ArtPlantae Today

COLORED PENCIL – PAINTING WITH PENCILS

Borgeson, Bet. 1995. The Colored Pencil. Watson-Guptill Publications. ISBN: 0-8230-0749-9
A great reference for all colored pencil artists. Borgeson discusses the unique characteristics of colored pencils in detail. She also offers instruction and demonstrations on the following: linear techniques, tonal techniques, the construction of dark values, using frisket film, lifting color with tape, sgraffito, impressed line, burnishing, colored papers, using colored pencil with liquid media, blocking in drawings, and preserving artwork.

Borgeson, Bet. 1998. Colored Pencil for the Serious Beginner – Basic Lessons in Becoming a Good Artist. Watson-Guptill Publications. ISBN: 0-8230-0761-8
In this book, Borgeson goes beyond describing colored pencil techniques and emphasizes the process behind creating colored pencil paintings. She discusses several issues of interest to artists (e.g., photos & tracing vs. freehand drawing, tips on how a colored pencil artist may complete a painting from beginning to end, working in the field with colored pencils, and using color to suggest space). Borgeson also includes four demos – two about still lifes and two about landscapes.

Gildow, Janie and Barbara Benedetti Newton. 2000. Colored Pencil Solution Book. North Light Books. ISBN: 1-58180-026-6
This book does not contain pages and pages of text. Instead, each topic discussed by Gildow & Newton is presented as a question. For example: What should I know about paper?, How can I make gradual changes in value and color?, and How do I create the smooth waxy surface of peppers? The authors answer a total of 73 questions. These questions address: how to create one’s workspace, design & composition, application & technique, color & light, reflection & transparency, creating texture, and how to fix mistakes. The authors have graciously included the line drawings of the artwork they included in the book. Artists who purchase this book have the authors’ permission to copy these drawings so that they can get directly to the business of learning how to create colored pencil paintings. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in this medium.

Greene, Gary. 1996. Creating Textures in Colored Pencil. North Light Books. ISBN: 0-89134-653-8
In addition to learning about basic pencil techniques, colored pencil artists will learn how to create natural textures when drawing flowers, fruits & vegetables, leaves & wood, earth & water, humans, and animals. They will also learn how to create ten man-made textures (e.g., rust, porcelain, and cloth).

Greene, Gary. 1997. Creating Radiant Flowers in Colored Pencil. North Light Books. ISBN: 1-58180-172-6
Greene systematically leads artists through 64 demos on how to create colored pencil paintings of several types of flowers.

Martin, Judy. 1992. The Encyclopedia of Colored Pencil Techniques. Running Press Book Publishers. ISBN: 0-7624-0771-6
In the first half of this book, Martin explains 42 different techniques that artists can apply using colored pencil. She describes each technique using step-by-step instruction and photos. The second half of this book is dedicated to showing how colored pencil has been used by artists to capture landscapes, cityscapes, nature, people, as well as assorted objects. Each example is cross-referenced to a technique featured in the first part of the book. This way artists can see how any given technique was applied.

Strother, Jane. 1993. The Colored Pencil Artist’s Pocket Palette. North Light Books. ISBN: 0-89134-549-3
Consider this book to be a pocket glazing chart. While there is no way around layering and blending your own colors, this book may save you time during your color mixing routine. The color charts that fill the pages of this book were created using only 36 colors.

Wise, Morrell. 1985. Drawing with Colored Pencils. Walter Foster Publishing, Inc. ISBN: 0-929261-07-0
This small book contains good information and several examples. Botanical artists will especially like Wise’s step-by-step demonstrations on rendering the following fruits: cherry, apple, strawberry, and grapes. Wise’s paintings of these fruits all have deep, rich colors and are painted beautifully.