How to Color a Delicious Pink Lady Apple

How to Color a Delicious Pink Lady Apple

by Derrick Bruno

Http://HalfEvil333.com

Thank you for your Donation & Support!

 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60869032437032052/

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 theCelery 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://HalfEvil333.com

Free Art Lessons for All Fundraiser

I am raising money to help fund Free Art Lessons on and offline. My art lessons are written for artist of all ages and skill levels. I want to make these lessons free and available to the public online and offline in a classroom like setting. To do that I will need some help and support. 

My name is Derrick Rathgeber and I am a colored pencil artist. As an artist I have been very successful as I have been featured in a national magazine, I have been shown in galleries local and abroad, and I have won a few showcases. I would have to say through all of it teaching gives me the most joy. I love hosting classes and volunteering my time to help artists of all ages learn new skills, and develop their technique to find themselves as artists. 

One thing I cannot understand is how much art lessons cost these days. On average a lesson will go from $50.00 - $300.00 per student, and not all places will provide the tools the artists need in the class. I myself am low income, and I know others are as well. I don't feel they have to choose. One thing I am sure we can all agree on is that there needs to be more ART in this world. 

So here is what I plan to do. I will host free art lessons for all ages and educational and financial backgrounds FREE of charge. Right now I have 5 FREE lessons online, and I will have many more to come. What I need your help with is the funds to rent a space, art materials, and advertising. Once we get the word out and grow I will have professional artists of various mediums pass on what they know to aspiring artists. I have a vision of having a space where we can teach anyone who wants to learn how to sculpt, dance, draw, sing, and much more. 

Donate today and Support free Art for all.

Visit the Links below for some great examples of my art lessons. 

https://www.pinterest.com/DtheArtist/free-art-lessons/

http://derricktheartist.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-to-color-delicious-pink-lady-apple.html

I am Ready to Get Started….In Just a Bit.

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 Bruno

Feel Free to find me on my website at http://HalfEvil333.com

I am currently accepting donations to encourage FREE ART Lessons Online! 

Anything you can help out with is more than helpful. Thank you for your support. 

Thank you for your Donation & Support!

 

How to Draw a Feather With Colored Pencils

How to Draw a Feather With Colored Pencils

by Derrick Bruno

Http://HalfEvil333.com

Thank you for your Donation & Support!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60869032440589807/

Welcome back to my free art lessons page. In this lesson I will teach you a fun way to create feathers with character and color. I had many suggestions on what colors to use and I got an overwhelming amount of purples and blues, but you may choose any combination of colors that you like. We will focus on our strokes, directional shading, and color blending in this lesson this time around. So shall we begin?

Step 1: To start this lesson we are going to create a basic line sketch of our feather. Start with the quill of the feather to create your curve. Once you have the shape of the feather you would like begin sketching from the bottom up to create an outline as shown below. 

Tip: You can also get a bit creative and play with different shapes of feathers or use a reference of a specific feather you would like to draw. I encourage imagination & originality. 

Step 2: In this step we are going to add a bit of character to the feather which will also help us with the coloring. Erase a couple sections in the sides of the feather to add breaks in the feather. Once you are satisfied with the look of your feather add some loose strings to the bottom near the base to show breakage. Once finished, we are now ready to grab some color. 

Step 3: Starting with the color Black we are going to start giving the feather direction and shape. Make sure your pencil is sharpened nicely and start off by shading in a V like pattern up and down the feather like a Richter scale. Once you have this area shaded in re-sharpen your pencil and add in some line strokes through the shading. 

Step 4: It's time to grab our colors and make this feather stand out. For this lesson I will be using shades of Purple, & Blue. My kids wanted me to do an Ice feather, and I thought that would look pretty cool. To start off reach for the Purple colored pencil and starting from the bottom you are going to color in the direction of the feather in a V like pattern. We are going to go over the black colors and overlay this effect to start a blending. Add more sharp stroke lines to pull the purple out across the feather. This will stand out towards the end of the picture. Remember to add some purple to the bottom of the feather for the broken spurs at the bottom.

Step 5: Next we are going to add our blue to the feather. For this portion I used a Royal Blue colored pencil to have a nice bold color to blend into the purple. Color over the purple and black areas and expand the strokes a little further outward to cover more of the feather. Remember to follow the same direction of strokes from the stem to the end of the feather. Create a feathering effect on the border of the feather with small jagged strokes along the edges of the feather. This will give the illusion of individual hairs. Once finished sharpen your Royal Blue color and make individual strokes from the shaft to the edge one by one. This will create a sense of shading across the feather. 

Step 6: For the last step we are going to add the final color and do some clean up work. I used a Sky Blue color to finish this feather off. Using the sky blue you are going to cover the feather completely, but remember to color in the direction of the feather hairs. From the stem to the edge. This is important because if you go left and right or in circles you will lose that illusion of individual strands that we are going for. Once you have the look you are going for we are going to clean up the feather by adding more Black and some Gray for the stem. Begin by going over the black once more to bring it out some more. Add a couple of strokes across the feather and the edges to create some shading. Once you are satisfied, use the gray to shade in the stem to complete the drawing.

This is a fun lesson to repeat in many different ways. You can create some very cool feathers by adding swirl designs, or playing with different colors. Just remember to have fun with it and make it your own drawing. The most important skill you want to take a way from this lesson is the directional shading, and the different strokes you get from a sharpened pencil and a dull one. Both have their advantages. 

I hope you enjoyed this lesson. Remember to subscribe to my blog for more Free art lessons, and Advice on how to get past the many road blocks we face as artists. Have a great day. 

Follow me on Pinterest for a complete set of Lessons with quick links and great images. 

Http://Pinterest.com/DtheArtist

"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

Break the Chains That Bind Your Artwork

Breaking boundaries and becoming more creative than you ever thought you could be. That is what today’s blog is all about. I’ll be the first to admit that I changed my entire drawing style to build myself as a professional artist. I honestly felt no one would take me seriously if I kept drawing characters, and creations out of my mind. I tried, I really did. I would post my work online and got nothing back in return. Was this because I wasn’t good enough, or people didn’t like what I had drawn? Now that I look back on it I don’t think so. I think it was because I didn’t believe in myself enough. I held back in a lot of my work and it suffered dramatically. I would spend hours creating a lot of detail in the beginning, and then just tire of the drawing because it wasn’t me. It just didn’t represent me as an artist.

I have felt really chained down as an artist these past few months and as I was looking up a reference shot for my next piece I asked myself why? This picture I am about to draw has already been captured on photograph it’s done. What about all the great pictures in my mind that are trapped in there. I literally had thousands of images screaming to be released onto paper, and I was scared that I would mess them up. There is pressure to create; I always wanted to be original and draw different than everyone else. Even when I would draw from reference I wanted to find a way to change the image, but I really felt bound to make the image look like what I was drawing just because. I know it’s not a good reason but the pressure to be great, and build a portfolio got me thinking I had to make everything believable and real. And then it hit me just the other day why can’t I have the best of both, and make the imagination real and believable.

I found myself with a dilemma. Do I continue to build my portfolio with realistic colored pencil drawings or do I draw for fun. In the end I answered with my gut feeling to do it for me. So my next piece is called Beyond Imagination. At first I started to collect pictures of things I would add to my work I thought to myself that I am doing it again. I was already judging myself, and holding back by using images as a crutch. If I really wanted to release my talent I had to just draw. So in this image I am drawing it from left to right adding all the detail as I go. I started with a dragon, and a witch, and a phoenix. I have no idea what is next, and I don’t care if it makes sense. It’s imagination and fun. I hope you can do the same.

I propose a challenge to everyone. On your next piece, if you want to find out how much you have evolved as an artist, I want you to use everything you have learned to this point and just draw. Lay it all out on the paper. Don’t think about judgment from peers, or from yourself just go. Whatever comes into your mind go for it. The only other rule I ask for is to not use reference shots, photos, or any previous artwork. Make it yours, make it new, and take your time. Sometimes when you hit the professional level you get a following who love your “style.” If so fantastic don’t change. For me although I have gained a lot of praise for my work, it’s time for me to take a step back for a while and brake the chains that bound my imagination. I plan on growing, and releasing all I have to give, I hope you do too. Take the limiters off, and be creative again.

I hope to see some great new creations. Find me on my Facebook page at http://Facebook.com/DerricktheArtist and share them with me.

Thank you for reading,

Remember to Share, Comment, and Subscribe.

Derrick Bruno-Rathgeber

http://DerricktheArtist.com

The Flight of The Macaw - by Derrick Rathgeber

The Flight of the Macaw

by Derrick Rathgeber

http://DerricktheArtist.com

The Flight of the Macaw was one of my greatest pictures as an artist. I not only completed this piece in a good time-frame but I used over 40+ colored pencils. Composing this image was no easy feat at all either. The reference shot I had was small and blurry, but the pose fit what I was going for. I used other references such as encyclopedias, and zoology books to get the bone structure, and muscle movements down. In this blog I will be giving you a day by day play into the creation of this piece. 

Prints are available at http://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-flight-of-the-macaw-derrick-rathgeber.html

DAY ONE

And the macaw spreads his wings. There is something releasing about sketching the picture on the paper. It can be difficult to start a new project sometimes, and I know once I start to draw the piece I know it's on. I found a good composition in this image that followed a line of action. It gives the illusion of the birds movement, and flight path which is right off the page. I started to color the head and saw the clock, time for a break. 

DAY TWO

I really jumped right into this piece. I felt an immediate connection, and after the success with the Bird in Bloom piece I really wanted to improve more. I used about 4-5 pencils to get a good bone color in the beak. I started to work on the creases and noticed that after I colored in the eye, I felt him staring right at me with almost a grin. Although the camera I used picked up more white than it should have, you can still see the layers of colors I started to put in. I wanted to give this bird a bit of my personality, and you can see that with the yellow to red flame coloring I put in his feathers. 

DAY THREE

Something happened today that was a bit unexpected for me. I found detail that was not in the reference picture. My dad in Costa Rica took a far away shot of this bird in flight and it was very blurry. You could say that I winged it...pun. Seriously though I stopped looking at the photo at this point and just colored. I saw the form of this beautiful bird and knew where I wanted the muscles to flex, and even more I wanted to feathers to fluff out as if he had just flapped his wings, and you get that hint of back-draft. I also went right into the shading too. I don't usually do this until I shaded all the base colors, but like I said something just came over me today, and I was on fire looking forward to tomorrow. 

DAY FOUR

Back to what I was talking about in day three. The muscle definition. I think that was my primary focus on this piece. Not only did I want to see how many colors I could put in it, but I wanted to see how many feathers I could ruffle, and muscles I could flex. The one small challenge I found was the molted white feathers on the legs and by the wings. With colored pencils you cannot just color white over red and expect white. So I had to color around these areas using negative space, and then using small strokes to add the detail of them being white feathers. I did this with grays and browns. After adding some lights and shadows to this point I think I was done for the day. 

DAY FIVE

Today the macaw started to fly. Can I admit one thing, I actually go so nervous before I started the wings that I took a day or two away from this piece. after I put so much detail into the body I couldn't mess up on the wings. That would be the end of it. So I started on the feet. Believe it or not the feet were harder than the wings. I had to get a movement that made sense as well as give them some texture. The color was interesting to, I would say between the blues, grays and tan colors there were about 7-9 colors in the feet alone. That's why I love colored pencils. Just by adding one more color in a different direction or stroke you change the look and feel of what you are coloring. It may take longer, but you have total control. As for the wings I think the most difficult part was the angle of the feathers and showing the wind pushing down on the top feathers, and lifting the bottom. to do that I added a curve at the end of each feather, and moved them as I visualized the bird in motion. You have to do this, create a line of action and engage the audience. You have one image to capture their imagination, by drawing them into yours. 

DAY SIX

Ah the right wing. This wing was killer. I almost made the mistake of thinking the macaw's feathers were blue on the top and bottom. After looking it over I found they were just a darker color of red. The feathers are actually layered, and their blue feathers are on top. That being said I really thought I would have more blue in this picture, but If I am going to make it believable you have to do your research, even if you are making it your own. Now if you are drawing directly from your imagination, which I love, then all bets are off. This is the funny part I made sure that I placed the blue on the second wing anyways. I changed to composition to have this wing come off the border. It solved two problems for me, One I needed the wings to match up in color, and Two this was a perfect line of action that made this draw much more interesting. Now I was ready to move forward. 

DAY SEVEN

This is the phase where most of artists start to crash. The final lap of the finish line, and you fear finishing. Part of you wants to push harder just to end it, and the other halve just wants to put it away and never finish it because you fear the success or failure of possible messing up. This is where you have to be cautious and take breaks. For me I told myself I would just do the log for the day, and as hard as that was I did it. I added the shadows, and different colors of browns to get the color I wanted. A voice poked in to my head saying just color in the shrubs and be done with it, I know that would have been a big mistake. I was tired, and my wrist was hurting, and I know I would have skipped details, and just rushed it. So I gave it one more day. I originally attempted to draw this 18" x 24" colored pencil piece in 7 days, but I would rather add one more day and be happy with it, than ruin it but trying to hit a deadline that I placed on myself. 

DAY EIGHT

And with the large brush in the background with the skyline, this piece is finally completed. I think this piece cemented me into a good spot as an artist. What I accomplished fore myself was just priceless when I finished this macaw piece. I used over forty colored pencils, and I did it in eight days. It was a good feeling to know I did that, and I wanted to do it again. I continued making new portfolio pieces here on out, and rebuilding everything. If you think about it The Flight of the Macaw was me. I was spreading my wings and letting the wind take me. All the way trough I animated him in my head watching him move, and I think that made the picture take form and move with me. 

Thank you very much for following me on this piece, and remember prints are available at http://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-flight-of-the-macaw-derrick-rathgeber.html