Colored Pencil Still Life - Excerpts

By Matt Fussell

The following video features recorded excerpts from 7 Live Lessons on drawing a still life with colored pencils. The entire series of videos features approximately 7 and 1/2 hours of instruction. The complete series is available to members and can be accessed from the Live Lessons page.

Here's a look at excerpts from the series...

Materials and Process Used In This Colored Pencil Series

It's no secret that I prefer the softness of the Prismacolor Premier colored pencils to other brands and this was my choice for this series. Prismacolor Premier pencils are so soft that sometimes the core of the pencil can break. This frustrates a number of artists, but I consider it a trade off for the quality of color and layering abilities of the pencil.

Here's a look at the finished drawing...

The image is laid out using a simple "HB" graphite pencil that is gently lifted from the surface with a kneaded eraser before colored pencils are applied. Without lifting (gently erasing) the graphite material from the surface, we risk mixing the graphite material with the waxy binder of the colored pencil. This could produce undesirable grays and muddied colors.

The drawing is created on Bristol paper (vellum surface). This surface is smooth enough to allow for control over details, but textured enough to accept multiple applications and layers of colored pencil applications.

Quite a bit of burnishing takes place throughout the process in order to create a solid layer of color. A colorless blender (pencil) is used for the majority of burnishing. However, the background required the use of Prismacolor Art Stix . These wonderful sticks are colored pencil medium (as a stick) and are great for covering larger areas. Turpenoid is applied over the Art Stix application to smooth the color and burnish the application.

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