Takhlakh Lake in Shadow of Mount Adams

Takhlakh Lake in Shadow of Mount Adams

By: Russell Taylor

November 20, 2017

Prismacolor Colored Pencil

Taken from Photograph of Mt. Adams at Takhlakh Lake, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington, by Shawn Taylor August 2007

This is my most recent project. It is part of my Cascade volcanoes project. So far I have drawn Mount Saint Helens and Mount Adams. Next, I will draw Mount Rainier. I will finish with Mount Baker. I am really pleased with how this drawing turned out. I free handed this drawing from a photograph taken by my brother Shawn in 2007.

Olympic Mountains

Olympic Mountains

Oil Pastel, Colored Pencil, Chalk Pastel

2003-2004

This project came from a drawing class I took my Sophomore year of high school. The middle section was based off a postcard of the Olympic mountains in Washington. We then had to make a border by repeating an element of the middle section in a different medium. The next border repeats a different element in another medium. The middle is in oil pastel, the first border is prismacolor colored pencil, and the second border is chalk pastel.

Coliseum

Coliseum

Oil Pastel

2003 – 2004?

For this project we had to make a social commentary piece. I thought of the subject of religion. I also thought of people who have given their lives for a cause. Perhaps because I like history and I am a Christian I thought of the Christian martyrs from ancient Roman times. I decided to draw the Coliseum. I looked at a picture I got from the Internet to draw the Coliseum and the rest I free handed.

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson

2000-2002?

 Graphite

I am a big baseball fan and I have been since I was about 12 years old. Because of this I decided to draw Jackie Robinson in one of my junior high art classes. I remember I was really disappointed about this drawing because I really liked how everything turned out, but was unable to pull off drawing the face. Everything else turned out well, but the face did not and that detracts from the work.

Falling Rain

Falling Rain

Acrylic

2004 – 2005

This painting came from my painting class from my senior year of high school. We had to create an abstract piece with a lot of contrast. The idea was to make the painting look 3-D when using those 3-D glasses with the red and blue plastic lenses. That didn’t really work, but it still made an interesting project.

interestingproject.

Volcano

Volcano

Oil Pastel

 2002

This project came from a ninth grade drawing class. We needed to make a drawing that was split down the middle with a similar, but contrasting theme on each side. I decided to draw a glacial mountain on one side, and a volcano on the other. Oil pastel is not my favorite medium, because it is quite messy. You can get some neat effects from using it though. The drawing came from my imagination.

Night and Day

Night and Day

Watercolor

 2005

I did this watercolor painting for my Senior high school painting class. For the project we had to paint the same scene how it would appear at night and at day. The next step was to cut each painting into strips. Then you had to glue the strips next to each other to form a painting that alternated from night to day. The scene came from my imagination.

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

 Tissue paper and Watercolor

2004-2005

This painting came from my 12^th grade painting class. We had to create an interesting texture. To create a rock texture I crumpled tissue paper and glued it down for the up close rock formations. I then used watercolors to finish the painting. I looked at a postcard of Bryce Canyon to create this project.

Mariners Still Life

Mariners Still Life

 Acrylic

2004-2005

This is a painting project from 12^th grade. We had to pick a theme for a still life and I chose Mariners’ baseball. I decided to use my Ichiro bobble head and other Mariners’ memorabilia. 

Penguin

Penguin

Ink

2000-2003?

I am not sure when this project was completed. I believe it was a Junior High project. We had to use the stippling technique. Stippling is only using dots to draw. To shade you use more or less dots. Unfortunately the glue leaked through the paper.

Prisma Color Abstract Piece

Prisma Color Abstract Piece

Prismacolor Colored Pencil

 January 27, 2004

For this project we had to take elements from an every day item, in this case a kitchen chair, and turn it into an abstract drawing.

Monkey

Monkey

Graphite

2000

This is a grid drawing from 7^th grade. I remember I was happy about how it turned out except the eyes.

Flowers: Up Close

Flowers: Up Close

 Watercolor

12th grade

This piece came from the painting class that I took in high school. I believe that we had to pick a close-up shot to paint. I picked this interesting flower and I think the project turned out well.

Pumpkin, Winged Monsters

Pumpkin, Winged Monsters

I am not sure which year this drawing came from. I believe it came from one of my high school drawing classes though. For this project we had to scratch the lines into the material to create a negative drawing. I believe it had to be part realistic and part abstract. This was the first and only time I did a project like this, so it didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted. It was an interesting project though.

Sunday Anyone?

Sunday Anyone?

Prisma color Colored pencil

November 12, 2003

This is a still life from my 10^th grade drawing class. The hardest part was the sundae glass and the spoon.

Vines

Vines

Prismacolor Colored Pencil

1999

This drawing came from a seventh grade art class. I wanted to share this project because it is the project that introduced me to prismacolor colored pencils. This is my favorite medium and is the medium I now use for all my projects. For this project we were supposed create a plant with as many loops and squiggles as possible.

Mountains and Water

Mountains and Water

Acrylic

2002-2003?

This is a painting that came from a ninth grade art class that I took. It came from my imagination. I used to enjoy painting with acrylics. In the art classes I took we always used acrylic paint instead of oil because it dries a lot faster.

Train

Train

Graphite

2002 – 2003?

This drawing came from a ninth grade art class. I looked at a photograph of a train to draw it, but I created the background from my imagination.

Mountains at Sunset

Mountains at Sunset

Watercolor

2002-2003 Ninth grade

This is a watercolor painting that I completed in ninth grade. It just came from my imagination. I can’t paint them anymore, but I used to have fun with watercolors. They are kind of special to me because it was my Grandma on my Dad’s side who first showed me how to use watercolors.

Solduc Falls, Olympic National Park

Solduc Falls, Olympic National Park

Graphite

2003-2005?

This drawing came from one of my postcards. I have quite a large postcard collection from all the family vacations I have been on. I don’t quite remember when I completed this drawing, but I know it was displayed in one of the high school art shows I participated in.

Clem

Clem

Graphite

January 12, 2004

This is a drawing of our dog that we had for 15 years. He was a lab pit bull mix. We really enjoyed having Clem. I drew this my Junior year of high school. I don’t think it turned out that great, but I am still posting it because I want to share all my art.

Yellow Palm Trees

Yellow Palm Trees

Acrylic

January 29, 2001

This painting came all the way back from a junior high art class. I especially liked the contrast between the dark green silhouette of the palm trees and the yellow background.

Fish

Fish

Prisma Color Colored Pencil

2003 – 2005?

This project came from one of my high school drawing classes. We had to take an image and first draw it realistically. I chose a picture of a tropical fish from a magazine. The next step was to draw it a second time, but this time in a more abstract fashion. Finally, you drew it again as a complete abstract drawing.

Key

 Acrylic Collage

 June 13, 2005

For this project we had to choose an everyday item. I chose a key for my project. The first thing that you had to do was to paint the key in three different styles. I painted it realistically, in abstract form, and rendered it as a collage with scraps of paper and a picture from a magazine. The next step was to cut all three pictures into strips. After that you glue the strips on card stock one after the other. This step is repeated three times so you end up with three abstract pictures.

Cheetah

Cheetah

Prisma Color Colored Pencil

May 12, 2003

I did this drawing in my sophomore year of high school. We had to take a picture and draw it with Prisma color colored pencils in two different styles. One with a more burnished polished look where you push hard when you color and one softer look where you press more lightly. I picked a picture of a cheetah because that is my favorite animal.

Cactus

Cactus

Acrylic

High School 2003 – 2005?

I painted this picture in the high school painting class that I took. My sister gave this cactus to my Mom for Mother’s Day. The cactus lasted for about 20 years until it died. It started out in one of the windows of the kitchen, but later got too big so we moved it to a plant stand.

Stripes

Stripes

 Acrylic

 June 13, 2005

For this project we had to fold a piece of fabric and paint it. Painting folds in fabric was quite a challenge. It was difficult to portray the shadows and to make it look three-dimensional. I thought it turned out great.

Basket and Produce

Basket and Produce

Oil Pastel

 11^th grade 2004 – 2005

I did this drawing in 11^th grade. I don’t remember any specifics about it though.

Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn Sheep

Graphite

2002

I did this drawing in 10^th grade. It was called a strip drawing. To create the drawing you began with two black and white photographs. You draw pencil lines to divide the first photo into inch wide columns. You divide the second photo and tape it on your drawing paper. You then cut the second picture into strips you can lift up. You then lift the first flap and draw what is in the first column of the first photo. You then close the first flap and lift the second flap and draw the second column of photo one. Continue until finished. It was a fun project and turned out so well I included it in my high school portfolio.

Elk and Mountains

Elk and Mountains

Graphite

2003 – 2005

I took this drawing from a postcard that I bought in Montana. I believe I bought it when we were traveling to Yellowstone National Park, but I am not quite sure on which occasion. We went to Yellowstone when I was six years old as well as when I was 16. It is a grid drawing. I did it sometime in high school but I can’t remember the exact date. It was in one of the first high school drawing classes that I took. Before we did color drawings we worked on black and white using graphite. 

Tropical Island at Dusk

Tropical Island at Dusk

Watercolor 

November 3, 2004

This is from a painting class I took in high school. I am no longer able to do painting, because my hands do not work as well as they use to and I would end up spilling the paint. I also don’t have as much control over my hands as I used to. My Grandma on my Dad’s side is talented with watercolors and oils. She was the first person that taught me how to do watercolors. I painted this from a photograph, but it was so long ago I don't remember which photo it came from.

Slow Down and Enjoy Life

I’ve learned that sometimes you need to slow down and enjoy life  

Oil pastel and Prisma color colored pencil

June 11, 2003

Oil pastels are a neat medium, but are a little messy for my style.

Fruit Bowl

Fruit Bowl

Graphite

2002-2005?

This drawing is from a high school drawing class that I took. While admittedly it is not my best drawing I still want to include it because I am including all the artwork that I have saved from high school until now.

Apple

Apple

Prismacolor Colored Pencil

Spring 2006

This also came from the college art class that I took. Colored pencil is by far my favorite medium. It works well for a still life, a landscape, and pretty much anything else that you want to do.

Drinking Glasses

Drinking Glasses

Charcoal

Spring 2006

Drinking Glasses

Pen and Ink

Spring 2006

Drinking Glasses

Graphite

Spring 2006

These drawings came from an assignment from the one art class I took my freshman year of college. We had to take a subject and draw it in three different mediums. I chose charcoal, pen and ink, and graphite. Using charcoal was the most difficult. Charcoal is really easy to smear. I think that the pencil drawing came out the best. I have the most experience working with pencil.

Lighthouse in the San Juan Islands

Lighthouse in the San Juan Islands

Acrylic Paint

2005

I painted this picture when I was a Senior in high school. I gave it as a gift to my physical therapist who helped me with swimming therapy. She worked for the school district. When I was in high school I had more use of my hands and so I was able to paint.

Desk Still Life

Desk Still Life

Graphite

Spring 2006

I drew this for a project in the art class I took in the spring semester of my freshman year in college.

Wildflowers with Mount Saint Helens Beyond

Wildflowers with Mount Saint Helens Beyond

By: Russell Taylor

April 2017

Prismacolor Colored Pencil

Taken from Photograph “Mount St. Helens and Paintbrush," Copyright Don Geyer, www.mountainscenes.com

This is my latest drawing. I just finished it this month. It is part of a project that I had planned to draw all the main Cascade volcanoes in Washington. The next one I plan to draw is Mount Adams from one of the photographs that my brother took on a camping trip he took with my Dad. I free handed this drawing of Mount Saint Helens from a photograph by Don Geyer which I found on the Internet on his website. I ordered some sets of greeting cards of Mount Saint Helens and Mount Baker from this website. You can also order prints from his website. I recommend his website to anyone who likes landscape and nature photography. It is pretty cool. The web address is 

www.mountainscenes.com I really like how the sky turned out on this drawing.

Greater Kudu

Greater Kudu

Spring 2006

Ink

Taken from Wildlife of Africa

By Gerald Hoberman

The Gerald and Mark Hoberman Collection

Cape Town

1998

I did this drawing for the college art class I took in 2006. I used a pen and the technique of pointillism. I also used a grid to draw it. It came from a book on African wildlife that my uncle gave me. He lives in South Africa.

A Summer in the Park

A Summer in the Park

By: Russell Taylor

 Winter 2015

Colored Pencil

I free handed this drawing. I started out by just sketching a tree for fun. I then added some more trees and finally decided to turn it into a drawing of a park. The hardest part was drawing all of the leaves. I think the sky with the clouds also turned out well.

Kitchen Corner

Kitchen Corner

By: Russell Taylor

Spring 2015

Colored Pencil

Taken from Photograph by Debbie Taylor Winter 2015

I decided to draw a still life because I wanted to do something a little different than I usually do. I liked the contrast of the bright colors of the bananas and oranges to the metallic gleam of the mixer bowl. My Mom took a photograph of the subject matter because I didn’t want to have to deal with changing light conditions if I drew it from real life. It was easier to take a picture and freehand the drawing from that.

Creek Beneath Mossy Trees

Creek Beneath Mossy Trees

By: Russell Taylor

October 2015

Colored Pencil

Taken from 2008 Photograph “Moss and vine maple trunks in Wallace Falls State Park, Washington” by Mary Liz, The Great Northwest 2009 Calendar, BrownTrout Publishers

I free handed this drawing from a picture in a calendar. It is one of my favorite brands of calendars and I have purchased one almost every year. It reminded me of a previous drawing that I did. It is the one I posted of the Hoh rain forest In the Olympic National Park. It was challenging to draw all the different colored rocks.

Goals for My Blog

I thought I would just give a little more information about why I am making this blog. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormons) I believe in making the world a better place. As a follower of Jesus Christ I am hoping to make an impact for good in the world by inspiring people with artwork. I believe that quality art helps inspire and uplift people and I hope that sharing this art with others will inspire and uplift them.

Cowlitz Chimneys by Moonlight

Cowlitz Chimneys by Moonlight

By: Russell Taylor

Spring 2014

Colored Pencil

Taken from Photograph “The Cowlitz Chimneys ,” ” in Mount Rainier National Park Impressions, Photography by Charles Gurche, FarCountry Press, 2003

I free handed this drawing from the Mount Rainier photography book that I purchased on the Mount Rainier day trip I took with my family in 2006. I have taken several of my drawings from this book as it has a lot of great photography. Drawing a realistic looking Moon was the hardest part of this drawing.

Falls of the Yellowstone

Falls of the Yellowstone

By: Russell Taylor

October 2014

Colored Pencil

Taken from Photograph “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River seen from Artist Point,” by Larry Ulrich, A Wish You Were Here Book: Yellowstone National Park, by George B. Robinson, Sierra Press, 1998.

I free handed this drawing from a book I purchased while on vacation in Yellowstone National Park with my family. We went in 2003. It was in the summer after my sophomore year of high school. My grandparents on my Dad’s side of the family came. My Dad’s sister’s family came as well as one of his brothers’ families. It was my second trip to Yellowstone. The first trip however, came when I was just five or six years old.

Starry Night

Starry Night (Van Gogh Replica)

Chalk Pastel

December 1, 2003

This is a replica of Van Gogh’s famous painting Starry Night. The medium however, is chalk pastel. It is one of the mediums that we used in an art class that I took in high school as well. I always found chalk to be one of the messiest mediums

Vase with Twelve Sunflowers

Vase with Twelve Sunflowers (Van Gogh Replica)

Acrylic

May 8, 2005

I painted this picture for a painting class that I took in high school. The assignment was to paint a replica from a famous artist. I chose to replicate a Van Gogh painting and this is what I decided on. We used acrylics in the class because they dry a lot faster than oil paint.