How to Draw Glass with Colored Pencils: Erasing to Add Detail

How to Draw Glass with Colored Pencils: 
Erasing to Add Detail
by Derrick Bruno

Http://HalfEvil333.com

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Thank you for visiting. In this lesson I will teach you how to draw a believable glass texture. Our subject will be a light bulb so we will be using grey colors for this lesson. You’ll even have a small bonus lesson for the metal texture at the base of the bulb. What you will be learning today is how to use your pencils to color smoothly, and how to take away from your drawing to add more depth and detail. Are you ready to get started?

First off the colors I chose for this lesson are as follows: Grey, Cool Grey, Dark Grey, Black and White.  Also we will be using an eraser. Preferable a white one, or gum eraser.

 Step 1: Using the Dark Grey draw out your light bulb. You can opt out the details in the middle if you like they are not necessary for this lesson. You do however want to get the bulb shape, and screw at the base. This lesson is more about coloring and texture than copying the image.

Hint: Any time you are drawing from a reference a good fun trick to do is draw the image upside down. It sounds funny but it tricks your brain into drawing what you see, and not what your brain knows.

Step 2: Using the Grey colored pencil you will fill in the lower area of the bulb using medium pressure. Once completed take your pencil and hold it at a slant so the point is flat against the paper. Lightly begin to shade in the rounded bulb area using rounded strokes back and forth. This will give you a smoother fill. Continue to crosshatch and fill in the top of the bulb, and the base of the bulb until you get a good smooth cover.

Hint: Practice, and do not rush. Remember you’re not in a race, and you won’t get a prize for finishing first. This is a technique that you are trying to learn. Take scratch paper and use the side of your pencil lead to make strokes of different lengths, and pressures.

Step 3: Here is where it gets fun. Find a good size eraser, preferably a gum eraser, or white art eraser. Now you can look at a light bulb for reference or visualize where you will see the shines. You can also use mine for reference. Start erasing away where you want to have the shines. Be sure to follow the shape of the bulb, and do not be afraid to erase the details of the center, that just gives it more character. This gives the illusion of a rounded shape that you can now view start viewing as glass.

Hint: We used grey in this lesson because our background is white. This is only to make the 2D object appear three dimensional. Now if you have the bulb in front of an object or let’s say a yellow wall, you would color the bulb the same color as the background, or slightly lighter color of the background depending on how thick you want the glass to appear.

Step 4: Now we have to make the glass shine more prominent. You can now use the Dark Grey color and start shading around the shines. We are going to add more pressure at the top of the bulb, the base of the glass, and around the erased shines. Be sure to blend the Dark Grey and Grey together by adding layers of color from dark to light. Also if you added the middle detail you will use the Dark Grey to define the glass on the inside as shown.

Step 5: In this step we are starting on the metal base. Simply use the Dark Grey again and fill in the areas as shown. It’s okay to make these areas dark as we are going to add black to it later. You want to show the light bending around the metal object. And this object is smooth.

Hint: When you draw metal objects be sure to pay attention to your light sources, and remember that light comes from behind too, as seen here.

Step 6: Using the Cool Grey color begin shading the base filling in the left side darker, and leaving the right side lighter. This shows where your light source is and keeps the color flowing across the object. You can even color up and down the screw base to ensure you get the same dark to light scale going from left to right. And remember this metal is also smooth so it’s a great way to practice your small smooth strokes.

Hint:  A good tool to help you blend your pencil drawing is a “Blinding stump.” They are highly affordable, and easy to use. If not you can always use your fingers to smudge the colors together. I did before I know they existed.

Part 7: To add our finishing touches on this piece we are going to just define the light bulb, and highlight the shines. So let’s start off by grabbing the Black pencil. Start by outlining the bulb, and shading in areas of the bulb close to the base and around the top. Take a step back and look at your image and you can see where the shadows are coming from. Those are the areas you want to darken.  Next you will use the Black to also darken the shadows on the metal base to really make the metal shine, and stand out from the glass. You can also add a layer of shading to make it darker from the glass bulb.

Finally we are going to use the White pencil to color over the middle of the glass and shines to really make the center pop. Almost like the light is starting to light up. And to finish the drawing off add white to the right side of the metal base, and around the sides to show where the light is coming from.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson. Please email any comments or suggestions to DerrickBruno@HalfEvil333.com. Find my new portfolio page at http://HalfEvil333.com

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 Rathgeber

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

How to Color a Daisy With Colored Pencils

How to Color a Daisy With Colored Pencils

By Derrick Rathgeber

Welcome to the next lesson in colored pencil drawing. In the last lesson we learned how to layer different colors to create a solid multi-colored pink lady apple. In this lesson I will teach you how to train your brain to see your drawing as different individual pieces. The perfect way to do this is with the daisy. We will focus more on directional shading and coloring in this lesson, and how to obtain textures using different strokes.

Grab your box of RoseArt Colored Pencils out and grab the following colors; Pale pink, Pink, Cerise, Ruby, Light Brown, Golden Yellow, Grass Green, Black, and White. These will be the 9 colors we will be using for this lesson.

Tip: If you would like to change the color of your flower, you may substitute the petal colors (Pale Pink, Pink, Cerise, & Ruby) to another four colors. Just make sure you go from light to dark. For example a purple flower you could use Light Lavender, Lavender, Purple, & Orchid. 

Step 1: Lightly draw your daisy using faint strokes of a pencil, or light grey colored pencil. Start with the circle in the middle of the flower. Follow that with about six individual petals all roughly the same length, but different characteristics. If you note each petal has two fold lines going down the, and the ends are jagged. Behind these petals you will draw more petals. Continue layering your petals until you are satisfied with the shape of your daisy. Now use the Grass Green colored pencil and draw two curved lines for the stem.

Tip: If you would like to skip ahead and focus on the coloring lesson. You may download the sketched out image seen below. Click the link Below. 

http://www.4shared.com/office/lLB4l57E/How-to-draw-a-daisy-001.html

Step 2: We are going to put down the base color for the flower. Take the Pale Pink Colored Pencil and start coloring in each petal. Now to do this we are going to use a fun technique. The reason I chose a daisy is because it’s a circle shape. You will want to color in the direction of each petal; to do this can get frustrating because you have to contort your hand into uncomfortable positions. So what we are going to do is keep our hand in the same position and rotate the paper. Use light gentle strokes across each petal evenly, and use more pressure on the lines, and towards the center of the flower. Continue rotating the paper and coloring each petal until they are covered.

Step 3: Practice Makes Perfect. Find a petal to start with, and start adding the next layer of color. Using the Pink we will start off at the base of the petal and color in the direction of the petal. Color only the base of the petal and the center area of the petal. Again rotate the paper as you go and color in a position that is most comfortable for you and your wrist. This will allow smoother lines and more control.

Tip: Treat each petal as a new drawing. Taking your time and giving attention to each one will allow your brain to see shapes that you would otherwise over look. Remember to draw comfortably, take breaks when you need them, and just have fun.

Step 4: Using the Cerise you will continue adding more color and depth to the flower. We are going to start adding some shadows and curves to the petals. Color from the base of the petal with more pressure and lighten your strokes as you reach the end of the petal. Define the shadows for the petals underneath by using darker strokes where the top petals overlay.

Step 5: We are going to fine tune the shadow by adding one more red color. Using the Ruby Colored Pencil we will once again add more depth the flower petals. Rotating the paper as you go of course, sharpen your lines toward the base of each petal around the circle. Then define the lines of each petal using the Ruby color. Now as you rotate the paper use back and forth strokes to really get the dark Ruby color to make an even shadow on each petal towards the center of the flower to make it look like the petals fold inward.

Step 6: Now we are going to get into the middle of this flower. Don’t worry no more rotating the paper for this one, unless you want to of course. This part is actually kind of fun for me. Making a realistic pollen look is easier than it looks. Using the Light Brown find the center of your circle and make a much smaller circle. This will be your starting point. Now continue making small circles around this circle, and continue until the center is full. Once you get to the edge of the petals, use the Light Brown to fill in any gaps between the flower center and the petals. Now add some of this brown to the stem with some lines dark lines, and we will move on to the next step.

Step 7: Now it’s time to add some color to the center. Using the Golden Yellow make even circular strokes to fill in the center area. Continue going over it until you get a nice even color. Once you are finished use the same Golden Yellow color and very lightly go over the base of each petal. We do this because light reflects colors onto nearby objects. Sometimes it’s not noticeable, but just enough will make your drawing look that much more realistic. Then to finish off this step add some more light stroke lines onto the stem to give it an earthy browning like color when we go over it with the green.

Step 8: Probably the easiest step of the drawing. Take the Grass Green color, and color the entire stem. Be sure to color right over the Golden Yellow and Light Brown colors. Remember to color along with the shape of the stem in the same direction. You can even rotate the paper to give you a comfortable position and clean lines. Color the area by the flower darker show the shadow of the flower covering the stem.

Tip: By now I hope rotating the paper comes to you as a reflex. This will help you draw strait lines and curves, and can be used to draw all sorts of shapes and objects. Draw smarter not harder.

Step 9: Now to cast the final shadows. Use the Black Colored Pencil and outline the base of each petal and the flower center. Next begin shading the top petals lightly just enough to show that they curve inwards towards the center. Add some more black color to the petals underneath using the top petals as a guide. Next tilt the black pencil to the side a bit, and give a shadow to the center of the flower. Use crosshatching strokes towards the bottom of the circle to make it look like a sphere. Finally cast the shadow on the top, and down the side of the stem to finish up the shadows.

Step 10: To finish up our flower take the White Colored Pencil and color the edge of each petal. Next blend together the light and the dark colors by coloring from the edge of the petal down to the middle of each petal. This will even out your colors, and help cast light onto your drawing. Next add white to the cent of your drawing, and to the stem. And there you have it a beautiful flower.

Tip: Find your light source. Sometimes when I draw I will cast a light over my drawing and see which way the paper casts a shadow. Use this as a guide for your shading.

That does it for this lesson. I would love to see your work. Send it to us and we would be glad to share your results on my Facebook page at Http://Facebook.com/DerrickRathgeber.

Be sure to come back here for more lessons, I think I might have us draw a nice reflective shiny vase to put our flowers in. If you would like to ask a question or make a suggestion for a drawing lesson email me at Derrickr333@gmail.com.

Thank you for coming.

Derrick Rathgeber

Visit my website at Http://derrickr.artist.cm

How to Color a Delicious Pink Lady Apple With Colored Pencils

How to Color a Delicious Pink Lady Apple With Colored Pencils

by Derrick Rathgeber

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 my webpage. 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.Follow this link to download the image  here:

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 stem 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 lines in arc shapes to the rim of the apple, then fill them in with the Celery green covering a good area of the top of the apple, but leave some areas not covered with the green for the red to show 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 color 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 of the apple 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 (making darker pencil strokes), and coloring in areas darker near the edges and the top of the apple. Leave the area near the large shine spot 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 red 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, smoothen out our fruit, and generate a one of a kind look. Starting at the borders of the apple we are going to go over the Cardinal Red with Cherry Red and start coloring towards the shine, lightening our strokes as you reach the shine spot. Also get the top of the apple, and overlay using the Cherry 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 underneath the apple. 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 the Brown 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 of your coloring pencil to the light or hard coloring pressure 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 floor underneath the apple. Once you are finished start darkening the left side using the shines as a guide to where 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.

Check back here on Http://derrickr.artist.cm for more drawing tips and lessons by Derrick Rathgeber. These lessons are also available on Http://RoseArt.com/Blog. 

If you have any questions or comments I would love to answer them for you. Contact me at derrickr333@gmail.com. 

Thank you for visiting. 

DerrickRathgeber