|
|
|
Channels:
|
Search for:
|
Author: Karen_Cardinal, Contributing Editor
 | Carbon Next I turn my tracing paper over to the back-side and color over the lines with a color pencil that is close in shade to my paper. (Learn from my mistakes, though, and don’t get your pencil exactly the shade of your paper. You will have to be able to see your lines once you’ve transferred them.) |
| Outline This part can be a little boring sometimes, because you’ve already traced your drawing once. Now you will need to trace your drawing again. Lay your tracing paper on top of your drawing paper with the color pencil side down. (It helps to tape it all down on your drawing surface.) Now take an old ballpoint pen and trace over the lines you want to transfer. (See you’ve made your own carbon paper) Once you’re done remove the tracing paper and you have a perfect outline on your drawing paper. It will probably look like a coloring book outline if you trace the way I do. Now you’re ready to color in the lines. --Remember in this step you really won’t have to push as hard when you trace as you think you will— |  |
 | Midtones Now that I have my outline I begin my drawing by putting in my midtones. I usually try to make a "finished" drawing by using only the 3 or 4 midtone shades that I have chosen. Some artists use this stage to create a grisaille drawing. (Simply drawing your picture in shades of gray that you will apply your color over) I tried that once, but was unsatisfied with the results. Color pencil is a semi-opaque medium, so the grays of my grisaille drawing showed through and prevented my colors from being as powerful as I wanted. --I have had people who wanted me to tell them exactly what colors to use to make their picture. This is something I can’t do. The colors you use to draw the same face will dramatically vary according to lighting, mood, or even the background you choose. Sometimes it’s fun to draw a portrait using nothing but purples. Experiment with your colors… You may come up with something you never would have discovered otherwise. — |
| Contrast With my midtones in I add the darks and lights. I try to avoid black and white pencils, unless I want an unreal comic book feel to my drawing. I have also found that I was over-using my umbers, which basically dulled the pictures down, so I have tried making my last 3 works using no umber at all. The drawings are much brighter now, but I have to be careful with my colors so that they don’t get so bright that they distract from the artwork. |  |
| Bringing it to a finish Now that all my shades are in, I merely go over my drawing, unifying the colors (in this drawing that was done by adding blues and purples to the shadows of the hair and skin) and deepening shadows and bringing out the highlights. This is the point where your drawing becomes real. Sometimes colors have to be adjusted to bring out your focal point. When I’m happy with a drawing then I set it aside for a couple of days and don’t even look at it. When I come back to it I might find that it needs a slight tweaking here or there, but usually all it needs is a coat of fixative to avoid wax bloom. Now I’m ready to frame it and enjoy the fruits of my labor. |
 |
| Quick Jump: [ 1 - 2 ] | ||||
| B i o g r a p h y | |
 |
I have been working in colored pencils for many many years and have enjoyed every minute. Through my website "The Color Pencil Challenge" I have had the opportunity to work with some of the leading experts in the field of of colored pencil art. ...Ahhh life is sweet! |
| E-Mail: karen@karencardinal.com Web Site: http://KarenCardinal.com | |
 |
||
|
||
Copyright © 1998-2009, F+W Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. FA |
||
