Pencil Museum - New website!

In line with it's 30th birthday celebrations, the Pencil Museum in Keswick has launched a new website (http://www.pencilmuseum.co.uk/) .

The new site is more user friendly, and features details of all the forthcoming fun days, events, and drawing demonstrations at the museum, plus a range of downloadable projects and drawing templates with a special emphasis on children's activities.

One of the new additions to the list of well-known artists demonstrating at the museum will be UKCPS member, Ann Swan, one of the country's leading botanical artists.

The birthday celebrations are a two day event over the 29th/ 30th May, and UKCPS will feature in the celebrations with the 'World of Coloured Pencils' exhibition which will be on display at the museum from 28 May to 25 June 2011. You will also have a chance to meet fellow members who will be present during the celebration weekend.

Derwent - & the royal wedding!

To celebrate the wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Cumberland Pencil Co. has produced a special presentation box called 'The Majestic'. It's a limited edition of only 500, of which No.1 has been given to the happy couple as a wedding gift.

Made from Maple with a Walnut veneer, the box is filled with a selection of water-soluble pencils and blocks, together with a range of accessories. To mark the occasion, Derwent has commissioned artist Angela Gaughan-Owens to draw a portrait of the wedding couple using the pencils featured in the box. A reproduction of the portrait is included within the box, and the original will be on display at the Pencil Museum in Keswick.

Australian Coloured Pencils Network

Many of our viewers, and including some UKCPS members, are actually resident abroad. I have received a timely reminder of this fact via a note from a sister organisation, The Australian Coloured Pencils Network [ACPN] who have highlighted the call for entries for their next exhibition which is on the theme of 'colours of where I live'. The exhibition is only open to australian residents, and the the deadline for enties is 15 May 2011. However, even non-Aussie readers might wish to visit the ACPN website where there are some interesting video tutorials on basic CP techniques such as layering and burnishing. go to: www.colouredpencils.com.au for more information about the exhibition, and about the Network itself. Alan