Draw With Colored Pencils

What You Will Need...

A set (at least 12 pencils) good quality colored pencils. I recommend Prismacolors, which I use exclusively for my drawing. They come in larger quantities but get what you can afford as they are a bit expensive.

A spiral-bound 9" x 12" sketch book of good quality paper--preferably 70 lb, acid-free and at least 50 perforated pages.

A good quality pencil sharpener, "manual" or electric. Afmat is a great electric sharpener that holds up well with colored pencils, doesn't clog and makes excellent sharp points.

Easily purchase your sketch book and Prismacolor pencils online or at your favorite art supply store.

If you need help with drawing, click here to go to my Learn Basic Drawing link.

A good way to begin using colored pencils and learning how to overlay colors and blend them.

Basic shading with colored pencil

My vintage swimsuit drawing/collage video is fun  for beginners as well as more advanced students. 

 Because colored pencils are semi-transparent, creating several layers of color produces rich color gradations. Regardless of the subject, whether it be from a photo, imagination or both, this way of drawing will provide rich color, light and shading that is astounding.  Building up the layers of color gives the drawing depth. 

Here are my videos showing how you can do still life drawings using colored pencils. 

Colored pencils work well with oil pastels.  This technique was developed by a student who had been studying both colored pencils and oil pastels.  

Here are other videos I have created that explore a variety of colored pencil techniques Through these various projects, students learn the many ways colored pencils can be combined with other media.

Grandma and granddaughter explore colored pencils and oil pastels

I always welcome your comments and questions!

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Real Feedback

Thanks so much for your website! I enjoy the Drawing Lessons. Lately my two kids got interested. They don't have art at school so this is a plus!

Jeanine

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Just retired and looking for drawing class. I'm a fisherman and want to learn how to draw fish. I tried a couple times and they came out not like what I wanted. I'm taking your drawing class and I see what I didn't do. Thanks,

Bill Emerson

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9/11/13

Hi Lois, thought I would send you a quick note to tell you how much I appreciate your YouTube videos. I found you last December when I purchased a Breville smart oven. I'd never really used a toaster oven for anything other than toast and since finding you I've been cooking like crazy! My husband thinks that's wonderful.

Also I introduced my daughter to your art lessons and she is delighted, especially with the stencil one of the fishes! You encourage people of all skill levels to feel less intimidated by the thought of actually 'doing' a painting!

Anyway, just saying thank you and to let you know how much we enjoy Charlie as well.

Kindest regards,

Carol

Hey lois

I am a emerging artist here in sc I haven't had the opportunity to go to formal art schools I have been drawing all my life as far back as I can remember. I saw your free art classes online and book marked them and when I have more supplies am going back.

I want to be taken seriously, I have started getting my art out there, and have started just recently showing, my art, and sold a total of three works for aprox300.00 a piece

I still don't feel like I am a good enough artists and I desire to learn always learning

I am sending some samples of a small amount of sketches drawings, and paintings

I would love to get feed back from someone in the artworld I have been mistreated by some artist that wouldn't even look at my art \

when they found out I had not took art classes.......I've always wanted to just havent had the opportunitys .

thank you so much.

Elizabeth White

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Hello Lois.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to learn hoy to draw and paint in diferentes styles and techniques. I just started and I've never had taken any classes til now with your tutorial.

I really worldwide appreciate your comments about my still life exercise. I specially have problems with shading the table and painting the wood graining (as you can se in the picture) and also the table cloth. The melon sas difficult too, I feel something is missing there too . (Some things in the picture I didn't want them to apear in my painting)

I'm starting to work with the landscape. As son as I have ir done I'll send you the picture.

Best regards and thank you again.

Andrea Berkefeld (from México)

Watch my video on YouTube "Draw A Horse With Pencil"