Winnie Truong is a Canadian artist who works chiefly in pencil on paper. Her works are small but powerful; combining beauty and the grotesque to create alluring forms that seem to be in constant motion on a static page. She uses color pencils to create a hair texture that she uses throughout each art work. This hair texture can be seen drawn into the bare skin of her female nudes, in the plants that often surround the figures and of course, in their hair. Pencil crayons are the perfect medium for creating hair textures because they can be sharpened to a fine point which is perfect for drawing individual strands of hair, or the pencil can be blunted to offer smooth shading and gradients that give depth to the hair itself.
Truong often cuts out her pencil women and mounts them on card of a single color. This creates two effects. First, the female nudes are often colored in soft pastel colors that stand out against either a bright, light background or a darker background. Secondly, the delicate fronds of leaves or strands of hair seem even more fragile when cut out so carefully, which gives the female character a very vulnerable and precious air.
Winnie Truong’s art proves that pencil crayons can do so much more than just coloring in coloring books; it proves that pencil art should be taken seriously. Her individual drawings sell for hundreds, even thousands of dollars and she is fast becoming a sought after artist worldwide. You can see more wonderful pencil and cutout art by Winnie Truong on her website or on her Facebook profile.
This pencil on paper drawing by Winnie Truong shows the artist’s use of soft pastel colors and hair textures. Truong has used the hair textures to mimic the fluid nature of water both as it spouts into the air and surrounds the body of the female figure. The artist has named this piece, “The Fool and Her Fountain”. [source]
Two blue haired beauties turn their faces away from the viewer in this pencil drawing by Winnie Truong. The artist has made the hair flamboyant and feathery, suggesting that the two women are surrounded by large plumes of ostrich feathers, which are often used in Las Vegas cabaret shows that feature beautiful women dancing nearly nude with feathers. The feathers add to the sensuous nature of the piece, hinting at the softness of the women’s flesh without actually showing much of their flesh. [source]
An African beauty hides her faces from the viewer in this pencil illustration by Winnie Truong. The artist has called this piece “An Angler and her Lure”, and certainly, the drawing is very alluring. [source]
Winnie Truong has called this pencil cut out “Too Late to Wait”. Hidden in the dark tresses of the woman’s hair is a skull that grins in challenge at the viewer. The gothic nature of the drawing is offset by a garish yellow background, which is also a challenge to the viewer who has to decide whether this piece is beautiful or bizarre. [source]
This illustrated cut out by Winnie Truong is called “Search Party”. Truong always hides the faces of her female figures, which leads us to wonder if we are searching for these women or if they are searching for something that we can’t see. [source]
With her full lips and soft hair, this bony beauty by Winnie Truong should be considered at least somewhat attractive. Perhaps this is the artist’s critique of what is considered beautiful in our modern era. women do tend to think that being super skinny is sexy, but perhaps this woman has gone too far… [source]
