Oil Craypas
Vonnie started out loving finger painting, and she could never get over it. "Craypas are oil based crayons that you can blend with turpentine, and get the same lovely effects as with oil paints. They are perfect when doing landscapes because they are tight enough to get specific lines, yet can be blended to get great texture and smear effects. Most of my clients who want a craypas drawing will use it in an editorial way. I provide them with the original work along with digitized versions suitable for printing or use online." |
Drawing
Vonnie is a traditional artist drawing with pen and ink and then in the past five years she's added Wacom Pad computerized tools. "My favorite mediums are still ink and charcoal. Many of the illustrations that I do for children's books are done with a baseline contour drawing and then filling in with the bright prismatics of Dr. Martin's inks. Teaching first at the New Schoolhouse of Fine Arts in Cornelius, NC, Vonnie offered classes in contour, gesture, tonal, subtractive, negative space/positive subject drawing styles. Today many of the book illustrations she does include cover design and chapter illustrations beginning with a soft-line drawing. Likewise, her product drawings have been used in advertising layouts and in content illustrations for online marketing purposes. |
Painting
Here are a few examples of Vonnie's painting. The first row are examples of her acrylics done in a very loose style. The second row features acrylics done with computer overlays of text and then adding gyclee medium over the piece to seal it permanently. The third row features acrylics of expressions. These three were a part of a traveling show of six pieces plus signage. The paintings are large, 3 x 5 footers each. The fourth row are examples of her watercolors in a recent show. The first two were done with aquarelles; the last is standard watercolor done on Reeve's paper. |
Creative Pen Tablet
Vonnie progressed to using her Wacom Intuos Pro after returning back to school in 2012 to learn the Adobe Creative Suite. "I was frustrated with only being able to scan in original art to digitize it. Now I can do large images up to 11 x 17 directly on the pad. I have endless styles of pressure sensitivity, brush patterns, and of course, colors. " The top row are samples from her waterfall series. "These waterfalls were created from layers upon layers. They are from my mind, meaning, they don't exist for real in nature. The middle two rows are samples of her illustrations for The Traveling Wise Men: A Christmas ADVENTure, by Chelsea Wojcik. "The author wanted a blackboard background with chalk-like letters, silhouette figures and hand-drawn elements all combined. This was a six month project but well worth the effort!" The final row are examples of her intaglio style, very popular with publishers for chapter illustrations. "With the advent of E-books, my requests for illustration have actually increased," says Vonnie. |
The Artist
Vonnie Coleman (bottom of photo) painting on an expectant mother's tummy, 2016.
"As a Chaplain, I’ve blessed a lot of different things. New houses. Boats. Goats. Weddings. Bedside prayers. Funerals. And now, added to the line-up, expectant bellies!
I don’t know how long today’s mamas have been doing this, but for all of her pregnancies, my first daughter has anticipated the ‘Belly Blessing.’ That’s where I show up with my paint and brushes and create a short-order masterpiece on her profoundly pregnant tummy. Before conclusion, I add a Bible verse of promise…and then it’s off to a location to photograph the outcome. Going to a park or retail establishment for ‘the reveal’ gives her an opportunity to witness and share God’s promises with others.
It’s a little tricky from the artist’s point of view. First, the canvas is round and hot. This causes paint to quickly dry. You can’t fix goof ups because the paint cracks with multiple layers. I, of course, use non-toxic latex paint which is limited in viscosity. And oh yeah, be ready for punches and kicks if you press too hard or tickle that little internal person. And the mother squirms too… so you have to finish I’d say… in less than… 20 minutes. "
"As a Chaplain, I’ve blessed a lot of different things. New houses. Boats. Goats. Weddings. Bedside prayers. Funerals. And now, added to the line-up, expectant bellies!
I don’t know how long today’s mamas have been doing this, but for all of her pregnancies, my first daughter has anticipated the ‘Belly Blessing.’ That’s where I show up with my paint and brushes and create a short-order masterpiece on her profoundly pregnant tummy. Before conclusion, I add a Bible verse of promise…and then it’s off to a location to photograph the outcome. Going to a park or retail establishment for ‘the reveal’ gives her an opportunity to witness and share God’s promises with others.
It’s a little tricky from the artist’s point of view. First, the canvas is round and hot. This causes paint to quickly dry. You can’t fix goof ups because the paint cracks with multiple layers. I, of course, use non-toxic latex paint which is limited in viscosity. And oh yeah, be ready for punches and kicks if you press too hard or tickle that little internal person. And the mother squirms too… so you have to finish I’d say… in less than… 20 minutes. "
Illustration
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