Visual Depth

Blending and smoothing with solvents, Holly Siniscal creates painterly portraits in colored pencil

- Holly Siniscal

I paint with colored pencils, using them in a way that creates the visual depth of oil paints and emulates the color transition and vibrance of watercolors. I strive to instill these painterly qualities in my portrait drawings. When I began to experiment with colored pencils and different solvents, I was able to achieve those attributes. I found solvent to be the key to smooth color application and blending with colored pencils. This technique allows me to create portraits with greater depth, eliciting the inevitable "I can't believe this is colored pencil!" My portraits often tell a surreal story of the subject with fanciful images and vivid, over-saturated colors. A flowering vine across a window, water lilies in a pond, even tangled Christmas lights add fuel to my imagination and inspire visual motifs for drawings.