Transcripts
1. Introduction: [MUSIC] Colored pencils are not always considered a
serious medium in art school. They are thought
of as a tool for sketching or for keeping
kids entertained. Most of us have used them during our younger years or
for coloring books. In recent years,
we've been getting a closer look as part as our experimenting with them and showing the spectacular
results they can achieve. Hi, I'm Ana Perez Rico, Illustrator and visual artist. I mainly work in colored
pencils and watercolors. Animals, nature and color are
always present in my work. I started studying art
at a very young age, and I have experimented with many different mediums
throughout the years. In 2011, I moved
to Newfoundland in Canada to study textile
and apparel design. During those years in school, I played around with
different materials and dies. As part of my
graduation collection, I created three large pieces, completely done in
colored pencils. I was very satisfied with
how my work was received. Since then, I've kept creating
work for private customers and have been sharing some
of my designs on society 6. In this class, you will learn how to take full advantage of a simple set of 12 colored pencils to create
a wonderful kind succulent. First, we will go through
the materials you will need. Then we will research
succulent to better understand what they are
and what they look like. We will talk about how to choose a reference image and I will guide you through the
basics of color theory. We will also go over
some useful exercises to see how to better blend
and mix colored pencils. Throughout the class, I
will be sharing tips and tricks that I have learned throughout the years of
working in colored pencils. Lastly, we will be applying
our new knowledge and skills to create together a unique succulent
in colored pencils. This class is aimed at those who are curious about
colored pencils, especially those at
a beginner stage. Those of you who have a little bit more experience
are also welcome. I am beyond excited that
you've joined this class. I'm always available
for any doubts, questions, or comments
you may have. In the next lesson, I will be talking about our
class project. See you then.
2. Class Project: [MUSIC] In this lesson, we will learn all about
our class project. Succulents have become quite popular due to their
low maintenance. They come in all sorts
and shapes and colors. We've mentioned them
incredibly diverse and are great source of inspiration
for painting or drawing. I love succulent, [LAUGHTER]
but I have to admit, I don't have a green thumb. I've had several of them, and sadly, they
haven't survived. This is why I started creating
my own in colored pencil. For this class project, you will be creating an
image of a succulent on paper using a set of
12 colored pencils. In the class resources
you will find different inspirational
images that are free to use and a few templates
of succulents. The templates will make
the process easier for those of you who have
a harder time drawing, or for those who just want to focus on the colored
pencil techniques. If you happen to have
any succulents at home, feel free to use
them as inspiration. Drawing from real
life is always best. I would love for you to
share your exercise and projects with me in the
class projects section. We can all share what we have
learned and ask questions. It is incredible to
see how we can all create unique images
from simple materials. I'm fully aware
then painting with colored pencils
is a slow medium. Take your time and be patient, sharing your progress and
asking questions along the way. There's no silly question. In the next lesson, we will learn all about
the materials we will need for this class.
See you then.
3. Our Materials: [MUSIC] All art materials have unique characteristics that artists and hobbyists
fall in love with them. In the case of colored pencils, I love them because they're
so easy to transport. They are lightweight and do
not take too much space. Since it's a dry medium, the pigment is encased
in a wooden pencil, so we don't have to worry
about spilling or staining. The highest risk while
working or transporting colored pencils is
when the tip breaks. But having a good sharpener and good-quality pencils
will take care of that. [MUSIC] During my morning
sketching sessions, all I carry with me
is my sketchbook, my coloring pencils, a
sharpener, and my coffee. Believe it or not, the coffee is essential to the
creativity process. I can place the
sketchbook on my lap or in any hard surface,
and I'm ready to go. Now, for this class, you will need a set of at
least 12 colored pencils, a regular pencil, an eraser, a sketchbook,
or drawing paper. Now, for specific brands, you can choose whatever
you feel comfortable with. I choose an HB pencil or an H pencil because
they make fine marks. For erasers, I sometimes use the Tombow Mono Zero or
just a soft white eraser. You can cut the edges of
your eraser to make them into a fine or a sharp point. For sketchbooks, I use moleskin because I
like that it has an off-white color and it has a good heavy paper that
allows me to layer my pencil. When I'm using a more
sturdy finished look for a final piece, I like to use Bristol board. My favorite one at this
moment is the velum. That it has a weight of £96. This paper is thick, but it has a little
bit of smoothness, is a little bit of texture. I would advise you to choose whatever paper you feel
more comfortable with. I like to layer my work a lot, and so heavy paper is
important for this. Another vital tool for
this class is a sharpener. A good sharpener is key to keeping a fine point
on our pencils. Here I'm using two options. The first one is my
portable sharpener, and the second one
is the electric one, which I keep in my
studio all the time. Since we're going to
be painting succulent, we will need some
reference images, or if you have to own a
succulent, that is perfect. Painting from real
life is always great. For those of you who don't have succulents around, don't worry. I will be providing you with some reference images and also with some already made sketches for you to print and trace. [MUSIC] In the next lesson, we will be learning about what succulents are and
what they look like. You might be surprised
what is considered a succulent. See you then.
4. Learning About Succulents: [MUSIC] In this lesson, we will learn what succulents are and
what they look like. This is not a botany class, this will just be a
quick and gentle guide to get us more familiarized with our subject so we can portray better in
our final project. [MUSIC] Succulents
are colloquially called fat plants because they have thick and fleshy
stems or leaves. This is because they
store water in them. They grow in harsh
environments and are usually places that
are very hot and dry. They have very thick skins
and they have developed them to prevent them from losing water during evaporation. To further protect them from
these harsh environments, some succulents have a
dusty off-white look, and this dust is called farina, and it's a waxy film to protect them further from the sunlight. [MUSIC] Now, there are hundreds of different
types of varieties of succulents and every day there are new hybrids
being created. But the goal for this
lesson is not to identify exactly what type of
succulent we are noticing, but more about what the details are in it
to portray it better. Like in what pattern
is it growing? Is it close to the ground? Does it have farina? Does it have a woody stem? Does it have other little
succulents growing around it? Do the leaves, are they
very straight and smooth? Do they have different colors
in them as they grow out? Do the leaves have
little hairs in them? All of these details are very important for us to
understand better what we're looking at and how
to draw what we're looking at to give it a
realistic looking shape, but then we can have fun when we're going into
the color section. Here we have one of the very few plants that have survived my non green thumb. This is an aloe and
I'm very proud of it, because it has survived. I'm here showing you how the leaves are
growing on the sides, how it has a thicker stem, and I want you to see the
little details of how it has very tiny spikes and on the tips and on the
edges of the leaves, and those little white spots. This one over here, these other four
beautiful plants, they're just little fake
little plastic plants. This one is growing in a rosette pattern and the
leaves are very nice and round. This one over here is also
growing in a rosette pattern, but the leaves have
more like a spoon like shape and the tips have a little bit of
a point at the end. Going back to this one, is completely round also
in a rosette pattern. This one over here, I think it's trying to
replicate an agave plant that grows similar to the aloe, but it grows round and it
has spines at the end. This one over here, it's growing from a nice
stem and it's going up. The leaves look a little
bit more cylindrical, and they're growing in
different directions. You may be thinking
at this point, Anna, what's up with cacti? What's the deal with
them? What about them? Are they succulent
or are they not? Well, my friends turns out
that cacti are succulents. They are actually a
type of succulent. That means that all
cacti are succulents, but not all succulent are cacti. Most cacti are just stems, they're fleshy stems, and
they look very plump. Most of them have spines
and most of them are green, but they're not necessarily
have to be either green or have to have spines
in order to be cacti. This example in
the first image we can see on the left there is this small cacti with
a very large spine. They almost look like hairs. The one in the middle has smaller ones growing
all around it as well, and this type of cacti
actually has flowers in them. Cacti also they come
in different shapes. Some of them might be long, some of them are flat, and some of them have
segments around them. This example on the right
also has segments and on each segment there are larger spines that look
almost like stars. This example over here is what traditionally in Mexico
we call nopales. These are flat cacti and they are growing
on top of each other. These like ear pattern
like shapes of stem, and their spines are super tiny. You can see them here
in this example. They look like almost
yellow-orange, and these also bloom. They have flowers and
in Mexico we eat these and we eat the fruit
and also the stem. Oh my God, they're so delicious. Remember, cacti are succulents, but not all
succulents are cacti. This example over here
is an agave plant. Agaves are also succulents
and when agaves are young, they look quite similar to aloe, because of the shapes
of their leaves. But as they grow older, agaves grow way
larger than aloes. This image right here, it's actually of agaves that I took one of my
trips to Mexico back home, and these agaves were
as tall as people. The main difference
other than the size of adult plants from agave
from aloe is that agaves have sharp
and thick spines along the leaf and on
the top of the tip. Also agaves leaves when mature
are very sturdy and thick. This plant over here is not a
succulent. Don't be fooled. This gorgeous plant over
here is a Joshua tree. Even though Joshua trees grow in similar environments or
the same environment as some succulents, it is not a succulent. We're going to be looking
at succulents that grow more into a
rosette pattern. What does that mean? It means that they grow into the general shape like a rose. It starts like a little
bud and it keeps growing out bigger and bigger around. Most of these, you might think
that look pretty similar. Yeah, the main difference
might be like Anna, they're all different colors. That might be the
main difference but look at all of them. They're growing in the
same rosette shape but, when we start paying attention to the shape of their leaves, that's where the differences
start to be more noticeable. Most of them, most of these
examples their leaves have spoon like shapes, but they vary in thickness. Paying attention to all of
these details is going to be essential to when we're going to start drawing our succulent, and that is actually the
subject of our next lesson. Join me then to learn how
to be drawing succulents.
5. Learning To Draw Succulents: [MUSIC] In our past lesson, we learned what succulents
are and what they look like. In this lesson, we will
learn how to draw them. But before we start
that process, I have a few recommendations for all of you to have in mind. First, since color pencil
is a slower medium, creating a large final piece may take longer
than other mediums. I would suggest to start
creating smaller pieces, such as a four by six inches, five by seven, or six by eight. I suggest these
sizes because these are some of the
standard dimensions that frames are available in. I personally like creating my work in five by seven inches. This way, once you're done
with your final project, you can easily frame it and show it off to
friends and family. Also, don't forget to
take some pictures of it to share your project in
the art gallery with us. I love it when students
share their artwork. If you would like to also share your exercises and
pictures of your progress, especially if you have
any doubts or questions. Images and video make it
easier for me to help you out. Second, when choosing
a reference image, choose one that has a high quality so you can zoom in to view all the details. I have provided you with several of them in the class resources. All the images you can find
there have been shared for free and are done with the permission
of the photographers. Third, you will
have your subject in front of you so
you can move it around and see it from all the angles and the
details in close proximity. But taking pictures
of your succulent is a good idea as well as
good practice because this way [NOISE] there will
be no variations on your light source if you do take more than one sitting session
to complete your project. Now, let's get to
our drawing lesson. Take a close look at
your reference image or at the succulent that
you have in front of you. Pay attention to its leaves or stems in case you have a
cactus and their shape. Observation is key to
learning how to draw. Now, if drawing has been
difficult for you in the past, I have a secret
exercise for you. This exercise is great
for beginners as well for those with more
experience drawing. Are you ready to
know the secret? Just trace it. Tracing does not make you lazy or a cheater. Using tracing as a tool with a clear and specific
purpose can help you truly understand how an object
is actually composed. Tracing has helped me understand intricate
images in the past. I suggest you trace
the same image at least three times and
then draw it freehand. You will be surprised how
much easier it is for now. There are several ways
to trace an image. Here are two ways of
how you can do it. First, you can take a
piece of tracing paper and place it on top of your reference image
and start drawing. The second way to do it
is that you can start drawing directly on top
of your reference image. If at the moment
you just want to get into the color pencil
experience directly, I have created
three line drawings that you can use for
your final project. These images are roughly
five by seven inches. As I told you, that
is my preferred size. All you have to do
is the image or images and cover the
back part with pencil. Then turn it over and place it on top of
the paper that you're using for your final project
and trace on top of it. The graphite will transfer
directly to your paper. This transfer exercise
also counts as tracing so you are still exercising some of
your drawing skills. In the next lesson, we will learn about
how to choose the right color. See you then.
6. Choosing The Right Color: [MUSIC] In our last lesson, we learned how to choose a good reference image and a few tricks for
drawing succulents. We are now ready
to start learning about how to choose
the right color. This is just going to be a very light introduction
to color theory, it's not supposed to be a
very extensive explanation. Color pencils allow us to
have a great amount of precision and realism when
laying down a pigment. Many beginners feel
like they need to buy huge sets of pencils to be
able to create great work. I used to believe this too. I thought I needed an
exact hue of green to make tropical leaves look
realistic and a different color pencil
for underwater plants. When I was about nine years old, my mom bought me my
first large set. I was beyond excited with it, but then I was frozen when I saw the huge variety of colors. There were so many of them, and I was afraid I would
use the wrong color. In our journey to understand
using the right color, let's begin with color theory. Primary colors are
those that cannot be achieved by mixing any others, and those are yellow,
red, and blue. Secondary colors occur
when mixing two primaries, orange, green, and violet. Orange comes from
yellow and red, green is from yellow and blue, and violet is from red and blue. Tertiary colors are those we get when mixing a primary
and a secondary. We get yellow-orange,
red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet,
blue-green, and yellow-green. Tints are when we mix
a color with white. All pastel colors are tints. When we're talking about shades, those occur when we have
a color mixed with black, and tones are when a
color is mixed with gray. Now, talking about
color harmonies, these are ensembles of color that look well next
to each other. I will only talk about two here , analogous and complementary. Analogous colors are those adjacent to each other
in the color wheel. It can be two colors
or up to five of them. They are great for
creating gradients. Complementary
colors are directly across each other
in the color wheel, such as green and red, blue and orange, and
yellow and violet. When we use these colors
next to each other, they create great contrast
and draw attention if there's an object
around with those colors. But when we layer them
together on the paper, we can create great shadows instead of just
using plain black. A limited palette, such as the
one offered in sets of 12, can be a challenge
when trying to achieve or recreate
the right color. This is because the colors
available in those sets are so saturated that they can
make our look cartoonish. Studying color theory and
practicing layering exercises will help us understand color better to achieve a
more realistic look. When looking at reference images and getting ready to
do our exercises, I like to tell students
to pay attention to the value of the image rather
than the colors used in it. When we focus on values in
our subject instead of color, we can do whatever we please. Focusing our attention to value over color
can help us create artwork to look unique and not just like a realistic
reproduction of an image. What does value mean? The value of an
image or an object, it's how much light or
darkness there is in it. Value can be understood more clearly in black
and white images. Black and white images are
more interesting when there is a high contrast between
light and dark areas. That is when there is a
noticeable difference. If an image has a lot
of mid-gray areas, everything looks the same and there are no
interesting points. But when we have areas that
are truly darker or lighter, our eye plays around the
whole composition and we understand when something
is closer to the viewer. Using the principles
of contrast and value will help us choose
our colors better, and color theory will help
us understand how to layer our pencils so that there won't be a need to have
a huge collection. Now, I have to admit I do own, by now, a huge collection, and I love them. I love all my pencils. But working with a smaller
palette has helped me understand color
pencils better, and I think it will make you understand color pencils better because it will force us to create our own
color combinations, and it will result in creating
more interesting look, on top of not having to invest
a large amount of money. When we think about
choosing "the right color," I want you to think more about
the right value. Is the area we're
working on illuminated? Is it darker or lighter
than the surrounding areas? To help me keep my mind focused on values when
working on a project, I like to organize
my pencils by value, from the darkest one
to the lightest. Some colors might change order
depending on the project, but when I'm using my set of 12, this is how my colors
usually look like. I also like to print my reference image
in black and white. This makes the values
really clear to me. How do we know
which colors can be considered high
value or low value? Well, depending on how much light or darkness
there is in an image, as well as the colors
that we want to use, depending on the mood that we want to portray in the project. For example, when we're talking
about our primary colors, yellow is always
the lightest one, followed by red and then blue. If we're creating an image
with a lot of greens, which is usually the
case for succulents, green is a secondary color. It is created by having
yellow and blue. If we use more
yellow in our green, we're going to get
more of a lime look, and this makes our object
look really bright. But if we use a lot
of green in it, it's going to make it
look blue-green or teal, and the feeling is different. Our set of 12 is very
saturated in color, so there's not a lot
of nuance in them. For example, our red, our blue, and our green in this
set is very intense. If we want a color
that looks like more light is
hitting our subject, if we add more
yellow to that mix, the image will look very, very bright, but not
necessarily lighter. If we want to make it
look like a pastel, which is what happens with several succulents because of
the farina that's on them, we can achieve this
look by adding several layers of white pencil before adding any other color, and then very slowly with very little pressure adding color to it and then adding
a little bit more yellow. Slowly furthering in our work, we can slowly add a little
bit more color into the more areas that are a little bit farther
from the light. This has been a very
brief explanation about color theory and
the relations of color. If you would like to learn
more about color theory, I highly suggest you
check my friend, Ana Maria MJ's class, understanding color
theory with watercolor, wash, color pencils, and oil. This class is also
available on Skillshare. Ana Maria does a
wonderful job in a deep dive in all
matters of color theory. In our next lesson, we'll be talking
more about color. Specifically, we will learn
more about our set of 12 and what we can achieve
with it. See you then.
7. Getting To Know Your Set Better: [MUSIC] In our past lesson, we learned what it means
to choose the right color. We learned a little bit about color theory, value,
and contrast. In this lesson,
we'll be focusing on our set of 12 pencils. There is an incredible amount of different colored
pencil brands that offer different grades
for their pencils. Most of them offer sets of
12 as their smallest set. The set of 12 of polychrome
Faber-Castell is my favorite one to work with when I'm using a
limited palette. These pencils are
professional grade so they are made with
the highest quality. They may be pricier than
suited great brands, but it's worth every penny. The quality of the wood in
the pencil is very high, as well as the pigments. These pencils will hardly ever break when you're
sharpening them. The core of the pencil has
high-quality pigments, which makes them light fast and their binder has
less filler in them. One does not have to apply high pressure to achieve
a smooth enrich color. Most set of 12s include
primary colors, that is red, yellow, and blue, then
our secondary colors, green, orange, and violet. They also include
black and white. Other colors included maybe
a light blue or light green, and a couple of browns. Colors included in a set
vary from brand to brand. As I mentioned in
the previous lesson, I like organizing my
pencils by value. Most of the time, I have my darkest
ones on the left, in my lightest
ones on the right. If we follow that order, my set looks like this. Black, brown, magenta, red, orange, ocher, yellow, light green, green, blue, light
ultramarine, and white. We have our three primary
colors in this set, and two of our secondary
colors, green and orange. But we do not have
a violet pencil. But there is a magenta that actually looks more
like a tertiary color, which would be red violet. So if we wanted to
recreate violin, we would just have to layer our magenta with some blue and eventually mix in different
layers and recreate violet. We will be creating gradient exercises
in our next lesson. So don't worry if you're
unsure on how to do this. Our light green is actually
not like a pastel green. It's more like a yellow green, which is a tertiary color. Our light ultramarine
is actually a tint. So that is a pastel. This color is created by
ultramarine blue and white. So the thing with colored
pencils is that sometimes our pencils are
already mixed in. Instead of like
in other mediums, we mix our colors on the
palette before we apply it. On the surface, are
colored pencils. Most of them already come
really combined other shades. So we sometimes have to
know a little bit about color theory in
order to understand what's behind the pencil
there were grabbing, other than looking at our
pencils available in our set, the best way to get to
know our set is to use it. Getting a feel on how the colors interact with their paper and how the colors
actually look when applied on the surface
is the first step. If you happen to be
using color, tone, or colored paper, the way that our
pencils look will vary. This is why I suggest beginners
stick with white paper. I would like to invite you to create a chart of your own set. It doesn't have to
be a big chart, just small squares showing how the color is
applied on the paper. Keep your chart
handy in order for you to use as a
reference in the future. In my case, I wanted my chart to show the most
saturated version of my pencils because I wanted to see how vibrant they
look when fully applied. In the next lesson on gradients, I will show you how this same set can create
a more varied look. When filling in your
chart or wherever you're applying your color pencil don't forget to start with
light pressure and build up your layers
to filling your color. If we start applying
pressure too hard, we can flatten the tooth of the paper or even
damage our pencils. If we flattened the tooth is
the texture in our paper. We won't be able to
add many more layers, and this will limit the way
we can work on our subject. As a bonus, I wanted
to show you here how we can damage paper when
using the eraser too harshly. If we apply too much
pressure with our eraser, we can lift some of the
fibers in the paper, as well as damaging the two. If you are using a smaller
eraser like I'm using here, the Mono Zero makes
sure you don't put too much pressure so that you're using part of the metallic part. Because this can inadvertently
indents your paper and make unwanted marks that will show up once you
apply color again, indentation can be great. When applied with intention. The proper way to
use your eraser is to lightly lift
the color and make sure the surface of your eraser gets cleaned before pushing
again on the paper. Otherwise, you might get some
color streak or smudges. In our next lesson, we will be learning
how to transform our 12 colored pencils into
a huge variety of gradients. So many unique colors will
emerge. See you then.
8. Blending Color Gradients: [MUSIC] In our last lesson, we learned more about a color set and the
pencils that come in it. I showed you how to
create a color chart to have as a reference for
future projects and I showed you as well common
mistakes that we can make when using our eraser
on colored pencils. In this lesson, we will learn how to practice different
color gradients. Creating color gradients is
a great exercise to practice the transition
between colors and values before we do
our final project. I used to get very excited and work directly on
my final subject before figuring out how I
wanted my final piece to look. Sometimes it worked out well as I was learning
during the process, but other parts, other times, my subject didn't look so good. Parts of it looked
a little bit odd. So I had to learn from my
past mistakes and now I create different
gradients before working on my final piece. Other art mediums can
mix their colors on a palette before applying
it on the surface, but with colored
pencil the mixing of the color occurs on the
surface as we work. Layering allows
us to create new, richer colors others than the
ones provided in our set. We can get olive
greens and burnt oranges with our set of 12, it just takes a little
bit of practice. What is the secret to
achieving those colors? Well, complimentary
colors and layering. Olive green is just the
version of desaturated green. It may have been mixed
with some red or orange, so experimenting and
practicing go along way. Using complimentary colors
on top of each other creates a more natural shadow
than just using black. If I need to darken
my values I might add browns or a little bit of black, but only in the darkest areas of the composition and I only do this at the very end when
my composition is done. How do we create our gradients? Let's start with small areas. It is less overwhelming to learn a new skill when
starting small and slow. I'm going to use the
same sheet that I was using in our
previous lesson. I'm going to create gradients to show you the versatility
of our sets, and I will guide you closely to create your own gradients. As I mentioned, let's
start with a small shape. It can be circles,
squares or rectangles. Whatever you feel more
comfortable with. I'm using rectangles here, and they are about an inch high and an inch
and a quarter long. We will start working with
gradients with two colors, and then we'll work
on more complex ones. The first one that
we're going to create is going to be yellow and red to create a variety of
orange within that space. When we start thinking about gradients and as I
mentioned before, let's think about values. We're always going to
start layering down a lighter or brighter value and then slowly darken the area. It is always easier to start
light and darken later. In this case, our yellow is
our lighter value then red. Start applying your yellow
pencil very lightly. Passing a bit over the middle of the square or the rectangle, apply your color in
different directions and lay down at
least 3-4 layers. Then slowly start applying
the red very lightly, and because red is
darker than yellow, maybe apply just a layer or two. Then we're going to go back, and later we're going to
apply more yellow on top. Later after that, we're going to apply a
little bit more red. This is the way that we're
going to start working. It's going to be different, let's call it cycles
of the two colors, so we slowly gradually start creating more about
that orange area. With each new cycle
we're going to start moving more towards the right so that we're going to end up having more red on
one side and more yellow on the other with a wide variety of
oranges in the middle. This is where the magic
of the gradient happens. Now, let's give this a try
between red and magenta. Red now is going to
be our lighter value, so we're going to repeat the same steps as
before between now, the red and the magenta. [MUSIC] Remember to
be kind to yourself. Learning a new skill
takes practice and experimentation;
trial and error. Don't be afraid of
making mistakes. Don't be discouraged if your first gradient looks a
little bit patchy or odd, try again maybe with a different set of colors
to refresh your view. If at any moment
you have questions, post them in the forum and
I will be happy to help. I think we are now ready
to try three colors. I'm going to make
a little bit of a longer rectangle to
fit all three colors. I'm going to be working with
yellow, red, and green. I'm going to use the green
to demonstrate how to use a complimentary
color to darken our red. Some of you may choose to
create a succulent with [inaudible] so I'm
going to show you two examples on how
to get pastel colors. In the first example, I'm just going to
create a new gradient directly next to the
one we just made. I'm going to add a little bit of yellow as a transition color, but then I'm going to
apply white to the rest of the area because we always
start with the lightest value. This pastel gradient is going to be with yellow, red, and green, as well as with white, so it's just going to be like the pastel version of the gradient that we
made on our left. A few tips; if we apply a lot of color and then just
the complimentary on top, we're going to get a
very harsh, deep color. This may be the
look that you want, but if you want a softer
look apply a few layers of your first color and then
apply the complimentary one. Then go back to your first color and apply the
complimentary color, similar to the exercise we did between the yellow and the red. When we're transitioning
from one color to another, it helps to look in
the color wheel to see how far from
each other they are and which colors next to
each other we can use in-between to start
making that transition. Another tip to keep in mind, even though our set
comes with two greens it doesn't mean that
we can create our own. I have two clips
here to show you how we can make our own green. The first one is between
yellow and light ultramarine, and the second one is made
with yellow and blue. With these two greens, I'm going to make different layers of
other colors mixed in to slowly create a
more complex gradient, and you can see all the
little colors that are shown in between to
slowly build it up. In both videos, I use the same technique. First, I apply my
lighter colors, then my secondary color, and then I keep applying
complimentary colors. Some students have discovered
they love doing gradients. They began doing them during my first class and
now they can't stop. Many have mentioned,
they find it very calming and they can play
around and just experiment. This is one of the magical
aspects about color pencils. The calmness of slowly
building up color creates a very peaceful
environment and sensation. I love working on gradients
while I listen to podcasts or having
some tea or coffee. Before we head into
our next lesson, I will show you
different examples of gradients in different
types of succulent leaves. I hope you find this
as soothing as I do. [MUSIC] Now, we have all the
skills to work on our next class
project. See you then.
9. Succulents and 12 Colored Pencils: [MUSIC] In our last lesson, we learned how to
create color gradients. We are now ready to work
on our final project. I have here my traced image, my reference image
in black and white, a little gradient with
the colors I want to use, of course, our colored pencils, and a couple of
pencil resters so I can put the pencils that
I use the most here. Before we start, let's
set up the mood. Play some music or a
podcast that you like. Light a candle and relax. Embrace the process. Whatever type of succulent
you have chosen, I would suggest you work in a small area at a time in
order not to get overwhelmed. I have chosen a succulent with a rosette
pattern and I will be working on each individual leaf starting from the
center outward. Each leaf will be treated
as its own gradient, which makes it
easier when I choose colors and when I blend them. I also have my reference
image in black and white handy so I can look at
the values constantly. [MUSIC] I'm applying light
layers of color, starting with my
light cobalt in blue. Later, adding a bit of white to the areas that are
closer to the edges. Some ocher to start creating a desaturated green and then I add my green pencil to later go back to the light
cobalt and then white. Do in gradient exercises beforehand will
help you understand better how your color will blend and combine on your paper. But don't stress if
what you had in mind looks different than what
is happening on the paper. Enjoy what's happening. You may discover a new look that you hadn't
considered before. [MUSIC] I use my magenta and
red pencils from time to time to
darken certain areas. Also, don't be afraid to use a little bit of
orange on that green. [MUSIC] Handy tip. Place a small
piece of paper onto your hand so you
can rest it without smudging the areas that
you have already worked on. [MUSIC] Another handy tip. Keep in mind that you need to keep your pencil
sharpened as you work so you can achieve finer
details and more layers. [MUSIC] The areas that have more
light in my image reference, I'm leaving them completely
uncolored at the moment. I will work on
those after I have my leaves completely
done so I can accurately figure
out the right value as it relates to the
surrounding area. [MUSIC] At this point, we have our first cycle
of color on everything. I am now going to start checking if the
values are correct. I can see this value has
to be darker than this, so I'm going to darken it
maybe a little bit over here. I'm just going to go
back and check all of those details that everything
is as dark as you want it, and later I'm going to tackle the highlights on these parts. [MUSIC] I've decided to work
on the background before I do the
highlights so I can get a better feeling of
the whole piece once the most color saturated
areas are completely done. [MUSIC] We are now done with
our final piece. In the next lesson, I will do a general summary
of everything we've learned and I will share with you a few tips and
tricks. See you then.
10. Tips And Final Thoughts: [MUSIC] As we use our pencils, more and more, we
sharpen them and they start to get
smaller and smaller. Holding a smaller pencil
can become difficult, so getting a pencil extender
is a great way to keep using your pencils until you
can no longer sharpen them. [MUSIC] Congratulations on completing
your class project. I hope you've enjoyed this
class as much as I have. I hope you've discovered
a new love for succulents and for
colored pencils. Feel free to share
your work below in the project section
and on social media. You can find me on Instagram
at Ana dot PerezRico. Sharing your project
helps other students get inspired and discover
new possibilities. Keep playing, keep exploring and I hope to
see you in my next class.