At Beech Tree Studio, the exercise most likely to turn a beginner into a proud artist goes by an unusual name: “The Screaming Lady.” 

For local instructor and colored pencil artist Andria Burchett, it’s proof of what she tells students who say they have no talent: if you’re willing to learn, she can show you how.

Burchett says she’s been a creator her whole life, and that has looked different in various seasons of adulthood. 

“I spent much of my early years sewing and crafting, but drawing has been a thread that’s been consistent since childhood,” she said. “I enjoy working small and with fine detail.”

Burchett says that while most would describe her style as realistic, she finds the process more explorative. And it’s always evolving. 

While her early commission work focused on portraiture, she has stopped taking commissions and now enjoys drawing landscapes using various pencil techniques and surfaces. 

“Long-distance gazing is so soothing to me, and I truly enjoy drawing the ‘long view,’” she said.

Two artists shaped Burchett’s work more than any others: Amy Lindenberger and Ann Kullberg. While living in Ohio, Burchett came across Lindenberger’s work at a local fine art show and took classes from her until she moved back to Illinois. 

“I had never realized that colored pencil artwork could be so vibrant and rich,” she said.

Back in Illinois, she started checking out Kullberg’s colored pencil books from the Geneva library and continued her training through Kullberg’s “Portrait” book. Years later, the two artists are more than mentors. 

“These two remarkable women have become good friends over the years, and we now occasionally travel together to teach workshops in various states,” Burchett said. “I not only learned how to draw from them, I learned how to teach.”

After a decade of steady commission work, Burchett’s teaching career began when a friend encouraged her to start giving lessons.

“I was terrible in the beginning. I asked neighbors to join me in my basement studio while I developed my curriculum and a discerning eye,” she said. “My classes began to fill, my artwork started to gain recognition, and my Beech Tree Studio business evolved and grew.”

Burchett now teaches five weekly classes and hosts an online platform for colored pencil artists around the country. She is also a regular contributor and guest editor for Color, an international colored pencil magazine.

With very few exceptions, each new student at Beech Tree Studio begins with a “Learning to Draw” class session. Here they discover how to see lines, recognize negative space, use a grid, see value correctly, and build blended layers using only three graphite pencils.

Once they master these foundational skills, students graduate to the “Intro to Colored Pencil” curriculum. She teaches each student individually, but within a group setting. Seasoned Beech Tree Studio pros inspire the newcomers, and longtime artists are often reminded of fundamental truths when listening in on beginner instruction. Burchett says it’s a great vibe.

Sometimes students tell Burchett they have no talent. Her response is straightforward.

“If you want to learn, I can teach you. I might want to learn how to play the saxophone, but I can’t just pick it up and start playing,” she said. “Someone has to show me how. If someone is willing to learn, I can show them how.”

Burchett puts the artists through exercises to determine each one’s natural working style. For example, sometimes an artist will have a very light hand, and that might suggest using stronger colors when impact is needed. 

“I’m not trying to teach each artist how to make their work look just like mine,” she said. “I want to embrace their natural tendencies under the umbrella of sound drawing skills.”

So who is “The Screaming Lady,” exactly? Despite the name, she’s just smiling very wide, and the drawing exercise built around her tends to produce the biggest breakthroughs. No matter a student’s starting level, Burchett says the exercise always turns out well and leaves the artist smiling over their accomplishment. 

Her students’ accomplishments bring Burchett joy, and teaching them nurtures her own work too. With dozens of colored pencil artists in the studio and online every week, she is constantly observing and learning new skills, tools, and techniques these artists have developed themselves. 

“As I learn from them, I can share these techniques with other artists.”

The slow growth of color shifts and light patterns appeals to Burchett. She believes that a good drawing always starts with a compelling reference. 

“In my landscape drawings, I’m looking for a sense of serenity and calm, which shows up in my composition, palette, and lighting,” she said. 

This is the key: knowing what to keep from a reference — and what to eliminate. Not every detail matters. The artist wants to direct the viewer’s eye around the drawing using compositional tools and light.

Once Burchett chooses a reference, she decides which surface would lend itself best to her desired effect. Colored pencils work on a wide variety of surfaces, and the reference dictates which one works best. Then she has to determine when a drawing is done, which is part of the process. 

“When I’m done ‘for the first time,’ I set my drawing up where I can walk past it several times a day and just notice it with fresh eyes,” she said. “I always see something I want to tweak: a pattern of light, a deepening of a shadow, a brightening of a reflection, or even a surprising, unexpected color for added interest.” 

According to Burchett, artists see the world differently from others, and she offers compelling examples.

“Wheat fields often look orange and purple to me. Iridescent snow might be a collection of blues, yellows, pinks, and greens,” she said. “And we artists always seem to be on the lookout for an intriguing story to tell through our art. I want to embrace and share the soothing calm that open space has on me.”

Burchett says people are often surprised when they learn how exquisite colored pencil art can be. It has come a long way in the last 30 years, earning a reputation as a highly respected fine art. 

The materials are more advanced and diverse than they used to be, and there is much more visibility and recognition of colored pencil art in national publications. As its popularity grows, the artwork itself is getting much more sophisticated. 

On Nov. 22 from 1-3PM, Beech Tree Studio will showcase artwork completed this year at its annual Drawn Together 2026 Colored Pencil Art Show at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre. Approximately 100 pieces of colored pencil art will be on display, representing a wide variety of styles and techniques. The show is free and open to the public.

Although Burchett doesn’t actively show her work, some of it can be found on Beech Tree Studio’s website. She was honored to have a recent solo show at the Jeanne Dyer Gallery in St. Charles.

To view Beech Tree Studio artwork, visit its Facebook and Instagram pages, or sign up for the weekly newsletter on its website.

This piece was written by Ellen Jo Ljung, a longtime Geneva resident, author, award-winning educator, and glass artist. Visit her website to learn more.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.

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