6 Useful Colored Pencil Techniques

Posted: Jan 19, 2011 |Comments: 0 |

Colored pencils are a portable, versatile art medium. Take a box and a pad of paper with you on your next trip to make quick sketches of the places and people you see. Small and large boxes of pencils, along with sketch pads and other supplies, from online retailers like Dick Blick Art Materials and Michaels can get you started. Experiment with different techniques to see what you can do with your colored pencils. Here are some that will give you a good foundation:

1. Hard Strokes

Make sharp, short strokes using the tip of the pencil to cover a large area with color fast, like for drawing the background. Vertical strokes can imitate the look of grass or leaves, while horizontal strokes often show movement. Sharp strokes in random directions also can add texture and are useful for blending multiple colors.

2. Cross Hatching

This is another good blending technique that adds texture too. Use this technique to cover a larger area with color, especially if you're coloring in a background that requires more than one color pencil. Use a sharp-tipped pencil to add texture and the side of the pencil for blending colors.

3. Shading

For applying color smoothly to an area, hold the pencil sideways and use a quick back and forth motion. On uneven papers, keep in mind that this technique will let the color of the paper bleed through. If you don't want this, use paper in the same color as the desired background. Shading also is a great way to blend colors. Apply one color to be blended flush against the next, and layer other colors on top to get the exact shade you want. Shading also can capture the light and dark tones in an object, which gives it the appearance of being three dimensional.

4. Sharp vs. Dull

You can cover a large area with color quickly, although not completely if you use a dull pencil. However, most techniques work best with a sharp one, especially if your paper has a rough or uneven surface. A sharp one will give you the clearest lines, deepest colors and best control.

5. The Right Pressure

The harder or softer you press the colored pencil against the paper also determines the saturation and detail you can give to your art. A lighter touch will give you softer, less vibrant colors and fuzzy edges. It makes the colors easier to blend, too. However, you might want to apply more pressure to get stronger colors and clearly defined lines and edges. Using more pressure to apply layers of colors will create a glossy, richly colored finish.

6. Layering

Unlike the artist using paint, the creator of a colored pencil drawing can't just mix colors together to get something new. Instead, new colors are created by layering lighter ones atop darker ones. Use the side of the device to sweep color back and forth, repeating the process with each color until you reached the desired shade.

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