What materials to use on my sketching?

Question

I'm a keen drawer and love to sketch landscapes and buildings. A friend has asked me to draw the Brooklyn Skyline for her but when i come to adding colour to my sketches i always seem to ruin it. I can't seem to find any materials that work with me - oils, paints, watercolours, you name it i've tried it. I've already done the drawing for her but now i need it to look more real - to add a bit of colour to it - to tidy it up!!

Any tips on how i could add a little colour / depth to my drawings without always ruining them?!!

Thanks :)

Answer 1

Why do you need to add the colour?

I used to use almost nothing but fifferent grades of pencil (8B through to 2H), using the softer/darker pencils for the shading, and a bit of indian ink for the really black points in the picture (pupil of eye, nostril, corner of mouth etc)

You can easily bring out many layers of detail using the different shades, and the picture doesn't suffer from the lack of colour, if anything it stands out even more

If you've got your heart set on putting some colour into the image, why not try just picking out a focal point (a building, a face etc...), and doing that bit in gentle colours (maybe water colours, or pastels?), while leaving the rest in shades of black and white?

Answer 2

Iam a keen drawer too and don't always colour in my drawings but use plenty of shading where appropriate.If I am going to use colour then I usually am setting out to do a painting so my underlying sketch holds back on too much detail.
However might I suggest you try something different.I have done several drawings using pen and ink.Artists ink dries fast and of course does not smudge afterwards.This is great because you can fill in with colour with confidence when the drawing is finished.I also use coloured inks to do this.They can be mixed just like waterpaint and applied with a paintbrush.I started using them originally to colour in my cartoons but like to use them for landscape drawings too.You will find they will tend not to smudge pencil either.
As far as your Brooklyn skyline goes try watering down the inks and use colour washes so the colour is not too vivid for best results.You can practice first on something small to see the effect. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Enhance the edge-definition of the existing shapes you have already created. I can vividly recall a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge that was done at night. The bridge structure was a magnificent diagonal and took up up about 70% of the picture space. It was virtually all black and white, but somehow, the artist had made that black a very intense, dark blue instead, and he had brought out the line values with a white Conte crayon or something, so it was almost a silhouette that we were looking at. All I know was that the blacks were actually deep dark intense blue and the line values were emphasized by making them appear to exist by showing their locations in white. The whole thing resonated because there it was: this massively heavy bridge sitting there like the Rock of Gibraltar, and then all these guy lines or wires, tracing arc after arc in descending cresendi against a night sky. The effect was stunning and perhaps I have given you a visual suggestion of how to enhance your existing line values to the whole thing jumps out at the viewer instead of just being a linear depiction of a familiar tourist spot. I certainly hope so. Have a good week, too, Best to you, always. - Chris! (If you were using oils, you could daub it on thickly in places to give that edge definition I speak of, you will have to find a way to get those finer lines to jump off the canvas for the viewer, and if you can manage to do that, your picture will sing!)

Answer 4

Well, it seems other people beat me to the charcoal suggestion (I'm a charcoal fanatic). But if you want to stick with graphite pencils, get a full range of values, at least from 4H to 6B. HBs are great for sketching, but you'll never get it very dark. I use blending stumps and tortillons for blending. Also get a hard eraser, I like Clic erasers, for erasing harder lines (also, don't press too hard when drawing). There are two steps to drawing, from my experience. First, you need to get the proportions right. Without that, no amount of shading will make it look good. Second, after you have the proportions down, you can add shading and texture. If you want an excellent source on shading and texture, I highly recommend "Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil" by J.D. Hillberry.

Answer 5

I find i have the same problem but i use a graphite stick on my sketches - you can pick them up cheap from most arts and crafts stores - they are a lot softer than a pencil and they add great depth to drawings without ruining them.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Why not try water soluble coloured pencils. Use the coloured pencils then blend with a damp soft brush, or alternatively try using cotton buds. Aqualle pencils are available in sets or individually in most good art shops. On no account should you wet the pencil first. Why not buy a small set sit down with your sketchbook and experiment? They are wonderful!!!!!!

Answer 8

if you are drawing with pencil or charcoal, try spraying it with a fixative or sealant (spray cans can be bought at art supply & hobby/craft shops) This will stop the pencil from smudging into your colors & keep it tidy.
If you are handy with pencil crayons, you can buy watercolor pencils & color as you would with regular pencil crayons. then you take a damp brush & go over it to blend.

Answer 9

If your having problems with colour why not try to just use one colour perhaps different tones of blue or red. It could work quite well.

Answer 10

charcoal will do the trick. for black and white photo looking drawings. draw a line ann shade with your finger or a tissue. if color is what you want then chalk is for you it is very forgiving and you can cover mistakes . it will take a little work to start but it will work ..