Colored Pencil: Discover your "inner artist" as you learn to draw a range of popular subjects in colored pencil

66 Pages·2009·13.13 MB·English

by  Eileen Sorg

DME11

PENCIL

DRAWING
MADE

ver Your
“‘aner artist”
as you (earn To
Arate a Yonge
of popular
PY
subjects th

cofo

BY EILEEN SORG
DRAWING

AS Y

COLORED
PENCIL
© 2009, 2011 Walter Foster Publishing, Inc. Artwork © 2009, 2011 Fileen F. Sorg,
All rights reserved. Welter Foster is a registered tradernark.

Digit! oaiion: 97441-61059. Sosteower ston: 978-1-6108-81 51-8

Ihis 029k has beer produced to a. the aspir a artist. eprodctior of work for study or fnshes ett cers ble
Any at praouced 0 phatem ecnar cally reprecuced trom this aabliation “or corame-cial purposes

is forsidden without wr ther consent from the cubliher, Weiter Foster Fublishing, Inc

Dposigned by Shelley Baug + Prajecs Falta: Meghna Oe + Cepyaditar: Stephanie “>qernia

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CONTENTS

Introduction «60.6... e eee eee eee ee beeen eee eee eee ee 3

Tools and Materials . .

Color Basics ...... be eee beeen eee beeen 6
ETAT © ©] © a 8
Creating Form... .. 0... oe ee eee beet eee ae beeen eee 9
Colored Pencil Techniques ...............65 beeen eee beeen eee 10
Tracing and Transferring ................0005 bce eee bee eee 13
BUttErPl¥. cee ee ete teen erent rete eetn aes 14
Fish in BOW). etter nnn tne 16
Parrot........... Fe eee eee eee bocce eee eee becca 18
Gumball Machine ...............0.0-. 2000005 bette eee eee beeen eee 20
Fruit Still Lif@. eee eeteett ee t ee t re r et rnt nner nt n nes 22
Pink Flamingo .... 24
Red-Eyed Tree Frog. ...... 00.2.0. e eee eee eee Lecce eee ee es Lecce eeeee 26
1 28
SHOES 6 nents 30
Cafe SIQN occ cece eee eee eee e eee e tte tenet etree eens 32
Turtle........... beeen eee eee eee bocce eee eee beeen eee 34
38

SO 40
SO 42
SO 44

Garden Gnome ...... 0.6.0... cece eee eee rs beeen eee 46
Guinea Pig....... Lecce cece eens bcc ces bec ceeee 48
Kitten........... ete e teen eee eet e eee betes 50
Colored Pencils .... 2.0.0.0. 0.0 c eee cece ee bette eee eee sete eee 54
Maneki Neko (Lucky Cat)... 0.00000 ccc ce cece cece eee e cece cece eees 56
PUPPY. eee cece eee eee bebe ebb e bebe bene ees 60
INTRODUCTION

Colored pencils have come a long way from the tools we remember using in grade school. Artists
from around the world have picked up these little wood-encased sticks of pigment and taken gallery
owners and the viewing public's breath away with their finely crafted works of art. Colored pencils
have a multitude of great attributes to offer both the budding and seasoned artist. They are portable,
inexpensive, non-toxic, user frienaly, and for those interested in exploring their full range, absolutely
indisoensable. Artistic styles from loose and sketchy to fully developed photorealistic “paintings” can
all be achieved through this medium. You are only limited by the boundaries of your own imagination
and your willingness to try.

Having always considered myself @ draftsman at heart, | have been hooked on colored pencils since
being introduced to them many years ago. | am fascinated with the drawn line and the many ways in
which a line can be used to describe the world around us. My curiosity and persistence have led me to
develop the skills needed to express myself on paper and establish my own unique style. My intentions
for this book are to teach you the basic skills needed to get started in colored pencil, and to give you the
confidence to keep exploring. | hope these step-by-step lessons spark the same fire in you that began
for me so long ago, and that you continue to pursue colored pencil to find your own artistic voice.

Driftwood Recovery Unit
TOOLS AND MATERIALS

Working in colored pencil requires very few supplies, and you may find thet you already have many of
the items described in this section, As your skills progress you can add more tools to your arsenal and
experiment with them along the way. Each project in this book lists the colors needed and provides
color swatches, so refer to the individual projects for the colors used.

ii

Pencils Trere are three basic types of colored pens. l use
based pen’, but there are asa all-based pens (witicn
ca be used with wex pencils} and water-soluble percils (which
have a cum bincer that re tet, similar to watercolor
paint}, Each brand of pencil has its own characteristic thet ate
‘worth experimenting with, Many art end craft stoves sell pencils
individually, meking it easy for you to mi end match your
pencils as needed.

Sharpeners You can actieve various effects depending
cov how sharp o” dull your pencil is, but generally you'll
to keep your pencils sharp at al times. |varely use handheld
snarpene’s {above center) because they have e tendency to
beak the pencl tips and stved the wood, but some artists lke
them, | piefer @ good electric sharpener with auto stop {above
left) because it sharpens quickly and cleanly, the auto stop
function prevents over-svarpening, f you plan ta wark outdoors,
a battery-powered sharpener (above right] 's your best bet. You
also use @ sandpaper pad to refine & pencil point

2

Erasers The success of erasing your colored pencil narks
pends an two main factors: the color athe pencil ine and
the emourt of pressure that was applied. Darker colo’s tend to
stain the paper, making trem hard zo remove, and heavy lines
are hard to erase, especially ifthe paper's surface has been
deve. | usvally use # kneaded eraser (Lop center) and dab 21
‘he z1ea to pick up the pigment; wall mounting putty {top lft)
is very useful when used the same way. For stubborn areas, use
a battery-powered eraser (bottorn right). Don't use rubber or
vinyl erasers (bottom let) ro remove cclared pen; the friction
between the eraser end the paper can actualy melt the wax
piginerrt and flaren the texture af the paper.

=,

Colorless Blenders These tools are basicaly colored pencils,
suithout ary pigment, and they ore great for creating smacch,
shiny blends. After anplying two or more layers of cifferent
colo’s, work these pencils on top ta blend the colers tagerner.
Tre surface of the paper will become a litte sick after using a
blender, so any colors you aud ever the b ended layer wil glide
easily on the page. Ths technique, called “bumishing, is very
useful for depicting shiny ar wet surfaces. (See page 12 for more
information on burnishing.} You can also use blending stumps
{rightly wound ro's of paper} 0 coloress markers.
Rulers Use a ruler or T-square to mark the perimeter of your
drawing 2rea, ensuring that itis seuare be‘ore teping ito your
dravving surface. Never hestate to use a ruler when cravving to

caeave hard lines tha: need to be straight, suc 2s the lines of
buildings

Artist's Tape Use atis's tape to attach your paper t
drawing sur"zce, such vs 2 lable or mounting board, This kind of
tape is acid-Fee and can easily be removed without damaging
the paper, Ever when using this type of Lape, take specie cave
when removing the zepe. Pu! the tape outward, away from your
drawing, so that a tear does start you wot darrage your work

<4 Paper Your choice of paper is the most important factor

in hows your work wil turn out. Many papers will nat ho'd uo
to the rigors of applying multiple layers of color, so itis worth
taking the te to test a new paper before investing a lot of
time in a project. I you are planning to use water-soluble
pencils, make sure to use watercolar paper. For highly cetailed
-xoik, | use hot-press wetercovor paper, which has & very
snigoti sur‘ace that’s i¢e2! for creating delice details. Fer
snork thas may need extra layers, use a sand paper made for
pastel artists. You may want to use e rougher paper with mare
“tooth” (or grain} for landscapes and ovrer pieces that requite
built-in texture, Always use acid-free paper far your drawings
anc for mats when framing: otnerwise the pager cen yellow
over time, For practice or drawing quick studies on location,
you'll want to have @ sketch pad or sketchbook, You might also
sxant to experiment with diferent colored papers and specialyy
m

Tracing and Transfer Paper | always begin my drawings
by sketching the basic outline ofthe subject and then transfering
the seetch o a clean sheet o% paper (see page 13 for more in‘
mation en tracing and tiansfeiing). To co tris, you'll need srecing
paper or transfer paper (similar to carbon paper.

Extras se » cust brush to gently remove the pencil residue
from your paper, as your hanc: can sear the color anc: blowing
onthe paper cen eave drops of saliva, You night e'so want 10
purchase a cen of spray fixative to protect your finished work. |
one ligt coat over my pleces to prevent the whitish
blue haze or wax bloom that can cevelap when you work with
multile layers of color ancl apply heavy pressure to the page”.
COLOR BASICS

Colored pencils are transparent by nature, so instead of “mixing” colors as you would for painting,
you create blends by layering colors on top of one another, Knowing a little about basic color theory
can help you tremendously in drawing with colored pencils. The primary colors (red, yellow, and blue}
are the three basic colors that can’t be created by mixing other colors; all other colors are derived from
these three, Secondary colors (orange, green, and purple) are each a combination of two primaries,
and tertiary colors (red-orange, red-purole, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, and blue-purple}
are a combination of a primary color and a secondary color.

> Color Wheel A color wheel is a
useful ‘erence tool for uncerstancing
calor relationships. Knowing where
each coor lies on the color wheel
sakes it easy to understane haw colors
relate to and react with one another.

Complementary Colors

Complementary colors are any two colars directly across fram each other on the calor wheel (such as
red and green, orange and blue, or yellow and purple). You can actually see combinations of comple-
mentary colors in nature—for instance, if you look at white clouds in a blue sky, you'll notice a hint of
orange in the clouds.

Using Complements ‘nen placed next to each other, complementary colors create l'vely, exciting contrasts. Using 2 complementary
color inthe background wll cause your subject to seer to “pop” off te pape. Far exemple, you could place bright orange poppies against a
blue sky or drat red berries amid green leaves
Color Psychology

Colors are often referred to in terms of “temperature,” but that doesn’t mean actual heat. An easy
way to understand color temperature is to think of the color wheel as divided into two halves: The
colors on the red side are warm, and the colors on the blue side are cool. So colors with red or yellow
in them appear warmer, and colors with more green or blue in them appear cooler. For instance, if a
normally coo! color {like green) has more yellow added to it, it will appear warmer; and if a warm color
(like red) has a little more blue, it will seem cooler, Another important point to remember about color
temperature is that warm colors appear to come forward and coal colors appear to recede; this knowl-
edge is valuable when creating the illusion of depth in a scene.

Warm Versus Cool He’e the same scene is crawn wth sw dlferent palettes: ane warm (let) and one cool (ight) Notice that the
mood is stkinglycfferentin eacr scene. Ths is because color arouses certsin ‘zeings; for exemp/e, warm colors generally convey
energy end excizenent, wereas cooler colars usualy indicate peace and calm.

Color Mood The exarnples here further illustrate how color can be used ta create macd (lt to right): Compleents can create a
sense of tension; cool nues can evoke a sense of mystery ight, cool cola can orovide a feeling of tranquility; ané warm colers can
create a sense af danger

Tints, Shades, and Tones

Colors can be tinted with white to make them

lighter, shaced with black to make them darker,

or toned with gray to make them more muted

Here each color was applied using graduated

pressure—light, then heavy, then light. Black was

applied at the top and white at the bottom to tint =|

and tone the colors, respectively. To tint a color )

without muting it, apply the white first and then
the color,
WARMING UP Bo

Just as you warm up before exercising, it helps
to limber up your drawing muscles (including the

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right side of your brain) for the task at hand (pun

intended). On a piece of scratch paper, play with BO Be Whit wan

different scribbles and lines, change the pressure,
and try holding your pencil in a different way. A
friend of mine who suffered from Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome found that if she held her pencil at the
very end like an oil painter halds a brush, she was
able to draw comfortably for hours. Her experi-
mentation and passion for art led her to develop
a beautiful, unique style of drawing that never
ceases to amaze me.

> Experimenting with Lines | suelly warm up by crawirg
rendom squiggles and ‘nes, Fanifarize yourself with te ¢ level
‘ypes of lines your pencils can create, and experiment
kind of stioke you car thing of, using batt e shar point and a alert
(culls point. Prectice the scrakes at right so heln you loasen up.

Holding the Pencil

The way you grip the pencil will have a direct impact on the strokes you create, Some grips will
aflow you to press more firmly on the pencil, resulting in dark, dense strokes. Others hinder the
amount of pressure you can apply, rendering your strokes lighter. Still athers give you greater con-
trol over the pencil, allowing you to creale fine details. Experiment with each of the grips below.

4 Conventional Grip For the
most contal, rasp the pencil about
1-1/2" fiom the tp. Hale it the samme
way you wut, with the pencil resting
firmly against your midale finger. This
gp is perfect for smocth applications,
af color, as wel as for making hatch
stokes and smal, cite a” sirokes. Try
to elax and let the pene! glide across
the page.

a 4
f if

W

Overhand Grip Guide the pencil ——Underhand Grip. Yvhen you cradle the pen in your hind (asin ether

by laying yourindex finger along the exemple shown above}, you control 't by applying pressure only with the thumb
Siaft, Ths is the best grp for strong and ince “inget. This gr p can preduce a lighte* line, bur keep in mind thet
applications of color made wth vuhen you hold the pencil this way, your whee hanc should move (nct just your

heavy pressure. vurist and fingers