The Villages - August 2019 - 23

COLORED PENCILS
WITH PAM YOUNG

Village of Buttonwood resident Pam Young has some
great things to say about colored pencils.
"It's very relaxing - you kind of get into the zone when
you're working and time just flies by," Young said. "When
you layer all these different colored pencils, it looks like an oil
painting, but you have a little bit more control than you do
with oils or acrylics, so that's what kind of makes it a neat
medium."
Young teaches colored pencil classes throughout the year
at The Enrichment Academy - everything from beginner
classes that teach the basics of the medium to more
advanced classes where she covers specific subjects such as
flowers or furry pets.
Young, a retired schoolteacher, was drawn to colored
pencils because of the amount of detail and control the
medium offers, as well as its ease and affordability
compared to other types of art.
"It's portable, you don't have to go out in the
garage," Young said. "It's not quite as expensive."
For her beginners' class, Young says her
students work on a smaller colored piece -
usually no more than about five inches by seven
inches. This allows her students to get a feel for
the pencils, learn proper shading and become
familiar with layering colors before moving
on to other, more complex pieces in her
later classes.
"It's step-by-step techniques
that I teach to not overwhelm
anybody," Young said. "I limit
it to 20 people so I can get
around to help everyone."
She recommends that
anyone interested in colored
pencils but unfamiliar with the
medium take the beginner class
first to determine if it is something they will enjoy. Young
also says that many of her beginner students sign up for her
advanced classes immediately
upon completing the first one
- they are hooked.

"Some of them want to sign up for Colored Pencil 2
right away and then Colored Pencil 3 and then keep going,"
she said. "Actually, it was my students who asked me to do
the pet class. They said, 'The only reason I'm doing colored
pencils is to be able to draw my cat or my dog.'"
Acknowledging the number of beloved pets in The
Villages, Young decided to begin offering her Furry Pets
class, with great result. In the first class, students decide
between a cat or a dog and the class colors a single animal.
During each session, Young focuses on a different feature -
eyes, nose, and so on.
In Furry Pets 2, students get to bring in a photo of their
own pet to use as reference for a colored pencil piece.
Young says she loves seeing the progress her students
make while taking her classes and becoming more proficient
with colored pencils. She likes to keep her classes
casual and stress free - her goal is to help her
students succeed.
"I'm not giving grades, they're not going to
get their portfolio together to try to become
professionals," Young said. "From what my
students tell me, that's what they like. I want
them to be good at it - once they see how to
do it, they can really progress."

FOR MORE
INFORMATION
Young has multiple
colored pencil classes
coming up later in the
fall and winter months,
including four beginner
classes. Register for classes
with The Enrichment
Academy at any Villages
recreation center between
8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. or
by visiting their website
at districtgov.org/
departments/Recreation/
enrichment-academy.

MAGAZINE

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The Villages - August 2019

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