Colored Pencil Techniques

Using pencil techniques, whether color pencils or simple black lead pencils, is easier than learning to draw itself. While drawing one needs to observe the subject and draw it with perfect proportions, and maintain good clean lines. However, shading with pencil gives you more freedom and ease, as one doesn't need to be confined to perfect proportions, but just needs to take care to catch the light and shadows falling on a subject well. So, first learn drawing your subject well, and then learn these colored pencil techniques to complete your artwork.

Color Pencil Shading Techniques

Before I start explaining about the different shading techniques used for texturing, let us discuss on the lights and shadows that gives all the objects their depth and form. Whenever shading any object, it is important to observe the art subject, to figure out the three main parts, the highlight, the tones and the cast shadow. The image below shows the light source on top right corner, then a highlight, the shading of mid tone and dark tone, with the sphere's cast shadow. Understanding this and practicing the shading and texturing techniques mentioned below, you can draw detailed colored pencil art. However, practice observing the highlights, the tones and cast shadow of different objects. Pick simple objects on your desk, and dissect the lights and shadows falling on the object.



Hatching: This technique is the most basic technique used for shading. All you have to do is make angled strokes with a pencil tip.



Hatching With Tilted Pencil: This technique gives a softer look, and you need a blunt tip of the pencil to try this technique. Hold the pencil under your forefinger and thumb, so that it is close to the paper. Then make angled strokes close to each other to get this effect.



Hatching for Blending: Similar to the above technique, in this technique you can merge two or more shades together. You can increase or decrease the pressure on the pencil to get a lighter or darker shade of the desired merged color.



Cross-Hatching: Again use a pencil which has a fine tip for this technique. Make a patch with angled strokes, then overlap a patch of another opposite angled strokes on the first patch. This technique greatly helps to add depth to areas which have shadows. The cast shadow in the top image is created using this technique.



Cross-Hatching for Blending: Similar to the above technique, all you have to do is use two or more colored pencils. For example, you can use shades of green and brown to create a shadow of a tree on the ground.



Patches for Quick Texturing: This technique is very helpful while texturing and shading to give a depth. For example the angle of the patches can be changed to give dept to facial features, like patches that are receding for the nose bridge, and flat patches for lips, etc.



Stippling & Shading: Stippling can be done with pencils, but is mostly done with felt tip pens as they have perfect pointed edges. Use a sharp tipped pencil and hold it perpendicular to paper, and increase and decrease the pressure to create this stippling effect. It can be used to create texture like showing leaves on a tree, or can be used for shading a drawing subject like a portrait. In the picture, I have illustrated the light tone, middle tone and the dark tone which can be created using stippling.



Angled Stippling Dots: For this technique just give a little angled stroke while stippling on the page. This technique when done with multiple colored pencils, can give great textures.



Scumbling: Scumbling technique is done by overlapping circles on each other; use a blunt pencil tip for creating this technique.



Scumbling with Colors: With 2 or more colored pencils, this technique can help you to create great textures. In the picture, I have used brown and dark green pencil to create a texture which can be used to create ground textures.



Random Strokes: Use random upward strokes with blunt pencil tips to create this pattern. You can merge colors with this technique and create textures for grass, clothes, leaves, etc.



Small Angled Strokes: Use a blunt pencil tip, and draw small upward angled strokes to create this type of texture. It can be used to show little hair on a bald head, or vegetation on a dry land.



Smudging: This technique is very helpful to create soft shading effects. It can be used to show smoke or a baby's skin. Make a small patch using the tilted pencil hatching technique, then use your fingertips and merge the lines to produce this soft shading effect.



Razor to Lighten Shade: These colored pencil tips are greatly helpful for corrections. If you think you have made a patch that is too dark, then just scribble with a razor and then smudge the patch to make it look smooth. This technique shouldn't be tried on a thin paper, as there is a possibility of the paper being torn. In the image I have used razor on the top part of the patch, and left the bottom dark for you to study.



Incised Marks: Using a razor to make incised marks helps to expose the color layer beneath the top color layer. In this picture the bottom layer is green and top layer is red. Then using a tip of a cutter, some incision marks are made in the middle of the patch to display the underneath green colored layer.



Watercolor Effect: Shading is easier while learning to paint with watercolors is a task that needs more skills. However, you can use water soluble pencils for shading and then run a wet brush to give the water color painting like effect. In the picture, I have used Staedtler Luna watercolor pencils, and then just used a brush lightly which gave the color patch the water color effect.



So, observe different objects and keep observing the areas of different tones of light and dark. Then draw simple subjects, and use the above techniques for texturing and shading your art work to create detailed looking pencil art works.