Moores Art Gallery Vertical Line Technique

 

Colored Pencil Tips & Techniques:

Vertical Line Technique

It's All About Colored Pencils!

The vertical line technique is a technique that colored pencil artist Ann Kullberg created by placing a vertical line stroke next to another continuously and consistently on the surface of a paper. A great technique for achieving photo-realistic skin tones and texture.

The Vertical Line technique example above was created using layers of dark green and applying light pressure to heavy pressure.

I completed the portrait above at one of Ann Kullberg's workshops. It was my very first attempt at drawing a portrait, using the vertical line technique. I didn't quite get a chance to finish it, but I was able to get more photo realistic than I have ever before in drawing a subject. I highly recommend her workshops - you will learn a lot!

Ann also has some great portrait tools and kits to get your started on learning the vertical line technique.

A must have tool is Ann's Portrait Tool Set - Multimedia Instruction

In addition Ann's book Colored Pencil Portraits Step by Step is a must have to add to your colored pencil library collection.

Keep on Creating!

Creating White Using Colored Pencils

Colored Pencil Tips & Techniques:

Creating White Using Colored Pencils

It's All About Colored Pencils!

The white-colored pencil is much like a colorless blender in that it can be used to blend and burnish colors. But should colored pencil artists just use only a white pencil to achieve white in their works of art? When working on colored paper, the white-colored pencil is a very effective tool for creating a base layer, and the white-colored pencil is effective in bringing out the highlights and wispy hairs within a subject. However, when working on white paper, defining white can be quite deceptive and challenging, especially for beginning artists. White is very much like black and can be made up of many colors in the spectrum, depending on the time of day, surrounding subject(s), and colors reflected upon the subject you are creating.

Below is a list of tips and techniques to create subjects that are white.

• Analyze your subject and determine what colors you see and are present before you begin.


• Use a paint shop program to determine what colors to use for white in your reference photo.


• Use a value/color finder to determine colors and values.


• Lyra Rembrandt and Derwent Coloursoft white pencils work best on colored paper.


• Build your white or brightest areas up using light layers of colors.


• In creating a white subject, pick colors reflected from surrounding subjects.


• Use light greys and soft pastel colors for creating your white highlights and light areas.


• Use soft pastel or light colors for snow.


• Use white only for highlights, whispy hairs and whiskers.


• Use opposite colors for shadows and darks to make your work pop and glow.


• Focus on creating the highlights and mid-tones, when working on colored paper.

Helpful Resources

A video on using white colored pencil on black paper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_lh11AM0yE

Drawing fur in colored pencil on black paper
http://sidneyeileen.com/tutorials/art/fur-colorpencil-black/

Drawing feathers on colored paper
http://www.squidoo.com/Colored-Pencils

Wet Canvas Colored Pencil Forum
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1302213&highlight=white+color+pencil

    

    

Keep on Creating!