Tonal layering Exercise - Step by Step Coloured pencil Tutorial
Written: 7th March 2017
Artist level: Beginner
Welcome to this Step by Step Tutorial of a Watermelon in Coloured pencils on Saunders Waterford hp paper. The Tutorial below is aimed at those interested in learning how to layer with Coloured pencils to create detailed and effective Art which has been written for use with Derwent Coloursoft pencils, however regardless of which Coloured pencil range you use, you can use the colour guide below the Coloured pencil images to pick out your own colours for this exercise but it is not necessary to match them exactly. For a brightly coloured subject such as this Watermelon, a smooth white paper will be the best choice - any Watercolour hp paper will work well. Achieving effect in Coloured pencil portraits are created by layering a selection of colours, light to dark first starting with a light application and building up to heavier ones - too much pressure of initial layers may saturate the paper too early and you will not be able to apply consecutive layers. This tutorial is aimed at beginners to Coloured pencils but if you are an Intermediate user you can add more detail by using further colours than those shown here. Use the photograph below to work from and feel free to E-mail me your drawing upon completion, I would love to add them to this page and I hope you enjoy this tutorial!
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Before you start....
Studying your subject before you even begin putting pencil to paper it may help to create a colour chart of the pencil colours you have so you can easily match tones, picking out the pencils you will be using before you begin. If you are working from still life, the first thing to do is choose the colours you will need. A simple subject like this watermelon may look like 4 or 5 colours will suffice but look carefully....how many colours actually make up the pulp of the fruit?
A tip I recommend for anything that is semi-translucent is to hold the subject up to natural lighting, how many more colours can you see now? Take a flash photo of the subject when possible, this can strengthen colours making it more vibrant which in turn will make your Artwork even more effective, it can also define those darker areas even further. How many colours can you see in the inner rind and the outer rind? What about the colours of those highlights of the fruit pulp. For this simple study, I opted to keep the colours I used to a minimum so as not to complicate this exercise too much, especially important if this is your first drawing with Coloured pencils, keep it simple as you may be able to add to it at a later date if the layers are not applied too thick and heavy.
A tip I recommend for anything that is semi-translucent is to hold the subject up to natural lighting, how many more colours can you see now? Take a flash photo of the subject when possible, this can strengthen colours making it more vibrant which in turn will make your Artwork even more effective, it can also define those darker areas even further. How many colours can you see in the inner rind and the outer rind? What about the colours of those highlights of the fruit pulp. For this simple study, I opted to keep the colours I used to a minimum so as not to complicate this exercise too much, especially important if this is your first drawing with Coloured pencils, keep it simple as you may be able to add to it at a later date if the layers are not applied too thick and heavy.
Please feel free to elaborate on your Watermelon study, choose more vibrant tones if you wish (Prismacolor Premier pencils are ideal for vibrancy) if you wish to e-mail your completed drawing to me so I can add it to the Gallery at the bottom of this page, please do and if it is your very first Coloured pencil portrait ever please let me know!
Lastly, Enjoy and have fun!
Lastly, Enjoy and have fun!
Derwent Coloursoft pencils needed:
720 White 560 Peach 570 Pale peach 170 Soft Pink 010 Cream 070 Orange 090 Blood Orange 120 Red
410 Dark Green 440 Light Green, 450 Yellow green 460 Lime Green Optional Extra: Brown 510
720 White 560 Peach 570 Pale peach 170 Soft Pink 010 Cream 070 Orange 090 Blood Orange 120 Red
410 Dark Green 440 Light Green, 450 Yellow green 460 Lime Green Optional Extra: Brown 510
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IMPORTANT TIP: Coloursoft pencils are, as their name suggests soft, and it is recommended when layering colours that you begin by applying colours lightly using a softened point or the side of the 'lead' (see Stage 4 below) to avoid applying heavy lines to the paper which can spoil the soft and natural looking effect you are attempting to achieve - Using a BLENDER can help create a smooth transition of colour too but if pencil lines are applied too heavily, a blender will not be able to smooth them out.
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Where do I start?For a subject as colourful as this Watermelon, working on a bright white paper will be ideal as it will really show off its colours. Begin by drawing your outline using a HB or B pencil. It does not have to be perfect in shape, but do ensure you apply all the important sections such as the 'pips', marking out the edges of where the rind meets the pulp as well as defining the markings in the pulp and the highlights too. Avoid drawing a heavy outline so it can be erased as you go along, do not apply colours over the graphite outline as you will seal them below the colour and may spoil your work. Remember to keep early colour applications relatively loose and light.
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Stage 1 - Laying the Foundations
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COLOURS: 560 Peach, 170 Soft Pink, 010 Cream, 460 Lime Green, 410 Dark Green
Achieving great effect using Coloured pencils are achieved by layering colours together, ideally light to dark - starting with a gentle application of pressure and building up to heavier ones is the best way if you wish to create detailed Art but beware as adding too much pressure early on could saturate the paper so you will not be able to add further layers and may spoil your work. Begin the undertones to this watermelon by starting with the Soft Pink first, applying a loose application from top to bottom following what I call the 'sunshine' direction, (see the pink lines) Apply the Pale peach around the edges of the pulp where you can see warmer tones and follow this up with a light application of the Cream to the inner rind section. Onto the outer rind, apply a heavy line using the Dark Green as this is a hard edge so pressure can be used here. Apply a layer of Lime Green between the dark green & the Cream. The foundations have now been laid.
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Stage 2 - The Rind
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COLOURS: 410 Dark Green, 440 Light Green, 450 Yellow green, 460 Lime Green
Begin the build up of the fruit at the rind for this exercise, for better effect, using 4 tones of green is going to give more realism than say, using only two and so for this I have picked out the Dark Green, Light Green, Yellow green & Lime Green. Begin by applying a gentle application of Lime green immediately above the Dark green of the rind already placed, follow it up by gently applying the Lime Green over the top and finally the Yellow Green in the line between the lighter green tones and the Dark green edge, this will give a smooth transition. You may wish to reapply the Dark green to the rind to make the colour stronger if your initial application was light.
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Stage 3 - Define & Apply - Mid layersCOLOURS: 720 White, 090 Blood Orange, 120 Red
Looking closely at the mid section of the fruit itself, you can see a few pale seeds in places which you should define using the white & cream pencils before applying any other colour to the pulp. Once completed take note of the dark red areas where the pips usually sit and it is helpful at this stage to apply the Red pencil defining these areas. As this needs to stay the darkest point of the fruit, you can apply heavier applications of colour, including the Red Orange to areas too for added effect. These areas need to stay darker than the rest of the colours so you may need to darken them further as you add more layers.
COLOURS: 070 Orange, 090 Blood Orange, 120 Red
The next part is to create the tones of the red fruit - I have only used a couple of colours in this quick example but you can create more realism by adding more colours such as the Orange, Salmon Pink and even a yellow tone too - remember whatever colours you choose to add, make sure you apply the lighter tone first up to the darkest colour. The 2 tones I used, Red & Blood Orange were both applied following the same 'sunshine' application as previous (see the direction of lines on the image) I worked from the top point of the watermelon to the bottom simply to avoid creating an untidy section at the top of the fruit that should be flat, but whichever way you choose to do it will make little difference if you are careful. You can see from the image that the central section is much darker than the bottom section where pulp meets rind and the colour lightens up considerably.
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Stage 4 - Applying highlights and final detailsCOLOURS: 570 Pale peach, 170 Soft Pink, 010 Cream, 720 White, Brown 510
The final stage is applying the 'top layer' of detail. This is the last part where you have completed the build up of tones and are now looking to apply the highlights or additional shading that adds to further realism. Looking at the Watermelon photo, there are many highlighted areas/markings that need to be put in and the white is very good for this subject in particular but adding shades in Pale Peach, Soft Pink and even Cream will also help to add to the effect. White will create one tone, so these additional colours will help to create further highlighted tones adding to the authenticity of a natural subject. You may wish to blend the lighter section of the rind using the white or even the cream pencil to create a smooth, transitional distinction between that and the pulp itself and as an added point of definition, I added some light layers of the Brown pencil to define the pip 'pockets' even further.
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The main pointers in this tutorial can be applied to any subject you create in Coloured pencils, although this tutorial is certainly not the ONLY way you should work with them, different Artists have different techniques and this one is mine, in time you may adapt your own technique in Coloured pencils or maybe even find that Coloured pencils aren't really for you but it is always good to try it out from another's perspective. I am sure that this subject may not appeal to every Artist but it can be a very good learning curb especially if you have never used Coloured pencils before and I hope this has been an interesting, even enjoyable practice session. Thank you for giving it a go and remember, feel free to share it with me so I can add it to the Gallery on this page.
Found it too Easy? Why not try our SNOW LEOPARD EYE tutorial
Found it too Easy? Why not try our SNOW LEOPARD EYE tutorial
If you wish to find out more about products used in this Tutorial or looking to buy a Coloured pencil range, you can click on any of the images below and take a look at one of our Articles:
Derwent Coloursoft pencils
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Saunders Waterford hp Paper
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Coloured pencils Comparison
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