I'll
admit that in the past I have been guilty of thinking of colored pencil art as
colorful and bright and not necessarily able to be coupled with serious
subjects or moody narratives. But that was my own bias. As I've spent time
looking at sketchbooks of draftsmen creating colored pencil art and figure
drawings made using colored pencils, I've discovered that the medium is as
diverse as any other.
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Seeds Of Memory by David Suff, colored pencil drawing, 20 x 28. |
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My
blind spot with
colored pencil drawings largely has to do
with the way I've seen the implements used. I've seen drawings where the paper
is literally covered with dense layers of color, which can make the surface
waxy, unusable, and uninteresting.
But
recently I've seen life-drawing sketches of figures made with colored pencils
that show how much depth and subtlety the medium is capable of when light
hatchmarks are used. Colors are built up in controlled layers of line, and the
lightness of the paper underneath is allowed to shine through and illuminate
the marks.
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Colored pencil sketch
by James Jean, detail.
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In
figure drawings, this is an exciting prospect. I can apply what I already know
about drawing but add color into the mix, all while making the motions and
marks that I love. So you can draw a dusky, moody figure with colored pencils
of orange and blue and red, applying line over line to create passages that are
unexpectedly complex and show a lot of depth. And, when used on paper with a
lot of tooth, colored pencil art can have a truly interesting surface that
dispels all of my past biases completely.
To
gain more insight on colored pencil techniques--from the basics and
beyond-consider Janie Gildow's newest DVDs, TK and TK. Gildow is a colored
pencil drawing expert and really shows how to make the medium shine. Enjoy!
