With her latest series of splats and swashes, Donna Kato indulges her love of colored pencils. She always liked the look and feel of pencils but didn’t feel she had the talent to become an illustrator. She always felt at home with polymer.

The Ribbon brooch is the newest iteration that combines the two processes. The Splat necklace continues a sunny spring version.

More and more polymer artists are coloring on both baked and unbaked polymer,

creating gradations, textures and colors. A black edge enhances the contrast.

Donna has uploaded photos of her growing collection of bright hand-drawn designs on Facebook. Combining pencils, polymer and most recently, animal drawings hits a sweet spot for Donna. “This series really makes me happy, happy.” she says.

Would pencils brighten your day?