This is a blog post I wrote on my deviantArt account way back in 2016. Since I no longer have access or use my deviantArt account, and I'm keeping the post here for people who may want to start drawing with coloured pencils.
Story time
I was on holiday for about 10 days, and therefore didn't have access to my digital tablet. Instead, I decided to practice drawing using more traditional means. Specifically I practiced using a pencil, fine-liner and coloured pencils.
So I went and bought the cheapest fine-liner and coloured pencils I could find. The fine-liner seemed fine, but the pencils... not so much.
Learning to colour
I actually made a thread to ask for help from more experienced deviants.
The key lesson I received from the thread was:
Do not use cheap pencils!
Using low quality pencils was very difficult due to them giving off less pigment when used. I found I had to apply 2-3 layers of colour before it was noticeable. Eventually I ended up simply pressing harder while applying the layers (which possibly led to RSI for my wrist). In the end, after applying as many layers as the paper could take, the overall colour saturation was not very high.
Also, most of the pencils had many breaks in the core so I ended running through many of them very quickly while trying to sharpen them.
I found switching to a better pencil brand to be relieving. Personally I bought Faber-Castell coloured pencils and loved them.
Based on the advice of artists on the thread, the following brands were also recommended:
Crayola
Koh-I-Noor Mondeluz
brunzyeel
prismacolours
Cra-Z-Art
Caran D'ache
Derwent
Other key advice I picked up from the helpful artists included:
layer your colours - go over the same spot multiple time to add more colour; this also helps with blending colours
sharpen your pencils - gives more colour
using circular motions - this is slower, but gives more even colour and more colour in general
More advice can be found in the thread:
Links provided by artists include:
Learning to colour inside the lines gallery
I've started uploading the results of my practice with traditional media in this gallery:
Drawings from my holiday in 2016
Thanks to all the artists who responded to my thread and gave advice!
saintartaud
BlackGasolineDesign
If you're interested in traditional art (or interesting art in general), have a look at their galleries.
Learn to draw anything
If you are interested in drawing with coloured pencils but don't know where to start, my tutorial series for absolute beginners might the exactly what you've been looking for!
138. Why not Bender
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