Various pencil techniques

Here are some more drawings from my book DRAWING IN PENCIL. These show various techniques that can be employed when doing pencil drawings on various papers.


A portrait done with pencil strokes without any rubbing or blending with a paper stump.


Colored pencils, oil crayons, water and turpentine were used in this example. The water dissolved some of the water soluble pencil lines and oil crayons were blended with a rag dampened with turpentine. It's very interesting to mix mediums this way, you can achieve some exciting results.


An example of a pencil drawing done on a colored paper. I used a medium shade gray paper, drawing with gray and black pencils, adding just a few color accents. An effective technique using few colors.


Another mixed media example, using colored pencils and oil crayons on colored paper. I blended some of the tones with Bestine. You can also use pencil with other mediums such as watercolors or acrylics.

Drawing with pencils

I enjoy experimenting with various art mediums. It gives one a new outlook when moving from one medium to a completely different one. After working with the ink medium for many years I began to work with pencils which eventually became a book titled DRAWING IN PENCIL.


A black and white drawing of MISTY done with a wax pencil, a quick, bold sketch.


A much tigher sketch of Mont St. Michel done in color on a textured paper. There are many interesting papers to utilize for pencil drawings.


This drawing was done using a photograph for reference. It was drawn on a sheet of regular surfaced bristol board. I blended some of the tones using a paper stump dampened with bestine. You can see that very tight renderings can be accomplished with colored pencils.


This drawing of Lucky was also done on a regular surfaced bristol board. Here I used simple, flat washes of color and drew with colored pencil over them.


These drawings are from a book published by Dover which is a reprint of two of my previous books, Drawing in Pencil and Drawing in Ink. It is available at most book stores including Amazon.com.

Creating a black and white magazine ad comp layout

I always begin an assignment like this by doing a few small idea sketches to evaluate for design and composition.


Then I pick out a version that I like and do a larger, more developed image.


I liked the larger head and drew a larger version for evaluation.


Another sketch with a large head. This is the version that I felt would work best.


Here is the final comprehensive rendering which was done using markers and a graphite pencil on high quality layout paper.

Pencil line drawing

Some years ago I did a pencil line illustration for Ketchum, McLeod and Grove, an ad agency in Pittsburgh, the art director was Jim Fox, a former student of mine when I taught in Detroit.


Here is the ad layout that was sent to me.


This is my rough sketch done to establish the composition.


Here is a tighter sketch to establish the gray tones.


The finished drawing was done using a Wolf BBB carbon pencil. The black areas were done with a brush and India ink. The gray tones were added using Instantex, a transfer sheet that is available in various patterns and textures. These examples are from my book, DRAWING IN INK that was published in 1977 and is still available in used book stores in case you are interested in obtaining a copy.

Expanding your horizons as an artist

Even though I was a working commercial artist for many years I always was involved with the fine art business. I often took classes in woodblock and lithograph printing and it was a nice relief from the rigors of the commercial illustration and design business. It also got me interested in heading the Advertising Department and teaching classes at what is now the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.which I did for about five years. Below are a couple of my woodblock prints from that era, about 1964. I am running out of advertising material to post and hope to find more soon in my files. To all of you commercial artists out there, I recommend that you expand you talents into other areas, it is good for your development and it can be exciting as well.

Another promotion brochure

Here is another recent brochure that I designed showcasing some of my commercial work as well as my paintings and sculpture.


The front cover. I love to experiment with type, the computer makes it easy and fun.


The rear cover shows some of my sculptures. I designed a new logo for the Krasl Art Center and proposed a large metal sculpture outdoor sculpture of the design, but the idea was turned down.


On the interior pages I show some of my graphic design work as well as traditional and digital illustrations.


The other page shows my cartoon work and also acrylic paintings.

A new promotion brochure

Computers are great not only for experimenting, but also for creating promotion brochures. It's very important to promote yourself, whether you are in the commercial or fine arts fields. Below is a new brochure displaying some of my new paintings.


Here is the cover and below is the rear cover.




Above is the interior left hand page and below is the right hand page of the center spread.



These paintings are part of the new series of abstract nudes that I have been working on. They are based on studies and sketches that I create on the computer.

A brochure cover and a book idea

Throughout my long career in the advertising business I have drawn many cartoons. Below is a cover design for a ski resort in Michigan.


Below is a book idea that I've been working on, a kid's drawing and design book. I've posted a few cover ideas as well as a couple of pages.