the variation in reds

I've left this drawing unfinished, to give you and idea of the stages in progress. The scanner hasn't handled the variation in reds - the more solid-looking petals have more variation in hue created by using several shades of red and magenta.

Outline the Form: Begin your drawing by sketching in the main form of the rose, choosing a color which is close to its color, and using as light a touch as possible.

Add Body Color: Colored pencil blends well but most colors (and especially yellow) can be rather transparent, so for a smooth graduation of color, you need to add overlapping fine layers rather than a single heavy layer. Begin with a faint layer of the main rose color, keeping any lighter-colored areas clear. This layer will help the darks blend more smoothly.

Add Darks: Look for the shadows in the flower, noting any areas of reflected light which will be lighter than the edge of the shadow. Depending on the color of the flower, these may include browns or dark purples, orange for a yellow bloom, or yellows or blues for a white flower.

Reserving any white highlights, add lighter values where the petals are more brightly lit.

Build Color in Layers: Shade in the body color of the flower, overlapping the light areas ande shadow areas. For large, flat areas, you can use several similar colors to add variation. Look for textures in the petals and let your pencil-strokes reflect these.

Work back over the drawing, adding layers to build up shadow, highlight and body color.

Tip: Choosing a good paper and quality pencils is important for colored pencil drawing. A lightweight hot-pressed watercolor paper works well. Some artists like Stonehenge (the paper used for this example) or similar rag papers. A good paper will hold many layers of pencil, while sketch paper tends to be too coarse, resulting in white patches. Soft, smooth pencils such as Prismacolor or Faber-Castell are easy to use; Derwent pencils are hard and are hard work to layer.

Visit our category :

- Flowers
- Gifts
- Hampers
- International Florists
- Roses
- Wine & Spirits