# Help With Coloured Pencils



## Itakirie (Apr 16, 2011)

Okay then, so one of the banes of my art is that...I have no clue how the Hell to colour and shade with coloured pencils in a way that it looks at least a bit decent. And tutorials don't really seem to help much. And I would enjoy learning how to use markers and coloured pencils in my work.

Any coloured pencil artists here who can majorly help? D:


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## Masangai (Apr 16, 2011)

As far as my experience goes there are a few things that are really helpful.

1. Pencil Brand
The cheaper your pencils are, the less pigment they contain and the more wax. This makes layering colors very VERY difficult, because the wax builds up too fast and you can't add more pigment. I recommend Prismacolor or Derwent. Derwent pencils are easier for beginners because they are really really soft and smooth. They also come in really cool colors.

2. Technique
You need to be very patient with colored pencils. They are really time consuming. Always keep your pencils very sharp, so keep a sharpener or knife nearby. Start out light so you can cover mistakes. Layer different colors to get the color you want, then layer a lighter color over the top to smooth the shading out. This makes your colors nice, soft, and smooth. I generally do about four layers of shading before finishing an area.

3. Plan Everything
You can't erase colored pencils... so make sure you know what colors you want before you start!

Hope that helps, Colored pencils are my favorite things in the world!


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## Zydala (Apr 16, 2011)

I went ahead and looked in your gallery for any colored pencil work; I'm going to give you some advice from what I saw of this: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5411956

Number one: if you want an even, smooth look, always lay down colors in one direction. You're coloring very quickly and in multiple directions and we can see all that because of it. Take it slow, with even pressure and parallel strokes. 

Two: layers. Keep layering on the colors for richer tones. Try mixing colors to get a hue or texture you're looking for.

Three: Shadows and shading. Your picture is looking very flat. Remember to get a sense of a 3D form with your pictures.

It looks like it's on a toned paper which can be hard to see if you don't have colored pencils with a good amount of pigment in them, as mentioned.

Keep these in mind and if you have any other questions maybe come back with some examples of things that you're having trouble with!


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## Itakirie (Apr 16, 2011)

Thanks to both of you. <3


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## fingerpaints (Apr 18, 2011)

I have found that trial & error with coloured pencil brands does help, buy a few smaller packs of like 12 pencils from different brands (faber castle, derwent or whatever is available) and play around a bit, see what feels comfortable. I generally use faber castle myself because this is what im most comfortable using, other artists would steer well clear of them.

Ive found too if you find an artist that you admire, maybe take little hints on board, I have had some artists that I fancy myself take on some parts of my 'style' of work, find a style that works for you & stick with it. If you get bored, try new things, drawing & colouring should be fun, so dont make it a chore 

Always keep your pencils super sharp when outlining & doing detail, when flat colouring, try keeping the pencil to the side so you have a broarder area & this will help you colour more evenly. Dont press too hard, if the colour hasnt gone on as dark as you want, go back over it again, dont make it look like a birds nest by pushing your pencil into the paper too hard. This will always look messy.

Good luck with it all


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## Zydala (Apr 18, 2011)

fingerpaints said:


> I generally use faber castle myself because this is what im most comfortable using, other artists would steer well clear of them.


 
What brand of Faber Castell? The Polychromos brand are excellent top-notch pencils; the only reason I'd think people would stay away from them is the price! ;]


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## Jw (Apr 18, 2011)

I will add this: it's a general rule that an artist should find one art supply to splurge on and get the best. You know what you'll like the best after you try the rest. 

I'm talking about sable brushes for painters, or expensive oil paints, or top tier colored media. My Splurge item happens to be a collections of Conte' Crayons.  Pick something you know will make you shine the most. 

I will add that poor media can hold you back after a certain point, but bulking up the basics and foundations of drawing is the only way to reach that point. But believe me, you'll know when that time comes.


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## Zydala (Apr 18, 2011)

Jw said:


> I will add this: it's a general rule that an artist should find one art supply to splurge on and get the best. You know what you'll like the best after you try the rest.
> 
> I'm talking about sable brushes for painters, or expensive oil paints, or top tier colored media. My Splurge item happens to be a collections of Conte' Crayons.  Pick something you know will make you shine the most.
> 
> I will add that poor media can hold you back after a certain point, but bulking up the basics and foundations of drawing is the only way to reach that point. But believe me, you'll know when that time comes.



Yeah this! I mean having the best media does make a difference to an extent; I've had professors say that you need it from the start (to really experience the best the medium has to offer) and I've also had them say the opposite (that some mediums are perfectly fine to play with at student grade to test them out) - but the heart of the matter is, crappy art is made by crappy artists and not crappy materials  Even the best artist can get something great out of lower grade media.

In any case holy crap I'm jealous of that conte set! >:0 I wannnt itttt


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## Arshes Nei (Apr 18, 2011)

We seem to be repeating information out there on other threads and some ways contradicting what was said.

Brand only matters to a certain point. I can do what I need to with 99 cent colored pencils along with the more expensive prismacolor. The trick is actually the wood grain and pencil lead being properly centered - more than the brand. Paper ends up mattering a lot more. Depending on the tooth can affect the texture of your pencil and the tricks you can do.

While Prismas have a thicker waxier laydown than other brands ...this doesn't mean it's the best but people may prefer it. I've had badly cased prismas where the wood would break and splinter or the the lead slips. This is why after buying a set I definitely go out and inspect the new ones I'm getting and select them individually. There's nothing worse than spending more money on a pack and getting more bad pencils. 

I've also used water soluble pencils as well as regular ones.

http://forums.furaffinity.net/threads/83969-I-need-tips-with-colored-pencils-and-acrylics.

http://forums.furaffinity.net/threa...then-Prismas?p=1948802&viewfull=1#post1948802

http://forums.furaffinity.net/threa...then-Prismas?p=1948802&viewfull=1#post1948802

I've been using them for years and many different varieties.


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## Jw (Apr 18, 2011)

Zydala said:


> Yeah this! I mean having the best media does make a difference to an extent; I've had professors say that you need it from the start (to really experience the best the medium has to offer) and I've also had them say the opposite (that some mediums are perfectly fine to play with at student grade to test them out) - but the heart of the matter is, crappy art is made by crappy artists and not crappy materials  Even the best artist can get something great out of lower grade media.
> 
> In any case holy crap I'm jealous of that conte set! >:0 I wannnt itttt


 
You have Prismacolors though


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## Zydala (Apr 18, 2011)

@ Arshes: yeah I totally forgot about talking about paper and I don't know why. Good point. Also I think I never bring up the earlier threads just because I like talking about this subject lol

@ jw: but connttteeeeeee (I've kind of fallen in love with conte this past semester lol)


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## myxini (Apr 22, 2011)

OK, looking at the drawing Zydala linked to...

Try to lay down as smooth and even a tone as you can. practice with it on scratch paper, draw say... 5 boxes in a row. color the first one in with the lightest even layer you can, and the last with the darkest. then fill in the others with the midtones. also practice gradients, coloring a smooth transition from very light to very dark. 

Layer your colors. fill in areas with a medium layer of your base color, then work over that with other colors to deepen your shadows, brighten your highlights, and generally make the color richer.  I hardly ever use just one color for anything, even black is usually built out of several colors to get just the right tone I want. colored pencils done well take a lot of time. 

as far as pencil brand?  yeah, it makes a difference, but you don't need fancy pencils yet. find some decent student-grade pencils (I've found that Prang has better pigment density than Crayola) and practice. If you get to the point that you really love using colored pencils, spring for the nicer ones. but don't waste money until you've got the basics down.


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