Color Pencil Tips
These are some tips I have learned over the years through books, magazines, articles and other artists.
Please refer to the reference page for sources.
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Keep your pencil points sharp! The area you layer colors, will appear sharp and clear and less fuzzy and blurred.
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Don't just use one color, try using several layers of different colors
together, to add some spark and life to your drawings.
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Beware of over saturating your paper's surface with too much color, the color
will start to no longer adhere to the paper's surface.
It will also start to wear and possibly tear the surface of the paper or board.
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Be careful when applying heavy pressure, such as when you burnish, sometimes
pencils tend to flake. To remove the flakes, I use a brush or
tissue.
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To remove and prevent wax bloom (a build-up of wax on the surface of the paper), wipe the surface of the paper with a
soft tissue and then lightly spray the drawing with 1 to 5 layers with
Krylon Workable Matte Fixative
. The fixative will prevent wax bloom and also protect your color pencil painting.
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To create vivid intense colors, try using a solvent (turpenoid, liquin, Berol
Prisma colorless blender markers, bistine, mineral spirits, baby
wipes).
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Make sure to add a good range of values throughout your drawing, the more layers and the heavier the pressure, the darker the color.
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Make sure you apply all elements of design in your drawings-line, texture,
shape, value, space, form and color.
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To add life to your work, try varying the color intensity, saturation and hue in your
artwork. Check out this link for an interactive color wheel http://r0k.us/graphics/SIHwheel.html
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Make sure the color temperature (warm and cool areas) in your drawings are
well balanced.
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Try creating different moods, by drawing on different colored
papers.
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When working on a tonal drawing, work from dark to light.
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Keep pencil strokes even, and consistent in pressure and in direction.
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Start off with light pressure when adding layers of color and gradually increase your pressure.
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To create, a rich dark black, try layering Prismacolors indigo blue, crimson, sepia and black grape.
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To keep white or light areas, white and/or clean, try using a masque pen or
Badger Gloss Foto/Frisket Film
.
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Keep a color key of your drawing, for future reference, in case you decide to break from your artwork.
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For fine and/or small detail, try using Prismacolor Verithins. Rex Art has an open stock of them available
http://www.rexart.com/verithin_open_stock.html
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Practice using only a single color to help improve your blending, layering and graduating skills.
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Try using different pressures (light, medium and heavy), to achieve different depths of color and tones of color.
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Try using a light colored pencil, from your color palette, to draw out your sketch.
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Use a pencil extension for your pencil stubs, or try gluing pencil ends together with superglue. Barbara Newton explains how here http://www.barbaranewton.net/TIPS/Newton.Tips.html
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Always keep the surface of your paper clean, brush away debris with drafting or makeup brush.
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Wipe tips of pencils off, before applying color to light areas to prevent smudging of debris and dark spots.
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Try using complimentary colors in shaded or dark value areas to give an illusion of depth.
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