"If you can dream it I can draw it."

"If you can dream it I can draw it."

Art Commission Fees

"If you can dream it I can draw it."

Portraits, Animals, character designs, and a full scale drawing from description. Nothing is out of reach. Contact me today with your ideas and what I can do for you. 

- GREY-SCALE PENCIL ARTWORK -

Size             Price
8" x 10"       $50.00
11" x 14"     $80.00
18" x 24"     $200.00
22" x 28"     $250.00

- COLORED PENCIL ARTWORK -

Size             Price
8" x 10"       $100.00
11" x 14"     $150.00
18" x 24"     $300.00
22" x 28"     $400.00

Contact me today at

DerricktheArtist@live.com 

or visit 

http://DerricktheArtist.com

ARTSCAPE RECEPTION & SILENT AUCTION

ARTSCAPE RECEPTION & SILENT AUCTION

August 21,2014 from 5:00 - 7:00pm

Featuring work by Derrick Rathgeber and many more great artists.

Thursday August 21, 2014 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM 

4080 Lemon Street, Riverside, CA 92506 

Admission is FREE.

Please join the County of Riverside & Riverside Arts Council in celebration of the Spring and Summer exhibition.

Selected pieces will be auctioned in support of Artscape.

Visit http://ArtscapeRiverside.com/ for more info.

Trouble Getting Started? Tips to Get your Artwork Moving.

One of the most difficult things I have trouble with as an artist is just getting started. To me it’s something that drags me down like quicksand. The struggle of pulling myself together is a fight I deal with daily, and the more I fight to get started I find myself procrastinating more. In my case I feel as if I start one project I am neglecting myself of another. As of now I have split my talents into several different locations, that I am completely scatterbrained at times. It’s as if I am stuck in a dark tunnel with ten paths to choose, and rather than take the chance of taking the wrong path I stay in the same spot. Unfortunately choosing the safe spot moves me nowhere and nothing gets done, and every project suffers.

If you are new to my blog, or website my name is Derrick Rathgeber, and I am a husband, father of four great kids, a colored pencil artist, comic strip writer/artist, blog writer, free online art teacher, web designer, graphic designer, and soon I will try my hand at writing a book. All that is true I have done all those things, and you can find them on my website and right here on this very blog page. What the funny part is that I have put my hat in so many pots that I have overwhelmed myself to the point where I don’t know what I want to do. Each of these things are my hobbies, and I really do enjoy them all equally. I love making people laugh with my comic strips, I love designing characters for my story, and I love drawing detailed pictures with my colored pencils. So how do I choose? When I finish one project, how do I choose what to do next? When I start one I put all my energy into it, energy that I could have put into another one.

This was a problem for me for a very long time. I tried different things, and ultimately what worked best was just being down right organized. First of all my greatest enemy is procrastination. That to this day is the hardest enemy to kick in the rear, but you know what I am learning. I’ll start tomorrow, I never do anything for myself, I am tired, I don’t have what I need and so on. Some great tips to help with this little demon are as follows.

1.  Ask yourself: Is what I am doing now beneficial? What would be more rewarding? How will I feel if I continue to put this off?
2. Put off Procrastination: It may sound funny but think about it. Turn off any devices that may lure you away from your projects ie. Tv, internet, PHONE! All these things will be there later.
3. Reward yourself: I always tell myself if I draw today for x amount of time then I get to have x amount of time to do something I like GUILT FREE.
4.  Break it down: Sometimes we are overwhelmed by a large project. So overwhelmed that we don’t start it. So break it down. Say I am going to sketch it today, color this section tomorrow ect. This also helps you take your time and enjoy your new project.
5. Share your Success: Let people know how important it is to you. Sometimes we feel guilty for taking time from our friends and family. Sometimes they don’t understand what it means for you to be productive. Let them know, and ask for support. Say don’t call around 2-4pm I will be working, or can you watch the kids for a bit. And once you are finished working thank them by giving them your full attention. 

When it comes to deciding on what to work on next that is another hang up us artists deal with. Do we start on that commission piece? Do we draw that picture your mom has been asking for? Do I dare ignore everyone and draw that image bouncing around in my head? Again it answers the question how do I spend my time and energy? In my case I pulled myself so thin at one point that I just fell apart and did nothing. I had to get focused, and combat this problem because I wasn’t getting anything done. So what I did was I got organized. This was very important for me because I was all over the place. I didn’t even know what projects I had half of the time, or what I finished. So these are some of the things I did, that you can do yourself, to get organized.

1. Make a list: Write down a list of projects you have. This can be commissions, drawings you would like to do, blogs, website, ect.
2. Prioritize them: Number these projects from 1-10+ based on which projects you would like to get done, or maybe ones you were putting off that you would like to finish.
3. Make a Time Table: Next to each item write down how much time you need for each project. If it’s unknown it’s not a big problem. Ones that you can finish fast are good ones to knock off in-between larger projects.
4. Make a calendar: This is actually fun. Make yourself a weekly calendar giving yourself that day to work on a specific project, and be sure to add a FREE DAY on this calendar to give you the opportunity to work on projects that are behind, to work on whatever you want,  or just take a day off to rest.
5. Don’t make it Law: If you have to make adjustments it’s okay. Life changes and so can your schedule. So don’t feel guilt about changing the calendar, or missing a day or two. It’s mainly a tool to help you decide on what to work on that day. If your heart is in another project follow it and finish that project, you should never force it.

Once you have everything in perspective you will find your days going much smoother and a lot of guilt that goes along with starting something new will start to pass. You want to get into a good routine of developing yourself as an artist, but also find yourself being productive. Above all try not to make it work. A reason some of us find it hard to start up something new is fear, and worry. We worry that it won’t come out right, or fear that it has become work instead of enjoying it. When you feel that pressure, and fear building up just sketch. Don’t feel obligated to share it, just grab your sketchbook and just draw. This helps relieve that pressure we all feel to be at our very best all of the time. As artists we are our worst judges, and that can do nothing but hold us back.

So today if you are holding back a great new design that can wait, push through the muddiness and get through. Today it’s harder than ever with the many distractions that we face, but we have to close that world off and dive into our imaginations and pull it out. It’s not an easy fight sometimes, but this world of technology needs more creativity. Just remember every time you start a new project you are making the world that much better and more imaginative. That itself is a great reward, and incentive to start today.

Thank you for reading,

Derrick Rathgeber

Feel Free to find me on my website at http://DerricktheArtist.com

It's Imagination that Brings Me Back to Reality

Beyond Imagination 

It's Imagination that brings me back to reality. 

http://DerricktheArtist.com

Over the last few years I have been retraining my art style to meet the needs of the art community. I wanted so hard to show that I belonged in the professional world. Growing up when ever someone would introduce me as an artist they would say yeah this is Derrick he draws monsters and characters and stuff. I have heard the phrases weird, odd, strange, goofy, and all I heard was limited. I really felt off because I didn't want to be limited. In a business sense people buy art based on the artist's name. My name was synonymous with the words listed above, and I felt if I was going to sell anything I thought I had to get out of that cage.

I started to draw the large animal pieces like Bird in Bloom, and The Flight of the Macaw using reference shots, and composing them originally. These pieces really hit big with the community, and got my name out. I won my first art show with the Bird in Bloom as best in show, and I was saying to myself, maybe they were right all along. I really limited myself by drawing things I loved all the time. Do I really have to draw from life, and make the images look real to get noticed? Over time I drew more realistic pieces like the Dolphins in the Reef, and I started to feel chained up. It didn't feel like drawing anymore, and I didn't want to do it. I took a good month off of drawing, until I had a vote on my site about what animal I should draw next. The results came in as a horse. As we all know there are millions of horse art all over the web. I was kind of reserved about drawing one, until I had a thought. In my mind I found a glimpse of the image I was going to draw, and I was energized again. I had drawn horses many times before. In my animation class we had to draw hundreds running, and jumping, flying you name it. For my horse I wanted power so I drew Hraunkot a horse born from the lava enriched ground. It was this moment that it dawned on me, I missed my imagination.

I put my foot down with this next piece, and gave myself some rules. Other than looking at my hands and drawing them on the paper, I would draw random images without looking at anything. This piece would be called "Beyond Imagination."

DAY 1: Today I charged in and set up the paper with the border, and the outline placement of the hands. In my head I envisioned an image coming to live born from the paper. To show this I did something a bit different and drew the picture in both pencil sketch, and colored pencils. The first thing that came to mind was a dragon. Something that could be large and small at once just setting the tone for the picture. I drew the dragon climbing off the paper using my arm as a stepping stone, almost like it's getting ready to fly off the paper. To blend the two worlds of art and reality I added a yellow & red burn effect ass the color and grey-scale start to blend together.

Day 2: Each day I like to add just one more subject to the drawing so I can focus on one at a time like each part is it's own piece. Today I decided to throw in a flying witch, who also resembles a sorceress. In my character designs I like to add detail. But it has to be detail that makes since. In this case I added small but intricate designs on her outfit that you may see, and purple is my little three year old's favorite color so that worked out too. I think this part of the picture works nicely because she adds movement to the dragon. Almost saying charge.

Day 3: This is probably my favorite part of the picture. The rising phoenix that comes off the page. Originally I drew the phoenix much different. It was all flames that came out of the clouds in the form of a bird. I looked at it, and said nah it just wasn't me. So I imagined what I thought a phoenix may look like in my imagination and the result is what you see below. You can see the heat coming off the ancient bird, and at the same time the magic. I had the markings look as if they are illuminating, and the feathers glowing on fire. And at the same time it looks like it could fly. You can't see it yet, but I have him flying out of the border as well. It just ties everything together.

Day 4: As I was drawing the left side of the page, I couldn't stop saying "Release the Krakken!" I remember drawing a Krakken as a kid, and it looked something like this, of course a lot less detail then. I wanted to add some adventure to the drawing, something like that of pirate adventure story. In this adventure the Krakken was so big it folded the drawing paper creating a tidal wave. It started to look like a drawing, inside of a drawing....coming alive out of a drawing..while I was drawing...yeah something like that. ( I think I hurt myself.)

Day 5: I love it when a drawing just comes together towards the end. At this point it's really hard not to pull an all-nighter and blaze through it. But that is when you begin to rush and make mistakes. Today I started drawing the paper.on the paper (not that again.) and really defining the stylish clouds. We have all been told to get our heads out of the clouds, and that is why I drew everything in the clouds. From the volcano exploding swirled smoke, to the ocean splashing the cloudy waves against the rocks. It was all dreams and imagination coming to life. And what are clouds without the sky, and a rainbow shooting across the sky. I added a rainbow forming into shooting stars to merge the waves and the night sky. The final touches are all sketched out, and ready for tomorrow.

Day 6: And it's the final day. A good six day project that was a whole lot of fun. Not only did I complete my challenge but I found a lot of me that I lost in the process of creating this drawing. Have you ever had that moment where you were worried about messing up a part of your drawing, and turns out to be the best part? I did, and I am very happy with the hands. You can't see it in this picture, but I got all the little hairs on my arm, and the ring metal was spot on. I even cast the shadow onto the paper using my desk light as a guide. Once finished I moved onto the space area, and the paper. I wanted to make the paper..on the paper (here I go again..) look like parchment. So I used browns and golds in with the grey color. With that final touch it all came together for me, and I am very happy with it. Once I get a better picture of it, I will add it to my shop, and have it ready for prints for all who are interested.

I am really glad to have you all here reading this as I share my thoughts with you all. Each drawing is an extension of you as an artist. A poet writes her thoughts, and puts it all out there. A Photographer uses their camera to show the world how they view it, and writers can pull you into their world. We use pencils, and brushes to build and shape the paper into the world as we see fit. And that's why I came up with the saying, "A World Beyond Imagination is Only a Sketch Away."
I am glad you enjoy my work, and my world of imagination, and I would like to do more pieces like this, as well as commissions, and real life studies. A good balance makes an artist happy. do what you love, and don't get caught up with your love for art becoming work. It can hurt your artwork, and limit your abilities.

This Piece is currently on display during the 

 

Artscape Spring & Summer Exhibit 

Location: Riverside County Administration Center 

4080 Lemon St. 

Riverside, California 92501

You can find my artwork on the Fifth Floor in the Board Room.

Hours: 8:00am - 6:00pm 

Have a great day,

Derrick Rathgeber
Derrick the Artist

http://DerricktheArtist.com

How to Draw a Rose with Colored Pencils

 by Derrick Bruno

Http://HalfEvil333.com

Support & Donate by clicking the button below.

Thank you Very Much.

 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60869032438165793/

In this lesson I will be teaching you how to create a lovely red rose using some different techniques. We will focus on using colors to add depth and layers into your work to give your artwork that look that has them coming off the page. Another focus we will work on is overlaying colors, and texture shading. I use RoseArt pencils and the colors listed below are what I used for this lesson.

Tip: If you do not have the colors listed below it is okay. You can use 3 shades of red from light to dark, 1 pink, one green, a sienna/yellow color, a brown, and a Black for shadows. 

·         Black

·         Brown

·         Sienna

·         True Green

·         Ruby

·         Cherry Red

·         Red

·         Blush Pink

Drawing the Rose:  We are going to start by lightly sketching out our rose. I like to start at the middle of the flower using spiral curves. As I build the middle I like to braid each side left to right. When I get closer to the edge each petal grows a bit larger. Keep the basic shape of the rose, and use references as needed. Have fun with the stem and add the leaves. I like to have the leaves jagged with curved tips. It gives them character and makes the drawing fun. Remember not to focus on a lot of detail for the sketch and draw lightly. We are going to use this lesson to add details by coloring with the pencils.

Step 1: To start bringing this lovely flower to life we are going to use the Brown first. Lightly shade each area of the rose on the outer edges of each layer. Once you get to the outer layers you are going to shift the direction of your shading to follow the curves of the petals. When you get to the outer larger petals you are going to give them their shaped edges, and details. Start from the edges and draw dark lines where the petals buckle a bit, then starting from one side of the petal and shade from side to side with the curve of the flower towards the center.

Step 2: Next we will define the rose by adding the lightest color. Using the Blush Pink (Pink) We are going to add a layer of pink to the inner area of each petal. You can shade with the curve of the lines from dark to light. We really want the pink to show through because this will help define the shape of the rose and keep the details from getting lost in the layers of red on top of red.

Tip: Keep the pink out because we will use it towards the end to define the highlights & tones.

Step 3: This is the step where you are going to get into the picture. We are ready to add our first touch of red, or in this case Ruby (Darker Red). Start coloring over the brown towards the middle of the flower using medium pressure. If you look at the picture you will also notice that you will want to fill in the corners of the petals and shade from dark to light towards the middle of each petal. By this time you will start to see the flower bloom outward.

Step 4: In this step we are going to fill in the rose with a nice even texture. This is one of two layers on the rose petals that will fill in the vibrant colors. Using the Cherry Red (Medium Red) you are going to use nice even back and forth strokes along the petals. Try to make the lines have some spacing and sketchy this will be filled in with the last shade of red. By keeping them sketchy and the same direction with the flower, you will give the flower a nice texture with little effort. It’s a fun trick, and another reason I love colored pencils.

Step 5: This is one of the shorter steps. We are going to fill in the white area in between the petals with a flat color. Grab the Brown, & Ruby colors and fill in this area. Use as much pressure as you feel comfortable with, but fill it in clean and even using both colors. And with that we move on. I told you it would be pretty quick.

Step 6: We are now going to define the shadows with this step and give our rose a nice clean look. Using the Red Pencil go over the entire flower. Remember to color in the same directions as the other steps. This will fill in any gaps and make the petals solid. Now you will use the Blush Pink and define the highlights around the center of the petals. Now use the Black pencil and begin to really define our Rose. Color nice clean lines along the curves of the inner rose petals as shown in the image above. Start from the center of the rose shade from dark to light on each area. As you move down the flower start shading from petal to petal starting at the sides and shade towards the center. As each petal over laps that is where you will add the shadows from one petal to the other. This will give you a nice layered 3d look. And with that we will begin on the stem and leaves.

Step 7: Using the Brown you will define the lines in the stem. Start with the border, and move inward making wood like lines up and down the stem following the curves. With the leaves you will sketch lines from the center of the leaves to the middle. Make them very sketchy and sparse. We will color over these as we did with the rose petals.

Step 8: In this step we are going to repeat but add to the Brown color to create more of a realistic stem. Using the Sienna (Yellow/Tan) add some more lines up and down the stem, and fill in some areas. With the leaves you will lightly shade from the center to the edges in a back and forth sketchy motion. Don’t fill in the entire leaf with this color you want to leave gaps. Remember you want the color to show through, but not become the dominant color of the stem. What this will do is add layers and make the flower come off the page.

Step 9: Now to make the Flower look young and alive let’s make the stem green. Using the True Green (Green) color the stem from top to bottom with small even strokes. You want to fill in the gaps and color over the other two colors. You will notice how the colors blend together at this point and see your green become a nice blend of earthy colors.

Step 10: Here we are at the final step of our lovely red rose. Using the Black add your final shadows on the stem. Start at the top where the flower petals overlap the stem and leaves. As you go down shade on the left side, and the top of the leaves moving from dark to light. Finally at the bottom add black and move upwards showing the cut stem’s edges. Remember to use your best judgment on the shadows and highlights of your rose. What I like to do is have a light next to me and see how the shadows fall on the page. You can even go one step further and cast a shadow onto the paper from the rose. Make it your own, and have fun.

Tip: Remember the direction of your shading, combined with pressure will give you your textures. This is what you will learn as you go as you begin to develop.

This would conclude our lesson. I want to thank you for visiting and allowing me to help you grow as an artist. Remember if you have any questions feel free to email me at DerrickBruno@HalfEvil333.com, and I will answer them the best I can. I would like to see your own roses too.

Feel free to share them on your favorite Social Media Sites Using the Hash tag #HalfEvil333 I would love to see your progress and work.

My Last and Final Drawing?

My Last and Final Drawing?

by Derrick Rathgeber

Mermaid Legacy

All of us have that one drawing that you will never Ever sell. That is what this one is for me. I don't mind sharing this drawing with the world digitally, but no one is going to hold this drawing on paper, but me or my wife. This small 8 x 10 pencil drawing of a mermaid was almost the last thing I ever illustrated. It would have been my legacy to the world. 

My last and final drawing was drawn on a piece of old note paper in a hospital in Sun City on May 10th 2009. I was in the hospital for a severe kidney disease called Rhabdomyolysis. 

Let me back up a bit and explain. I was injured back in 2008 when a 150lb steel ladder broke apart and fell on me on the job and a cable service tech. After several attempts to get treated for it, and even more denials from the insurance company I started accumulating a ton of muscle tissue damage that inevitably became permanent. I was forced to go back to work early and taken off my limitations even though my doctor didn't want me to work. After a year of light duty and office work, my parter called in sick when he was on call. Now because the company couldn't get anybody else to fill in they told me either I fix the on-call problems, or I don't have a job anymore. Thinking of my home, and kids I had to work so I had no choice. Looking back on it now I should have told them HELL NO, but then I thought It will hurt like hell but I can sleep it off the next day. 

These were no ordinary job orders, and I can see why my partner "got sick." I did two cable line drops from the pole to the house, one trench for a cable pedestal replacement, and of course the standard installs and disconnects. I worked from 7:00 am - 7:00pm in 110 degree weather with minimal breaks. Needless to say I got home and I don't even remember eating, I just went to bed and slept till noon the next day. 

Feeling completely sore head to toe, and all my torn muscles throbbing, I took my pain medication and decided to do the yoga program I had. It was from the p90x series which was too extreme  but I just did the 10 min warm up because it has all the basic stretch moves. I couldn't even finish it. I was getting dizzy, and told my wife I had to lay down. She let me sleep in the whole day, and around 6:30p.m. I went to the restroom and, not to be too graphic, I pee'd what looked like Coca Cola syrup. It was dark. I yelled to my wife to look, and we were freaked out. She immediately called my sister who is a nurse, and I jumped on the computer to look it up. By the time I found out that it was kidney failure, my sister was yelling at my wife to get me to the hospital NOW. It was weird, as soon as we found out I was already blacking out. 

Forgive me, but I do not remember most of this part. But My wife dragged me from the house to the car, and drove me to the hospital in Blythe, CA. I do remember the doctor telling me to stand up and walk into the back from the wheel chair even though I was blacking out on and off. They would send me into the waiting room until they had a room for me for yet another hour. (This was a prison hospital, and inmates get priority even though its the only hospital for miles.)

After I finally got a room they hooked me up to an i.v. and did blood work. The tests came back and my ck levels were 9,999 basically off the charts. Normal ck levels are within the 100s. The doctor thought was an error and he wanted to release me with some Gatorade for dehydration. If he had I would have been dead. The insurance company made them repeat the test and it was still off the charts, and notified another hospital to take me in. The doctor then apologizes and couldn't even say the diagnosis of Rhabdomyolysis. They were going to fly me by helicoter to Sun City Banner, but unfortunately a young child needed it more so of course I told them go ahead and ship me by ambulance. 

The ambulance ride was another 4 hours to Sun City and once I left I wouldn't see my kids for another two weeks. I hugged them like the last time. My wife rode with me all the way there and my mom and sister watched the kids. I don't remember much of the ride as I faded in and out again. When I got there they were ready for me. They did tests on the hour, and pumped fluids into me. After I found out my liver was also crashing I was terrified. My levels were falling, and climbing, but I wasn't blacking out, just getting weak and dizzy from walking. About a week into it I was told by the nurse if my levels didn't drop any more I would have dialysis. I asked the nurse for some paper and a pencil and asked my wife what would you like for me to draw for you? 

It seemed like a simple question, and I smiled away. But I wasn't sure if I was going to get better. I wanted to draw something for her in case I couldn't do it anymore. I had never been more scared in my life. I have been hit by cars, attacked, heart surgery and I was never scared, but this time I was. I never told my wife that, but I am sure she will read this, or already knew because she can read me like an open book. I drew her a mermaid that I thought she would like to see. Fun sketchy, not perfect but beautiful like her. I had to add my swirls, and tribal designs that way she would say yep its him that't how he always drew his characters. Would this be my last I sure hoped not. Now they did take me to dialysis, and my wife said I was gone for hours. I think I was out for hours because I don't remember. They had to flush them completely, and I was not there with her. 

After another week I finally got the news I wanted to hear. My levels dropped under 1500, and I could go home. I was so thrilled! I got to see my kids again! I got to be home, my home, my bed! I still had to follow up with my doctor for blood work every three days for monitoring, and I was finally taken off work. I guess its true you do have to die to have your work comp company take you seriously. I never told anyone this before but I am sure I did for a minute or two, maybe a dream maybe not. But I am here now and that's what matters. I was home. 

That was much longer than I thought. But it's all true, and this drawing title Mermaid Legacy was nearly my last and final drawing. It would have been my legacy to the world. Now it's a reminder for myself that I am here, and should have died many times over in this experience  but I feel I was kept alive. This drawing wasn't my last drawing but for me it's the first of many many more. I am here still recovering, still hurt, and not treated. But now I can listen to my body and say no to unfair treatment, and fight. I decided no matter my situation I will choose my family, life, and find my reason for being here. I want to help others including other artists, and share my story as and artist. Maybe there is someone who could use it. Just writing it out today helped me. 

Thank you for reading, 

Derrick Rathgeber 

http://DerricktheArtist.com

You can also view Mermaid Legacy 

on Pinterest at: http://pinterest.com/pin/60869032434725196/ 

Don't Miss Out! Visit http://DerricktheArtist.com

What your missing out on 

http://DerricktheArtist.com/

1. An Online Art Gallery

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Derrick the Artist: How to Color a Delicious Pink Lady Apple with Colored Pencils

How to Color a Delicious Pink Lady Apple

by Derrick Rathgeber

http://DerricktheArtist.com

Thank you for choosing me to help you grow as an artist. I do this all for free because I know how many other artists there who can use them, and it really makes my day to hear the responses about how much they help. Even more so I would like to keep the Art Lessons and Web Comics FREE. Anything you can help with will help me keep that promise. Visit my donation page below to donate, or message me if you can help in other ways. ie. Supplies, publications ect..

Thank you for all your support.
Derrick Rathgeber

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

RoseArt Colored Pencils we will be using.
White
Golden Yellow
True Orange
Bronze Yellow
Celery
Cardinal Red
Cherry Red
Raspberry
Brown
Black

Welcome to the great drawing lessons here on Derrick the Artist. Today I will be teaching you how to color your very own delicious pink lady apple. In this exercise I will give you tips on how to over lay colors, blend them to create lights and shadows, as well as textures. So let’s get started shall we.

Step 1: If you are comfortable with your drawing skills start off your picture by drawing the apple shape below with the brown colored pencil. Remember your apple does not have to be a perfect shape because no apple is a perfect sphere.

Tips: A PDF version is available if you would like to skip this step and go right into the coloring.Download the printable version by clicking the link below:

http://www.4shared.com/office/H4G4z-BY/How_to_Draw_an_Apple_001.html

Step 2: Using the Golden Yellow make dark to light strokes outlining the shine. Start at the base of the step and define the shape of the apple. This color will act as the base and guide for the rest of the colors to come. Next use the Bronze Yellow and darken the yellow areas on the stem and the area around the stem. This will help blend into the green Celery color in the next step.

Tips: Use more pressure on the pencil at the edges and around the shine areas, then slowly raise the pencil up decreasing the pressure of the pencil.

Step 3: Using the Celery color you will go over the Golden Yellow color on the top of the apple. Start from the base of the stem and create line in arcs to the rim of the apple, then fill them in with the Celery green covering a good area of the top, but leave some areas available for the red to come through. Also add some Celery color to the stem as well.

Step 4: Now it’s time to set the base for rest of the apple. Using the True Orange we will start from the stem base and color the apple almost like a pumpkin. Fill in the top half of the apple leaving small empty spaces along the edge, and along the base of the bottom. Keep a white strip-like area empty along the right side of the apple, as this will act as a reflective shine making the apple look more realistic.

Tips: References are great. If you have an apple at home shine a light on it to see how light shines and reflects on it so you can replicate this effect in your drawing.

Step 5: It’s time to watch your apple come to life. Use the Cardinal Red and cover the apple in nice even strokes with the apple from top to bottom and at a curve. Remember to leave the large shine in the center, and on the right clear. I like to rotate the paper so I can keep my hand still and move only the pencil across the paper. Once the apple is covered evenly begin adding pressure and coloring in areas darker near the edges and the top of the apple. Leave the area near the large shine lightened as shown in the picture.

Tips: Try to keep your pencil stokes in one direction. In this case arc them downward creating the illusion of a round object. After you have covered the area you can crosshatch to darken areas of the drawing.

Step 6: The candy apple read that makes you drool. That’s what we are going for. So let’s add the next layer of red. This time we are using Cherry Red to help fill in gaps, smooth out our fruit, and generate a one of a kind look. Starting at the borders of the apple we are going to go over theCardinal Red and start coloring towards the shine lightening our strokes along the way. Also get the top of the apple, and overlay the red partially over the yellows and greens to pull it all together. When you are satisfied with the look of your apple, move on to the next layer of red in the next step. Yep that’s right Three layers of red.

Step 7: This is the last layer of red I promise. Grab the Raspberry Red colored pencil and use heavy pressure along the areas you want to add shadows to. You can use the image as reference or use your gut. Get the areas close to the edges, and highlight the shine on the top near the stem. At this point your apple will have a realistic shine and reflect the paper it is drawn on. As an option also use this color to create a shadow on the floor. Remember where your light is coming from and color your shadow based on that. In this case I have light coming from the rear and the front so the shadow is outlined as shown.

Tips: If your drawing doesn’t look like the image shown do not worry. If I were to draw this again mine would look different too. Remember to enjoy yourself and take your time.

Step 8: Time to give your apple an earthy look, and finally give that stem some color. Reach for theBrown and fill in the stem from base to top leaving some green color. Remember to color with the stem shape, and for an extra measure of realism sketch some harder lines. Next add a layer of brown across the entire apple, and the shadow. Remember to leave the shines white. Adjust your pressure to the level that you want. This gives the apple some more texture, and colors to capture the eye.

Tip: If you would like to color the apple with other colors you can use these techniques with most fruit and objects. Simple adjust your color palette, and have fun.

Step 9: We are now heading to the final touch ups. Get a hold of the Black pencil and we will finalize the shadows. Start off by coloring over the shadow on the ground. Once you are finished start darkening the left side using the shines as a guide to stop. On the right side of the apple you will start from the white strip and go from heavy pressure to light pressure as you meet in the middle. Then add some dark areas in the stem to show that the apple dips in. Once you are satisfied with your look we will move on to the final step.

Tips: Black is your friend. With colored pencils you can cover other colors without making over shadowing them completely. If you need to go darker simply add another layer.

Step 10: And we are at the finish line! This step is probably one that most people don’t see coming. Go ahead and take the white pencil, and start coloring over the entire apple. You will notice that as you color the colors will not only lighten up but they will blend together and smoothen out. This is probably one of the greatest kept secrets, and now you know. The white colored pencil is probably the most important pencil in your collection.

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed this lesson. More are available right here on my blog page, and at http://RoseArt.com/Blog. Be sure to check out my website for more updates, and upcoming lessons, and new art at http://DerricktheArtist.com.

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