Date/Time: Saturday, February 21, 2026, in the Palm Room at the Clark Park Recreation Center. Participants will bring their own lunch.
Instructor’s name: Elliot Everson
Medium: Colored Pencil
Instructor’s Website: https://www.elliotteverson.com
Artists Statement:
As an artist who has been living in Arizona most of my life I derive much of my inspiration from the desert around me. My medium of choice to capture the textures and brilliance of the plants and animals is colored pencils. Each drawing consists of layer upon layer of color, to bring out the many subtle hues that nature itself provides. Colored pencil provides a medium that is well suited to exploring the variety of effects and textures from parched crusty bark and dried leaves to waxy smooth flesh of the prickly pear cactus or shiny scales and dry folds of skin on the reptiles.
Bio: Elliott Everson is a long time resident of Arizona and has spent many years hiking and climbing in the desert. Elliott creates his own vision of the plants, lizards and other animals of the Arizona desert working with colored pencil on paper and stone and wood. His favorite medium, colored pencil, is well suited to exploring a variety of effects and textures. When working on natural stone or wood panels Elliott creates drawings that harmonize the subjects with the drawing surface depicting the life of plants and animals that live in the environment.
Elliott has participated in and won numerous awards in local, state and national exhibitions. Many of his commissioned works are held in private collections. His work has appeared in several magazines and books. In 2019 he was included in Ann Kullberg’s “Draw Wildlife in Colored Pencil” and had a Demonstration Article published in the June/July issue of International Artist Magazine.
Elliott graduated with a degree in Art Education from Arizona State University, and for many years has been teaching classes and workshops at the Shemer Art Center and locations in Arizona and nationally.
Elliott is a Juried Member of the Arizona Artists Guild and a Signature Member and Ten-Year Merit Award recipient of the Colored Pencil Society of America.
Title of presentation: Colored Pencil Drawing Techniques
Description of presentation:
Colored Pencils are growing in popularity and acceptance as a fine art medium. They are affordable, portable and versatile and a great choice for a broad range of styles and subjects. Whatever you want to create; a realistic image of shiny metal and paint of a classic car, or a rusty old truck, a loose impression of landscape and flowers or the adorable eyes and fur of your favorite pet, learn about the tools and techniques, of colored pencils.
The class will include demonstration of colored pencil techniques, lecture, discussion and one-on-one personal attention. The instructor will come prepared with reference photos of a variety of subjects and will also have some step-by-step projects available for a quick start. Participants are invited to bring photos or objects that interest them as well.
We will spend part of the day talking about materials and techniques using different pencil strokes; linear, circles, scribbles, hatching and layering and a variety of blending tools, solvents, inscribed lines, sgraffito, and more.
Later and into the afternoon move on to prepared projects and individual subjects.
Whether you are experienced or new to the medium, you can take a set of colored pencils anywhere and draw anything!
For examples of what you can do with colored pencils visit the Colored Pencil Society of America web site exhibitions page at cpsa.org.
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Material List:
Set of at least 48 high-quality wax or oil-based color pencils, such as Prismacolor, Derwent, Caran d’Ache, Faber-Castell…
Prismacolor or Derwent colorless blender pencil (I like the Derwent blender pencil).
Graphite drawing pencil.
9×12” or 11×14” pad of heavyweight drawing paper with a fairly smooth surface, such as Strathmore Bristol Velum or Smooth, (I like the velum surface) 300 or 400 Series or equivalent (Canson, Stonehenge etc.)
White vinyl eraser, such as Sanford Magic Rub
Kneaded eraser.
Electric, battery-powered eraser such as a Sakura, Helix, Afmat (optional).
Pencil sharpener.
Battery-operated pencil sharpener (optional).
Miscellaneous optional items: Straight edge Soft brush to remove eraser dust etc.
DON’T PANIC if you can’t find or don’t have some item. I am sure we can do some sharing and I will have extra colors that may not come in a smaller set of pencils.
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