A World of Coloured Pencil opens in Keswick

The 8th 'A World of Coloured Pencil' Mixed Media Competition 2010, sponsored by Derwent Pencils, opened on 30th May and runs until 26th June at the The Cumberland Pencil Museum, Keswick, CA12 5NG

This is a members only exhibition.  This year was the first time that work chosen was selected by ballot - with the first 24 selected from the ballot being shown.  This means that it reflects, much more than our main exhibition, the range of abilities within the Society, from beginners to professionals.  In this exhibition, pictures can be pure coloured pencil, or may use other media as long as coloured pencils are the main medium.

We now have photos of the exhibition courtesy of Sylvia Richards, the wife of Dave Richards who organised the hanging at the weekend!  I'm sure you will agree it looks splendid.

 The Long Wall

 The Short Wall

Judging was delayed so we're waiting to hear who are the prizewinners are and I'll be posting again about the artwork which won prizes - and who created it - as soon as we have the names.

The online exhibition is also now available

How to visit the Cumberland Pencil Museum

Derwent have a page on their website which gives information for visitors

This is a Google Maps link to The Cumberland Pencil Museum.  For the  very first time, courtesy of StreetView we can now see what the turn in the road looks like and the signs to look out for to visit the Southey Works, home of the Cumberland Pencil Museum (when approached from the south east - see below)

and finally......

Given the tragic events which occurred elsewhere in Cumbria yesterday, I'd like to add a note of support for all the wonderful people who live and work in Cumbria and do their utmost to promote the peace and beauty of the very special place which is the Lake District and Cumbria.

Let's show our support, not just for coloured pencils and Derwent who host this exhibition for us, but also for Cumbria in general by making a point of visiting this wonderful area, museum and exhibition if we can during June.

Diversity - an exhibition by three UKCPS members

An exhibition of coloured pencil art by three friends and UKCPS members, Bev Lewis, Diana Connor and Pauline Longley, opens next Friday at the Glastonbury Galleries 10A High Street, Glastonbury
Somerset BA6 9DU.

Each artist has very different interests hence the title of the exhibition.  Both original works (in coloured pencils and other media) and greeting cards will be available to purchase at the gallery.

Bev Lewis is an animal artist and a signature member of UKCPS.  She has won numerous awards for her finely detailed and realistic depiction of wildlife and domestic animals.

Recently she has also become a member of The Wildlife Artists Society International.

Evening Solitude by Bev Lewis

Dahlia by Diana Connor


Diana Connor has exhibited her work with UKCPS, Bath Society of Botanical Artists, the Society of Floral Painters and at RHS Rosemoor.  She has also held private exhibitions at Westonbirt Arboretum and London.

Diana uses coloured pencil for botanical and animal subjects and acrylics for her abstract works.

Pauline Longley creates realistic coloured pencil portrayals of both animals and people. She has exhibited her work in a number of juried exhibitions including those of the Royal West of England Academy, the Royal Birmingham Society of Art and the UK Coloured Pencil Society.

Pauline's blog is Pauline Longley's Art Blog.

Shore Birds by Pauline Longley

Demonstrations:  One or more of the three artists will be demonstrating on selected days during the exhibition (see below) and will be happy to answer questions about their work and coloured pencil techniques.

• Friday 28th May: 11am-2pm Bev, 2-5pm Pauline
• Saturday 29th May:  11am-5pm Diana
• Sunday 30th May: 11am-4pm Diana & Pauline
• Monday 31st May: 11am-4pm Diana, 11am-1pm Bev, 1-4pm Pauline
• Friday 4th June: 11am-2pm Bev, 2-5pm Pauline
• Saturday 5th June: 11am-5pm  Pauline
• Sunday 6th June: 11am-4pm Pauline, 11am-1pm Bev

When?  You can visit the exhibition between 28th May and 6th June 2010.  Normal opening hours are Tuesday - Saturday 9am - 5pm

Where?  Glastonbury Galleries is located just off the High Street in the middle of Glastonbury in Somerset.  This is a link to a map of its location within Glastonbury.  (See also Googlemaps - and Streetview)

A competition for UKCPS members

Four copies of Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils by UKCPS member Ann Swan SBA GM are the prizes in a new competition for UKCPS members ONLY.  The book was published last month by Harper Collins

The competition will run in two parts and two stages - on the UKCPS News blog (for the those who like their UKCPS news in a digital format) and in the pages of the June edition of the members' newsletter Talking Point for those who don't have a computer.

The start of a step by step demonstration for a coloured pencil portrait of a bearded iris.
copyright Ann Swan / published by Harper Collins

What you need to do to win a copy of Ann Swan's new book

The format for the competition is identical whichever route you choose to use to enter

• Tell us in no more than 30 words why you'd like to receive - and then review - Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils
• The best responses will receive a book - two for digital entries via blog/email and two for paper entries via the newsletter/letter
• Once you've received the book we would then like the winners to submit a review for publication in either the blog or Talking Point. 
• The winners can review the book any way you like - how you do it is entirely up to you.  It can be as long or as short as you like; written on your blog or submitted via email or letter.  If you want to go the route of a short video we'd be fascinated to see what you come up with!

The UKCPS News/Talking Point Competition is limited to:

• UKCPS members only
• one entry per member.

PLEASE NOTE:  This competition is limited to paid-up UKCPS members only.  We'll be checking the membershp status of the proposed winners with the Membership Secretary before declaring the winners.


Not a member but you would like to enter the competition? - go to our UKCPS membership page now

UKCPS News Blog competition

• The Blog Competition runs from 12th May to 31st May
• Submit your entry for the blog competition by email to the UKCPS Blogmaster. If you want to and you've chosen to highlight your entry on your blog you can leave a link in the comments of this blog
• The two winners will be the members who identify the best reason for receiving this book and/or the best proposal for how they will do a review
  
• The names of the two members who each win a book will be announced on this blog in the first week of June
• Harper Collins will despatch a book to each of the winners in June
• The winners are then asked to produce a review by mid August (although we can negotiate on dates if holidays get in the way!)
  
• The reviews by the two winners will be posted on the blog in September prior to exhibition.

A page spread which focuses on the importance of tonal values and contrast

copyright Ann Swan / published by Harper Collins

Talking Point newsletter competition

• The Talking Point competition runs from 1st June to 30th June
• Mail your entries to the Editor of Talking Point (address details will be provided in the June edition of TP).  
• The two winners will be the members who identify the best reason for receiving this book and/or the best proposal for how they will do a review
  
• The names of the two members who each win a book will be announced on this blog in the first week of July - and in Talking Point in the September edition.
• Harper Collins will despatch a book to each of the winners in July
• The winners are then asked to produce a review by the end of September
  
• The reviews by the two winners will be published in the December edition of Talking Point.

All UKCPS members will be able to find out who won all four books when they get the September edition of Talking Point

If you have any queries please leave your query (or a comment) below.

 The beginning of the chapter on how to tackle botanical art

copyright Ann Swan / published by Harper Collins

UKCPS would like to thank Harper Collins both for the books and also for the page spreads which are not available anywhere else on the Internet.  Click the images to see larger versions.

a slight delay

Harper Collins are providing images of some page spreads for the blog post about the competition to win a copy of Ann Swan's new book (see Win "Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils") and it's taking a little longer than expected.

The post about the competition is now scheduled for tomorrow.

Win "Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils"

Many UKCPS members were very pleased when UKCPS member Ann Swan's new book - Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils was published last month. It's the the first practical step-by-step guide to using coloured pencils in botanical painting. Read more about the book at the end of this post.

Ann Swan SBA GM is a coloured pencil artist and tutor and a member of UKCPS. She is also a signature member of the Society of Botanical Artists and has won a total of four gold medals from the Royal Horticultural Society for her Botanical Art

An invaluable book for all botanical artists wanting to try this medium
Society of Botanical Artists (quoted on the front cover)

Win a copy of Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils

Thanks to Harper Collins, UKCPS is pleased to announce a variety of ways in which paid-up members of UKCPS can now WIN a copy of Ann Swan's new book

• 2 books for readers of UKCPS News to win - Details of the electronic competition to be announced on this blog tomorrow. The closing date is 31st May 2010.
• 2 books for Talking Point newsletter readers to win - Details of the postal competition will be available in the next issue of Talking Point (June). The closing date is 30th June 2010.

The UKCPS News/Talking Point Competition is limited to:

• UKCPS members only
  
• one entry per member.

Not a member but you would like to enter the competition? - go to our UKCPS membership page now

Coloured pencil artists and fans can also win copies as follows:

• a signed copy of the book as a Exhibition Prize at the 9th Annual International Exhibition 2010
• books available as raffle prizes for visitors to the Annual International Exhibition 2010 - details to be announced later as part of the Exhibition publicity.
  

Thanks

UKCPS would like to thank Harper Collins for sponsoring this competition and the exhibition prizes by providing copies of Ann's new book to UKCPS.

More about "Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils" by Ann Swan

This beautifully illustrated book is the first practical step-by-step guide to using coloured pencils in botanical painting and is written by Ann Swan, one of the top exponents of the genre.

Water-soluble and oil-based coloured pencils are becoming increasingly popular for botanical painting as they are easier to use than traditional watercolour and are more forgiving, yet they produce the same stunning effects. They are especially suitable for the accuracy needed to paint in the botanical style of illustration. In this book Ann Swan gives helpful advice on all aspects of working with coloured pencils, including the techniques you will have to master - underpainting, layering and burnishing. She also demontrates how to mix and build up colour, and how to add those finishing touches that will complete your painting successfully. Several full step-by-step demonstrations are included to show how these techniques are put into practice. The book concludes with a gallery of coloured pencil works by the author, students of botanical painting and other professional botanical painters, providing a wonderful source of reference and inspiration.

Harper Collins website

You can read a detailed review of this book by a member of UKCPS on Making A Mark Reviews - see Book review: Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils

DON'T FORGET: Tomorrow we'll announce the details of the blog competition

Janie Pirie awarded Certificate of Botanical Merit

Cydonia oblonga 'Vranja' - Quince
by Janie Pirie SBA, UKCPS, GM
awarded a Certificate of Botanical Merit
by the Society of Botanical Artists

UKCPS member Janie Pirie wrote to me this week to let fellow UKCPS members know about the coloured pencil work at the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists at Central Hall, Westminster (in Storey's Gate opposite Westminster Abbey).

The exhibition continues until 25th April and is open every day 10.00 to 5.00pm

I had a good look around at the exhibition and there were some beautiful pieces of work in coloured pencil. We really are growing as more and more people realise that you can ‘paint’ with pencils and they have a wonderful quality and a depth of colour that can bring a piece of work to life. Out of the 700 paintings hung 59 of them were coloured pencil only and several others were a mixture of coloured pencil and another medium.

Janie was also very pleased to be able to announce that one of her pieces of work was awarded a Certificate of Botanical Merit. You can see this image above.

These are not handed out lightly so I was thrilled to get one. The piece of work was a Quince on the bough, the blossom and the disected fruit.

This week, I'll also be highlighting Ann Swan's new book Botanical Portraits with Colored Pencils which also includes Janie's Cascading Cherries picture in the gallery of coloured pencil artwork at the back of the book.

Ann Swan will be demonstrating at the exhibition on Tuesday 20th April.

UKCPS Members' Galleries page updated for signature status

Liz Ridley, the UKCPS Webmaster, has amended the Members' Galleries page on the UKCPS website. This now indicates which members with gallery pages also have full signature status by including UKCPS after their names.

The initials UKCPS after a member's name indicates that he or she achieved signature status with the Society by having had their work exhibited in 3 Annual International Open Exhibitions within a 5 year period.

Two caveats to the listing:

• Not all signature members of the UKCPS are listed as not all have gallery pages.
  
• Some UKCPS members are signature members of other national art societies.

Any member, signature or otherwise, can have a gallery page on the UKCPS website

If, as a full member of the UKCPS, you wish to show your work in this gallery, please send in three JPG images of your work (your images should be at least 600 pixels in the largest dimension), the size of the original pieces, a biography, contact details and other relevant information to the webmaster. You will be notified of inclusion.

Existing members below are also encouraged to update their pages - please contact the webmaster with any new images or updated biographies.