Portraits of Pure Colored Pencil: A Demo
With careful planning — and only paper, pencils, and eraser — you can create distinctive, engaging colored pencil portraits.
By Tanja Gant
I’ve been painting portraits since high school. But it wasn’t until about 14 years ago that I came across colored pencils — and fell in love. A versatile medium with wonderful qualities, colored pencil lends itself perfectly to the kind of realistic work that I do. You can create soft, luminescent skin tones, or dramatic compositions saturated with color.
Without requiring expensive materials or special tools, this medium offers endless possibilities; however, working with colored pencil can be tedious and quite unforgiving at times, which is the reason it’s important to invest a little time in preparation and planning before you make the first mark. My technique is simple and calls for nothing more than paper, pencils, an eraser and, of course, a good pencil sharpener.
Composition Is Key
An average-size drawing may take weeks to finish, so for practical reasons I work from photographs exclusively. My photo sessions are usually spontaneous. As a result, once I choose my favorite photo, I spend some time in the studio manipulating my reference photo to work out the best composition, decide on the size, and choose the palette. I use the photo-editing program Photoshop Elements minimally to crop the image and adjust the expo- sure and color intensity. My goal is to portray the subject truthfully, but also to convey my artistic message, using my own voice.
Line, texture, value/contrast, color, and perspective are just some of the elements that contribute to the design/composition and are necessary to create a unified and distinctive work. I also find that leaving out unnecessary details and close-cropping the image help heighten the drama and take the piece beyond the ordinary. Having a plan of action is always beneficial in the long run.
Selecting the Colors
After I’ve settled on the composition and the size of the drawing, I select the colors for each of the different sections (skin, clothing, hair, eyes, and so on). I use a piece of scrap paper (the same paper I use for the drawing) to test and blend the col- ors. When I make my selections, I create a preliminary list and keep those pencils in a plastic container so they’re always at hand. (My favorite colored pencils are Prismacolor Premier.)
Drawing the Image
I draw the reference image directly onto my drawing paper, either by hand or by using a grid (my favorite drawing surface is white, smooth Strathmore 300 Series bristol paper; see Materials, page 83). Whichever method you use to transfer the image, you have to make sure the initial sketch is accurate because larger mistakes cannot be corrected. For the outline I use a regular HB mechanical pencil (0.5 mm lead). Before I start applying color, I almost completely erase the grid and the outline so they won’t show later.
1. Underpainting
For my demonstration piece, I started with a layer of clay rose, which serves not only as an underpainting but also allows me to map out the darks and midtones. I used light pressure, which I increased slightly in darker areas, and I let the white of the paper serve as the lightest lights. The strokes aren’t very detailed at this point; however, they do follow the form.
2. Darkest Darks, Midtones
Next, I blocked in the darkest darks, while simultaneously developing the midtones. Still following the form, I applied alternating layers of nectar, denim blue, and crimson red to the lighter side of the face and the hands, using very light pressure.
When working on smooth paper with transparent pigment, light pressure is critical. Each layer can take a significant amount of time, but working carefully — and frequently viewing your drawing from a distance — will help you prevent or correct any mistakes before you get to the point of no return (for minor mistakes I use a Staedtler plastic eraser).
For the shadowed side of the face, I used nectar, denim blue, crimson red, and warm gray 90 percent, which I applied with heavier pressure using vertical strokes. The dark spaces between the fingers I rendered with warm gray 90 percent. For the iris I used Mediterranean blue, peacock blue, and indigo blue; for the white of the eye, electric blue and crimson red. And for the darkest areas (eyelid crease, pupil, eyelashes, inside corner of the eye), I used warm gray 90 percent. I blocked in the ear with poppy red.
3. Continue Building Shadows
I continued building the shadows on the hands using more crimson red, denim blue, and warm gray 90 percent. To the model’s left hand (the part not in the shadow), I added more denim blue and crimson red — I didn’t blend them but rather let them stand on their own to enhance the paleness of the skin. To the dark spaces between the fingers, I added Tuscan red. The nails got a little more denim blue than the actual skin. Again, I applied the pigment with a very light touch.
4. Finishing Touches
To finish Speak No Evil (colored pencil, 10×8) I added more crimson red, Tuscan red, and denim blue to the ear. Then I used true blue and denim blue for the midtones in the shirt, and warm gray 90 percent and black for the shadows; I also added a touch of crimson red. Working around the highlights, I let the white of the paper show.
For the background I used French gray 50 percent, cool gray 70 percent, and crimson red, which I applied in short vertical strokes, using light pressure. Making random strokes for the hair, I used clay rose, sandbar brown, sepia, and dark brown. I finished with the accents, my favorite part of the whole process. Using medium pressure, I applied black to the eyelashes, the pupil, and the darkest spaces between the fingers.
As portrait artists, we strive to tell the story that inspired us to create the work in the first place. In each portrait we create, we leave a piece of ourselves, whether we paint a familiar face or a total stranger’s. I hope I’ve inspired you to find your voice through the wonderful medium of colored pencil. The fastest way to find what you have to say is by drawing and experimenting every chance you get.
Colored Pencil Pointers
Make sure your initial sketch is accurate, because once you start, you won’t be able to erase the pigment completely. To help check whether your proportions are correct (without using a mirror), simply view the drawing and the reference photo from the back against a light source (Strathmore bristol paper 300 Series allows you to do this because of its translucence).
To make minor corrections with an eraser, use a dabbing motion to lift small amounts of pigment. Clean your eraser frequently to avoid smearing colors. An eraser pencil can be sharpened just like a regular pencil, although you won’t get an extreme point.
Sharpen your pencils frequently and rotate them as you draw to keep a sharp edge.
When using dark colors, dab the tip of the pencil on a facial tissue to get rid of the excess pigment. Dirty pencils can muddy the lighter colors.
Put facial tissue or a piece of paper under your hand. This will protect your drawing from smudging. Clean the whole surface often (especially under the tissue) to remove pencil and erasing debris.
A Light Touch vs. Burnishing
Applying colored pencil with a light touch allows you to put down multiple layers of translucent pigment and lets the colors shine through. Hold the pencil closer to the end and work in short, straight motions, making sure the pencil marks are very close together and that the pencil barely touches the paper. Whether you use a hatching or cross-hatching technique, keep in mind that the paper will still show through. To get seamless color and value transitions, you should use smooth paper with very little texture (tooth).
Paper with rougher texture (vellum) can take more layers of pigment, which can then be burnished. Burnishing involves using heavy pressure to mix several layers of color with a colorless blender, a white colored pencil, or a colored pencil of the lightest hue of the local color. You can repeat this process several times until the paper is completely covered and no white shows through. Burnishing is possible on smooth paper also, but the technique will then require fewer layers.
Tanja Gant is an award-winning portrait artist whose works have been juried into numerous national and international exhibitions. See more of her work at tanjagant.com or on her Instagram page, @tanja.gant.
A version of this article originally appeared in Artists Magazine.
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