Color pencils - what are they? How do they draw?

Who among us did not paint in deep childhood with colored pencils? Probably a little such. And until now, some people believe that pencils are designed exclusively for children's art. However, those who think so, are simply not interested in drawing as such. In fact, colored pencils are a great tool for creating stunning paintings that are as good as the brightness and beauty of oil painting or pastel drawings.

Today in the art market you can find a lot of different brands of pencils for both beginners artists (including children), and for professionals. Their texture and colors are very different. There are hard and soft, translucent and matte, watercolor and pastel, as well as colored pencils, the consistency of which resembles wax. In addition, the color palette of many brands is very extensive. It includes not only the basic colors, but also many of their shades. This allows you to make the image as realistic as possible.

The technique of drawing with colored pencils is not very complicated, but it requires a certain amount of patience, because it is not possible to quickly paint a large area of the drawing with a thin lead. Therefore it is good to have both soft and hard pencils. With the help of soft pencils, painting is faster. In addition, depending on the strength of the pressure, you can make smooth transitions from a rich, bright color to a barely perceptible eye, a transparent hue. In addition, a soft pencil after drawing lines can be easily rubbed on paper, creating a uniform color and an even smoother transition from one tone to another. Solid color pencils are designed for more detailed drawing. Also with their help you can strengthen the shadows, if necessary. It is very important to periodically sharpen pencils so that the lead is always sharp.

Watercolor color pencils are very popular nowadays. They look like normal, but their "trick" is that if you draw a soft, dampened brush in the painted area, the pigments will dissolve and you will get the effect of the very real watercolor. Very original, unusual and picturesque look paintings that combine and wash, and strokes.

It is important to remember that drawing with colored pencils practically eliminates the possibility of correction, so you should be extremely careful. But still you can use a plastic eraser to eliminate small defects. For example, if you accidentally forgot to label the highlight, you can use it to gently remove part of the pigment. But it will have to be constantly cleaned, so that it remains a bit rough and was able to remove the next paint layer. Experienced artists skillfully "scrape" the forgotten glare with a conventional blade, but this is done with extreme caution to remove as thin a layer of paper. By the way, it is better to take paper for drawing with colored pencils rather dense. The one that usually happens in children's albums for drawing is not suitable, because it is too thin and simply will not withstand the heavy loads. The best option - paper for pastels.