Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Create Realistic Portraits with Colored Pencils
    Create Realistic Portraits with Colored Pencils
    Create Realistic Portraits with Colored Pencils
    Ebook151 pages1 hour

    Create Realistic Portraits with Colored Pencils

    By Ron Celano

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    With just average drawing skills you can learn how to create realistic portraits with colored pencils. Fully illustrated in color, this book will show you how. Starting with required materials and continuing with subjects such as how to compose and make your sketch, simple pencil drawing techniques, what colors you should have and how to use them to get realistic skin tones, values and contrast, and much more. Included is one of the most complete step-by-step tutorials you will find in any book. Nothing is left to chance, as possible mistakes and fixes are also discussed.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRon Celano
    Release dateNov 17, 2011
    ISBN9781465955814
    Create Realistic Portraits with Colored Pencils

    Read more from Ron Celano

    Related to Create Realistic Portraits with Colored Pencils

    Related ebooks

    Visual Arts For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Pastel Pencils

      Oct 18, 2019

      Pastel Pencils
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Loomis METHOD

      Oct 29, 2021

      The Loomis METHOD
      4 min read

    • Article

      Hatching and Crosshatching

      Jun 7, 2018

      Hatching and Crosshatching
      8 min read

    • Article

      Drawing Circles

      Feb 8, 2018

      Drawing Circles
      4 min read

    • Article

      Chiaroscuro Portraiture

      Feb 13, 2020

      Chiaroscuro Portraiture
      5 min read

    • Article

      Grey Wolf

      Dec 24, 2021

      Grey Wolf
      8 min read

    • Article

      Drawing Straight Lines

      Feb 8, 2018

      Drawing Straight Lines
      6 min read

    • Article

      Pencils Poised Please

      May 13, 2020

      Pencils Poised Please
      11 min read

    • Article

      IMAGINARY Figures

      Jan 22, 2021

      IMAGINARY Figures
      4 min read

    • Article

      Drawing FUR

      Dec 24, 2020

      Drawing FUR
      5 min read

    • Article

      Basic Drawing Techniques

      Nov 15, 2017

      Contributed by Brett A. Jones Drawing has been overshadowed in the modern era – to some extent – by the emergence of forms such as abstract and cubism which really don’t demand much from the artist in areas like realistic representation of the subje

      4 min read

    • Article

      Core skills: Part 1 GET BETTER AT LINE DRAWING

      Aug 9, 2019

      Creating quality line art with a pencil can be more difficult than with ink or a digital medium, so I’m going to give some tips on how to achieve work that is clean and easy to read. Since working with a pencil can have varying values, inconsistent m

      2 min read

    • Article

      Drawing BUILDINGS

      Sep 6, 2019

      Drawing BUILDINGS
      4 min read

    • Article

      Drawing Elephants

      Mar 22, 2019

      Drawing Elephants
      2 min read

    • Article

      Pencil Portraits

      Oct 20, 2022

      Pencil Portraits
      3 min read

    • Article

      Colour With Confidence

      Nov 18, 2022

      Colour With Confidence
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Art of Drawing

      May 17, 2018

      Contributed Drawing forms the cornerstone of every artist’s practice and is presently experiencing a resurgence in popularity as an artform in its own right. Whether your work is trendy or traditional, two-dimensional or sculptural, the humble pencil

      14 min read

    • Article

      The A-Z Of Pen and Wash Sketching

      Apr 21, 2020

      The A-Z Of Pen and Wash Sketching
      5 min read

    • Article

      MINDFUL Portraits

      Aug 7, 2020

      MINDFUL Portraits
      5 min read

    • Article

      Let’s Draw

      Feb 18, 2022

      Let’s Draw
      5 min read

    • Article

      Animal Textures

      May 13, 2022

      Animal Textures
      6 min read

    • Article

      Magic Pencil Tricks

      Jun 21, 2019

      Magic Pencil Tricks
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Create Realistic Portraits with Colored Pencils

    3.5/5

    3 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Create Realistic Portraits with Colored Pencils - Ron Celano

      Create Realistic Portraits

      With Colored Pencils

      Ron Celano

      Copyright 2011 by Ron Celano

      Smashwords Edition

      All Rights Reserved

      ISBN - 978-1-4659-5581-4

      Credits:

      Graphic Design - Ron Celano

      Photography - Barb Celano

      Composition - Ron Celano

      Editing - Angela Creger

      Cover Art - Ron Celano

      License Statement

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author..

      Acknowledgements

      I would like to give thanks to all those that have inspired, encouraged and helped make this book possible. First and foremost I would like to thank my father, Orazio Celano, whom as an artist himself for more than 60 years is always willing to critique and offer constructive comments on my work. Thanks to Maria and Rebecca Blome. This book would not exist without their permission, support and willingness to provide enough references so that the portrait of Rebecca would turn out the best that it could be. Finally, a special thanks to my wife Barbara who always stands behind me with encouragement no matter what crazy venture I decide to embark on next.

      1. Introduction

      Some would say that a person should to learn to draw before learning to paint. Interestingly enough, a person may develop such a passion for drawing that they might not want to try painting at all. Such is often the case when people discover the wonderful world of colored pencils. This may come as a surprise, but with the proper instruction and practice, just about anyone can learn to create a colored pencil drawing that easily rivals painted art. That’s why colored pencil art has recently gained the attention of those attuned to the art world.

      A wide range of portrait styles is possible using colored pencils, varying from impressionistic to photo-realistic. The quality and realism of portraits rendered in colored pencil can be quite impressive, especially when a painterly effect is achieved. Although this book concentrates on realistic portraits, the included techniques can be applied to any style. So, when you are finished reading the material and hopefully have followed the examples and tutorial, go ahead and experiment. After all, your style is what makes you unique as an artist.

      You are reading this book because you are interested in portrait art and want to learn how to create a realistic portrait with colored pencils. Maybe you have already tried to create a colored pencil portrait, but have not achieved satisfactory results. Perhaps you have not attempted a colored pencil portrait yet. In either case, this book will show you the possibilities and get you started on your way.

      Before I go on, let me say that creating a colored pencil portrait in a realistic style is not a fast process. There are many time consuming steps and patience is a prerequisite. Accordingly, once you learn the techniques and apply them, you will find the process pleasurable and that the end result is well worth the effort.

      Unless you are an artist that is exceptionally gifted or highly trained, you may have gone through many trying phases as a portrait artist. I am self-taught and began by reading as many drawing books as I could get my hands on. I did every example and was able to learn something from each one. Eventually I started getting a reasonable likeness and my renderings gradually improved. The examples on the following pages show some phases of my development. The earliest examples are not shown for obvious reasons. My first respectable portraits were vignettes drawn with graphite pencils. Subjects were taken from photographs of family and friends. The example on the next page came at a time when I was becoming relatively satisfied with my progress and I thought I was ready to try my hand at colored pencils. As I soon discovered, drawing with colored pencils would turn out to be a challenging but fun and rewarding experience.

      I discovered that there are many brands of colored pencils. I searched the Internet and found that Prismacolor Premier pencils are one of the most widely used. Prismacolor pencils are famous for a wide array of colors and for the smooth velvety way the pigments adhere to the paper. They have a soft and waxy consistency that produces good results no matter what pencil pressure is used.

      Luke

      Private Collection

      (9 in. x 12 in. (22.5 cm. x 30.0 cm.) Cranson 65 lb. paper)

      In retrospect this drawing of Luke would have benefited from a little more contrast, but at the time was good enough and I decided to begin using colored pencils. It is done with a mechanical pencil using HB lead. Blending is accomplished with tissue paper and tortillons.

      Next, I needed to learn what paper worked best with colored pencils. Again through several Internet searches, I discovered that Stonehenge Rising Paper is the paper preferred by many colored pencil portrait artists. Stonehenge paper is smoother on one side than the other and it is suggested that the smoother side be used for portraits. Even though I would advise that you start out by using Stonehenge paper, don’t hesitate to discover other types of media on your own. I had good results early on with several other brands/types of paper, but now tend to stay with the Stonehenge paper.

      I progressed quickly and developed a somewhat realistic kind of a style. My family and friends were quick to complement me, but I felt

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1