While for many people September means back to school, for us it means back to drawing! To help inspire you, we are featuring famed wildlife artist Richard Symonds. It is amazing that he took time out of his extremely busy schedule to share his story and his art. Speaking of inspiration, we are big fans of Sheena Pike and her unique, imaginative style. She joins us this month to disclose how getting “unreal” led to her becoming a professional illustrator.

Also, Nicole Goldman gives us pause with her symbolic timepiece art that she built on a foundation of personal growth and physical trials. Not all advice is good advice, but don’t learn that the hard way. In this issue’s Q&A, Barb Sotiropoulos lays out what to look for when filtering input.

Have you ever found yourself with no clue as to what pencil you used for a particular piece? You’re not alone! You, our resourceful readers, share best tips for making sure that never happens again. We hope you are loving getting to know new products up close and personal in The Art Gear Guide’s reviews. Inside, Ivor Harrison reviews Royal Talen’s Bruynzeel Design Colour pencils in detail.

A special thank you to Tombow for including the new Mono Smart eraser in the September print issue as their gift to you. Visit their site at www.tombowusa.com to purchase this and more great items.

We are thrilled to be attending the World of Color Expo for the first time this year, held in Virginia on November 6-11, 2017. There will be 12-plus colored pencil workshops, a vendor area, door prizes, and more. Gather some art friends, take a road trip, and have some creative fun! We hope to see you there! More info at: www.worldofcolorexpo.com

Sally Robertson
Editor-in-Chief

Thank you to this month’s contributors:
Nicole Goldman, Deana Goldsmith, Leonne Haaijman, Ivor Harrison, Juie Heath, Shana Rowe Jackson, Liz Kramer, Craig Limber, Kathryn Lucariello, Leonie Mala, Nicole Marie, Michelle Gelderman Martin, Sheena Pike, Breanna Podlasly, Yalili Bouza Prieto, Cathy Settle, Barb Sotiropoulos, Richard Symonds, Bonny Snowdon, Virrtu, Laurie With

Thank you to this month’s sponsors:
Blick Art Materials |Derwent | Jerry’s Artarama | Tombow
Spectrum Noir | Staedtler | World of Color Expo