On the Easel: Christmas...

On this page, I discuss my current projects. Check back frequently; as I make significant progress, I add new snapshots.

Christmas card project started October 1, 2025
Last Updated on November 30, 2025

A fourth in-progress photo of a Christmas themed drawing A third in-progress photo of a Christmas-themed drawing of holly and pinecones
A second in-progress photo of a Christmas-themed drawing of holly and pinecones
An in-progress photo of a Christmas drawing of holly and a pinecone

In-progress pictures of my 2025 Christmas card.
The bright white surface running diagonally is a sheet of glassine, which protects the work from my hand, and doesn't rub out the rough sketch like the drawing glove will.

The Star of the Show

On the easel is my 2025 Christmas card drawing featuring three enormous longleaf pine cones, each 10" long in life; it's not often that I must scale a subject down in a drawing! The pine boughs are Frasier fir cutaway branches from a Christmas tree, and the holly (cultivar unknown, but extremely spiny) is from my family's trees. They've had bumper crops of berries for the last several years, to the delight of the local birds and squirrels, and they are also featured in my 2023 Christmas card “Boughs of Holly”.

The Supporting Cast

The paper:

  • A full 18 in. x 24 in. (45.7 x 61 cm) sheet of 184 lb. (300 gsm) Strathmore Toned Gray Mixed Media paper
  • The finished drawing will be 16 in. x 20 in.

The pencils:

  • Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle
  • Caran d'Ache Supracolor II Soft

The Production Specifics

The leaves and the calendar are turning, and the holiday season is nearly upon us. I try to have a new design finished by August to use as my Christmas card, but this year the deadline didn't just sneak up on me... in true Halloween fashion, it leapt out and startled me! How is it autumn already??

I used my trusty table easel to complete two butterfly drawings (“Golden Longwing” and “Doris Longwing”) that you can see on my home page. Since everything was already set up, it was easy to change out the materials and start this piece.

The pencils (so far) are exclusively Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle and Supracolor II Soft. As an added twist, the first layer is being activated with water, which speeds up the process by covering the color of the paper faster. The finished piece will be 16 in. H x 20 in. W. I have my work cut out for me....