Happy Valentine's Day Illustration by Cheryl Kugler

Valentine's Day story illustration in Sparkle magazine by Cheryl Kugler
Gouache and pencil on paper, 12" x 6 1/2"

In celebration of Valentine's Day, here is an illustration painted for a story in Sparkle magazine this month. Learn more about the creative process behind this painting by reading my blog post.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Painting Fall Foliage "plein air" in the Poconos by Cheryl Kugler

Last week, a small group of painters from the Susquehanna Valley Plein Air Painter's participated in an overnight "paint out" at Graystone Preserve in the Poconos. The preserve is located near Hickory Run State Park in eastern Pennsylvania.

The incredible views were mesmerizing and so were the gorgeous colors of the changing Fall foliage. It made it difficult to pick a scene to paint plein air. However, rain quickly narrowed down a painting spot - the big porch of our rented cabin. 

Still fresh on the easel, here's the painting that came out of my hands onto canvas:

Autumn Topaz and Pine

8" x 16"

Oil on Canvas

by Cheryl Kugler

More photos of Graystone Preserve and behind the scenes painting photos can be seen over on my artist blog.

Christmas Tree Farm -- Illustrations for a Children's Magazine

Here are illustrations completed this week for the December issue of Sparkle magazine - a children's magazine for young girls ages 6-10.  The illustrations are created with a gouache under-painting and pastel Prismacolor pencils and Artstix.

Sketches of these illustrations can be seen by visiting the post on my art blog here.

Creating a Turkey Illustration for Sparkle Magazine

As an artist/illustrator it is enjoyable to paint art for a children's magazine called Sparkle. Here is an illustration completed for a full-page spread in the November issue, under-painting in gouache with pastel pencils/Prismacolor pencils/sticks.

For a more in-depth view showing the process from thumbnail to finish, please visit my blog post here.

"Letort Morning", Pastel by Cheryl Kugler

A small, but talented group of artists from CALC (Carlisle Arts Learning Center) have been getting together once a month. In June, we spent a Saturday morning sketching out at Letort Spring Park in Carlisle.  Back in my art studio, my onsite sketch turned into a pastel under-painted with watercolor.

"Letort Morning", Pastel over watercolor, 11" x 15" by Cheryl Kugler

Learn more about the creative process behind this painting and see in-progress photos over on my blog. 

Delicate Delphiniums by Cheryl Kugler

Delicate Delphiniums by Cheryl Kugler, 30" x 30", oil on canvas

A delphinium is hard to grow. I know. I've tried. So, I knew it would be hard to find one to paint in a garden. But, I found one and happily painted away. The petals are delicate. The morning sun creates back lighting and interesting shadows on the thin flower petals. An analogous paint selection creates soft harmony.

To see more photos and read more about my process please check out this detailed post on my artist blog.

Thank you for your eye and critique!

Cheryl

A Flower-Loving Golden Retriever by Cheryl Kugler

A client asked me to paint an illustration of her adorable golden retriever. As a story illustrator, my approach to pet portraits is to develop a fun scene that expresses the personality of the pet and reflects interests of the owner.

It just so happens the owner enjoys colorful flowers and this beautiful golden has a quirky habit of pulling summer blooms out of their planters! So began the idea of the illustration. 

"Abigail and the Flowers", gouache and colored pencil, 5" x 7", by Cheryl Kugler

Read my extended post over on my artist blog to learn more about the creative process behind this illustration -- from reference photos to rough sketches to color selection to finished painting.

Shop for super cute products adorned with this illustration on my online artist shop.