How to Use Prismacolor Color Pencils

Create fantasy or realistic drawings using Prismacolor colored pencils. Prismacolor are wax-based pencils that come in a large variety of colors. Create drawings and fill them in with the pencils to create evenly shaded areas in primary and pastel colors. Since Prismacolor pencils are waxed, they will glide easily across the paper and blend well when techniques such as hatching, stippling and cross-hatching are used. They are a high quality pencil that produces exciting results.

Things You'll Need

• Drawing paper
• Pencil sharpener

Instructions

1. Sketch your drawing using a light-colored pencil. Choose a base color that coordinates with the color scheme of the piece. Sketch an outline of the subject lightly.

2. Trace over the sketch lines to outline areas with the colors you will use to fill. Trace with the darkest color that will appear in the area to define the shapes and create a bold outline.

3. Shade the darkest areas. Begin shading the dark areas of the drawing, using the dark color you used to outline. Use a cross-hatching technique, by drawing overlapping lines up and down and side to side. The more lines you draw, the darker the area will become. Shading will define the form of the object. Use coordinating pencils in lighter shades to transition to lighter areas.

4. Shade the highlighted areas. Shade the light areas with lighter pencils, using cross-hatching with fewer lines to create lightness. Gradually transition the shading from medium shades to light, leaving lightest areas the white of the paper.

5. Draw details using darker pencils and complimentary colors. Complimentary colors will add depth to the shaded areas. Green and red, blue and orange, and yellow and purple are complimentary colors. For instance, if you are drawing something green, add touches of red to details. Do this sparingly to avoid the drawing looking muddy.

6. Color in the background by cross-hatching large areas at a time to fill. Avoid just coloring the area or it may look flat. Cross-hatching your background will continue the textured effect you placed on the object and allow you to create light and dark areas.

Tips & Warnings

• Prismacolor pencils smear slightly, so avoid rubbing them.

• Keep your pencil tips sharp for best results.

• Avoid erasing unless necessary. Prismacolor pencils can be erased, however the color will not be entirely removed and you take the chance on ruining your paper.

References

• Elfwood; Prismacolor Pencils; Liz Chesterman
• Colored Pencil Tutorial

Resources

• Prismacolor: Colored Pencils