JUNE 2012

$5.99 USAannkullberg.com

JUNE 2012T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Cover Art Epiphany by Ranjini Venkatachari24" x 18"

Ranjini Venkatachari is a Signature member of CPSA and a juried member of Women Painters of Washington.

Her works have been juried and published in many National and International Magazines like the Professional Artist, Southwest Art, American Artist Magazine, International Artist Magazine and Strokes of Genius 4.

“Epiphany” is part of her new contemporary series, which incorporates Origami and vivid colors to add hints of humor and narrative to her work.

Editor-In-Chief Ann KullbergDesigner Garry Dimapilis

Copy Editor Susan CottmanContributors Katie Kullberg,

Nancy Carol Willis

For Subscription, Purchase and Advertising Informationwww.annkullberg.comann@annkullberg.comPrinter MagCloud

© 2012 annkullberg.com

31313 31 Ave SW Federal Way, WA 98023-7855

03 FROM MY DESKa note from the editor

04 STEP BY STEPportrait planning

07 Q&Ayou asked, ann answered!

08 PROFILEmary hobbs, cpsa

11 TIPScolor dotz, amazing art app!

12 GRAB BAG5,000 words, triptychs

14 SHOWCASEcolored pencil art gallery

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ART TECHcolorless blending

CRITIQUEcynthia embree-lavoie

20 WORKSHOPS

F RO M M Y D E S K

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Greetings from Japan! Although by the time this issue is published, I’ll be back in the US, I thought I’d include one lovely shot this month of this beautiful country. It really is a land made for artists, as it is just one feast for the eyes after another. The landscape, architecture, gardens, parks, food, flowers and packaging all rival each other in their sheer beauty. This shot was taken in Hakone, the town where my parents spent their honeymoon 57 years ago!

The Member Show will be coming up soon. We’ve received many beautiful, intriguing pieces this year and I can’t wait to let you all see them! We’ll send an email out as soon as it’s ready to view – look for that mid-month.

Ann Kullbergannkullberg.com

S T E P B Y S T E P

Figuring out image size and framing—up front

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When someone commissions a portrait and hands me a one-of-a-kind print – like the one below – I certainly don’t want to accidentally damage it. This is my client Bobbi’s favorite photo of her two sons, taken in the mid 1970s. The negative is long gone. The original is a 4" x 6" print, and I agreed it would be a great source for a painting. It is a close-up, shot in natural light, and the boys are adorable. So I scanned it on my all-in-one printer and returned the original photo to its frame. But even more important than protecting the original is having a scanned image to work with. That allows me to explore and make changes before committing anything to paper.

Long before I ever make a single colored pencil mark, I do a lot of planning and preparation. My computer and printer are a big help.

I’ve discovered that my all-in-one printer is a great scanner, rivaling the quality of the standalone scanners I used years ago during a “former life” as a graphic designer. I scanned Bobbi’s photo at a resolution of 1200 dpi (dots per inch), which produced a pretty

hefty file size, but it allowed me to capture as much detail as I could from the photo, and ensured that it would print with enough detail and sharpness when I enlarged it.

I always print out a reference photo at the same image size as I will be creating. I’m concerned about capturing likenesses (something clients always expect, of course), so I find this makes it easy to measure everything from the face

height to the distance between eyes to the width of a mouth. More about how I print a “to-size” photo a little later.

Most photos print nicely at 300 dpi. So if you scan a photo at 1200 dpi, assuming the original is in focus, you can enlarge the image up to four times, which reduces the printing resolution to 300 dpi if you don’t “resample” the image (resampling can reduce quality).

Portrait Planning (with a little computer assistance)

Colored pencil portrait artist C.J. Worlein shares how her computer and printer have become favorite planning tools for her portrait work.

Scanning and planningThe original reference photo for “Bobbi’s Boys”

Photo editing software allows you to play with cropping and a lot more

The next thing I do using my computer is determine what size the image area of my portrait will be, not including the mat or frame. I knew my client wanted a framed size of roughly 18" x 24". I opened my scanned image, saved a copy of it to work from, and closed the original scan so I wouldn’t accidentally save any changes to it.

With the cropping tool in Photoshop (the photo editing software I use), I played with how much background I wanted around the boys. When I was happy with how it balanced out, I made the final crop.

My next step was to decide how big my image should be for the finished portrait.

My cropping had taken more off the sides than the top (and none from the bottom), so I knew the limiting factor was the height of the image. The width would decide itself.

When I initially studied the photo, I made a mental note to add to the older boy’s left hand below what was in the photo. There just didn’t seem to be quite enough hand showing.

Starting with the approximate 18" framed height goal, I did a little subtraction. I wanted a 3" mat, so that meant the image height would be around 12 inches. I stretched that number a

Step by Step Lesson by C.J. Worlein

S T E P B Y S T E P

Haircutting...the easy way

Brightening the contrast reveals otherwise hidden details in shadows

Freckles, shadows, and facial contours are better revealed in a darkened image

Corner marks indicate the mat opening, and the image extends 1/4” beyond that

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With sizing and framing decided, it was time to focus in on the image. I got Bobbi’s permission to give the younger boy a slight “haircut” to shorten his 70s long curls (she agreed they looked a little too girlish now), so in Photoshop I “trimmed” the ends of his hair by cloning areas from the background over the hair so it was still long, but more little boyish. I emailed her the altered image to approve, which she did. It’s much easier to show someone than try to describe something.

Prints don’t always reveal the finer details in the lightest and darkest areas, but those details are usually there. Working from my now cropped and sized copy in Photoshop, I created two duplicate layers or copies of the image. On one copy, I brightened the image until I could see the folds in the younger boy’s sweater, which were well hidden in shadows on the original print. I printed out a reference copy on 8.5" x 11" glossy photo paper.

Then I darkened the second copy until I could see the older boy’s freckles more clearly and the more subtle contours on both boys’ faces. I printed a copy of that, too.

These reference photos came in handy later, when I drew in my guidelines for the sweater and when it came time to add the freckles.

I work on 100% rag cold press illustration board. I like that it’s archival, has a nice surface texture, takes water and solvent well, and supports itself on my easel since I prefer to work vertically. I always trim the board size to the same size my mat will be. This makes it easy to mat and frame when I’m done, and I don’t have to worry about attaching my painting to the mat and it perhaps slipping down someday.

To do that, though, you do need to feel confident about your cropping and composition, as well as your ability to cut mats precisely. This method doesn’t allow you to shift the image

around behind the mat unless you trim the board a bit more. But that’s another reason I do so much up front planning.

On my board I mark the corners of the mat opening, which becomes the area in which I create the portrait. I always extend my image area an additional .25" all around so I don’t risk having any weak spots next to the inside mat edges. That also ensures my perimeter guideline is well outside the mat opening.

Since we’re talking a bit about materials, this might be a good time to admit that I’m not brand loyal when it comes to colored

pencils, but for a good reason. My number one priority for buying a pencil is its lightfastness (fortunately, Colored Pencil Society of America members have access to test results, and many manufacturers also

little, to allow room to add more of the older boy’s left hand, and for an additional .25" weighting on the bottom of my mat.

I ended up with an image height of 12.5" and resized my cropped image to that height in Photoshop, which gave me my width of 15.25". Adding back in my mat allowances, my framed size was now set at 18.75" x 21.25". Close enough!

One reason I determine image and frame sizes up front is because I offer framing services to my clients. Like many colored pencil artists I know, I prefer having control over how the finished painting is matted and framed. I’m not interested in marking up materials, so I price them at my cost and just charge for my time to cut the mat and put the frame together as part of my final quote. Most clients take me up on the offer. As you know, framing can be expensive.

I have a good Logan mat cutter, and there are some companies such as Documounts where you can purchase full matboards and custom-cut frame components very reasonably. You can even purchase frame profile and color samples, which makes it a lot easier to choose a frame. I can also show the samples to my clients if they want to see options.

A few computer magic tricks

Final prep before that first pencil stroke

S T E P B Y S T E P

Guidelines ensure the printed “puzzle pieces” will fit together perfectly

The finished painting, titled “Bobbi’s Boys”

CJ’s client Bobbi holds the matted and framed painting

Trim off the borders and tape the pieces together for a “to-size” reference photo

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offer lightfastness information about their products). The last thing I want is for my hard work to fade away or change colors someday. I’ve had it happen.

Because many brands include colors that are not lightfast, I usually buy pencils open stock instead of in sets. My second priority, then, is color, and finally comes brand, although I have pencils from just about every professional brand available.

OK, back to the computer. As I mentioned a little earlier, my final step is to print out a reference photo the same size as my portrait will be. I don’t have a high-end printer, so the largest size mine can print is 8.5" x 14", and the largest photo paper I have is 8.5" x 11".

Since this portrait was bigger than 8.5" x 11" photo paper, I made “puzzle pieces” and taped them together. I divided my image into “chunks,” each large enough to fit on 8.5" x 11" photo paper, but small enough to leave a white border all around when printed.

I used the Marquee tool in Photoshop to outline each chunk or section, dragging a ruler line to the edges of each to make sure the next piece lined up perfectly with the previous one. I copied each piece and pasted it into a new file I’d set up at 8.5" x 11" at the same resolution as my final image. Then I printed out all the sections.

I trimmed the borders from the printed sections with an art knife and straight edge, and carefully fit the pieces together edge to edge like a puzzle, using clear tape on the back to hold each piece to the next.

You might be asking, is all this planning, computer work, and printing up front necessary? And my answer is, “of course not.” But I’ve found it saves me time, angst and headaches later, especially with a commissioned portrait needed by a certain date. By the time my drawing is ready for my first colored pencil stroke, I’ve worked with and studied the original photo enough to know how I will crop, size, and interpret it. I can already see the finished portrait in my mind’s eye, and I’m ready to focus on the most important things: likeness, color, and value, with no second guessing about the composition.

For me, reference photos are best used as a “likeness aid.” I use them for measurements and distances between features, or to search for subtle color clues. My goal is to create a good likeness, not to precisely recreate the reference photo. I also use reference photos to figure out which details best reveal the subject’s personality (my interpretation of it, anyway), and which details I might want to leave out.

The computer is a great tool, and I hope I’ve given you some new ideas for using yours, especially when working from a photo. Needless to say, our best tool is always the one between our ears.

C.J. Worlein is the new Membership Director for the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA), and divides her days between her volunteer work with CPSA and her portrait business. She lives in Beaverton, Oregon. Her fifth try and first acceptance to a CPSA International Exhibition was in 2011, and her portrait, “The Sisters” received Best of Show and CIPPY awards. Her website is at www.cjworleinportraits.com.

She would like to remind readers that many art competitions, including exhibitions hosted by CPSA, do not permit entries that are based on photographs taken by anyone other than the artist, even with permission. Be sure to check show specifications before entering a painting you’ve created that is based on someone else’s photo.

Using the reference photo – judiciously

Q & A

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Submit your art questions to Ann!ann@annkullberg.com

Q: Can I make a living at art?

A: Yes. (This is a real question from someone, and she sent her lovely artwork of florals and birds along with the email.)

This is a hard question to answer. I think you are definitely talented, but making money at art is very difficult. I think if you created a series of bird images during different seasons, similar to the one you sent me, you might be able to sell the images on a website such as Etsy, eBay or CafePress but it is so difficult. I think most artists make money with commissions, doing pet or people portraits. I am not trying to be discouraging; as I think you are talented. I just want to be realistic.

Q: I have tried to create the Skin Tone Bar you have in your first book but it’s much darker and “rougher” looking than the one you show in Colored Pencil Portraits. I think I’m using a light touch.

A: First I have to say that the paper you use makes a big difference. My Skin Tone Bar is done on Stonehenge. If I’d used a different paper, it would look somewhat different. But if you’re using Stonehenge and it’s darker, then there are two possible problems. One is pressure. I use a touch so light that it always shocks workshop attendees when they see it. It’s a whisper of a stroke. It’s so light that when I apply the Cream, it’s nearly impossible to see. I always tell students that if they SEE the Cream, they’ve gone too dark.

You may also be going over the same area too many times, which would create a darker value, of course.

As to the “rough”, that is mostly about patience, experience and practice. I have painted acres of skin tones in my lifetime, so getting a smooth look is easy for me now. Just keep plugging away and refining your stroke as you practice.

Q&A: You asked, Ann answered!Q: How do you decide where to sign your artwork, and do you try to keep your signature a certain size and value? I don't want to finally finish this piece and wreck it with a poorly presented signature.

A: I generally sign on the bottom right. If that doesn't work because there's no space, I sign on the bottom left. If neither work I go next to the upper left border, and last, the upper right border. I never sign my work "inside" the piece. I always stick close to the border edges. But I don't believe there's an absolute "right" way to sign art. It's your art; it's up to you.

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P RO F I L E

I was born in Jefferson, Ohio near the upper eastern corner of the state. I had no art in school back in the forties and early fifties, and since my folks were both college graduates, I was meant to go to college as well. I went to Baldwin-Wallace College in 1954 for a liberal arts degree. Unfortunately, there weren’t many art classes to choose from. I married in 1956 and my husband held three jobs to put me through my last two years of school. We had two children, and after I graduated in 1958 with my BA degree in Art we were transferred to California. I devoted my time to the children and in 1966 we were transferred to Texas.

This month’s profile is of artist

Mary Hobbs, CPSA

My ultimate dream was to be a fashion illustrator. But my training was non-existent. The children were in school now so I started to go out and find a job. I had done some drawings from fashion magazines and when I showed them to potential employers, I was told to “Go back to the ironing board and stay away from the drawing board!” In my endeavors to “Not Give Up!”, I met an established illustrator who passed on a job she didn’t like. This was sitting on a backless stool drawing 85-100 dresses, one after the other. I received $1 a dress. These sketches were then shown to potential customers for orders. When I went back to see this freelance artist she gave me a McCall’s pattern book and told me to trace every single figure. When I took them back to her (to her surprise), she decided to give me one of her

better accounts. From that time on, when I was asked if I could do a brochure, layout, etc., I said “YES!” Then I ran to a printer, engraver, typesetter or whoever could tell me what to do. When we left Texas three years later I had a billboard of my art on the Dallas Freeway.

We moved back to Cleveland in 1969. I soon picked up 12 accounts. They were retailers and clothing manufacturers, all gone now. One day they went to photography and that pretty much ended fashion illustration. I was able to freelance all those years our children were in school with clothes coming to me from Detroit, Florida and New York City as well as locally.

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P RO F I L E

“My ultimate dream was to be a fashion illustrator.”

P RO F I L E

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The pencil was my friend. I had mastered the light to heavy touch on coquille board for newspaper reproduction. In 1998 I saw Vera Curnow’s ad in the Artist’s Magazine. It asked if there were any color pencil artists that would like to get together. I called her and I’ll never forget how excited I got over the possibility of working in colored pencil in the hopes of creating fine art. This was the beginning of the Colored Pencil Society of America.

I started going to every workshop I could find, beginning with three of Bet Borgeson’s in Newport Beach, Oregon. A whole new world opened up to me – color. I have since taken many workshops across the country with such wonderful artists, learning so much at each one of them.

I have incorporated a technique that I had to learn in the advertising that would speed up my initial drawing. I met deadlines and was still able to render my drawings realistically. I teach this to my classes at our local Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls, and it helps the new students gain more confidence.

I am a Charter Member of CPSA, a Signature Member, a Five Year Merit Member and I received Honorable Mention at the CPSA Exhibition 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia.

My present art is mostly commission work and donations to charities. I absolutely love to draw. I take photos when I can or I work from existing snapshots. I give a presentation to prospective clients with three to five choices of sizes, layouts and prices. We work together to achieve what we both want.

I am so grateful I’m still able to do this in my home and in my own time. What a wonderful gift to be able to draw and “see” what others often miss.

My website is www.maryhobbs.net My e-mail is: maryhobbs@sbcglobal.net

T I P S

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AmAzing ART App!

Now that I’ve fallen head over heels in love with my new iPad, and knowing how popular they and the iPhone are, I want to share with you my latest favorite art-related application: Musee du Louvre.

It features over 600 high-definition images that you can enlarge to see in amazing detail. It’s remarkable. You can see detail you could never see even in person. One hundred and fifty Louvre masterpieces also include comments from the Louvre’s museum experts. You can use your iPad as a digital “frame” too, to simply display the most beautiful images from the app. It’s pretty awesome for just $3.99. A lot cheaper than airfare to France!

This product by CP artist Kathee Nelson is a best seller at www.annkullberg.com, and Kathee has the following great suggestions on how best to use them.

Color Dotz are easy to use. Every person uses them a bit differently, but here are my suggestions.

Lay a sheet of Dotz on a piece of white paper. Assign each Dot a number using a fine-point Sharpie on the right side of the pages (Dot #). Do this with all of your Dotz sheets.

You can stop here, and use the Dotz to see what a sheer layer or layers of color will look like when you lay the Dotz over your work in progress (WIP). You can make a note of the Dot # or numbers for future reference.

If you want to match up Color Dotz with your pencils, find pencils that you use most often in the various colors. Lay your Dotz sheet on white paper (you will already have assigned each Dot a Dot # before this step). Match up the pencil lead with the Dot closest to the pencil lead color. Make a note of the pencil name and matching Dot # (or, using a Sharpie, write the Dot # on the actual pencil). Note: You will probably not have a Dot # for every pencil in your arsenal. You can, however, find a Dot that is close in color to use as a guide.

Now, let’s say that you have a pencil lead that matches the darkest shade (100%) of a Dot. You can use that entire row of Dotz to see how a sheer layer of that pencil color (the lightest value on the row of Dotz) or several sheer layers (the middle values within that row of Dotz) will look on your work in progress.

COLOR DOTZ

FRUIT AND EGGS?A small face is a million times harder to draw than a large one, but I’ve often noticed that new artists don’t understand that and will draw a portrait on a quite small piece of paper (11 x 14 or so) with tiny people. I suppose they think it will be easier because there’s less to draw…but oh…that is so wrong! On a small face, if a mouth is off by 1/36th of an inch, it’s off by a lot. Here’s my simple rule: I never draw a face smaller than a large egg. Even the size of a lemon is pushing it a little. A face the size of an orange is much easier to work on, but grapefruit size or larger is ideal. Hope that helps.

G R A B BAG

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5,000 WordsIf it’s true a picture is worth a thousand words, then what we have here are 5,000 words, from Spanish CP artist Adolfo Fernandez Rodriguez. Adolfo’s piece “Good Vibrations” is on the cover of the new CP Treasures book.

Adolfo has difficulty with English, but he sent me these step by step images of a work in progress. Many of you live in remote areas where you seldom have the opportunity to see colored pencil works other than your own. What you do see is often a miniature version of the real thing. There’s a little danger in that, because small versions of large artwork look more refined, with crisper lines than the larger original versions have. I’ve noticed that people who don’t see much actual-

size CP art often think their own work is too “rough” and unfinished looking. I think it’s because they’re comparing their own actual-size art to reduced images in books and online.

So I’m happy to be able to show you Adolfo’s in-progress images, and his close-up images, as they bring a whole new view of what realistic work can look like up close and in person. Although Adolfo’s work looks utterly super-real when reduced, you can see in the following detail shots that in truth, they’re just shapes and squiggles and not as polished as you’d expect, considering the beauty of the work when seen as a whole and in a reduced format. I hope you’ll take heart from the following 5,000 words.

G R A B BAG

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South Carolina CP artist Steve Teets has a unique and imaginative style. We featured his flamingo in the May issue of CP Magazine. I saw a triptych of his earlier this spring when he took a workshop from me, and I was intrigued by his imaginative take on the series and encouraged him to try again. This fun Cat & Mouse triptych is the outcome. I talk often about working in a series, and I think this is a whimsical, fun take on working in a mini-series. How about trying a triptych yourself? Who knows what you might come up with when forced to create three drawings that somehow fit together. I’m thinking of what I might be able to come up with by incorporating a Japanese motif.

TripTychs

The Power of Self Esteem 21.5" x 18"Eileen Sorg

www. twodog s t u d i o . c om

Drew Drops Upon Apples16" x 12"

Irina Cawtonwww. f e l i n e a r t i s t s . o r g / g a l l e r y / I r i n a_Ga rma s h ova - C aw t o n

Epiphany24" x 18"

Ranjini Venkatachariwww.v i v i d p e n c i l s . c om

S H OWC A S E

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Another Year17" x 14"Susan Tait Porcaro www.2 l i p s a r t d e s i g n . c om

Dusk at Devil’s Den 7.25" x 10.5"Amy Lindenbergerwww.amy l i n d e n b e r g e r. c om

S H OWC A S E

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A RT T E C H

Lessons Using Adobe Photoshop Elements – the cheap version of Photoshop!by Katie Kullberg

BLENDINGCOLORLESS

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Recently Ann & Brandi have gotten a few questions about colorless blending, so I thought I’d do an Art Tech on how to blend images, with Photoshop Elements.

This month I’ll cover Photoshop Elements’ blending modes, so you can play around at home with these neat blending tools.

Recently Ann & Brandi have gotten a few questions about colorless blending, so I thought I’d do an Art Tech on how to blend images, with Photoshop Elements.

First, what is a colorless blender? There are several types, markers, pencils, etc. I’ve found great reviews and horrible reviews on the web. I think ultimately it depends on what you expect from a blender. Many of the marker blenders seem to remove color more then they actually blend the colors.

One product I found, that many artists seemed to like, was the Prismacolor (pencil) Colorless Blender. On the Prismacolor site it says: “Bring the colors in your artwork to life with this non-pigmented, wax based pencil. Perfect for blending and

softening edges of colored pencil artwork without altering your palette. Sold individually or with Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils and Premier Art Stix.”

Ultimately, it’s a waxy, waxy, waxy, non-pigmented pencil that will blend pigmented pencils together to give a smooth blended appearance. Was that vague enough?

I then found a few absolutely beautiful paintings in the Prisma-color gallery that incorporated the Prismacolor Colorless blender.

This piece by Andrew Purdy is called “Rust against Shades of Blue.” The amazing mix of colors he got out of this painting by using a blender is unbelievable; bravo to Andrew! Here is what Andrew had to say about his painting:

“This is an aged door latch on a weathered and painted shed door, entitled, "Rust Against Shades of Blue". It is 5"x 4" on Fabriano Artistico hot pressed watercolor paper. I used Prismacolor Soft Core Colored Pencils along with a Prismacolor Colorless Blender Pencil.”

“This pencil painting is small, but I utilized the blender in two important areas: the blue of the door and the rust of the latch. The blender was used to marry the blue shade of the door with

a light application of violet undertones. I did not want the violet to be visible as a separate color, but as part of the blues. I apply heavy amounts of colored pencils in my work, so I use the blender pencil a lot. The shadow beneath the bolt was another area where I used the blender to soften the edge of the cast shadow. And always clean the tip of the blender so as not to unintentionally contaminate one color with another.”

It seems that the trick to using a blender is toy know WHERE to use it. Of the artists I asked, most said to soften edges, and many of them said to make shadows, of color. So I set off in Photoshop to replicate the technique. I found so much information about this technique that I’m will present my Art Tech in parts.

FIRST: We need to understand Photoshop’s color definitions:

• Hue refers to the color – red, blue, yellow, etc.

• Theprimary, secondary and tertiary colors, or hues, are these colors at their full saturation or brightness; there’s no white, gray or black added.

• Value is the lightness or darkness of a color, or the relative amount of white or black in a hue.

• Luminosity, or lightness, is a measure of the amount of light reflected from a hue. Those hues with a high content of white have a higher luminance, or value.

• Tint is the light value of a color that results when white is added incrementally to it. Green and white make light green, which is a tint of Green.

• Shade is the darker value of a color that results when black or gray are added incrementally to it. Blue and black make dark blue, a shade of blue.

• Saturation is the degree of purity of a hue.

• Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a hue. Intensity maybe lowered by adding white or black, similar to tint.

A RT T E C H

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SECOND: Let’s go over Photoshop Elements’ blending modes and examples of what they do:

To use layer blend modes you have to have two or more layers. The blend mode will react with the layer below it. If you have only a back-ground, the blend mode popup will be grayed out, as these modes cannot be applied to solely backgrounds.

Background Image (a portion of Elizabeth Patterson’s painting)

Layer 1

To get the blending modes you must have an image open and either create a layer on top of the background layer or already have a layer on top. Using the above background and layer 1; here are my results with each blending mode. Note that on some of them, to see the effect with Elizabeth’s (small portion of her) painting, I did adjust the opacity. So you may have to as well.

Normal Normal mode is the default. The colors of the two layers will not interact in any way, and it will display the full value of the colors in layer 1. What you see in the image window will look like this.

Linear Burn

Linear Burn works like multiply but the results are more intense.

Dissolve Dissolve makes the lower layer take on the colors of the top layer, and how much depends on the opacity of the upper layer. The layer 1 opacity is set at 37% here.Dissolve only affects pixels with some transparency.

Lighten Lighten compares the two layers pixel for pixel and uses the lightest pixel value. No part of the image gets darker.

Darken Darken compares each pixel value of the upper layer to the lower layer and chooses the darker of the two to display.

Screen Screen brightens by lightening the lower layer based on the lightness of the upper layer. The result is always lighter. This makes it a good mode for correcting exposure in photos that are too dark.

Multiply Multiply darkens the lower layer based on the darkness of the upper layer. No part of the image will get lighter. Any applied tone darker than white darkens the lower layer. White becomes transparent.

Color Dodge

Color Dodge dodges the lower layer with the upper layer, resulting in a lighter image. No part of the image will be darkened.

Color Burn Color Burn burns in the color of the upper layer with the lower layer. No part of the image will get lighter.

Linear Dodge

Linear Dodge works like screen but with more intense results.

The different Blending Modes available in Photoshop Elements.

Where you can select the type of blending you want to use, Also where you can select the opacity of the layer.

Your Background &Layer 1 layers. Remember to selectlayer 1 before selecting your blending mode.

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Overlay Overlay multiplies the light colors and screens the dark colors.

Difference Difference reacts to the differences between the upper and lower layer pixels. Large differences lighten the color, and small differences darken the color.

Soft Light Soft Light will multiply the dark tones and screen the light tones.

Exclusion Exclusion uses the darkness of the lower layer to mask the difference between upper and lower layers.

Hard Light Hard Light multiplies the dark colors and screens the light colors.

Hue Hue changes the hue of the lower layer to the hue of the upper layer but leaves brightness and saturation alone.

Vivid Light Vivid Light will dodges or burn the lower layer pixels depending on whether the upper layer pixels are brighter or darker than neutral gray. It works on the contrast of the lower layer.

Saturation Saturation changes the saturation of the lower layer to the hue of the upper layer but leaves brightness and hue alone.

Linear Light

Linear Light is the same as Vivid light but it works on the brightness of the lower layer.

Color Color changes the hue and saturation of the lower layer to the hue and saturation of the upper layer but leaves luminosity alone.

Pin Light Pin Light changes the lower layer pixels depending on how bright the pixels are in the upper layer. It acts like Multiply when the upper layer color is darker than neutral gray, and acts like screen if the upper layer color is lighter than neutral gray.

Luminosity Luminosity changes the luminosity of the lower layer to the luminosity of the upper layer while leaving hue and saturation the same.

Hard Mix Mix of Hard Light, depending on how bright the pixels are in the upper layer, and the lower layer is used to brighten it.

Dissolve, Soft Light and Hue were my favorites, at least for this image. But we’ve just hit the tip of the iceberg. Next Art Tech will cover a different blending, and we’ll put the whole thing together.

Have a good month.

C R I T I QU E

19

This month’s critique features a portrait of “Queen Pakhet” by

Cynthia Embree-Lavoie

In the May issue, I spent a lot of time talking about the photo reference, because it was such a difficult one to draw from. This month I will say again – it’s all about the reference photo. Well, maybe not all, but it certainly all starts with great reference material. Cynthia started with a beautiful, clear photo with wonderful light, wonderful values, and wonderful color, so at least half of the battle was won before she put pencil to paper. Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that Paki is a very beautiful feline!

The only real suggestion I have for this drawing is that I wish Cynthia had made Paki’s eyes just a little darker and a little brighter. They are a little too pale and get a little lost in the portrait. Here I’ve simply darkened the eyes a little, and I think it helps to capture Paki’s expression just a little better. There is a sort of hollow look about the eyes as they are now, and we know Paki would never have a hollow expression, don’t we?

Very nicely done, Cynthia. I think you can be proud of this portrait!

I really like Cynthia’s portrait of her Queen Pakhet. There is something very soothing and calm about this piece. There is a lot of personal style to this portrait. It is realistic without being photo-realistic. I don’t usually have trouble, but with this portrait, I don’t really know where to start. I think it’s because the piece works so very well as a whole, that it’s hard for me to dissect it.

So I’ll start with why I think it works so well as a whole. The colors are all evenly muted, of the same intensity. If Cynthia had made that blue even the tiniest bit brighter, the whole piece would have been thrown off. (And by brighter, I do not mean lighter – I mean a more intense blue, with less gray in it.) All of the colors are slightly gray, which unifies the portrait.

Most of the edges are ever so slightly soft, which also unifies the painting. And there is a uniformly stylized handling of the fur. It is unquestionably cat fur, but it’s not really real cat fur. There is a drawn quality to the fur, but because it is across the board, it works so well. Cynthia could have increased the intensity (brightness) of much of this painting and it would still work, but it would be a very different piece. Here’s what it might have looked like with stronger values and brighter tones: Although closer in value to the photo reference, to my eye, much of the charm of the drawing is lost in this version.

“ I’ve been playing with colored pencils for many years, but mostly learning by copying pieces from instruction books. Only in the last year or so have

I begun to do original work. This is a portrait of my beloved but neurotic cat, Paki a.k.a. Queen Pakhet.”

WO R K S H O P S

Class size firmly limited to 30. Book early!

$999 for cruise + workshops(Interior stateroom/double occupancy, price subject to availability, taxes and

departure fees are additional; group rate available for guests not taking workshops)

September 2-9, 20127-night Alaskan Inside Passage Workshop Cruise aboard the Princess Star

For reservations, contact:CP on the High Seas WorkshopCruise Desk at 1-800-253-0116

Info at annkullberg.com

Cruise includes 3 workshops from 3 nationally renowned artists

Ann Kullberg Sheila Theodoratos Cindy Haase

CP – Ann Kullberg’s Magazine for Colored Pencil Artists June 2012 www.annkullberg.com

ann kullberg’s 2012 schedule To register or get more information visit: annkullberg.com

June 8-10, 2012Portraits I - Richmond, VALocal contact : Nancy Jacey

July 13-17, 2012Super Workshop - Federal Way, WA (in Ann’s studio near Seattle)Limited to 3 students - Super Intense, Super Instructive!

July 27-29, 2012Portraits I - Puyallup, WALocal contact: Frances Buckmaster

September 2-9, 2012Alaskan Workshop Cruise7 Days - 3 Workshops from 3 top colored pencil instructors

September 19-21, 2012Portraits I - The Art Guild at Fairfield Glade, TNLocal contact: Beverly Olin

What Can a Super Workshop Do For You?

Here are two images from Linda Greenwood Cantwell. The first she drew before she attended a Super Workshop. The second one was after the Super Workshop and after she did our In-Depth Portrait Kit. Aaaaamazing!

Prepared by MagCloud for Ann Kullberg. Get more at annmkullberg.magcloud.com.