How to blend Colored Pencils smoothly #drawingtutorial #pencilshading #artshorts, by art_by_smitha on YouTube. 1 min 5 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 5 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Draw a light circle on your paper with a hard pencil. Keep the outline faint so it does not show through the shading later.
Pick one color and choose a light, medium and dark tone of it. A single hue with three values blends more cleanly than mixing many colors.
Fill the whole circle with the lightest tone using light pressure. Keep your strokes going the same direction and overlap them slightly.
Add the medium tone on the side facing away from your light source. Build it in thin layers rather than pressing hard once.
Place the darkest tone along the shadow edge and a little under the sphere for the cast shadow. Leave a small highlight area unshaded.
Rub the shaded areas with a blending stump, cotton swab or tissue. Work in small circles and follow the curve of the sphere.
Add another thin layer of each tone over the blended surface. Repeat the blend until the transitions look smooth and no pencil lines remain.
Lift any smudges outside the circle with a kneaded eraser. Sharpen the highlight edge so the sphere looks round.
Tips and common mistakes
Use light pressure and many thin layers instead of one heavy layer, which is hard to blend.
Keep your pencil sharp and your strokes consistent so the grain of the paper does not show.
Blend small areas at a time so the pencil does not set before you smooth it.
Test your blending tool on scrap paper first to check it does not lift too much color.
Questions
Can I blend colored pencils without a blending stump?
Yes. A cotton swab, a tissue wrapped around your finger or a soft white pencil all work. A stump gives the most control on small areas.
Why do my blends look patchy?
Usually the layers are too heavy or the paper is too rough. Build color slowly with light pressure and blend between each layer.
Do I need special pencils for smooth blending?
Wax or oil-based colored pencils blend more easily than hard, cheap ones. Any soft artist-grade pencil will give smoother results.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
