Hi and I need help

[Shey]

Hello all........I haven't posted in awhile. Hope you all are happily drawing away with those pencils! My question is this......I feel so inept with colored pencil, I am doing a project from "The Colored Pencil Solution Book", cherries on black paper. I thought this will be easy, no problem. First I realized to my horror that I didn't have all the right colors needed! Off to the art store I went. Got the colors. Now when I apply the colors, I can't get the the hang of how much pressure to apply. I don't know if I'm going to dark or not dark enough with my colors. Little flecks of black are showing through my layers and I don't think they should. I'm going to post a picture of it so you all can see. This is my first real try at pencils, thanks in advance for your help.I'll have to post the pic after I pick the kids up from school oops lost track of the time!

[cbarber]

I have learned you need to keep your pencils very sharp all the time. Use short strokes and keep layering.
I hope this works. It has for me.
I would love to see your picture.

[TeAnne]

Originally posted by cbarber
I have learned you need to keep your pencils very sharp all the time. Use short strokes and keep layering.
I hope this works. It has for me.
I would love to see your picture.

Yes, many layers of light strokes and blending with the colourless blender. Somtime the paper can be a bit pitted too and you just can't get anywhere with it. Never give up though, okay?

[Shey]

Thanks TeAnne and cBarber! I'm having problems with my digital camera. I'll try to post the pic tomorrow. Also I can't find the color Indian red in Prismacolor, will Tuscan red do ok for a dark cherry laid over Indigo Blue? I'm still not great at choosing color combinations. The project is on page 46 of the "Colored Pencil Solution Book. by Janie Gildow and Barbara Benedetti Newton. Thought I would try this to get a feel of the pencils before striking out on my own! Thanks so much!!

[Ivyleaf]

Shey,

Hope the drawing is coming along well. I took a look at the lesson in the book, and it would seem to me you'd want to go with Henna, Terra Cotta, Mahogany Red or a similar earthy red color. I don't know the polychromos line, but the name Indian Red I would assume connotates an earthy red color. Here is a reference of all the Prismacolors: Prismacolor Reference
You might also want to experiment with Dahlia Purple, that would seem like it would be a nice choice as well to go with the Indigo Blue and the Scarlet Lake.

As far as coverage goes, the more layers you use with sharp pencils, the more paper will be covered. If you have just put down the first layer or two and the paper is still showing thru, for this lesson that would seem okay since you will be adding more layers to cover the paper. Just make sure to keep the pencils sharp!

Good luck and can't wait to see the progress!

[Shey]

Hi Ivyleaf......hope your keepin busy with those pencils! Thanks for the info. I did finish the cherries and I will try to get them posted tonight after work. I had to improvise on a couple of the colors as I didn't have the right pencils, but I think that was a good way for me to become more familiar with the colors! I am now going to try the little copper pitcher on page 75 of the book and then I will start working on some of my OWN ideas. I just need to learn a little more about laying in the colors.

Shey (who is having a great time here at WC) :

clap: PS. I'll talk to you soon in the cafe!

[miek37]

Dear Shey!!! I work exclusive on black paper or card stock. I have found the most wonderful way to save a lot of heartbreak and heartache and frustration is to take a piece of whatever I will be working on and do samples of the colors I want to work with. I ALMOST ALWAYS lay down a white underdrawing first then work up to the darkest color I will be using. See if that might help, but ALWAYS make little samples first!!!

Nest. Bet Bergeson in her book "Basic Colored Pencil Techniques" says to use very sharp points on your pencils to work the white or first light color DOWN INTO the pits in the paper. Then the applications of the following colors will not have the black holes peeking through!!

Gotta go, have 22 orders from the shop that sells my art work, so can't stay on computer too long!!

Helen