How to build up a colourful freehand depiction step by step? In this article on colour pencil drawing, we are touching on how to draw the silhouette, lay down the colour fill, introduce a dynamic range of hues, intensify crosshatching, refine the definition and build up detail.
Further, we will explore how to establish the darkest tones, correlate foreground with background and improve the contour. Finally, we will look at ways to refine the hues while maintaining volume, fine-tune the object’s relation with the ground, keep line definition, extend the limits of our drawing tools and add final touches.
Here is a table of contents for easy navigation.
Table of contents
- Draw the outlines of the entire colour pencil drawing
- Lay down the foundation for the colour fill
- Introduce the whole dynamic range of colour pencil hues
- Intensify hatching across the colour pencil drawing
- Work around the entire colour pencil drawing
- Select any colour pencil hue and weave it into the colour make-up of the whole drawing
- Maintain definition in colour information and line work
- Build up detail while filling gaps in the colour pencil drawing
- Chisel in the darkest tonal values of the colour pencil drawing
- Lay down the background to relativise the colour mix
- Draw all foreground colour hues into the background
- Constantly intensify the contour and edges of your colour pencil drawing
- Refine colour hues without breaking the volume
- Fine-tune the object and its relation with the background
- Intensify the line definition, the colour hues and tones
- Add additional colour hues where you reached the limit of your drawing tools
- Add all final touches to the backdrop and object of study
Let us examine how to create a more vibrant colour pencil drawing.
1. Draw the outlines of the entire colour pencil drawing
I do tend to build up my drawings layer by layer. Hence, I set out with my thinnest, barely visible lines that define the silhouette and basic features of the object of study. In this example, my initial outline work is so subtle that my aged DSLR camera even had trouble picking up the outlines of the whole red onion.
Typically, I also do work without any eraser. Thus, I usually leave the fine stray lines intact and move on to more decisive lines that allow me to override the information and redefine the silhouette. On this, see also section 2 of my article see more human anatomy in a simple aux trois crayons drawing. There, I explain how to quickly carve out the entire shape to give the drawing volume.
2. Lay down the foundation for the colour fill
As soon as the object’s outline is delineated, I start applying subtle, tonal shading. And when dealing with a colour pencil drawing, this tonal value allocation will coincide with a build-up of volume in colour hues. Whether crosshatching, blending, rotating marks, stippling or any other technique, we must weave in the colour information early on, lest we risk losing colour brilliance.
3. Introduce the whole dynamic range of colour pencil hues
Early on in the build-up process of my colour pencil drawing, I am making a concentrated effort to introduce every single one of the colour hues of my selected colour palette into the pencil drawing. Next, I distribute those hues evenly across the full drawing page. An expansion of the entire dynamic range of colour pencil hues results.
4. Intensify hatching across the colour pencil drawing
As soon as I am done mapping out the outline, basic shading and colour information, I intensify the crosshatching marks. And hammering more powerful strokes into the drawing paper in prominent places will further enhance the illusion of volume I am eager to convey.
5. Work around the entire colour pencil drawing
Now, it is high time to move around the complete drawing sheet to establish other areas of interest and elements that contribute to the definition and readability of the depiction. Thereby, I am constantly introducing more colour hues, where necessary, to reach the optimum colour mix.
6. Select any colour pencil hue and weave it into the colour make-up of the whole drawing
As I continue optically mixing the different hues to make them closely match the observed colours in my reference object, I apply every selected pencil hue to all respective areas in the entire image. That way, the colour make-up of the drawing as a whole will be more unified in its appearance if, indeed, that is the look I am aiming to achieve.
7. Maintain definition in colour information and line work
All the while, I am closely observing the object of study on the lookout for core features that need jotting down as reference points. By contrast, the outline work and the tonal gradations would be essential elements in any monochrome drawing. But, in a colour pencil drawing, the capture of hue information is crucial and needs to be reviewed at any moment.
8. Build up detail while filling gaps in the colour pencil drawing
After drawing the main outlines and areas of deep tonal values, it is necessary to fill in more and more of the empty gaps with colour information. Consequently, only the highlights and the vacant ground will be left blank.
9. Chisel in the darkest tonal values of the colour pencil drawing
Especially when working on white drawing paper, it is crucial to establish the darkest tonal values of the depiction as early as possible. For, the highlights are already sitting on the drawing sheet. We merely spare them out and gradually draw around them. In other words, the brightest values are equal to the tonal value of the paper.
Hence, expanding the dynamic range of the entire drawing can only happen by defining the intensity of the darkest areas. And even if the darkest tones are a mere grey, the colour pencil drawing might benefit from slightly exaggerating those values. Indeed, we almost can turn them into a pronounced pitch black. Regarding this, see my seven easy steps to a better colour pencil drawing for more thoughts on how to increase the tonal range and the intensity of hues.
10. Lay down the background to relativise the colour mix
When working on a white sheet of drawing paper, it is crucial to anchor the object by laying down the back of the picture. Accordingly, it is best to do this early in the drawing process or start with the ground first. But, we can get carried away focussing on the object itself. However, now it is high time to relativise the colour range by filling in the rear hues, which will change the entire colour mix.
Conversely, in painting, one build-up technique of the old masters consisted of working on a darkened backdrop that had only spared out the highlight areas in white, i.e. faces and hands in case of a portrait. Consequently, the facial depictions hold that magical glow in their skin tones. And we can borrow or reverse that technique for colour pencil drawing.
11. Draw all foreground colour hues into the background
It is vital to work discreet hints of each foreground colour into the rear, further enhancing the foundation on which the objects are resting. In other words, I am using the same colour palette, but very subtly, weaving the foreground colour hues into the back depiction, where appropriate. Thus, the result will be a more unified and harmonised colour pencil drawing if that is what we are aiming to achieve.
12. Constantly intensify the contour and edges of your colour pencil drawing
Having established the basic colouring of the picture background, I return to sharpen the silhouette and edges of my objects of study. Naturally, in a colour pencil drawing, this needs to happen with a couple of overlaying marks and strokes done in different colour hues to arrive at the desired mix of pigments. Hence, the intensified definition of contour will make the objects stand out from the ground.
13. Refine colour hues without breaking the volume
Persistently working around the entire colour pencil drawing, we append layer over layer of colour information. And with every single detail we add, we run the danger of breaking the volume of our object of study on the flat paper. For, the drawing of a convex surface of a spherical object, like our whole red onion, will still need to convey the surface curvature in its entirety. Hence, the direction of lines or fill strokes needs to follow the curvature.
14. Fine-tune the object and its relation with the background
After accumulating more meaningful marks and hues, it is time to begin fine-tuning the object of study while constantly considering its relationship with the ground it is sitting on. For that reason, the inner lines might benefit from sharpening. The contour might require a clear edge definition. And the backdrop needs a more unifying cast shadow to anchor the object firmly.
15. Intensify the line definition, the colour hues and tones
Likewise, taking a step back from the drawing page and observing it with squinted eyes reveals areas of our colour pencil drawing that require further attention. Therefore, we need to work again to intensify the line definition, add more modulations or occurrences of specific colour hues and model the volume via tonal gradations.
16. Add additional colour hues where you reached the limit of your drawing tools
Any palette of hues chosen for a colour pencil drawing can only give us an approximation of what we see in front of us. In other words, there are more colours out there in nature than our set of colour pencils will offer. And while mixing our pencil pigments will create a much broader range of optically merged hues, at some stage, we practically will have exhausted the possibilities of expressing each shade of colour that we observe. That is the moment to introduce another colour hue or two to round up the drawing.
17. Add all final touches to the backdrop and object of study
And after all that effort, we will reach a point where we have captured as much visual information as was necessary to convey a convincing representation of our object of study. Finally, a few well-calculated refining touches to the depicted object and its ground conclude the drawing.
Bonus video
I hope this article helped you understand how to create a more vibrant colour pencil drawing from scratch. If you want to see more stages of the creation of this drawing, you may also want to watch my video “Colour pencil drawing of a whole and a halved red onion”.
If you enjoyed this article, follow me on Instagram for more thoughts on drawing and painting. You can also find me on Twitter, YouTube and Rumble. Do you have feedback about this article? Join the discussion and leave a comment below.
And if you have a more general question about the fine art of drawing and painting, reach out to me. The best way to get in touch with me is by sending me an email message via my contact page.
