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Eight Reasons this California Artist Chose Pencil

My last post ended with this question: if I am so taken with color, a “color junkie”, then why did I choose graphite as my medium?

Simple – I love to draw. Oh come on, there must be more to it than that! Okay, yes there is.

1. It is easy to find pencil and paper and draw any time. The back of the bulletin in church, a piece of paper from your printer, an envelope from the trash. . .

2. Pencil drawing doesn’t make a mess. No paint brushes to wash, palettes to scrape, clothing to change.

3. Pencil drawing sets up and gets put away easily. How many boring office jobs did I have where I finished my work, and then pulled a drawing out from under my typewriter to fill up the rest of the day with? Lost count!

4. Pencil drawing isn’t very expensive to reproduce as prints or cards. This makes them affordable for you! (I am sorry my shopping cart isn’t working. You may email me via the contact page if you’d like to purchase something.)

5. Pencil used to be a little complicated to reproduce well, so people couldn’t reproduce my work without my help and permission.

6. Pencil erases.

7. Pencil is easy to frame. There aren’t very many mat colors or frame styles to use that won’t just overwhelm it, so it keeps your choices down.

8. I liked to draw so I drew a lot so I got better so I drew more because it was easy and fun because I had practiced so much. Or as my now retired husband likes to say, “Success breeds success”.

Drawing for upcoming book, The Cabins of Wilsonia

Next post will cover the benefits of working in pencil for so many years.

3 Comments

  1. Hi Jana,

    Nice to catch up on your past blogs. I came across a photo of Cezanne’s “Apples and Oranges” this week and it reminded me of your love of painting citrus too.

    Have a great week.

    Jennifer Dougan
    http://www.jenniferdougan.com

    • Thank you for thinking of me, Jennifer. I had to look up Cezanne’s work because I am desperately ignorant about art history. Learned it for the test way back when, then erased it in my memory. I am having such a great week that I might have to become twins to absorb it all – I wish the same for you!

  2. Jana, I, for one, am glad you chose pencil. Always a treat to see your drawings!

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