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Learn to draw with colored pencils - Page 1

1. Introduction

In this small guide about drawing with colored pencils (crayons) I would like to show all people interested the basic knowledge about drawing with colored pencils. First I will describe the tools that you need for the work. Then I will describe the drawing technics. The online art course finishes with a step-by-step instructions for a complete picture.

The most important rule when you are drawing with colored pencils is as so often: Skill comes with practice. To learn drawing with colored pencils, you need a lot of patience and practice. Especially if you want to draw detailed images, like my picture Tree Snake (you can find that picture in my Gallery) or the Chocolates on Aluminium Foil (in my Gallery as well). If you draw lavish pictures like this, you already know after a short time what you are up against ;-). However, those images are very impressive when they are finished and colored pencils are really well suitable for drawing detailed pictures. To paint a great number of details with the brush is, in my opinion, more time-consuming then drawing it with colored pencils.

colored pencil painting
example for a painting drawn with colored pencil

2. Materials and Equipment for Drawing

Colored Pencils / Crayons

Usually, colored pencils are called also crayons. In this guide, however, I will talk about colored pencils. There are waterproofed pencils and watercolor pencils. This guide addresses only the waterproofed pencils. The mines of waterproofed pencils are made of color pigments, binders, fillers and lubricants. The composition of the ingredients determines the strength of the mine. colored pencils with soft mines have a strong paint application, but they are correspondingly faster obtuse. This means that if you have a picture without precise details or don't intend to draw fine lines, your supposed to use colored pencils with soft mines. For images with many details you should use colored pencils with stronger mines - otherwise it means to sharp, to sharp, to sharp.

learn to draw with coloured pencils
colored pencils (Polychromos) from Faber Castell

My personal tip are the Polychromos from the company Faber-Castell (that not an ad). These color pencils have a very good paint application, but they are hard enough to draw fine details and lines as well. They are relatively expensive, but I think to save money at the pencils means to save at the wrong end. It takes big box of pencils when you start drawing - a small set will suffice. Other colors can be chosen additionally depending on the motive.

Paper / Drawing Cardboard

The selection of the drawing cardboard realy has great influence on how the final image will look like. An important parameter is the roughness of the paper surface. On rough paper you will achieve a stronger color application, while smooth paper is better suited to draw thin lines and small details. The best is to try out different types of paper and get a feeling for the properties.

Eraser

OK, it's obvious that you will need an eraser. However, you should be careful what kind of eraser you are going to use. So you should not use an ink eraser, as this will unplug the top layer of paper and thus attack the drawing and painting surface. That has a negative effect if you are drawing over the same position again. Plastic erasers are better, as those erasers do not - or even less - attakt the drawing cardboard.

Eraser Pen

Eraser pens are wooden pens with a Eraser mine. They are especially suitable to erase details from finished drawings e.g. to place highlights. Furthermore you can blur the color to in order to make color gradients appear smoother.

Sharpener

To prevent the tip of your pens from breaking when you are sharpening it, you should use best a sharpener machine. Sharpener machines are also available with a adjustable top form and sharpen stop. Alternatively you can also use a knife to sharpen your colored pencils. With the knife it takes a little longer, but it is possible to form an individual peak form - this can be an advantage sometimes.

learn to draw with coloured pencils
example for a sharpener machine

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