BOOK 34: The Best of Colored Pencil, by the Colored Pencil Society of America

Rating: 3 stars

Cover Synopsis: Features full-color illustrations that show the variety of art obtainable with this versatile medium.

Once upon a time, I toyed with the idea of becoming an artist or illustrator. But then my practical side took over and I majored in journalism instead. My favorite art medium to work with was colored pencil. But I haven't drawn anything since my first child was born six years ago.

I've been wanting to tap my creative side again, and I remember coming across this series of books from the Colored Pencil Society of America several years ago. So I thought I'd check them out for some inspiration. (Turns out they're out of print, and my local library doesn't have them. Thank goodness for the Inter-Library Loan system! I'm technically borrowing this book from the Scranton, Pa., library.)

This is the first book in a 5-book series. And it's O.K. It shows a variety of colored pencil subjects and techniques. But this book is lacking because it doesn't tell me anything about the pieces except the title, and who drew it. I want to know more! Tell me about their inspiration for the subject. Tell me more about their technique or why they chose to draw it in a certain way. This is just a picture book, but it left me wanting more info. For instance, the black-and-white series by Ann James Massey -- is it really just blacks and greys? The incredible cross-hatch drawing of an eye by Linda Fennimore -- how did she do it?

There were a few intriguing projects in here, but nothing that really knocked my socks off. Still, I can't wait to get my hands on the other books in the CPSA series to see what they hold.