The Colored Pencil Course: Reflection and Transparency
Lesson Description
Lesson Seven of The Colored Pencil Course focuses on one of the more advanced and visually striking techniques in colored pencil drawing: creating the illusion of reflection and transparency. Building on the compositional foundation and initial layers from Lesson Six, this lesson guides students through the process of completing a still life drawing of glasses and grapes. Matt demonstrates how careful observation, precise color application, and strategic layering can give the appearance of glass surfaces and reflective highlights, creating a sense of realism that makes the drawing come alive.
Understanding Reflection in Still Life Drawing
Matt begins the lesson by explaining the fundamental principles of reflection in a drawing. He shows that reflections are not merely mirrors of the surrounding objects but are influenced by light, angle, and surface texture. Students learn how to identify where reflections occur on a glass surface and how to interpret them accurately. Matt emphasizes that reflections should enhance the form of the object rather than distract from it, helping to reinforce the three-dimensionality of the subject. Using examples from real glassware, he demonstrates how subtle highlights and variations in value create the illusion of a reflective surface.
Capturing Transparency with Colored Pencils
Creating transparency is a critical component of drawing glass and other translucent objects. Matt explains that transparency is achieved through careful layering of light and color, allowing underlying tones and shadows to show through. Students learn to observe the way light passes through and bends within a transparent object, noting changes in value and color intensity. Matt demonstrates techniques for layering pale colors and leaving areas of the paper exposed to suggest light transmission, helping the glass appear clear and believable. The grapes behind and within the glass also demonstrate how objects are subtly distorted through transparent surfaces.
Completing the Still Life Drawing
With the principles of reflection and transparency established, the lesson moves into completing the still life. Students use colored pencils to refine the shapes of the glasses and grapes, paying close attention to where highlights, mid-tones, and shadows fall. Matt demonstrates how to blend smoothly to maintain the illusion of polished glass and smooth grape skin. Strategic use of white pencils and lighter hues allows students to create crisp highlights that suggest reflected light, while layering darker tones emphasizes depth and volume. Every stroke is deliberate, showing how layered color can enhance the realism of transparent and reflective objects.
Enhancing Realism Through Observational Techniques
Throughout the lesson, Matt emphasizes the importance of careful observation. Students are encouraged to study the still life from multiple angles, noticing subtle changes in light, value, and color. He demonstrates how to translate these observations into pencil marks that communicate depth and transparency. The grapes, with their rich hues and subtle shading, provide an excellent contrast to the reflective glass, further enhancing the overall composition. Matt also highlights how adjusting pressure and layering colors can help replicate the subtle nuances seen in real life, making the final drawing visually convincing.
Final Touches and Polishing the Drawing
As the still life nears completion, Matt shows how to add finishing touches that enhance the realism and visual appeal of the drawing. This includes refining highlights, adjusting shadow intensity, and blending edges to unify the composition. Students see how small adjustments, such as enhancing a reflected highlight or subtly softening a shadow, can make a significant difference in creating the illusion of three-dimensionality. The completed drawing demonstrates not only technical skill but also the importance of patient observation and thoughtful execution in achieving realism with colored pencils.
By the end of Lesson Seven, students gain a thorough understanding of how to depict reflection and transparency in colored pencil drawings. Completing the still life of glasses and grapes allows learners to apply observational skills, layering techniques, and blending strategies to create a polished and realistic composition. This lesson reinforces the idea that attention to detail, careful study of light and shadow, and intentional color application are essential for producing artwork that is both visually striking and technically proficient. With these skills, students are prepared to tackle more complex subjects and continue developing their mastery of colored pencil drawing.
Lesson Materials
Colored Pencils (Prismacolor pencils are used but any brand is fine), Bristol paper, Turpeniod, nylon brushes, and a colorless blender.
Lesson Resources
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Reference Image
Course Curriculum
Founder of The Virtual Instructor, artist and teacher. Matt makes learning art easy to understand and enjoyable.
Can a blender marker be used in place of the turpeniod?
I am very pleased with how my picture turned out. The reflections look great. Thanks for the consistent reminders about looking at shapes. I especially like the background– that was a lot of work, but well worth it. Thanks for the great instruction!
Thank you for the demonstration. This was very informative and will help me a great deal when dealing with glass/crystal objects
Thanks Debby!
Another great, fully comprehensive lesson. I’ve never been a fan of still life, but as an excercise in ‘ drawing what you see’ this is invaluable – I think I need to practse lots of these before trying colour pencil portraits.
Could you give an indication of the size of paper you used, also the actual image size. As you explained different brands have different binders, will it cause problems if I mix brands in one drawing? I have quite a range of colours, but some are Derwent Coloursoft and some are Faber Castell Polychromos.
Your step by step instructions and the logical progression of the lesson plan gives the student an excellent opportunity to succeed. There is plenty of useful information to focus on, i found myself pausing and re-running the video over again and again. But the most important thing I learned was:
The repetition of the brain seeing what you you’re attempting to draw and then the brain drawing what you see, is a concept that I never thought of that way before but, now I understand it! This understanding has made me a better artist.Thank you for that!
These courses have helped me so much. I feel like I can tackle just about anything now that I have the information. Thanks.
Yes Mr.Matt….The wine bottles and the glass transp. I had to practise on a separate drawing rough of the glass before I was laying down the shadows so they were gentle and not pasted on….great eye-hand workout really slowed me down…but rewarded myself with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon out of Chile. thumbs up for the direction. thx.
good morning matt,
wow!….i couldn’t believe the availability & range of warm & cool grays(prisma colors). 90%-70%-50%-30%-20%
1.do one simply understand warm and cool grays via practice ? ie. which gray to use (warm/cool)
2.are there any fast-rules as to when to use either?
3.then you get into the %%….how does this work….how do you decide on the %? ie.in this study,using 20% WG for grape c cast shadow & 70% WG
thanks,raquel
Dear Matt,
I am enjoying very much the the couse. I am in the process of completing the Still life of this lesson, and giving it some final touches for completion.
On question comes to mind: How do you select the colors from the photo reference? Or a still life in front of you? Perhaps the answer to my question is in another lesson in anothe location of your site? I will value very much your guidance. Still lifes is one of my favorite themes.
Thanks so much! I was not confident of my ability to even begin this. But with your careful attention to the details & lots of hard work & patience, my still life surprised me. The reflections in my glass were too obvious & dark to be pleasing. I was able to save it with lots of eraser & a white firm pastel. Thank you for the tremendous effort you put into these lessons.
Dear Matt,
I am enjoying very much the the couse. I am in the process of completing the Still life of this lesson, and giving it some final touches for completion.
On question comes to mind: How do you select the colors from the photo reference? Or a still life in front of you? Perhaps the answer to my question is in another lesson in anothe location of your site? I will value very much your guidance. Still lifes is one of my favorite themes.
Matt, how long, in real time, did it take you to create this still life?
I am using Strathmore paper, 100 lb – the tooth of the paper shows through when I finish – How many layers are you applying? Should I be doing more layers or blending? Pat
Matt – it would also be very helpful if the reference was shown as you add the values – so that you can point out what values you are seeing. I have trouble seeing what you are seeing from the photo reference – all in all, really a great course – pat
When I see this I only feel envy😀
I like you a lot. You can also say useful words.
Comgrats
Hi Matt, how do you get bright highlights with polychromes please, as I am finding that reserving the paper and going over with the white pencil does not create very sharp highlights
Hi Christine,
Polychromos colored pencils aren’t the brightest pencils, however there are two things you can try. The first is to work on toned paper. The contrast alone will make the highlights appear stronger and lighter – value is relative. The second is to consider going over your highlights with a little gouache (opaque watercolor) to make them stronger.
Thanks Matt, I will give your suggestions a try. Really enjoying the course and learning lots already, so thank you