Nickelsen - Colored pencil painting portraits - master a revolutionary method for rende

In 2011, when I decided to start a colored pencil art magazine, I knew that I was going to need an expert in the field to represent this amazing medium. I chose Alyona Nickelsen. I was honored when she agreed to be the Q&A columnist for Colored Pencil Magazine, a column she was dedicated to for two years. She also helped with our Colored Pencil Student digest launch in 2013 when she agreed to provide art lessons for the first year of its publication.

In the time that I have known Alyona, I have had the privilege to see, firsthand, a depth of knowledge that I didnt even know was possible with colored pencils. She is not only an artist but an avid researcher, scientist, and pioneer. Until I met Alyona, I had never heard of an artist analyzing art materials under a microscope or measuring color depths with a colorimeter. I know of no one else who has the understanding of art masters and color theory the way that she does. It is no wonder that numerous top art supply manufacturers depend on her knowledge to improve their products.

Alyonas vast and virtually complete collection of colored pencils and colored pencil books would rival even the most passionate collector. All of this knowledge and her materials are the basis for Alyonas artwork, but the spirit of her work, I believe, comes from her life experiences. What many people dont know is that Alyona was raised in Communist USSR, where dreaming of what you can do by working hard and applying yourself is not something that was rewarded or promoted. As a young woman, she made it a goal to experience the American dream, and in 1999, she achieved what she set out to do and moved to the United States of America. In 2009, she published her first book, Colored Pencil Painting Bible. This book is credited with taking colored pencil art to an elevated level, and it inspired new artists to try their hand at what once was regarded as a sketching medium.

With this new publication, Alyona is again taking us to another plateau as she shows us not just that colored pencil can stand side by side with our more respected traditional mediums, but why its even better! You will be intrigued by techniques that promise to cut your work time to a fraction of what it once may have been and with results that will be better than you ever thought possible. You will find new tips and learn about brand-new tools that she personally developed over the last several years. Get ready for a revolutionary way to use colored pencils!

I am honored to know Alyona and call her my closest friend and confidant.

SALLY ROBERTSON, editor in chief, Colored Pencil Magazine

Alyona Nickelsen, August 21, 2009, colored pencil painting on paper, 16 20 inches