How to Create Smooth Blends with Coloured Pencils | Realistic Red Capsicum, by Lisa Galley Art on YouTube. 6 min 43 s.
- Video length
- 6 min 43 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Sketch the capsicum outline lightly on your paper. Keep the lines faint so the colour layers cover them later.
Underpaint the shadow areas with a grey pencil. Press lightly and keep the strokes even so the base stays smooth.
Add orange and pink layers over the mid tones. These warm layers stop the red from looking flat later.
Glaze thin layers of red over the whole capsicum. Use light pressure and build up several passes instead of one heavy coat.
Dip a blending stump or cotton bud in Zest-It Pencil Blend. Work it over the colour in small circles to melt the layers together.
Let the blend dry fully, then add more red layers where you want deeper colour. Repeat the glaze and blend until the surface looks smooth.
Burnish the finished areas with a light pencil or colourless blender. Press firmly to polish the surface and close the paper grain.
Lift highlights with a white pencil or a clean eraser. Darken the shadow side with a deeper red or brown to add depth.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep your pencils sharp and your pressure light, because heavy strokes leave streaks that are hard to blend out.
Work in thin layers and let each Zest-It pass dry before adding more colour.
Test Zest-It on a scrap of the same paper first to check it does not damage the surface.
Do not over-blend one spot or the colour turns muddy and loses its shine.
Questions
Can I blend coloured pencils without Zest-It?
Yes. You can layer and burnish with a colourless blender pencil or a light pencil. Zest-It just speeds up the smooth, painted look.
Do I need Polychromos pencils for this?
No, but a soft, oil-based pencil blends more easily than a hard, waxy one. Test your own pencils on scrap paper first.
How many layers should I build?
Aim for three to five thin layers. More layers give richer colour, but too many can fill the paper grain and look flat.
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.
