Cara Hanley - Colored Pencil: A Playful Guide to Drawing with Colored Pencil on the Go!

Hello! My name is Cara. I am an illustrator living in upstate New York, and Im excited to share my passion for colored pencils with you! Art is an integral part of who I am, and it is something that I look forward to creating every day. I delight in every part of the art-making process. It provides me with a deeper connection to the world around me and an escape from the stressors of everyday life.

My routine during the week is to drop my bags when I get home from work and sit down at my drawing table or pack up my tools and materials and head to the park or my favorite caf. Weekends are special because they let me take advantage of the late and midmorning sun, which I believe is the best lighting in which to draw and paint. There is nothing like heading out into that magical light with my art supplies and coffee in tow (after some groggy snuggles with my cat, Zipper, of course!).

Inspiration is a necessary ingredient in the recipe for creating art. For me, inspiration comes more easily when Im immersed in the energy of the community, whether its my favorite coffee house, a public garden, or a gallery.

As an artist, you will find your own sources of inspiration. This book will guide you through a variety of exercises that focus on subjects both near and far. We will start in your home, head out on some local adventures, and even explore art making while traveling.

To hone your drawing skills, I recommend practicing every day. This will help you develop a natural ease with your colored pencils and its one of the best ways to establish your own style. If you draw enough, your style will develop organically!

As you work through this book, allow yourself to play without judgment. Draw in different places. Listen to music when you draw, and then draw in silence. Draw in the morning. Draw at night. Draw with your nondominant hand for a bit. Draw with your cat on your desk (but watch your water glass!).

Lets talk art supplies! First and foremost, lets talk about the star of the show.

COLORED PENCILS

There are two main types of colored pencils: wax and oil. Wax and oil are the agents that bind the pigment together to form a colored pencil. Wax colored pencils are generally more convenient to find and also less expensive. Oil colored pencils are more expensive but easier to sharpen and less prone to breaking. Ive worked with both and genuinely enjoy both kinds. If you can, test out both wax and oil colored pencils at your local art store before committing to one or the other.

GRAPHITE PENCIL

When drawing with colored pencils, I always pack a regular graphite pencil. I use this pencil to lightly outline my drawing before committing to colored pencil, which I cant erase.

Because of its silvery sheen, you can also use your graphite pencil for drawing metallic details.

SHARPENER

You may have a pencil sharpener lying around from your school days. Remember sharpening all those #2 pencils in preparation for a test? That sharpener will likely do the trick, but if you dont have one, I recommend getting a pencil sharpener that is covered (unlike the one illustrated). As you work through this book, you will sharpen your colored pencils a lot. Having a covered sharpener will prevent undue mess.

PAPER

When it comes to colored pencil, paper is our canvas! Therefore, its important to choose a quality paper that takes well to colored pencil. The tooth of a paper refers to the roughness. Having some tooth to your paper is important when working with colored pencil. The colored pencil pigment needs something to grab onto to stick to the paper and stay in place.

If you go to your local art store, you may be able to find paper that is designed specifically for drawing with colored pencils, but an alternative is hot-pressed watercolor paper. You will find that a notebook is more convenient for carrying on the go.

You can tell if a paper has tooth or not by lightly touching the surface of it.

PEN

I always have a felt-tip black pen in my pencil case. These pens are great for adding details to drawings and creating a sharper edge or deeper shadow. A pen is also useful to have on hand if you are keeping a drawing journal and want to write little notes or thoughts next to your images.

PENCIL CASE

You have a lot of flexibility with the pencil case you choose. I suggest finding one that inspires you! My pencil case is canvas, has many pockets, and is mustard yellow and blue (one of my favorite color combinations).

Take some time finding a pencil case that feels good to you. I recommend getting a fabric pencil case because it will prevent breakage of your colored pencils. Make sure the pencil case is long enough to fit your colored pencils with some wiggle room to spare!

DRAWING TECHNIQUES

Before jumping into the step-by-step exercises in this book, it is important to learn the basic techniques of contour, fill, and texturing. While contours create structure in a drawing, fill and texture add depth and richness. Once mastered, these skills will allow you to create richness and depth in your work and to achieve a more sophisticated level of drawing.

One advantage of selecting colored pencil as a medium is that the drawing techniques are relatively easy to learn, yet they permit a wide range of artistic effects. Before you know it, youll be using texturing and fill techniquessuch as shading, hatching, stippling, stroking, and layeringto make your art come alive!

CONTOUR

Here you can see my blind contour drawing of my iced coffee cup!

Contouring essentially means outlining. Contouring is the first step to laying the framework of your drawing.

You can practice drawing contours using a technique called blind contouring. Pick out a simple object, like a coffee cup or piece of fruit, and draw the outline of the item without looking down at your paper or picking up your pencil. Pretend that your gaze is an ant crawling over the outline of the object, and sync the movement of your pencil with your gaze. Dont worry if this feels awkward and your drawing isnt very goodthe exercise will help develop your hand-eye coordination with the pencil and will improve your ability to observe detail in objects.