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• #Beginner color pencil drawing plus

#Beginner color pencil drawing plus

PLUS the solvent step is basically another layer, this one with an itty bitty blending stump or a fiddly brush.Ī simple underpaint layer actually replaces the first few coats of pencil.Ī more skillful underpaint layer can stand on its own with NO pencil on top. You’re never using fewer layers of pencil. You’re not reducing the number of layers, you’re just smooshing them around with a paintbrush. Then they add texture layers or the finish coats of pencil over the top of all that. And once more, they melt the new layers with solvent again. Then they add more layers over the melted layers. The average artist lays down 2-4 layers of pencil before applying OMS or other solvents. Now I know, some of you are saying “well, I don’t need to underpaint because I use Gamsol to fill in the tooth.”īut hold on, solvent is not a time saver! This eliminates the patchy white tooth-valleys that make colored pencil projects look like gritty sidewalk chalk drawings. It’s the pre-coloring before the real coloring.Įvery pencil person knows we spend most of our time trying to build up enough pencil layers to fill in the tooth. They seep down and coat the tooth of your paper with gorgeous color. That’s because I’ve developed an underpainting method to save time.Ī good underpainting with watercolor or Copic Marker can replace 3-4 coats of pencil. I teach mixed media instead of pure colored pencil classes. I need to tattoo that on the back of my left hand, up my right arm, and maybe on my forehead. So let this sink in: You will never do your best work if you’re rushing to finish. “Yeah, yeah yeah” we say, “next time I’ll give myself more time.” But somehow we never do it. It doesn’t matter if they’re ruining excellent work with pure scribbles. Suddenly they rush like someone’s about to release the lions… “Do you realize how long the rest of this project is going to take? You’ll be here forever! Neener-neener ha ha!”Īnd even though there’s no deadline and despite the fact that I’ve told them repeatedly to take as much time as they want… Then the little devil on their shoulder whispers: They start at a reasonable pace and color the first few items with great concentration and skill. I see students do something similar- not so much with time but with overestimating their patience. I sprint to the finish, skipping most of my best ideas. I suddenly realize I’m almost out of time. I color leisurely and marvel at how much fun I’m having. I’m actually pretty good at this part.īut I start drawing at the last possible moment. I calculate how many days I need to complete the project. Here’s how I typically shoot myself in the Achille’s heel: I still encourage people to try working larger but when time is an issue, downsize the project. But size is a definite trade off because large images take more time to complete.Ĩ.5 x 11 is large enough to develop some level of detail and realism without boring you to death.

You need space to explore details, add texture, and develop form. Realistic depth and dimension requires more size than stamp-colorers assume. So I’m absolutely NOT suggesting that you go back to teeny-weenie stamp-sized coloring images. In my pencil classes, I give students images that fit on 8.5 x 11” paper. The smaller-ish you work, the faster-ish you can fill spaces and build layers. I know it sounds crazy to someone used to coloring a two inch image but honestly, you folks really do work small. To many artists- large is anything that requires us to buy paper that’s larger-than-normal. Now remember, if you’re coming from stamp coloring and card-making, our “large” is a whole ‘nother scale than your “large”.Īrt paper comes standard in 22x30” sheets and many of us fill the whole page. I didn’t use my normal finicky grass technique and frankly, I didn’t do the horizon justice. Coloring smooth with no texture takes concentration.ĩ0 minutes for the grass and I rushed it, trying to make it to the printer’s before they closed. That’s a lot of time for something basically white.Ģ hours on the sky… and honestly, if I wasn’t rushing, I could have used another hour to really fill in the tooth at the top. I erased several times and there’s a ton of hair flowing in different directions.Ĥ5 minutes for the daisy. There aren’t as many pencil layers but the shaping was tricky. There are at least 8 layers of pencil in most of the face.ħ hours on the body. I’d estimate 10 hours total if you don’t include thinking time, small breaks, and letting the dog out. The painting process took about 2 hours and dried overnight.Ģ days for the face. I use a watercolor base below my pencil-work. I spent another half hour digitizing the drawing and adjusting some of the shapes. I would have gone larger but this was a rush-job and larger pieces take longer.Ĥ5 minutes to draw the line art. You’re in luck I timed my latest commission piece.įor reference, Emily’s Cow measures 9 inches wide by 14 inches tall.