How to draw eyes

valwebb — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:09:35 +0000

Eyes are challenging to draw, but they are also a lot of fun — and the eyes are often the key to expressing human emotion in a drawing. Here’s a short, step-by-step tutorial on drawing realistic eyes in pencil. For your model, cut a pair of eyes out of a magazine photo or crop a pair from an online image. Cut away the rest of the face so that you won’t be distracted as you concentrate on this drawing exercise. When you have finished, I’d love to see your results! My email is studio@valwebb.com.

The pitcher of doom (if you’re an insect)

valwebb — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:51:50 +0000

Meet Sarracenia leucophylla, the white pitcher plant. I drew this specimen following a day at Splinter Hill Bog, 628 acres of whispering longleaf pine forest and bog at the headwaters of the Perdido River in south Alabama. I felt fortunate to have a real, live pitcher plant to work from — when the first botanical illustration of a Sarracenia was made in 1576 by the court botanist to James I of England, all he had for reference was a dried-up remnant of a pitcher plant collected by Spanish explorers in Florida.

In those days, scientists could only guess about the plant’s strange cupped structure — and after a great deal of study, they concluded that pitcher plants were benevolently designed by God to provide safe refuge for small creatures. (Alas, that’s exactly what the plant’s unsuspecting victims probably think, as well.) Three hundred years later, Charles Darwin was the first to guess at the true purpose of the plant’s unique architecture: not a shelter, but a deadly trap. When experiments showed that pitcher plants digested and absorbed bits of venison dropped into its throat, the mystery was officially solved.

Among all the hundreds of families of flowering plants on the planet, only ten include species capable of trapping animals. There remains much we don’t know about these carnivorous beauties: their lifespan is uncertain, for example, because they sprout from a thick, fleshy rhizome that can spread out underground to give the appearance of multiple plants. In the wild, a large stand of plants may be just a few old — but widespread — individuals. And the intricate patterns on some Sarracenia may extend beyond the visible light spectrum; there is evidence to suggest that they actually have other patterns that can only be detected with ultraviolet vision.

So much to learn, but we may not have that chance — pitcher plant habitat is disappearing at an incredible rate. Wetlands throughout the world are being drained for development. Even preserved wetlands often become contaminated with agricultural and residential runoff. Most of the large Sarracenia stands of the past are already gone.

Fortunately for pitcher plants in my region (and for those of us who like to draw them) a number of bogs are being carefully protected. The largest is Splinter Hill Bog, where this beautiful specimen was growing. There’s also a bog at Weeks Bay Estuarine Reserve near Fairhope, and at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge just north of Gautier, MS.

Why I love colored pencils

valwebb — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:00:09 +0000

Heron Fisherman, drawn in Prismacolor pencil

I live on a hill, and the street that runs past my front door ends abruptly at the edge of the bay, four blocks down. It’s an easy walk, early in the morning, to watch pelicans dive for their breakfast and hear gulls laughing as they sail past overhead. And in the shallows, when the water is calm, the great blue heron stands motionless. I suppose he is waiting for the gleam of careless minnows in the water at his feet, but he might as well be posing for my sketchbook. A beautiful bird, bold enough to ignore a small woman nearby with a fistful of colored pencils, he makes a great model.

I’m honored to be the featured artist in the upcoming June issue of Colored Pencil Artists magazine — an issue that will focus on birds in colored pencil. I drew this heron, and his fisherman friend, with that event in mind.

The heron is drawn in Prismacolor Premiere, the soft-core colored pencils I like to use. After making a foundation drawing in Dark Umber — including all the major shadows and textures — I used just five other colors, layered on over the Umber, to finish the bird. His beak is Yellow Ochre, shaded gently with Terra Cotta (the same combination is used for his fierce eye). I don’t like to use pre-formulated grays, which seem a little flat, but prefer to blend a warm and vital gray by mixing Light Peach and Cloud Blue. All the gray areas on this fellow are created with those two colors. Then I used black, of course, for his dark mask and (very sparingly) to deepen the richest shadows.

The fisherman’s wings are based on the lovely (and enormous) polyphemus moth, a silkworm moth that is common where I live. The richly pigmented, slightly dusty feel of colored pencil is perfect for drawing lepidopterans, from monarch to cabbage moth.

Upcoming Workshops & Online Classes

valwebb — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:48:26 +0000

Dear friends,
Here’s a list of upcoming live workshops and online classes scheduled through July. Whether it’s watercolor pencil, dragonflies, birds, handmade tiles or sketching dogs and cats — I hope you find something here to capture your imagination! A link at the bottom of each listing will tell you who to contact for more information or to sign up. Hope to see you soon.
Val

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Children’s Printmaking: Botanical Collagraphs
Saturday, May 25 from 10am to noon
Mobile Botanical Gardens
$10 per child

Children ages 5-12 are invited to try out my trusty etching press and create original collagraph prints using natural elements collected in the Gardens, then hand-color their finished prints with watercolor or colored pencils. To sign up, call Mobile Botanical Gardens at 251-342-0555 or email mbg2@bellsouth.net.

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Online course:
Draw Dogs & Cats
Starting May 28
8 Lessons – work at your own pace
$50

Using a variety of black and white media, learn to capture the unique physical appearance and personality of dogs and cats. This course uses detailed video demonstrations of technique, step-by-step illustrated printables and personal feedback on completed projects. New lessons post every Tuesday on our class website for eight weeks, but you have four full months to complete the material. Topics include animal anatomy and movement, expressive and accurate eyes, drawing a wide range of fur types — sleek and shiny, shaggy, spotted or striped — as well as paws and claws. We’ll also draw young kittens and puppies, and learn how body proportions change as animals grow older. No experience necessary! The supply list is quite basic, and will available to download by April 15. Pre-registration is required, and is payable by check or PayPal. To sign up, email me directly at studio@valwebb.com.

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Draw Dogs & Cats (live workshop)
Saturday, June 8 from 10am to 3pm
Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama
$95

Learn to draw your best friend — create realistic fur textures and expressive eyes, capture animal proportions from puppy or kitten through adulthood. No experience is needed, and all art supplies are provided. Bring a sack lunch — there will be a painting demo during our lunch break. This course is part of the Samford After Sundown summer term, and will be listed in the new catalog (and on the Samford website) beginning in mid-April. In the meantime, for more information email Suzanne Montgomery at smontgo@samford.edu.

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Dragonflies & Damselflies in Colored Pencil (live workshop)
Saturday, June 29 from 10am to 3pm
5 Rivers Delta Resource Center
On the Causeway
Spanish Fort, Alabama
$60

Sharpen your colored pencil skills and learn to draw two members of the order Odonata, some of the most ancient and beautiful insects that ever roamed the earth. Bring a sack lunch and a basic set of 12 colored pencils (Prismacolor recommended) and everything else will be provided. Step-by-step guidance provided — no experience necessary! Pre-registration is required, and is payable by check or PayPal. Class size is limited and is expected to fill quickly; your payment must be received to hold your place. To sign up, email me at studio@valwebb.com.

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Quick and Easy Watercolor Pencil
Saturday, July 13 from 10am to 3pm
Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama
$95

Versatile and easy to use, watercolor pencils are perfect for drawing outdoors or adding color to your sketchbook pages. Learn three techniques for getting a wide range of effects from your colored pencils, plus tips on using them to capture light and texture. Bring your favorite set of watercolor pencils, and your other supplies will be provided. No previous experience necessary! This course is part of the Samford After Sundown summer term, and will be listed in the new catalog (and on the Samford website) beginning in mid-April. In the meantime, for more information email Suzanne Montgomery at smontgo@samford.edu.

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Handmade Tile: Birds in Bas-Relief (live workshop)
Saturday, July 20 from 10am to 4pm
Space 301 – Centre for the Living Arts
Mobile, Alabama
$60

Start with a slab of leather-hard clay and learn to carve birds in bas-relief, a technique that uses light and shadow to create the illusion of depth. No drawing is required for this workshop, and all levels of art experience (or no experience at all!) are welcome. Tools and materials are provided and are yours to keep. Bring a sack lunch. Pre-registration is required. Call Brennan Gibson at 251-208-5658 or email cla.gibson@cityofmobile.org.

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Online course:
Birds in Colored Pencil
Starting July 23
8 Lessons – work at your own pace
$50

With step-by-step guidance, learn to create “gentle pencil” foundation drawings and then layer rich colors on top to create elegantly detailed, illustration-quality colored pencil images. This course uses detailed video demonstrations of technique, step-by-step illustrated printables and personal feedback on completed projects. New lessons post every Tuesday on our class website for eight weeks, but you have four full months to complete the material. We’ll mix up classical drawing theory with a dose of natural history, with topics including drawing feather texture, drawing birds in flight, shading for highlights and shadows, color blending, basic bird anatomy, drawing birds of prey, drawing backgrounds and habitat, drawing birds’ eggs. No experience necessary, and the supply list is quite basic — the list will be available for printing or download by June 1. Pre-registration is required, and is payable by check or PayPal. To sign up, email me directly at studio@valwebb.com.

Watercolor Lettering class starts August 5

valwebb — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 04:21:00 +0000

Recently, some drawing students were flipping through my sketchbook and they spotted a page with some watercolor lettering. “Hey,” one of them said. “When are you going to teach this?” Well, inspired by that student (and by emails from wonderful people all over the world who asked the same question) I put together my first online class… Drawn & Decorated Watercolor Lettering. The first course launched this summer, and a second session began in November. A third one started in March… It is now drawing to a close with students all over the world. It has been a happy journey.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been receiving emails from folks who missed the earlier sessions. The requests are piling up, and so I have decided to repeat the course — which is work-at-your-own-speed with a roomy four-month window for completion. (You could take off an entire month and still have plenty of extra time to finish the classes without ever feeling rushed.)

Absolutely no previous experience is necessary. In 10 lessons, you’ll learn tips, tricks and techniques for creating beautiful letters. We’ll be drawing and decorating letters with user-friendly materials including watercolor, Pigma Micron pens, pencils and a brush. Click the two links below for a printable copy of the supply list:

Supply List – Page 1

Supply List – Page 2

Our adventure in hand-lettering will include:

Easy (and lovely) methods for making decorative and illuminated initials
Surprisingly simple techniques for Celtic knotwork
How to use “quickhand” to make your art journals or notebooks more beautiful
Colorful, whimsical letters based on rustic medieval alphabets: how to draw them, how to use them
Creative page design that combines lettering and other images
Vines and flourishes – watercolor letters inspired by Art Nouveau
Guidelines for designing your own unique personal alphabet
Combining color, form and attitude to make your letters sing
And more…

Lessons appear weekly on a private, password-protected website, beginning August 5. They remain there until December 5. You have access to them anytime you wish to work on them. They include:

My video demo with step-by-step guidance for each technique
A warm-up lettering exercise for each lesson
My printable illustrated pdf instruction pages
Examples for each lesson, created to guide and inspire you
Personal help when needed, and feedback when each lesson is completed
Access to a private online discussion forum where you can communicate with other students taking the course and post images if you wish (participation in the forum is optional)

There are four very basic tools you will need to get the greatest benefit from this course:

A computer, or access to one
An email account to receive assignments and send your work in for help or guidance
A way to print out your warm-up exercises and illustrated instruction pages
A way to send images of your completed projects to me for feedback. You can use either a scanner or a digital camera to create an image, then email it or upload it to my web page.

Complete each lesson at your convenience; you may take up to four months to finish all 10. Scan or upload a photo of your work and email it to me for personal feedback after each lesson. Before you know it, you’ll be creating beautiful watercolor lettering! It’s as simple as that.

Consider inviting a friend or family member to take the course along with you, and make it a time for you to be creative together.

The cost of the entire course is $50, which is payable by personal check, money order or through PayPal. (To use PayPal, let me know you want to join the class and I will send you an invoice with a “Pay Now” button.) Email me to sign up, or if you need any additional information. Happy lettering!

Upcoming three-day botanical drawing workshop: Splinter Hill Bog and Beyond

valwebb — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:50:43 +0000

Photos by Josh Murrah

Join me and discover one of the nation’s most spectacular pitcher plant habitats during a three-day botanical drawing workshop hosted by Mobile Botanical Gardens.

Splinter Hill Bog Preserve, located in the headwaters of the Perdido River in coastal Alabama, is home to more than a dozen species of carnivorous plants — including five species of pitcher plants. The preserve lies at the heart of an area with some of the highest counts of plant diversity in North America. During your visit, expect to see orchids, rose pinks, meadow beauty, milkworts and a number of rare wildflowers.

Botanical Drawing:

Splinter Hill Bog and Beyond

April 25 – 27

Mobile Botanical Gardens

- Most art supplies included

(Bring your favorite sketchbook and a 24-pencil set of Prismacolor Premiere colored pencils; everything else you need will be provided)

- No experience necessary

- All levels of art experience welcome

Workshop Schedule:

Thursday, April 25

Splinter Hill Bog with Bill Finch*

8am Meet at Mobile Botanical Gardens
8:30am Bus leaves for Splinter Hill Bog
12:30 Box lunch
3pm Return to Mobile Botanical Garden

Friday, April 26

Mobile Botanical Gardens with Val Webb

8:30 Check in (Coffee, juice and pastries)
9-10 Tips for field sketching
10-12 “Gentle pencil” technique for realistic bog plant studies
12 Box lunch
1-2 Tour of the gardens I
2-4 Botanicals in layered color pencil

Saturday, April 27

Mobile Botanical Gardens with Val Webb

9-12 Wildflowers in transparent gouache and colored pencil
12 Box lunch
1-2 Tour of the gardens II
2-4 Creating rich colors and textures in opaque gouache

*Executive Director at the Mobile Botanical Gardens, Bill Finch is author of Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See (University of North Carolina Press). A senior fellow with the Ocean Foundation, he is also a former Alabama conservation director for The Nature Conservancy. As a longtime editor and journalist with the Mobile Press-Register, he won numerous national awards for his environmental and business coverage as well as his much-beloved garden column. Bill’s knowledge of the flora and fauna of Splinter Hill Bog is extensive, and he has the ability to inspire as well as to inform.

The cost of the workshop is $225. Detailed information and registration is available at http://www.mobilebotanicalgardens.org.

For the aspiring artist on your holiday list…

valwebb — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:41:22 +0000

Last night, I finished up the drawing for my new gift certificate. Sign someone else up for the online course “Draw & Paint Six Culinary Herbs” and I’ll send them one of these. (I will add hand-lettered course info and your message – and I’ll even decorate the envelope with a little sketch!) Starting Jan. 7, the course is 10 lessons with video and personal feedback, work at your own pace. The cost is $50. No experience necessary… something fun and different for the aspiring artist in your life.

Draw & Paint Monarch Butterflies

valwebb — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 01:33:50 +0000

I’m delighted to offer a new workshop, “Draw and Paint Monarch Butterflies,” at beautiful 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center on Saturday, January 12. Working from actual specimens, with step-by-step guidance, learn to create a realistic monarch using gouache and colored pencil on handmade buff paper. No experience is necessary and all supplies are provided. Class size is limited to 10. The cost is $65, and illustrated gift certificates are available if you plan to use the workshop as a Christmas gift. Email me to reserve a spot.

Two more things about the workshop: We’ll meet from 10 to 4, so bring a sack lunch to enjoy on the deck during our midday break.

Also, it’s important to me that you know our butterfly specimens were not wild-caught and killed. They were raised from egg to caterpillar to cocoon to adult, allowed to live a natural life and then after they died were carefully collected for our use. Butterfly farming preserves habitat and discourages destructive land use; it can also be helpful in supporting threatened species. Just so you know.

Orange you glad it’s colored pencil?

valwebb — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 23:27:04 +0000

If you’ve been wondering whatever became of those pencil studies of citrus fruit, here’s a peek at the final result. This old-fashioned fruit crate label was commissioned by Mobile Botanical Gardens to promote a slate of upcoming events celebrating citrus. Like the labels of old, the image measures 10×11 inches. It’s all in colored pencil, using a “speed pencil” technique that I love — all the shading is done in an “underpainting” layer using just Dark Umber pencil, then the color is added at the last in a single layer. The wonderful shadows and highlights are simply the result of the umber drawing showing through the color. Below, the peeled orange is still in the umber stage but the shiny satsuma orange next to it has already received a layer of color… just a single layer of orange pencil! Thanks to the textures and shadows already shaded beneath, you get a lush and complex result. It’s a great alternative to the traditional slow layering of different colors to build depth.

New online course: Draw & Paint Six Culinary Herbs

valwebb — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 02:53:20 +0000

It’s not your typical botanical drawing course. My new online class series, “Draw & Paint Six Culinary Herbs,” will incorporate all the things that make the humble kitchen garden a place of a thousand small delights. In addition to learning to create softly shaded pencil studies, spirited ink-and-wash sketches and richly layered color renderings that combine watercolor and colored pencil, we’ll also explore the history and folklore associated with our six herbs. Each lesson will include art demo videos, printable illustrated instruction pages and photo tutorials posted on our private class website — as well as illustrated tips on growing, harvesting and using our culinary collection. I’m also sharing my own stock of organic herb seed (from my garden, while supplies last) with anyone who asks when they sign up. Email me for a list of available varieties.

The course is designed so that you can work at your own pace, without ever feeling rushed. Lessons will appear weekly beginning January 7 on a private, password-protected website. All 10 lessons will remain there until May 6. During those four months, you have access to the lessons anytime you wish to work on them. Feel free to take a week off (or even a month) for other activities. You’ll still have plenty of time to complete the course. Each lesson will include:

My video demo with step-by-step guidance for each new technique
Printable color instruction pages
Examples for each lesson, created to guide and inspire you
Personal help when needed, and feedback when each lesson is completed
Access to our own private online group where you can share comments and images with others taking the course around the world. (Participation in the group is optional. No instruction will take place there.)

Art topics covered in the course include:

How to develop the habit of looking deeply at your subject, so that you clearly see and understand its structure
Three steps to creating a quick and accurate foundation sketch
How to draw leaves in perspective
My “gentle pencil” technique for softly shaded pencil studies
How to combine ink and wash for fast and elegant herb drawings
Traditional layering of watercolor and colored pencil to build a richly detailed rendering
Color matching and color mixing – including highlights and shadows
The structure of an herb plant, and some basic terminology

Absolutely no experience is necessary. The supply list is simple, and contains no exotic materials. (In fact, if you recently took my online watercolor lettering course, you already have the brushes you’ll need. You can check them off your list!)

What about technology? Well, you will need four basic tools to “attend” this online class:

A computer, or access to one
An email account to receive informative messages or send in your work for feedback
A way to print out your illustrated instruction pages
A way to send images of your completed projects to me for feedback. You can use either a scanner or a digital camera to create an image, then email it.

The cost of the entire course is $50, which is payable by personal check, money order or through PayPal. (To use PayPal, let me know you want to join the class and I will send you a secure PayPal invoice with an embedded “pay now” button.) Email me to sign up, or if you need additional information. See you soon!