You Are Loved Dog Portrait

Australian Shepherd dog portrait in graphite finished. I love drawing animals, dogs especially. It was really fun to play with the Faber Castell 9000 pencils. I'll list the tools I used for this at the bottom.

Drawing is the foundation for all, whether you doodle or want more. It's what humans have been doing to express themselves since the cave days of drawing :)

"You Are Loved", 14'x13.5", Dog Portrait, Graphite on paper. SueBetanzos.com

Tools of the trade for my drawing below:

• A set of Faber Castell 9000 pencils in the leads of: HB, B, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B.

• A 9B and extra 6B Derwent pencil because I use those pencils  so much.

• Kum hand pencil sharpener.

• Mechanical .05 mm pencil with 4B lead for fine details.

• Pentel click eraser.

• Kneaded eraser.

• Small pointed blending tool to soften and fill some areas.

As you can see, my favorite pencils for graphite portraits are the 4B, 6B, 8B, 9B.

Any pencil is good for your sketch book.  Now start drawing! :)

I See You, Dog Art Portrait

Playing with my new Faber Castell 9000 graphite pencil set. The smooth leads stay sharp and leave rich marks, shading beautifully.

Also using a .05 Pentel hi-polymer lead in a mechanical pencil with a 4B lead helps get fine lines without sharpening. I love drawing animals. It's great to flip to drawing after the marathon mosaic mural :) Drawing is my foundation since forever.




This Aussie girl lives in Switzerland. The graphite is a study for a painting to establish the main values (lights and darks).  I was going to use it as an underpainting, but decided to let it stand on it's own.

A Grisaille underpainting is really helpful when painting.  It is a technique many of the old and new masters use.
The main work of composition and values is established in black and white. Then it's just a matter of coloring or painting over it.

I like to establish the darkest areas first in relation to the lightest. Then it's easier to find your middle values. The eyes are usually the focal point in portraits. Get them right and the rest falls into place... usually ....

Creative Coloring Students

Yesterday's colored pencil class had a nice turnout and everyone had fun. I hope all came away with at least one good tip to improve their future coloring experiences.
The sample coloring cards provided a practice area to try out blending, shading, different colored pencil brands, new materials. It's a nice introduction to the world of colored pencils.





There are so Many, many ways to use them and the best fun is experimenting with new materials, techniques. Having someone in person show them where you can ask questions is helpful in addition to the tons of information found in bookstores, internet etc.

One of the things I really enjoy is the camaraderie and interest we experience when getting together with like minded enthusiasts. Coloring is relaxing, fun and easy to learn. Get a few basic shading and blending techniques down to take it even further. It's addicting.

Maybe we can start a Coloring Club...  :)
It's nice to get together, share information and just talk art. Find quality artist supplies at Sarnoffs and additional local places.

Happy Valentines Day!

Thinking of you , my friends and family. This is the time when I am thankful for the kindness and love in my life - the day filled with hearts, roses, festive silly love tokens that can mean so much.

I kicked off my Valentines weekend with a lovely Audubon birding event early this morning at Sweetwater Wetlands where I spotted beautiful new birds.
The early morning air was cool and crisp with bright skies, good company, friendly fellow birders. A perfect morning! Now I'm winding down to a soft starry night :)

Sending everyone vibes of love for this Valentines weekend - enjoy!

Barn Owl Love 8x10 colored pencil available Here

Choosing Paper for Colored Pencils

I love paper. My collection includes a wide variety of sizes and types of paper for drawing & painting.
* If you have a coloring book, you can copy a design onto artist grade paper by going to a copier. Ask for assistance and do a test run to save your good paper.

With so many kinds of paper available it can be confusing to choose. Understanding what the paper will be used for will narrow the choices.
Over time and constant experimenting, preferences for brands and types will emerge. And those will probably change as new products become available every year - new stuff to test drive - yay!

A brand that is good to start with. The heavy weight paper takes the pencil well. Vellum surfaces have more tooth.

When choosing paper for colored pencil work, here are some elements I look for:

• Texture of the paper.  A medium tooth works best for me. Very smooth surfaces don't have much tooth for the pencil color to grab onto, which only allows for a few layers of color. Smooth works best for ink and very detailed art that will have a few or one layer.

• Weight of paper. 98 - 140 lb is my favorite. The heavier acid free paper will not wave or buckle when using light watercolor washes under the pencil work (more on that later in a mixed media post!). Heavy paper stands up to more aggressive techniques like wet under paintings and stays flat.

• Paper that is archival. Acid free, PH Neutral paper means that with proper care, your beautiful artwork will last forever.

• Color of paper. Depending on the type of artwork, the color can be a bright white, cream, shades of tan or brown, or grey. I like neutral backgrounds. Bright white is great for illustrative work - it makes the artwork really stand out. (I even paint all my glass mosaics bases with white to make colors pop).

• Choice of sizes. My preference is for the larger, artist grade sheets which I then cut down to the sizes I need. The pads of paper such as the Strathmore Bristol vellum and Mixed Media are nice, heavy acid free papers that are great to start out or travel with. Currently I am working smaller, 9"x12" - " - 2.5' x 3". Love doing the miniatures!

• Price of paper. The pads of artist grade paper can be good deals when on sale or cutting the sheets to smaller sizes. Purchasing my favorite papers by the sheet and  cutting them down can be only pennies per drawing. A great way to enjoy quality materials on a budget :)

Materials for Colored Pencil

For those that enjoy coloring with colored pencils and either attended or want to attend another session for colored pencils at the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library, a bit of information on colored pencils and the materials list.
Colored Pencils are great, portable and now are enjoying more popularity due to the trend of adult coloring books. There are many brands and versions of colored pencils and products out there. I like to combine several to get the effects I want.

Here is a list of materials recommended for awesome coloring - Happy Coloring!

Colored Pencil Session at the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library February 20 10 am - noon

• Quality colored pencils. Artist quality pencils Do make a big difference. They have more pigment (hence the price difference). You will not have to press hard on the paper when coloring, which flattens the tooth of the paper. Feather touches will produce rich vibrant colors - you will Love them.
• Artist quality paper. Acid free, PH neutral paper means your art will last forever with proper care. Many of the adult coloring books are printed on acid free paper. Select ones with heavier paper.
• Kneaded eraser. Looks like gray putty and can be used to lift color.
• Clear tape. To remove color in addition to the kneaded eraser.
• Good pencil sharpener. I like the Faber Castell brand or Kum brand. The blades last longer and depending on the pencils, you will be sharpening to keep the point. More on that below.
• Sanding paper. The sanding paper is another way to keep your pencil points sharp. Little artist pads are available from an art store or make your own with 220 grit wood sandpaper.
• Small artist sketchbook. To make your color charts of your pencils, record the colors. I like to make a small color dot of each color to see how they shade.
• Pencil. To make notes for colors etc. I like mechanical ones - no sharpening :)


Some materials will be provided for the students to try out at the library sessions. For some resources to get these materials, I have listed them in this POST.

Below I have listed some materials I like for colored pencil artwork. Try some and find what you like best. Curiosity and experimenting with different materials is how you will learn and form your own favorites list of art toys.
I like using a variety of brands, each has their own qualities.

• Faber Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils.
Rich in pigment, they go on smoothly with the lightest touch. Most of the colors are very lightfast.
As an oil based pencil, the lead is slightly harder than a wax based pencil. They hold a sharp point longer, last longer, have high quality wood casings. My favorites.

• Prismacolor Verithin Colored Pencils.
They are the fine lead version of the regular Prismacolor Colored Pencils. I often use them for fine line work. They hold their point longer than the softer regular Prismacolor. Wax based.

• Prismacolor Colored Pencils
I started out with these wax based colored pencils and still have quite a few of them as well as the Verithins. Richly colored, buttery soft wax based lead lays down smooth color, but constantly needs resharpening to hold a fine point. They also get a waxy bloom after a few layers that needs a fixative. Although I still use them sometimes, it's mostly the PC Verithins I use from this brand. Wax based.

• Derwent Inktense Pencils
They go on like watercolor pencils but what I really like is they behave like acrylics. Meaning, once they are dry they are permanent. This means that multiple glazes can be applied. It also means you can't go back to remove or lighten the color once it has been laid down with water. Colors are lovely, rich. A set of inexpensive small to medium brushes is recommended. Very little water needed.

• Mona Lisa Odorless Mineral Spirits
Solvent blending liquid. One of my methods of blending colored pencils for a base. Dries fast, Very little is needed. If you are coloring in one of the coloring books, do a test first on similar paper and use inexpensive small brushes.

• Kum and Faber Castell Pencil Sharpeners
There are Many sharpeners out there. I like these german products because of the quality blades that last longer. Since I mostly use the small hole of the two holed sharpeners, I just switch out the blades when one gets dull. The small two hole sharpener is about 2.60 at Sarnoffs in Tucson :) Great value.

*A last note on artist grade colored pencils.
Besides being wonderful to work with, artist quality brands also sell the pencils Open Stock.
This means that you can buy the colors individually to either add to the set or replace when you need more of certain colors - instead of having to buy a whole set for one or two colors.

Go to your local art store and get one color to try out the brand. Choose a color that doesn't come in the smaller sets and you will have an additional color when you Do get that set :)

Libraries are the coolest places

Yes! I can spend hours in libraries and bookstores - they have always been some of my favorite hangouts. I buy the really good books to read again, just so I can revisit them, like an old friend. 
Some good book related stuff and quotes can be found on my Pinterest board HERE.

This image is from a recent post on my facebook from another book lover, Kate Titus. Lots of comments from fellow book lovers that are versions of "I love my library!" and "I love books!" Lots of people use libraries - :)
(and I don't know why the type background is weirding out - apologies!).


I love my local library, Pima County Library.
It's nice to cruise the shelves for favorite authors or new finds. Often, a title or cover will catch my eye. Audio books are what I use to paint by - every artwork has a story! (more about that in another post).

There is a book that I came across called The World's Most Beautiful Libraries. 
It was filled with magnificent buildings that housed amazing collections, filled with murals, artworks and more. 

Song To Sister Earth

Color Study for garden birds painting. Another 'singing' quote. Since it will be in a different media I wanted to do a color study first - adjust colors, shape relations. Playing with hand lettering :)

I have actually seen two amazing Indigo Buntings when I lived back east. What a thrill it was to watch these beautiful birds - their color seems surreal. If you want to hear their song, just do a search for audio on bird songs - it's cool :)

Colored Pencils, Prismacolor.

Song to Sister Earth - Sue Betanzos

Retriever Bonnie

Bonnie was a wonderful Chespeak Bay Retriever. Lively and always ready for action, these sporting dogs are strong swimmers and have a lovely, curly coat that comes in two colors. This is the light cinnamon and it was fun to paint the curly hair. A nice memorial portrait of a sweet girl who lived a long, wonderful life.

Risa - Belly Rubs, please?

Risa asking for even More belly rubs! She is so easy to spoil. This is a rich red, which I loved working on. Now for the next one, another aussie since I am in an aussie painting mode. I love the breed and am really working to get more exposure in this genre of dog painting/portraits. I love dogs, but aussies are my passion - intelligent, intuitive, quick to learn & respond, a pleasure to train.

Stay tuned for more paintings and a very cool mosaic project. Hint, it has to do with a wonderful wildlife organization ...