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Brush and Pencil is an online store and educational resource for colored pencil painting art and techniques.

The platform was developed by artist and educator, Alyona Nickelsen, author of Colored Pencil Painting Bible.

An award-winning artist whose work has been featured in numerous national and international exhibitions as well as in most of the country’s major art magazines, she is well known for her realistic drawings and paintings.

Born in the Ukraine, she began taking art seriously after relocating to Southern California in 1999. Alyona utilizes a process she calls “colored pencil painting” – named for its surprising realism and intricacy.

“After years of work, I became fed-up with colored pencil being labeled a ‘slow’ or even ‘inferior’ medium,” she says. “I decided to see what I could do about it and prove that colored pencil medium can compete head-to-head with oil paints.”

Brush and Pencil’s aim is to provide aspiring colored pencil artists with all they need to advance to the next level of expertise. Visitors find an extensive selection of painting kits, materials, and resources demonstrating cutting-edge techniques.

Customers signing up for Art Logistics – the members-only section of Brush and Pencil – gain access to exclusive content, with new materials constantly being added. Membership runs for six months at a time and includes Color Match and Compare Tools, step-by-step instructions, projects and exercises, plus extensive article and video libraries.

Florida WooExperts, Bright Vessel, came on board to improve the site’s overall aesthetic and user experience in order to convert better. They also needed to develop a more SEO-friendly blog, as well as a membership area with restricted content.

This included developing a custom color matching and comparing tool, used to select the correct paint colors based on style and technique.