Introduction

The primary role of an artist is one of communication and interpretation; the medium and the skills you acquire in handling it are the means through which you express your ideas and pictorial interests. Interpretation is a personal matter, and cannot be taught, but practical skills can, and the aim of this book is to provide you with a repertoire that allows you to make the most of your colored pencils. Bt there are many different ways to draw and paint, and although practicing methods and techniques can be stimulating and fulfilling, openness to experimentation and exploring options is often the best way to success. You as the artist have an influential role to play, and I hope that you will see this book as a stepping stone toward developing your own way of working. Colored pencils are an excellent medium for the newcomer to drawing and painting, and will be familiar to many through childhood “coloring-in” exercises, but they can also produce highly sophisticated results, and the pencils used by artists today are a world away from the cheap and cheerful crayons of the schoolroom. Highly versatile, they can be used as a drawing or a painting medium, either on their own or in conjunction with other media.

Techniques Step-by-step demonstrations take you through the all-important techniques.

The Colored Pencil Artist’s Drawing Bible is divided into several sections, starting with the basic tools and materials required, following on to a chapter on how to use them, each technique illustrated with clear step-by-step demonstrations by professional artists. Here you will find advice on basic drawing skills such as hatching, shading, or blending as well as those with a more specialized use, such as burnishing or impressing. “All about color” offers insights into color relationships, and how you can use these to give your work additional impact. You will also learn how to mix colors, achieving many different hues with quite a small basic palette. “Planning and Procedures” will help you decide how to compose your pictures, how to choose the best viewpoint, and how to get the most out of your sketchbook studies.

Pencil ranges Types of colored pencils and their use with a range of other media are discussed.

Color All aspects of color theory are clearly explained.

The latter part of the book contains several full-scale demonstrations, allowing you to “look over the artist’s shoulder” to see how each one goes about their personal style of picturemaking and builds up their effects. This is followed by a gallery of finished works by a variety of artists, which bears testimony to the versatility of the medium and hopefully will give you ideas as to how to develop and enrich your own drawing style. Finally, the “Subjects” section provides a wealth of possible drawing subjects with a selection of photographs divided into themes, along with advice on how you might translate them into colored-pencil drawings.

All in all, The Colored Pencil Artist’s Drawing Bible is a must have for anyone interested in this medium, whether a beginner or a more experienced artist looking for new approaches.