How to Draw a Realistic Pumpkin with Colored Pencils, by Those Pencil Shavings on YouTube. 19 min 18 s.
- Video length
- 19 min 18 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Sketch the pumpkin outline lightly in pencil. Draw a rounded body with a few curved vertical lines to mark the segments, then add a small oval for the stem.
Draw the stem in detail with olive green yellowish and chrome oxide green. Add darker edges with black and a little cream for texture.
Lay down your first orange layer using dark cadmium orange and dark cadmium yellow. Keep the strokes light and follow the curve of each segment.
Add highlights with cream and white on the raised parts of each segment. Leave the paper showing through for the brightest spots.
Build shadows with caput mortuum and cold grey IV in the creases between segments. Blend the edges so the orange fades into the shadow.
Work the left side of the pumpkin, deepening the orange with middle and light cadmium red. Add phthalo blue sparingly in the darkest areas.
Repeat on the right side, matching the color depth of the left. Keep checking both sides so the lighting looks consistent.
Draw the cast shadow under the pumpkin with black and cold grey IV. Soften the edge so it looks like it sits on the surface.
Check the whole drawing and adjust any weak areas. Sharpen your pencils and add final fine details and contrast.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep your pencil strokes light and build color in thin layers instead of pressing hard at once.
Sharpen your pencils often so you can get into the creases between segments.
Use a light touch with black and grey, since dark colors are hard to lift from paper.
Work in good lighting so you can judge the orange and shadow values accurately.
Questions
Can I use a different brand of colored pencils?
Yes. Any decent wax or oil-based colored pencil set works. Match the colors as closely as you can to the listed Polychromos shades.
Do I need special paper?
No. Regular sketchbook paper is fine, though thicker paper handles more layers without tearing.
How long does the drawing take?
Plan around 45 minutes to an hour. The layering and blending take most of the time.
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.
