Debra Yaun - Biography

I recently went out to Debra Yaun’s home near Lake Lanier to see some of her drawings and watercolors, and discuss the merits of "country living"! Debra, her husband Don, and two boys live on eleven acres, some of which they have planted with flower and vegetable gardens, and some of which are wildflower fields and woods, all connected by bicycle paths. Since I'd invited myself over around lunch time, Debra had graciously prepared us both salads from her garden and homemade blueberry pie from her own blueberry bushes!

Debra grew up in Tampa, Florida, where as a child she found that she had a knack for drawing people, which her mom encouraged. She painted a few commissioned portraits in high school, including the daughter of one of her high school teachers. In Sarasota, she graduated from Ringling School of Art, and worked at Busch Gardens every summer as a quick sketch artist. She met her husband at Ringling (he does advertising and web design, and designed Debra’s website), and they moved to the Atlanta area in 1977. Debra worked as a Fashion Illustrator and layout artist for JCPenney for two years, after which she worked for another company in Atlanta, first as a graphic artist and later as an art director. Debra and her husband had moved to Hall County in 1981 so she had quite a drive into Atlanta 5 days a week. She quit her job after her first child was born and worked occasionally as a freelance graphic artist until 1990 when she got serious about painting again. She started drawing and painting from photos of her own children (See; Kevin's Grin ) and friends' children, often staying up until 2 a.m. to paint. She displayed her work in a local library and at art shows but found donating to some local fundraising auctions to be some of her best exposure. Initially most of her clients were from Gainesville and Buford, but now she has clients from all over the Atlanta area due to word of mouth. She joined the Portrait Society of Atlanta in 1994 when Damon Carter was president, and was in awe of his talent, as well as the skill of other members. She says that in general, going to PSA meetings keeps her motivated to improve. Some of her favorite artists to look at for inspiration include Daniel Green for painting, Paul Calle for graphite, and Bernard Poulin for colored pencil.

In 1996 Debra was a finalist in the portrait competition for Artists’ Magazine for a graphite drawing of a little girl (See; Braids) with lots of tiny braids, and she was interviewed by Artists' Magazine for an article on paper. She also had several pieces in North Light Books' "Portrait Inspirations" and "The Best of Colored Pencil Drawing III". She is a member of a local colored pencil group and the Colored Pencil Society of America. She has held a couple positions at the Portrait Society of Atlanta, including name tag coordinator and treasurer.

In the summer months, Debra typically concentrates on photography, as she takes most of her photos outdoors in her garden. She has a field of black-eyed susans that she likes to use, as well as other areas such as raised bed gardens. She uses a 35mm Nikon with a 105mm lens which has a short depth of field that is good for blurring the background, but bad for trying to keep more than one person in focus. She also has a digital camera which she has been using primarily for her web site, but plans to try using it for portrait photography soon. She likes to take her own photos because she can more easily visualize the person three-dimensionally when she's seen them in person.

Although many of Debra’s pieces are finished with watercolor, colored pencil, or both, they all start out with a graphite drawing. For watercolor and colored pencil, her next step is to lay in an indigo blue wash for the darks. Next she lays in other colors, generally using transparent watercolor for larger areas and finishing up with colored pencil for added detail. Occasionally she smooths out the grain of the colored pencil with Bestine on a Q-tip. Then she works back into the smoothed surface with more colored pencil for her final step. She rarely does oil paintings, finding that it is easier to stop and start with pencil since she doesn’t have huge blocks of time to work between raising kids and planting and picking a garden!

Debra most enjoys trying to capture the spark of life kids have (See; New Tooth). Although she discourages a big grin, she likes to paint children with a little smile that shows their vitality. She says that the only way to get a smile just right on paper is to smile herself while drawing it!

Debra’s love for nature doesn't stop with plants, she loves animals, too. She teaches a nature art class for young gifted children, and has drawn her cats, rabbits, birds, and some ducks that she raised. While working at Lanier Museum of Natural History in Buford, she painted one of their rehabilitated owls. She also painted a tame squirrel. He would eat out of her hand and used to come through a hole in the screen door looking for her! She also grows sunflowers for the finches, and has a hummingbird feeder on her studio window. One of her projects for the future is to do four watercolor and colored pencil pieces of different birds.

Whether she's drawing or painting animals or people, Debra's work has an exactness that lends itself to pencil. Every hair (See; Windblown) is rendered, every detail articulated. I think it would be fair to say that she loves to draw.


	Biography
	Home \| Artwork \| Books \| Biography \| Resume \| Contact The Portrait Society of Atlanta FOLIO Member Spotlight By: Jill Schultz McGannon FALL 2000 - Vol. 20 No. 4, Page 8 I recently went out to Debra Yaun’s home near Lake Lanier to see some of her drawings and watercolors, and discuss the merits of "country living"! Debra, her husband Don, and two boys live on eleven acres, some of which they have planted with flower and vegetable gardens, and some of which are wildflower fields and woods, all connected by bicycle paths. Since I'd invited myself over around lunch time, Debra had graciously prepared us both salads from her garden and homemade blueberry pie from her own blueberry bushes! Debra grew up in Tampa, Florida, where as a child she found that she had a knack for drawing people, which her mom encouraged. She painted a few commissioned portraits in high school, including the daughter of one of her high school teachers. In Sarasota, she graduated from Ringling School of Art, and worked at Busch Gardens every summer as a quick sketch artist. She met her husband at Ringling (he does advertising and web design, and designed Debra’s website), and they moved to the Atlanta area in 1977. Debra worked as a Fashion Illustrator and layout artist for JCPenney for two years, after which she worked for another company in Atlanta, first as a graphic artist and later as an art director. Debra and her husband had moved to Hall County in 1981 so she had quite a drive into Atlanta 5 days a week. She quit her job after her first child was born and worked occasionally as a freelance graphic artist until 1990 when she got serious about painting again. She started drawing and painting from photos of her own children (See; Kevin's Grin ) and friends' children, often staying up until 2 a.m. to paint. She displayed her work in a local library and at art shows but found donating to some local fundraising auctions to be some of her best exposure. Initially most of her clients were from Gainesville and Buford, but now she has clients from all over the Atlanta area due to word of mouth. She joined the Portrait Society of Atlanta in 1994 when Damon Carter was president, and was in awe of his talent, as well as the skill of other members. She says that in general, going to PSA meetings keeps her motivated to improve. Some of her favorite artists to look at for inspiration include Daniel Green for painting, Paul Calle for graphite, and Bernard Poulin for colored pencil. In 1996 Debra was a finalist in the portrait competition for Artists’ Magazine for a graphite drawing of a little girl (See; Braids) with lots of tiny braids, and she was interviewed by Artists' Magazine for an article on paper. She also had several pieces in North Light Books' "Portrait Inspirations" and "The Best of Colored Pencil Drawing III". She is a member of a local colored pencil group and the Colored Pencil Society of America. She has held a couple positions at the Portrait Society of Atlanta, including name tag coordinator and treasurer. In the summer months, Debra typically concentrates on photography, as she takes most of her photos outdoors in her garden. She has a field of black-eyed susans that she likes to use, as well as other areas such as raised bed gardens. She uses a 35mm Nikon with a 105mm lens which has a short depth of field that is good for blurring the background, but bad for trying to keep more than one person in focus. She also has a digital camera which she has been using primarily for her web site, but plans to try using it for portrait photography soon. She likes to take her own photos because she can more easily visualize the person three-dimensionally when she's seen them in person. Although many of Debra’s pieces are finished with watercolor, colored pencil, or both, they all start out with a graphite drawing. For watercolor and colored pencil, her next step is to lay in an indigo blue wash for the darks. Next she lays in other colors, generally using transparent watercolor for larger areas and finishing up with colored pencil for added detail. Occasionally she smooths out the grain of the colored pencil with Bestine on a Q-tip. Then she works back into the smoothed surface with more colored pencil for her final step. She rarely does oil paintings, finding that it is easier to stop and start with pencil since she doesn’t have huge blocks of time to work between raising kids and planting and picking a garden! Debra most enjoys trying to capture the spark of life kids have (See; New Tooth). Although she discourages a big grin, she likes to paint children with a little smile that shows their vitality. She says that the only way to get a smile just right on paper is to smile herself while drawing it! Debra’s love for nature doesn't stop with plants, she loves animals, too. She teaches a nature art class for young gifted children, and has drawn her cats, rabbits, birds, and some ducks that she raised. While working at Lanier Museum of Natural History in Buford, she painted one of their rehabilitated owls. She also painted a tame squirrel. He would eat out of her hand and used to come through a hole in the screen door looking for her! She also grows sunflowers for the finches, and has a hummingbird feeder on her studio window. One of her projects for the future is to do four watercolor and colored pencil pieces of different birds. Whether she's drawing or painting animals or people, Debra's work has an exactness that lends itself to pencil. Every hair (See; Windblown) is rendered, every detail articulated. I think it would be fair to say that she loves to draw. Copyright 2006, Debra Kauffman Yaun. Any use is prohibited.