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.

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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

    

    

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Moores Art Gallery Watercolor Pencil Tips and Techniques

Colored Pencil Tips & Techniques:

Watercolor Pencil Tips & Techniques

It's All About Colored Pencils!

Watercolor pencils are very similar to colored pencils in that they allow you to have precise control, achieve great detail, are very flexible, portable, and inexpensive. The difference between regular colored pencils and water-soluble pencils is their leads. Colored pencil leads are either wax or oil-based, whereas watercolor pencil leads have a water soluble base.

When working with watercolor pencils, it is important to remember that the results will not be the same as if you were working with colored pencils. After you have layered several colors down and have applied water or a solvent of some type, you will notice that the colors will sometimes be darker, sometimes more vivid, or sometimes will become a color you were not trying to achieve at all. So experiment before you start layering colors to see if it is the color you want for your project or portrait. Also, try mixing your watercolor pencils with other mediums, such as Prismacolor colored pencils, Ohuhu Gel inks or Derwent graphite pencils. You will be surprised with the results!

Tips and Techniques

• Apply the watercolor pencil dry.
• Wet the paper first to produce a bleeding type effect or to create soft lines.
• Try using various tools, such as a sponge or toothbrush or shaking the watercolor pencil, to create different effects.
• After your watercolor pencil wash has dried, apply dry layers of watercolor pencil for detail.
• Create glazed watercolor pencil washes (transparent layers of color over another) by using either water or solvents.
• Use a colorless blender marker, such as Tombow's Colorless Blender Pen, to blend the colors.
• To achieve a thick opaque look, dip your pencil in water or in a solvent, such as Turpenoid Natural (this technique tends to eat the lead of the pencil up quickly) and then apply it to the surface of the paper.
• To create detail using watercolor pencils, try using a small wet paint brush.
• Try creating a graded wash, from dark to light with water or solvents.
• Try a backwash technique by wetting your paper first then apply one color at one end, and then another color at the other end, watch the colors blend and bleed together.
• To create a cool effect, try dipping a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and then dot the wet colored surface of your paper with the cotton swab.
• To create a sparkly effect, try applying salt to the wet surface of your paper and let it dry.

Best Papers

I have discovered the following papers work the best when combining watercolor pencils with colored pencils: Arches watercolor paper hot press, Strathmore watercolor pads cold press and Rising Stonehenge drawing paper. Rising Stonehenge works best with the dry technique, with colorless blender markers, or with minimal water. If you do use water, make sure to tape the paper down to the board to prevent buckling.

All three brands of paper are acid-free and Strathmore also has ATC/ACEO size watercolor paper.

Brands of Watercolor Pencils

The watercolor pencil brand that I work with the most is, Derwent Watercolor Pencils. They are super creamy like Prismas color pencils and they have a wonderful selection of colors. They are fine art quality water-soluble pencil. They are non-toxic with lightfast pigment. They are available in packaged tins or open stock at most art stores.

In addition, I like to use Stabilo Aquacolor Watercolor Pencils to work on skies and small details. They have leads similar to Prismacolor Verathins, but, unfortunately, they have been discontinued. However, from time to time, you can find them on Ebay.

Watercolor Pencil Example

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Moores Art Gallery Colored Pencil Tips

Colored Pencil Tips & Techniques:

Colored Pencil Tips

It's All About Colored Pencils!

Some Tips When Working with Colored Pencils

These are some tips I have learned over the years through books, magazines, articles and from other colored pencil artists. More tips will be added to this list as I learn and explore more.

• To help your drawings stay crisp and clear, keep your pencil points sharp.
• To add some interest, spark and life to your drawings, try layering several different colors together.
• Beware of over saturating your paper's surface with too many layers of color. The color will start to no longer adhere to the paper's surface because the tooth of the paper has completely filled. As a result, the surface of the paper will start to wear down and possibly tear.
• Always keep the surface of your paper clean by brushing debris away with a drafting brush, make-up brush or tissue. Be careful when applying heavy pressure, such as when you burnish, sometimes pencils tend to flake debris upon your paper.
• To prevent wax bloom (a white film that builds up 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 3 layers of Krylon Workable Fixative Aerosol Spray. The workable fixative will protect your artwork while you continue to work on your artwork. Once you are done with your artwork you can spray 1-3 layers of a final fixative on your artwork to protect it and to prevent wax-bloom. In order to make sure there is not displeasing color changes to your artwork, make sure to test before you spray any fixatives. 
• To create vivid intense colors, try applying a solvent to the layers of color such as Turpenoid Natural, liquin, colorless blender markers, bestine, mineral spirits or baby wipes.
• It is important to add a good range of values throughout your drawing. Remember the more layers of color and the heavier the pressure, the darker the colored area on your drawing will become.
• To add life to your colored pencil artwork, try varying the color intensity, saturation and or hue in your artwork.
• Try creating different moods by drawing on different colored papers, such as Canson Mi Tientes or Art Spectrum Colourfix.
• When working on a tonal drawing, work from dark to light.
• Keep your pencil strokes even, consistent in pressure and in the same direction, so the lines of your strokes will be less visible and will blend into the layers of color.
• When adding layers of color, start off with light pressure and gradually increase your pressure.
• To create, a rich dark black, try layering Prismacolors indigo blue, crimson, sepia and black grape.
• To keep areas on the surface of your paper white, try using frisket film, liquid frisket or a frisket masque pen.
• Keep a color key of your drawing for future reference in case you decide you need to take a break from your artwork.
• For fine or small detail, try using Prismacolor Verithins. Rex Art has an open stock of them available.
• Practice using only a single color to help improve your blending, layering, and graduating skills.
• Practice using different pressures (light, medium and heavy), to achieve different depths of color and tones of color.
• Try using a light colored pencil to draw out your sketch and then blend the sketch into the layers of colors you apply.
• When your pencils become too small to sharpen, try using a pencil extender for your pencil stubs, or try gluing pencil ends together with superglue.
• To prevent smearing, smudging of debris and dark spots, wipe off the tips of pencils with a tissue or cloth before applying color.
• When working with colorless blender markers you have to be careful to wipe off the nibs of the pencils after blending, or colors will mix.
• Try purchasing several blender markers for each color, so there is not a constant need to wipe off colored areas on the nibs.
• Be careful of over-blending and over-saturating your paper, you will not be able to add any more layers of colors or blend with a blender.
• Allow your drawing to dry from the blender marker before adding any more layers of colors.
• To create an illusion of depth, try using complementary colors in dark valued areas of your artwork.
• To help hide a stain on your drawing: try using a color similar to the stain color or use an opaque medium such as white or cream to cover it.
• Colored Pencil Artist, Barbara Newton, has a wonderful tip on how to conceal a scratch mark or indent on your drawing: first apply a little color over the area, then blend the color into the area with a clear colorless blender marker and then add some more color till the mark is no longer visible.
• Try making your own colored pencil wheel using specific brands of colored pencils to use as a reference tool while creating your works of art. Two great tutorials on creating a colored pencil wheels are located at the Empty Easel and at Wetcanvas.

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