Pencil and Prismacolor Colored Pencil Drawing

This piece features a portrait of Mother Theresa praying and was created using varying softnesses of drawing pencils along with a few Prismacolor colored pencil blues. The pencils that were used included H, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B and 5B. The 3, 4, and 5 B pencils are very soft style pencils. No erasers were used throughout the process of this drawing. A very light sketch is worked up on the illustration board and then the layering of darknesses are cross-hatched to create depth in the piece. This style of drawing is used to create tones and textures without smudging the piece. After the pencil drawing part is finished, blue colored pencils are used in the same manner, crosshatching, to create lights and darks in her head piece (called a wimple). Mother Teresa was an ethnic Albanian, Indian Roman Catholic nun. She stated “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation, which in 2012 consisted of over 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries. Members of the order must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and the fourth vow, to give “Wholehearted and Free service to the poorest of the poor”. The Missionaries of Charity at the time of her death had 610 missions in 123 countries including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis; soup kitchens; children’s and family counseling programs; orphanages; and schools. For over 45 years, she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity’s expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries. Her beatification by Pope John Paul II following her death gave her the title “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta”. She was the recipient of numerous honors including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. She refused the conventional ceremonial banquet given to laureates, and asked that the $192,000 funds be given to the poor in India. This is a 15w” x 20h” drawing on illustration board .  Date of drawing: 1997.