Pencils, Water, Cactus, and Chill!
Rhonda Dicksion, CPSA, CPX
To celebrate the desert and your time here in State 48, Rhonda created a special convention workshop, Pencil, Water, Cactus, and Chill, for students to relax and have fun creating a colorful commemorative saguaro artwork. While you’re doing that, you’ll also learn a time-saving and versatile background technique to use on drafting film. After the convention, you’ll head back home with a new skill: you’ll be able to create backgrounds in minutes instead of hours, expand on what you’ve learned, and adapt it to most subjects. Best of all, what you’ll learn is 100% colored pencil, and acceptable for art submitted to CPSA shows.
CP artists know the secret: creating with colored pencil is fun! Come discover (or rediscover) the delight of working on drafting film, a truly relaxed and luminous surface that allows CP artists to apply color on both sides, completely erase, and which eliminates the need for gridding, transfer film, or messy graphite.
- Discover a way to save time on your projects.
- Take home a new background technique to add zing to your subjects.
- Harness the unique properties of drafting film to speed your work.
The summer sun in Arizona is hot! Enjoy a cool day of art-making in Pencils, Water, Cactus and Chill!
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About Rhonda Dicksion, CPSA, CPX, UKCPS: One Saturday morning in 2015, Rhonda declared to the household, “I’m gonna try to draw!” A box of colored pencils and some paper were found in a closet; an apple and an orange were found in the fridge. Magic happened. Rhonda was hooked.
Amazing art opportunities followed, and today, Rhonda is the communications director of CPSA as well as editor-in-chief of COLOR Magazine. She is a signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and the UK Color Pencil Society; a juried member of the Arizona Artists Guild and International Guild of Realism; and a member of American Women Artists.
Rhonda, who lives in Phoenix, Arizona, teaches workshops several times each year and has tutorials available online. Connect with Rhonda at: rhondadicksion.com
The Dynamic Eye
Jesse Lane, CPSA
Join CIPPY award-winning colored pencil artist Jesse Lane for an in-person workshop focused on one of the most powerful elements of any portrait: the eye. You’ll gain insight into Jesse’s artistic process, learn how he builds depth and realism, and walk away with practical strategies you can immediately apply to your own work.
In this hands-on session, Jesse will guide you step by step through drawing a captivating, lifelike eye in colored pencil—one that feels expressive, dimensional, and full of presence. Along the way, he’ll share his personal techniques for achieving beautiful, believable skin tones, as well as his approaches to blending and layering colored pencil for smooth, luminous results.
All skill levels welcome! The workshop offers participants:
- A projection from Jesse’s drawing board so you can easily follow along.
- A personal visit with Jesse offering encouragement, answering questions, and explaining technique.
- Instructional materials, including a reference photo and the image outlined on drawing paper.
Take your art to the next level in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere!
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About Jesse Lane, CPSA: Jesse is well-known for his dramatic photorealistic portraits. Art didn’t come naturally—at age 14 he was called “my worst student” by his art teacher—but through determination and perseverance he kept drawing.
Hard work brought success. Jesse has earned multiple top awards including the CIPPY award from the CPSA International Exhibition in 2020. He’s also been featured in multiple publications such as the Fine Art Connoisseur, American Art Collector, International Artist, Artist’s Magazine, Southwest Art, The Washington Post, and The Huffington Post.
Jesse, who lives in The Woodlands, Texas, is represented by RJD Gallery in Michigan and teaches workshops online through the United States. He loves sharing his passion for colored pencil and hopes his story is an inspiration for beginning artists. Connect with Jesse at: jesselaneart.com