November 2, 2016
5 Other Contemporary Artists I Love
by Corrina Thurston
As many of you know, I began drawing in 2010 when I was severely and chronically ill. We didn’t know what was wrong with me and I was mostly bedridden. It was my illness that led me to drawing as a therapeutic outlet, starting from the confines of my bed.
Unable to have a social sphere due to my illness, I turned to Facebook and social media for social interaction, at least when my migraine would allow it.
This is how I began to meet other artists. I by no means thought of myself as an artist at the time until other people, people whose work was incredible, started telling me so. They helped me gain confidence as an artist and looking at their work gave me inspiration. It still does.
Below are 5 artists in particular whose work I admire and who are wonderful people too!
Click on the artist’s name to check out their website!
Christine Karron
Christine Karron is one of my favorite artists. Living in Canada, Christine is a full-time artist and illustrator, having illustrated many children’s books.
Christine’s portraits are some of my favorites. The way she uses color in her paintings and drawings is amazing. Her portraits are so detailed and yet so loose at the same time in a skillful mixture of realism and abstract.
pencil, colored pencil, watercolor, acrylic 8×10 inches. By Christine Karron.
Christine’s animal paintings are equally impressive, colorful, and expressive! Just check out the movement in the painting above. There’s no doubt that Christine will forever be one of my favorite artists.
Ester Roi
Mixed media, by Ester Roi.
Ester Roi is one of the best known colored pencil artists I know, and I’m very happy to be able to call her a friend. Ester works out of California, USA, and not only is she an amazing artist, she’s an inventor. To help with her own colored pencil drawings, Ester invented what’s called the Icarus Board. The Icarus Board is essentially a drawing surface that heats to different temperatures and helps to lightly melt and smooth the wax medium on the drawing paper or canvas. It’s a tool that many artists have raved about, and I’m looking forward to trying it at some point.
Ester is best known for her rocks and water series, one of which is shown above. Below you can also see one of her many flowers and water drawings, which are equally fascinating.
In all of her drawings, her love of water and bright, saturated colors comes through.
In Drawing Media, by Ester Roi.
Karen Hull
Colored Pencil and Watercolor Markers, by Karen Hull
Karen Hull is an artist working out of Australia, and is honestly one of the nicest people I know. Her kind spirit shines through with everything that she does, and on top of that, she’s an incredible artist and illustrator.
Karen loves her whimsical artwork and has illustrated many children’s books. Her use of colored pencil to create vibrant, realistic drawings is at the utmost level of expert, and she is well-known for her tutorials. Her website is full of tutorials, showing you exactly how she was able to draw the amazing images she creates, giving step-by-step instructions.
Karen doesn’t just do animals and whimsical art, though, her colored pencil portraits are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Her work is the type that can make your jaw drop and ask yourself, how is that even possible?
Colored Pencil and Pitt Pens, by Karen Hull
Sarah Stribbling
Sarah Stribbling works out of the UK, and creates some of the best wildlife and animal paintings/drawings I’ve seen. She comes from a family of artists, who also create amazing artwork.
Sarah is able to take oil paint and create a texture in her fur that is so soft looking. She’s able to create a depth in that fur as well that adds to the extreme realism.
It’s no wonder Sarah is highly sought after for pet commissions, like the one below.
Sarah also likes to help out with wildlife and animal-related charities, like me, which makes me like her even more. As a true animal lover, which you can tell just by looking at her artwork, she’s using her gift to try and help animals.
Oil On Canvas, by Sarah Stribbling.
Julia Ruffles
Watercolor, by Julia Ruffles.
Julia Ruffles is another wildlife/animal artist with remarkable skill, working out of the UK. She has the ability to capture motion and the essence of an animal within her paintings. Whether it’s paintings like the one above that capture a moment from afar, or a close-up like the one below, her artwork is beautiful.
From her artwork, she definitely has a soft spot for cats, which I can certainly appreciate! And she loves the amount of detail she can get in a painting. A lot of people don’t realize the amount of depth and color and detail one can achieve with watercolor, and she is able to show this medium off in all its glory.
Watercolor, by Julia Ruffles.
Who are some of your favorite living artists?
Thank you, Corrina, for including me in your blog post among such amazing artists!