Later this month, a dozen or so amateur artists will gather to learn something new and technical, trade tips and generally support each other in their love of colored pencils. It's an art form that's ...

All summer at the Strathmore Mansion in North Bethesda, you may find gallery-goers huddled around a small, photorealistic depiction of a fruit in a plastic bag. “Hold on,” one of them may whisper, “is ...