Contributed by Lesley Martyn
I started my drawing journey at the end of 2017 and have picked up a few tips and tricks along the way, which I use in most of my drawings. Some of these I learned when I started drawing in graphite and they work equally as well in coloured pencil.
I don’t use all of them with each drawing, and its mostly dependent on the type of paper I am using.
My personal must haves for coloured pencil:
Derwent Super Point Sharpener
I have to have a really long tip to work with and this sharpener always delivers. I have tried manual sharpeners, but I just don’t feel comfortable unless I have that super long point! Luckily, I work with a light hand (which is quite important in coloured pencil work) otherwise I think I would break the end every 5 minutes!
Tombow Mono Eraser
This is a very thin and precise eraser in a pen style. You can buy these in two different shapes, with a rounded end or with a square tip. I personally use the rounded one. You can use this eraser to create soft lines in your drawings for texture and lift off pigment to – for example – create whiskers. You may need to go back in a add in pigment with your white pencil afterwards though.
Kneadable Eraser
(after trying a few, I like the Faber Castell one the most). This works really well to lift off colour in a very subtle way to create highlights in your drawing. Also invaluable for removing those pesky little specks of colour which muck up your nice clean background (if you use Pastelmat – especially the dark colours, you will know what I mean!!). It works best slightly warmed up in your hand and can be shaped any way you like to remove those highlighted bits.
Electric Eraser
I don’t use these as frequently, but they can be really useful for creating a hard clean line or section where you want to create strong texture. I have both aCretacolour and Derwent eraser. The Cretacolour has a smaller eraser and spins much faster and is my favourite of the two.
Slice Knife
I have two kinds – the Slice retractable pen cutter which has a smaller blade and the Slice craft knife which has a longer blade. The Slice knife is similar to a craft knife but instead of a metal blade, has a ceramic blade which I find is more gentle on your paper. Once you have built up a good number of layers of pencil on your paper, gently use the knife to remove lines of pigment where you want to create texture. You need to practice this before using it on your final piece so that you get the hang of how much pressure to use and what angle works for you. Depending on your angle, you can create different thickness lines and also create wavy lines of varying thickness. You can go over your lines with more pencil, then scrape more away, creating different levels of texture. You do need a fair amount of pigment down on your paper first, otherwise there won’t be anything to scratch away.
Scotch Magic Tape
Great to gently lift off areas of pencil and the tape can be used to create texture or remove mistakes without damaging your paper. Gently place your tape over the area you want to lift pigment off and then using a pencil or embossing tool, gently draw over the tape and lift off. This is a more subtle way of creating texture or lifting off pigment.
Embossing Tool
I have a few of different thicknesses. You can also find them on Takealot as “dotting” tools or nail art tools. The embossing tool creates an indentation in your paper which won’t get filled by colour when you are creating your drawing. You do need a fair amount of pressure to create your lines. Not enough pressure and you won’t make enough of an indentation. Too much pressure though and you will damage your paper. You can experiment with other objects you may have at home – a porcupine quill (the blunter end), the tip of a paintbrush, the edge of an empty pen case – all can work to create indentations
Painters tape or Masking tape
Invaluable for taping down your drawing and especially when your drawing has a full background – makes a nice clean line around your work too. Don’t make the mistake I made recently though. I had a drawing that has been on the easel for over a year – my masking tape went all tacky and I couldn’t get it off without damaging the paper. Another method I have used (but which doesn’t work for my current drawing board) is to use strong neodymium magnets to hold down the paper, therefore negating the use for any tape and making it easy to swivel your paper as you work.
Crystal Paper
I used to use kitchen towel under my hand as I worked, but I’ve since changed to Crystal paper (also called glassine) as it is a very smooth paper and simply slides over your work without lifting pigment or smudging. Its also a great way to protect unframed artworks.
Transfer paper
Particularly when doing portrait commissions, I feel it is important to get the dimensions exactly perfect so that a true likeness can be achieved. I either use white transfer paper or print out a photo of the subject and rub either pan pastel or graphite onto the back of the picture and transfer it onto my paper using my embossing tool. I find this quicker for me than the grid method and when I am doing a lot of commissions, I don’t have the time to spend on drawing freehand.
My favourite paper brands
Pastelmat –
I love this for doing pet portraits as you can get such wonderful depth and realism and it takes a seemingly endless number of layers. Combining coloured pencils with Panpastel works so well on this surface. My favourite colours to use are light blue (in the board – this is smoother than the normal sheets), brown and dark grey.
Fabriano Artistico Hot press (300 or 640gsm)
This is my go-to for graphite work and more recently coloured pencil. It is smooth but can take a lot of layers, erasing and embossing. It is surprisingly forgiving, and I like the traditional white which is more of a cream hue.
Fabriano White White
Smoother than the Artistico and great for fine detail and willingly takes lots of layers. Great for portraits or drawings with intricate detail. I use this for my miniature drawings.
Fabriano Black Black
A lovely smooth paper capable of taking lots of layers and crisp detail. White on black drawings work wonderfully on this.
Mountboard
(As used by framers) – I love this surface for portrait work and its also available in so many colours! Although it is really smooth, it takes a lot of layers and blends beautifully. It is also inexpensive and is acid free and archival.
Drafting film
I love this for the vibrancy you can get with coloured pencil and the versatility of it. The double matt allows you to work on both sides, so you can achieve greater depth and intensity of colour or create interesting backgrounds by just drawing on the back. Texturising with the Slice knife is fantastic on film, particularly when creating fur. It is difficult however, to currently get hold of the professional grade film in South Africa.
I hope that some of these tips and tricks help you on your pencil journey. I look forward to seeing your creations on the Drawing Guild page!!
