Discovering The Delicate Art Of Sketching With Colored Pencils
If you are interested in the medium of colored pencils
, the perfect recipe comes from the art of blending and layering, on top of the right kind of paper. With the blend, you can create a beautiful piece of art in no time!
To use colored pencils as a professional art supply in fine art, the artist must be armed with three basic techniques: burnishing, layering, and blending. These techniques are easy to learn and master with a little practice.
First, practice layering. This adds depth to the color in the drawing.
It is a lot like layering paints. The artist simply lays down a thin layer of pigment and then covers it with a thin layer of another color of pigment.
The bottom, darker layer shines through the lighter colored layer, creating a color that is much more interesting than a flat layer of one color. Here is how to go about doing it.
First, choose two colors, one darker, and one lighter. Primary colors are usually best to avoid a muddy color, though the artist can experiment with secondary colors to find mixtures that work for their painting.
Lay down a layer of color with the darker pencil. To make an even layer of pigment, simply hold the pencil by the end and sweep it back and forth without using much pressure.
On top of the darker color, lay down a layer of pigment with your lighter colored pencil. Continue the above steps until the desired look is accomplished.
Next, work on some blending. Since they do not smudge very easily, the artist has to blend colors by layering them or gradually working the colors into each other.
To blend with layering, lay down a thick layer of color by pressing down hard with the pencil. On top of this layer, add a second layer using heavy, circular strokes.
To gradually blend, lay down a thick layer of one color and lay down a second layer beside it. In the middle, simply let the two colors mix.
Next, do some burnishing. Burnishing can give the smooth silky look of glass, metal, or other smooth surfaces.
There are basically two ways to burnish. To burnish, choose a light color such as white, light grey, peach or cream.
Press down hard on the pencil while making small, circular strokes. This technique will give the drawing an extra colored layer, so be strategic about the color that is chosen to burnish with.
To burnish using an object, choose a hard object with a smooth, rounded surface. The backs of spoons, the lids of magic markers or the bottom of a ballpoint pen works well.
Rub the surface of the colored pencil drawing with the object. Do this rapidly, but make sure not to scar the paper. This technique burnishes without adding extra color.
The friction of the pencil or the object makes the wax in the colored pencil melt and become smooth and shiny. It is best to burnish over layers of pigment.
When it comes to having the right paper to go along with these techniques, there are a few different kinds to experiment with. Cold press watercolor paper is very popular, with artists that like a rougher look to their art.
It is somewhat smooth, but has a very distinct texture. Because of the texture, the white areas are harder to cover, but it takes to burnishing very well.
Care should be taken with sharper pencils because this paper tends to indent very easily. It is also very hard to erase mistakes from cold press without damaging it.
Hot press watercolor paper is the smoothest of all watercolor papers. It has very little texture, but can still take many layers of pigment.
Hot press does not indent as easily as cold press, and it is much easier to erase mistakes from this type of paper. Bristol paper is a very stiff, slick, poster board-like paper.
Bristol vellum paper a mix of vellum paper and Bristol paper. It is a slightly more texturized paper, that grabs pigment better to create brighter colors and easier burnishing.
There is only the slightest indentation from sharp pencils on this type of paper, as well. With these basics, you can be a master of art in no time!
by: Tom Selwick
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