Pencil Artist of the Week: Neil Butler

This week’s featured artist is Neil Butler, a pencil artist who goes by the hilariously-awesome handle piratebut123 on DeviantArt. Neil’s gallery is filled with pencil sketches, watercolor paintings and (my favorite) watercolor/aquarelle pencil drawings of pop-culture icons including Walter White, Travis Bickle and Captain America. I had a really tough time picking which of Neil’s drawings to feature because, frankly, I love them all, so I encourage to go check out his entire portfolio.

Neil’s drawings are simple, yet unmistakable in their representation. Neil employed watercolor pencils instead of wax-based color pencils for many of his latest drawings. For those who are unfamiliar, watercolor pencils are pencils that lay down color similar to a traditional color pencil, but with the option to add water to give your drawing a watercolor finish. The increased solubility of the watercolor core also lets you blend the colors very easily, often with gorgeous effect.

“I’d say my favourite technique recently has been using watercolour pencils on a tanned paper, I love the blending that the pencils offer and I would highlight the sketch using a white gel pen for added depth and realism (such as the jewelry on my recent Gatsby sketch).”