I have attached the first part of the coloured pencil class, and should have the second part up over the weekend.

Please review the initial set up instructions, then make a start on your reference images and master line drawings. They must be completed and ready to be transferred by the first day of the class.

Saturday July 14 will be the official start date for the class and it will run for a month, however posts will be commented on after the class officially ends, so don't worry if you're running behind a little.

Post your references and line drawings here and we'll continue on in this thread for the entire class. I will also post Part II here.

Enjoy!

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Well thank you Jeanette for making this so very simple . I have never taken a Art class befor this will be fun

Help it won't download, on screen says done but theres nothing there

Hmmmmmm, I'm not sure where the problem lies with this Andrea. I've tested it before I posted it and it downloaded and opened just fine. Is anyone else having problems opening or viewing it?

If you PM me with your email address I can email you a copy and see if that is any better. Can you open and read any other PDF files?

Thanks Kim. Nothing in life should be more complex than it has to be. Art is about pleasure, not pain - well most of the time!

Nice Jeanette! I am wanting to take this class, so I will try to get all the supplies and to make time to work on the drawings. I think I understood the first .pdf file, though was a bit confused with the medium we should use for our intial sketch before transferring it. What I mean is the sketch in your post looked to be in yellow, so should we use a light colored pencil for our initial sketch?

Josh~

Edit: I reread the .pdf file and I think I understand, you get the light colored drawing after using transfer paper. On another note, I ordered all the materials and hopefully they arrive before the class starts. I am excited about this, thanks Jeanette!

Got it this time, I had to load an update for Adobe.

Sorry for the confusion Josh. Do your initial drawing on whatever paper you like using pencil. Once it is complete and you wish to transfer using a window or lightbox, use a light coloured pencil to transfer with, so you don't have problems later with covering up the initial lines. I hope that makes sense.

Good Andrea, these programs update so often don't they? I'm glad you have it now.

I made my list of supplies that I need and I am really excited about this class..

Have we told you lately, Ms Jeanette, that we love you? What a doll you are for doing all this work for us.. Thank you..

You have done a great job on this Jeanette! I am really looking forward to getting started. Unfortunately, it may take another week for my Prismacolors to wing their way from the USA, depending on the postal service, but I'll start as soon as I get them. So, I may be a little late for class, but I'll bring a note from my Mum! Hehe!

I have been wanting to get a electric sharpener for the longest time...... now I have no excuse to get one....lol...Thanks for a great part one Miss Jeanette.

Thank you for the outline and supply list! Off to the store I go with my list. Looking forward to learning something new.

Thanks Jeanette I was not clear on if i should trace over the image in pencil or colored pencil . I will be working on mine today .

Awwwww, Cyn, you'll make me blush. Thank you for your kind words. I hope everyone will get something out of this class.

Andrea (IRB), don't you worry about being late at all, we're open 24/7 here. AND, there's that reference and master line drawing that you have to come up with to keep you busy while you wait...heheh

Brian, you will LOVE your electric sharpener. I bought one at Walmart awhile back that was on sale for on $6! You can find them for about $20 at many stores. Business Depot and other office supply places are good starting points.

Christi, I know you'll do something wonderful with your new supplies and everyone's encouragement in this class.

Transfer your image in a pale coloured pencil Kim if you're using a light box or window. I look forward to seeing what you'll come up with, as you already have skills with CP.

thanks jeanette--i am getting started tomarrow. this is really great
Lori

Thank you for taking the time for this tutorial with coloured pencils. I am going to try to keep up with this class but don't know how successful I will be as I may be encountering surgery again in the next couple of weeks. But I do appreciate the teaching and will do the best I can to keep up. Thank you again for taking the time to post this tutorial.

Greg

Great to have you join in Lori.

Greg, sorry to hear you might have some surgery. No problem if you're late in or interrupted midstream, the thread will stay up after the official end date.

I'm working on Part II today and SHOULD have it up tonight to tomorrow. I know you're all champing at the bit to get to the 'meat' of it. We'll start officially on July 14th so you have a week to create your master line drawings and transfers before the real fun begins.

Walmart as of yesterday had X-Acto electric pencil sharpeners there for $10. They should be having some great sales here in the future being as how they are getting in the school supplies already.

Thanks Jeanette,

I bought a X-ACTO pencil sharpener from Office depot for 20 dollars......the Wall Mart I went to only had battery operated sharpeners....actually I was surprised they had some good supplies...I also bought a Staedtler Mars technico 2.0mm mechanical pencil...and a 4 pack Staedtler Mars Lumograph pencils...and a 12 pack of prisma color pencils.....and a new sketch book....but I think I need to learn more about those erasers you mention and some blending tools...

The sharpener works great I really like it.

font=Comic Sans Ms][size=7]Here is my reference photo (Wetcanvas RIL) and my line drawing.

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Sounds great Brian, nothing will be safe from being sharpened at your house now

Jangra, lovely reference, it almost glows with colour and light, and great line drawing. My suggestion to you (and everyone) would be to put as much detail into your line drawing as possible. It will act as your 'map' for your CP drawing. Add all the areas of shadow and highlight. These will be useful when rendering your drawing.

Jangra That reference looks lovely and you've done a great line drawing there

Brian David I bought one like that too and like it. In the instructions though it says not to use it with soft waxy pencils as they will clog sharpeners cutters. I hope the prismas won't do that.
Anybody know how to clean the cutters should they get clogged?

Jeanette is Bristol too smooth for the paper? I go heavy on Bristol with graphite but I don't really layer much. I go for the darks right away. If not Bristol, what paper do you suggest? I will work more on the drawing. Wasn't sure how much to put in.

Thanks Christi07.

Jeanne

Christi, I've found that the prismas don't cause a problem with the sharpeners that much. I run a graphite pencil through the sharpener every now and then to clear the blades. I replace my electric sharpener about once a year, depending on how much use it gets.

Jeanne, Bristol may cause a problem depending on what kind you have. A definite no, if its Bristol Smooth either 300 or 400. If you have Bristol Vellum you can probably get away with it as long as you have a light touch with your layers. The best paper would be Stonehenge or a good quality Canson that is used for pastel or charcoal. You need a paper that has a bit of texture to it so that it holds the layers.

Brian David wrote:

"I bought one like that too and like it. In the instructions though it says not to use it with soft waxy pencils as they will clog sharpeners cutters. I hope the prismas won't do that.
Anybody know how to clean the cutters should they get clogged?"


Sharpen a graphite pencil in it to clean it. That was the instructions on my sharpener.

Debby

Part II has now been posted. It was a little rushed so my apologies if parts don't make sense.

If you have any questions about it please let me know.

Happy drawing!

Hi Christi07......my sharpener seems to do well with Prisma pencils.....Thanks Debby and Jeanette...that seems to be the solution to use graphite once in a while to clean the blades...and I agree.... the blades must get dull after a while and likely need to be replaced from time to time....

Well I wanted to try an animal.... but I think that is way over my head so I thought I would try these pears.

Great part 2 Jeanette....and thanks for all your help.

Thanks Jeanette and Debby...will do that.

Great line drawing Brian. Pears are a nice simple shape that's a good starting point for coloured pencil.

Now start mapping out the shadows and highlights on it so it will act as the blueprint for your CP drawing.

hi everyone
jeanette i think i am going to tackle this picture or maybe part of it. i was going to try a portrait but decided to start with this first. let me know if you think this would be good or not. if not i will find another. thanks
Lori

Ok, here's my reference. Will this work, or am I in over my head?

Debby

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Here's what I'm going to try:

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There's a nice tutorial on drawing an adult hand on Ann Kullberg's site, and it has inspired me. I have her "Colored Pencil Portraits step by step" and it is awesome.

Now to start that line drawing!

Lori, this is a good picture, but I'd suggest that you crop and use just a section of it if you're just starting out in CP. There's a lot of detail in this and you may want to draw just a couple of the items in the basket instead of the whole thing.

Debby this should be fine. Cherries are wonderful to draw and great for coloured pencil.

Ernest, nice choice. Yes, I have Ann's book too, isn't it a great resource? That will stand you in good stead for creating the skin tones on these hands.

thanks jeanette-- i agree i think i will just tackle a couple of the fruits. i need to enlarge my picture and do line drawing today--kids are going fishing so i will have the house to myself for awhile!!! also i am checking the ann kullberg book for that color pencil portraits-sounds very interesting.
Lori

Okay, I decided to go with a still life too, I thought an animal may be a little too challenging for a first try with CP's!

Here's my reference picture and my detailed line drawing.
If it proves to be too hard I have a backup reference picture!

Here is my reference photo & line drawing before transfer to my working paper.

And here's mine

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I will post my line drawing later

Good idea Lori, its best to start off small and work your way up to something more complex. Ann's book is great, I'd recommend to anyone who want to seriously get into portraiture in CP.

Andrea (IRB), beautiful reference, I've seen this one before done in CP and its stunning. I'm sure yours will be too.

Andrea (andyart), another good reference, nice clean shapes and colours. The line drawing looks great, now map the shapes of shadows into your master drawing before you transfer it.

Silks, wonderful reference. Peppers seem to be created just for coloured pencil! This will be lovely.

Thanks Jeanette,

I sketched in the shadows and have started to color......this sure is new to me...my first try is in the recycle bin....I just went too hard so I am trying to keep it lighter now...here is my start.

I absolutely love how you put this together, I have all ready learned so much...Thanks Brian.

So, do you want us to put our first washes of colours onto the drawing? Of course, I'm dying to get started but still waiting for my pencils to arrive!

Ok here are two pics I have from one of the free sites or another. I think Wetcanvas. But I liked the two of these and can't decide which one I like the best....Miss Jeanette, Help!! LOL Which do you think?

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Venus, beautiful pics. Yes... It's really hard to say which is better... Maybe first?

Ok, everyone slow down. One step at a time.

I know you are anxious to start your drawings and play with colour, but like all good recipes, there is a process, sometimes not quite such fun, that needs to happen before you get to the final product.

I would like to see people's samples of the colour palette they choose for their drawing. Little blocks of colour so that you know which pencils you will need for your piece. This is a bit like creating a swatch or tension sample - for the knitters out there. It is a crucial part of the development of your drawing and should not be skipped.

Look carefully at your reference image and use your pencils to create little colour blocks to recreate those colours. Draw small sections to try out samples of your colour choices and see how many layers it takes to achieve the value you want. Play with colour choices, pressure, layers and see how the pencils go on to the support you're using.

Brian, CP is a slow process if you want it to look good. I'm not sure if the grey in your drawing is graphite or CP? And yes start off with a very light hand to allow yourself the ability to add layers of colour.

Andrea (IRB) I'd prefer people waited until the official start date on July 14 to begin the process, but if you're ready (see above about palette choices) then start in with your washes of colour.

Venus, I would go with the second, the apples and the stone jar. I've always loved that image and have drawn it in graphite. It translates well to coloured pencil.

Very nice line drawing Siks, now start playing with your colour palette and see what you come up with.

Jeanette, that is the one I was really contimplating doing. I also did it in graphite but drew the picture really small. I have plans in the near future to redo it even bigger. I also found this colored version too and have been wanting to do it in color. Now should I stick with white paper or use a colored paper? I have a pad of Strathmore Art Paper assorted colors. It has white, peach, green, slate gray, slate blue and red, ohh and there is also an off white. Another question is does the paper size have to be 9 by 12 or can we go bigger and just take digital pictures of our work in progress? I will work on my line drawing and my color chart tonight before I go to bed, while I wait for my answers.

Venus, I think you'll do well with this reference.

I'd recommend sticking with white for this one right now, unless you want to do something more dramatic and eliminate having to create the dark background. If you can, experiment a little with different coloured papers and your coloured pencils and see how the pigment reacts on different supports. You get dramatically different results on coloured paper than white at times.

There is also drafting film, which I have used from time to time. It quite unique to use but you are limited with the number of layers that you put down, so you're forced to use your colours wisely to achieve the effect you want.

I recommended 9 x 12 because coloured pencil is time consuming to do and a larger image will take a lot of time. Now if you want to put in the time, that's fine with me and yes you can use a digital camera to capture your work. No one here is restricted to a scanner, as often digital cameras give the best images of art work I've found.

J
[b]Jeanette I think I will go with this one, unless you think it would be to difficult for a first try at cp.


( image from wet canvas)

HeHe Venus, great minds think alike! I thought I might use the apples in the pot as my backup picture (from Wet Canvas) if I don't get on with the silver in my first picture! I just love the textures on the pot.
Go for it!

I decided to do thumb tacks ..I like bright colors ...here is my outline and the image I am going to use .

Andrea, I just love this picture. I thought of doing another dolphin picture but was just drawn to this one. Its great isn't it? Very homely yet uniquely antique.

Jeanette, I will play around with the colored paper and see if I like it or not. Then will decided on going with color or white paper. As for the size I think it will depend on my mood and if I want to put alot of time into it.

Kim I just love the thumb tacks and from the reference it looks to be a great picture when it is finished, cool choice.

Christi, I think your cardinal is a good choice and quite 'do-able'

Kim, this will be a great CP drawing. Simple graphic shapes and colours work really well. Great line drawing as well.

My colour palette, I tried to scan the transfered coloured line drawing but it's too light to see, even with playing with the settings.I'm using aprox 16 coloures in total.