the reference photos that I will be using and show you how I combine several references to get the composition I want. It should be an interesting article. So be sure to check back. I got a sample from Art Boards. They have a board with Arches watercolor paper mounted on it. That is the support I will be using on the zebras. I have never used this before so I'll keep you posted and let you know what I think of the product.

I Will be attending a Pastel Workshop!

2009-06-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

For a very long time I have wanted to learn how to do Pastels. I was so excited when I saw that Lesley Harrison, not only a wonderful Pastel artist but, her subject of choice is Animals/Wildlife, is doing a workshop in my area. I just can't wait to attend this workshop. The workshop is being held in Placerville, CA in July.

Here is the Workshop description: Lesley Harrison is well known for her beautiful and sensitive paintings of horses and other animals. This workshop is specifically for those who wish to explore and learn how to use soft pastels as a full painting medium. Three full days of class time with Lesley is an opportunity you don't want to miss. Lesley will begin with a demonstration and then there will be plenty of time for people to paint and have individual attention.

Here is Lesley's webpage: http://www.harrison-keller.com/. She is an excellent artist, I just can't wait!! I'll be sure to keep you posted about the workshop when I attend.

Pride's Promise - Work in Progress, Con't

2009-06-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

This week has been a really crazy week for me so I haven't had a chance to work much on this. I did get a chance to put the cubs legs in so I thought I would go a head and post an update. I hope to be able to spend more time on them this week. Things are finally starting to calm down a bit.

I really like the Uart with the sanded surface. I like how I can lay down a medium color and then go back and add the lighter colors and darker colors on top of that. This piece is a good size it's about 12" X 22". I'm using several brands of pencils on it but predominantly the Derwent Studio pencils and the Prismacolor pencils. Here's my update:

Here's a closer look at the area I just finished:

Wildlife Art Journal - An Online Magazine

2009-06-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you who love wildlife art, have to go check out this great online art magazine. Wildlife Art Journal is available to you every day, with a constant flow of new and updated stories and it costs you far less than most other printed art magazines. Best of all, you'll have unlimited access to read the stories you like, or artist profiles you may have missed, any time, anywhere, simply by logging on.

For only $1 U.S. per month, you get all of the benefits of a premium membership: Full access to stories about painters, sculptors, photographers and nature filmmakers, regular updates on auctions, museum exhibitions, gallery openings, special events, guest essays, their exciting blog RarAvis, wildlife art news from around the globe, and much more.

I just subscribed and I have to say I am really glad I did. Just thought I would pass this information on to you. Here's the link: Wildlife Art Journal

Ann Kullberg's Newest Book

2009-06-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

Ann Kullberg has a great new book titled "Colored Pencil Secrets for Success", the publisher is Northlight Books. My artwork is included in this book, I feel so honored to be one of the artists chosen for the book. It is now available at Amazon! If you are interested in buying the book you can use the link I provided below. Keep Scribbling!!

If you are interested in finding out how to buy more of my favorite Colored Pencil books scroll down to the bottom of this page.

Pride's Promise - Work in Progress, Con't

2009-06-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to do to much on this but I have been able to proceed on the cub some. I have his little face completely done and I'm now starting to work on his body.

It has been such a joy to draw these two. There is a great little story behind them..... when we were in Africa we were following a den of lions. There were 5 females and 10-11 cubs. We followed them down into a sandy dry riverbed. It was cooler down there because it was down in a ravine. We sat there in our Landrover for a while and I took several pictures of the entire den. When we decided to leave the Landrover would not go into 4 wheel drive. We got stuck..... big time! We had to just sit there until the lions decided to leave. Once they left we were able to get out of the vehicle to get it unstuck. Needless to say I have a bunch of pictures of these lions. I'm sure I will be drawing them for a long long time. Enjoy!

Here is close up of the little guys face:

Pride's Promise - Work in Progress

2009-06-06T00:07:00.000-07:00

While Bill and I were in Africa I took several pictures of these lions. I have so many reference photos from the trip it's hard to decide which one to work on. I decided on these two for now. This piece is done on UArt 800 (sanded surface paper) and of course, it's done with colored pencils (my favorite medium). Here is the photo I took:

I have the background in and I'm starting to create the Momma lion. When I draw I first draw in the contour drawing. From there I start creating my subject. I tend to finish each little section as I go. Colored Pencil is a very slow medium, I tend to not to get bored with the piece when I work in this fashion.

You can see now how the momma lion is coming along. With the following picture you can see the contour drawing a bit better than in the last photo of the piece.

Now I'm starting to work on the baby. I think this is coming along fairly well. I will probably go back and touch up a few things but so far most of what I have done will stay as you see it here.