Kellane Artworks

Exciting News!!

2012-01-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

My studio is featured in the February 2012 issue of Colored Pencil Magazine! Several months ago they asked a question on their Facebook page: "What do you like about your studio?" My answer? Well, I guess you'll have to get a copy of the magazine to find out! ;)

It is a HUGE honor to be in this particular issue of CPM because the featured artist, Iroel, is absolutely amazing. Go to his website and see his incredible pieces of art. I was totally blown away when I saw his work - especially the fact that it is done on such a large scale. Colored pencil is a very labor intensive process and previously I thought that anything larger than 18x24 would be nearly impossible to finish within a few years time. This artist proves me wrong and is truly an inspiration!

A big thank you to Colored Pencil Magazine for including me in this issue!!

Work in Progress: Can I Have a Bite?!?

2012-01-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! Thought I'd pop in and show you what I've been working on. This piece is 16x20 and I've been using a mixture of pencils (Prismacolor, Luminance and Polychromos). My sweet hubby got me an Icarus Board as an anniversary gift and I'm thinking about using it to help blend the background.

Some people draw directly on the paper/board before coloring in the details. With colored pencil you have to be very careful not to get too much graphite on the substrate - otherwise the colored pencil won't layer very well. Since I'm heavy handed when it comes to sketching, my process is to sketch the outline of the main figures on tracing paper. Then I transfer the image with transfer paper. If I don't have any transfer paper available, then I lightly rub graphite on the back of the tracing paper and transfer the image by going back over the lines of the sketch.

Here is an example of the graphite technique:

the front side of the drawing on tracing paper

graphite lightly layered on the reverse

Here is the piece in its current state:

As you can tell, I'm not one of those people who work one little area of the painting at a time. My attention span is way too short for that. I also had to change the layout from the original photo (moving my son's head) because I messed up horribly while doing his face. Perhaps someday I will be able to do humans....

My Studio

2011-12-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

I have noticed that artists are intrigued by other artist's workspaces/studios. Therefore, I decided to take photos of my own studio to share with everyone. As you can see, I am blessed with a very spacious room in which to create my art. It has two walls filled with large windows, so the natural lighting is generally pretty good. This room was added on by the previous owners of our house as a "sitting room." I somehow doubt that they did much sitting out there...unless it was only in the summer. This room is not insulated at all, so during the winter it is like a deep freezer. Hence the space heaters in the photos.
Here is a 360 degree photo tour of my studio:

Standing at the entrance of the studio
Can you spot the sheep outside the window? It's snowing, but you can't see the snowflakes in this pic.

Left rear corner of studio

Left front corner of studio

Right rear corner of studio

The view from my drafting table. I usually do pastel work here.

My colored pencil workstation.

A closer view of my current work in progress.

Nope, I didn't include a photo of the right front of my studio. It is currently a mess and piled with various things that do not belong in there - like an entertainment center that will go to my daughter's apartment after she gets married in June.

I hope you've enjoyed your virtual tour! :)

Food?!?

2011-11-30T15:12:00.000-08:00

I have a wonderful little Rat Terrier buddy - Ranger. He is my little shadow and one of my favorite subjects to paint. This painting is a happy accident. It started out much larger - 11x14 inches, but I messed up his right eye and had to crop it down. I think the extreme cropping that I had to do makes the piece more powerful. It really demonstrates how intensely Ranger feels about food. Food is a strong motivator for this little guy.

In the lower right hand corner there is an area that isn't very smooth. That is where I attempted to use solvent in order to make the background blend in a unique manner....and the solvent ended up "eating" the paper. This taught me the importance of testing out solvent on my substrate before using it on the actual piece of artwork.

Two things learned on this piece: 1) Carefully review your work before you decide that it is "ruined" and throw it in the trash. Look at it closely and see if there is a way that you can salvage it in some manner. 2) Always test solvent on the substrate you will be using before trying it on the actual piece.

Piece entirely done in Prismacolor colored pencil. 5x7 inches. Strathmore series 300 Bristol Board.

Draft Series - Fjord Horse #1

2011-11-30T14:57:00.000-08:00

This is my second attempt at colored pencil. The painting of Ranger titled "Food?!?" is my first. This piece is 16x20 inches and completely done in colored pencil. I mostly used Prismacolor, but there are a few places where I used Luminance and Polychromos. The reference photo was found at www.deviantart.com and is by SalsolaStock.