LEARNING COLORED PENCIL
SHOULDN’T FEEL LIKE PULLING TEETH
You’re excited to learn how to use colored pencils, but you keep running into roadblocks:
The YouTubers tend to be casual and skim the surface of what you need to know.
The workshops aren’t taught at your pace or individual skill level.
The books are one-size-fits-all, and don’t encourage artistic expression.
All you really want is a laid-back, methodical system for learning how to draw, right?
Hi, I’m John—the driving force behind Sharpened Artist.
I know what it’s like to feel lost as an artist. When I got serious about colored pencil back in 2009, I had zero knowledge of the medium.
I’m a member of the Portrait Society of America (portraitsociety.org) and a signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America (cpsa.org).
I’m also an active member of the local Cincinnati CPSA Chapter 119.
Anyone that knows me, knows my passion is passing on what I learn to others!
I spend a lot of time every week supporting art students in private Art Mentoring sessions. I hold weekly group coaching sessions (called Office Hours), I lead an art community called Monthly Sharpener, and a private community where I share video demonstrations and other exclusives for members (called Members Circle). I publish a podcast, frequent Livestream video demonstrations on YouTube, and on Facebook.
With the rest of my time, I’m working on my own artwork and busy creating new art video courses for my Sharpened Artist Academy members.
But I didn’t start there. I started knowing hardly anything.
I spent years devouring every art book I could get my hands on. I went searching through the deepest, darkest corners of the Internet to learn the proper techniques.
It felt like a scavenger hunt, and it made me want to pull out my hair. (Okay, okay—I don’t have any hair. But you know what I mean.)
In time, my skills developed and my business did too. I started earning from private commissions. I became a contributor to several colored pencil publications. I mustered up the courage to enter art shows and contests, and even won a time or two!
Artist’s Statement:
The human face is such an interesting thing. We all have these expressions that speak so much about who we are and what's going on in our minds at any given moment, but yet no one ever really knows the whole story behind them.
It can be frustrating not knowing every detail of somebody else’s thoughts or facial expression because there will always be a piece missing from the puzzle to work out how they're feeling deep down inside--to know their true self rather than just seeing it through this mask-like façade that everyone puts up for protection and safety.
I want people to see themselves as more than just fleshy vessels with something mysterious lurking under the surface; instead, I hope my portraits capture some sense of each person being truly unique.
The road to get there was full of twists and turns, but learning colored pencil shouldn’t be that hard! My goal is to save you that time and effort by sharing everything I’ve learned with you, right here in one place.
No gimmicks, no tricks, no hidden agenda.
Just a ton of information about materials, techniques, shortcuts, art business, and more. The best part? You can start applying it right away in a manner that fits in with your style. I’m not here to teach you how to draw just like me.
I’m here to give you the fundamental skills you need to become an artist all your own.
Consider me your personal art cheerleader. I’ll be here every step of the way, and I can’t wait to see what amazing things you’ll accomplish!
If you’re wanting to reach out to me, or looking to commission original artwork, go here to my contact page.
Do you want to grow with the Sharpened Artist business?
We may have opportunities for you to teach workshops, classes, or online courses. Contact me: john@sharpenedartist.com (only serious inquiries please)