© Lyette Roussille
I studied Arts, got Bachelor’s degrees in Fine Arts and Art History. I retired in 2009 after a 35 year career teaching Fine Arts in Elementary and High school. I had now time to work on my own artworks. In 2010, I started drawing with coloured pencils on my kitchen table not having an art studio. I really got passionate with that medium. In my career, I had tried many other mediums but fell in love with the details and the variety of colours you can get with coloured pencils. They are so much fun to work with but really need many years of hard work to obtain a good technique.
Today, I have a studio that I share with 8 other artists. Working with others is so rewarding being able to share knowledge, thoughts on art, art shows, etc.
My style is between Naive Art and Children’s Illustration. I want to create playful and happy artworks with a "picture book" effect. Each drawing tells a story you can invent for yourself. I love Picasso’s quote: Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist as you grow up. My Naive style shows how versatile coloured pencil can be, they adapt to every style and approach. The only rule is to have fun and be yourself.
My creative process begins with a rough sketch I do in a sketchbook. Things that surround me are part on my inspiration: houses, animals, Quebec’s country side, anything in my day life. I then draw a larger piece on tracing paper putting on more details. When I am satisfied with the sketch, it is transferred on the final white paper. The white paper helps to bring out the bright pure colours I use. Outlines are made with a fine black felt pen before applying the colours. I start with a first coat of basic colours on the whole drawing adjusting and adding up the layers to obtain the effects and shading wanted. I never work on one small area at a time since I never plan my colours in advance. I adjust the colours as I go along. I use lots of blender pencil to obtain an even coat of colour and shading. As a final step, I outline all the contours again with the black felt pen. The black outlines make the colours stand out and seem brighter.
My main ambition is to continue improving on my artwork and to take part in national and international art shows. I participated in many on line exhibitions with the Coloured Pencils Artists of America (CPSA), and the Pencil Art Society, l’Art du dessin (PAS), Australian Society of Coloured Pencil Artist Showcase (AUSCPA). I was part of many exhibitions in Quebec, USA and Europe.
Please visit my blog: http://lyetteroussilleillustrations.blogspot.com, my Facebook page: Lyette Roussille Art and my Facebook Studio page: Le 34 Galerie/ Ateliers and my Instagram page, Lyette Roussille Art.
Awards/Exhibitions
Mentions honorifiques Mondial Art section Art Naïf 2024 & 2025