Phil Schorn
Medium: Color Pencil
Studio Name: P Schorn Studio
Website: pschornstudio.com
Phone: 847-548-1724
Email: phil@pschornstudio.com
I am a color pencil artist that paints with the pencil.
My botanical renderings are not drawings of plant specimens as seen in scientific books, rather, they are renderings of plants as seen through the eye of an artist. I can look at the ground and can see the shapes, light and shadows. I typically do not draw the entire location.
I focus on a portion of the scene and what makes that interesting. Whether that be the individual leaf, flower, or snapshot of the ground, I bring the details to life.
In my drawings, I focus on achieving realism and try to put in as much detail as possible. I want the viewer to look and then get lost in the scene as if they were standing in it.
I attended Eastern Illinois University with an Art Scholarship, and received my Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Graphic Design and 2D Studio Art 1984. Since that time I have worked for a couple of printing companies and, since 1993, have been a self employed Graphic Artist. Early after graduation I did several paintings as well as some drawings. With marriage, kids and having a business to run the fine art was put on the back burner for many years.
Although the desire was always there, the time was not. In 2001 (approx) I was asked to assist in judging the 4H art at the County Fair in the newly formed computer generated art category. I also had the opportunity to judge other art areas, painting, drawing, etc.
Seeing the art that these kids were able to do re-ignited my desire to “get back in it”. With a lot of encouragement from my wife and kids, I took the plunge back in with ink, pencil and color pencil.
After doing a few graphite and ink renderings, I tried out my (at the time, very limited) set of color pencils and I took a real liking to them. I would consider my first several drawings somewhat crude and limited with that distinctive pencil look.
I knew the look that I wanted to achieve so, since that time, I have been working on the technique of using pencil on how to create the effect I want. I’m constantly researching various sources, internet, Magazines (this one is great), books, etc. My preference is the Prismacolor Softcore pencils, I have Art Stix, Pan Pastels, Stick Pastels, Watercolor Pencils and inks. My paper of choice is Strathmore. Most of my work is on the 400 smooth Bristol. The paper can take a beating and hold the color very well.
March 2018 was a test for me and my family as I was diagnosed with cancer. Not knowing in the beginning whether I would be able to do my art at all. As I progressed with my treatments of chemo and radiation for the year, I used my art as a way to give me place to relax and heal from the cancer. I did some of my best work during the course of my treatments. Today I’m almost 2 years cancer free.
I consider myself a botanical artist, with everything I draw is in nature. I’m drawn to the detail that makes up the scene and the individual items, the more the better. I take a lot of walks and I can look at the ground, a pile of leaves or a weed and picture this as an illustration. Nature has so much going on all around on a very close intimate level, everywhere I look, I see something I want to draw. When I started in earnest with Color Pencils, I drew individual leaves, I was able to achieve the detail and, as I got better the more realism I was able to achieve.
I try very hard not to over think what I want to do. I know artists look for that perfect spot or view to encompass an entire area or location, just to be frustrated later on.
That being said, composition is as important as is value and color. I look for contrast and strong edges and a light source. I will enhance what I see to bring out more of the details.
Putting it all together takes patience and an enormous amount of time.
Some techniques I have learned along the way, keep your paper clean, I use frisket around the edges. I ALWAYS have something under my hand when drawing. Being left handed I generally work from right to left. For shadows and heavy solid areas I use several layers of color overlapped and blended together, then done again on top of that. Even for the lighter areas, I layer and blend in and repeat the process. I’m constantly looking for the depth of the color.
I try for complete coverage of the paper. All paper has a tooth to it, no matter the kind of paper is used, so I use an OMS wash, blending pens and burnishing pencils. I really try to get that solid color. Using a heavy weight paper is essential, it will take a lot and not come apart. I have used markers as a underlying base and then draw over that with the color pencil.
I have done numerous group and solo shows, demonstrations for various groups, workshops and outdoor art fairs. Also have two books of my art with a lot of drawing techniques and tips on Amazon (paperback and kindle), “Life is in the Details” and “Life is in the Details Vol II”
My work has been featured in Color Pencil Magazine 2016 and 2019, Voyage Chicago 2017, Ann Kullberg’s Color Magazine 2020.