Yay Laura I’m so happy that this idea has sparked your interest in trying coloured pencil. How time consuming coloured pencil is definitely a turn off but I hope you have fun speeding up the process with this trick 🥰
I am mainly a watercolor artist too, but I've always used the mediums together. Washes of watercolor and then color pencils or even markers, paint, etc.
I’m mainly a watercolor & gouache artist. I have used colored pencils before & found that because it takes so long to get color down on the paper or issues you explained in the beginning I experienced, I wasn’t to thrilled about it for a medium to use. This is definitely a wonderful hack & surprise for me, especially since I have tons of colored pencils that I want to try it out on now. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful video!
Some suggestions in my opinion only: you can buy a half glove from Jacksons Art Shop London that doesn't lift the pencil marks or grated graphite etc, - you can also buy art pencil graters that are in the lid and the grated colours fall in a container below, rather than in rubbing against sandpaper some may be lost into its grain. You can put a sheet of white paper next to where you are drawing to rest your hand. Watercolour pencils can lay a wash to be worked into wet/dry
Reducing solid and friable drawing media to powder is a great way to get broader coverage and more variety in mark making! Artists testing this technique who can use light-duty solvents might also try using denatured alcohol to "paint" with the powder- some colored pencil core material can be blended with alcohol, and after it evaporates, it leaves a uniform brushstroke that can be incorporated into further drawing! (Works with graphite, too)
@@MommyOfZoeAndLiam We expect it depends on the binder, but alcohol is generally a good wetting agent for pigments that don't directly mix with water. The faster evaporation rate might facilitate quicker layering, but might also reduce "open" time when the paint is still fluid. These are just guesses...
@@Blick_ArtThis is interesting. Once you have a uniform brushstroke and the alcohol has evaporated. Can you then go in with an eraser and pull highlights out ?
I have a massive collection of budget colored pencils that would be perfect for this technique, since I wouldn't mind grinding them down to make the powder blend. In fact, I think this might be the best way to repurpose the spent stubs I've been saving up.
@@josephwalsh7546 I did, until the nubs got to less than 1 inch / 2.5 cm and were too tiny to sharpen anymore. Though in the past I made the mistake of throwing them out. I'm not going to do that anymore, for sure.
Something that's not mentioned in the video that I think is a huge potential benefit for this method is how it can save your hand. I've had to quit colored pencils because of how badly it hurts my hand, but I might try this and see if it's easier on me.
@@chrisashtonlightell-west1189 Just buy some decent paper (much more important than the paint or brushes), and 3 tubes of good paint (primary warm or cool set) and have a go.... it's not as difficult as it looks so long as you have good paper that allows for blending and learn water control. Enjoy!
This is a game changer! Especially for doing backgrounds! I do adult coloring and I enjoy coloring with my Prismacolor pencils and a few other brands like Faber Castill and Caran d'Ache, but I have to use a different medium for my backgrounds because trying to color a whole background will eat up your colored pencils super fast, and the pencils I use cost too much to use them up on backgrounds! So I usually have to use pastels, water soluble pencils or gel sticks, etc. So I am super excited to try this method out and share this video with my coloring friends! Thank you so much for sharing! And you are an amazing artist!
About six months ago I joined your patron page, and I just have to say that you made a huge difference in my life. Five months ago I attempted a drawing for a school expo, after watching your tutorials. And by the event I had many people come up to me and ask if the drawing was printed! It was simply a drawing of an eye, but it taught me a lot about shadow, layering/ mixing colors and other techniques that can be used for multiple mediums. It also gave me the confidence to start painting again. which I haven’t done for years, and I’m really grateful for that! It also helped me view the world in a new light, and start to appreciate all the beauty that God has placed on this earth. From the colorful change of leaves during autumn, to the vibrant flowers in the spring and summer, there lyes so much beauty all around us. We just need to stop and take a moment to appreciate it. Instead of just looking at an object/scenery as a whole I now see the blending of perfect colors,shadows,highlights and angles that make up that object/scenery. For anyone who believes that that drawing/art is a waste of time, or any less important than other subjects in school, I would recommend giving it a real shot. And before you’re so quick to say that you can’t draw try one of Kirsty’s tutorials and you might surprise yourself! I know I did! Drawing doesn’t only help change your view on the world, it helps you increase your attention span. And this is so important these days where everything is instantaneous. And this video even helps you speed up the process a little bit so you have no reason not to start! Just go for it! Don’t let the blank page scare you! And for those of you who have taken the time to read this long comment thank you. 🙏 I hope you have a wonderful day full of beauty and inspiration.💕
That's really cool, that's the first thing I started with also, I can't say how many eyes and different techniques I've tried, by time I was done, I felt like I was being watched..lol anyways sorry had to throw the humor in, but it's awesome and a great release, God bless all and sending everyone out there a happy n healthy holiday season 🤗
@@debralynnv3044 Also a book I would really recommend is 'drawing on the right side of your brain' by Betty Edwards. The book teaches you how to trick the left side of your brain into stepping back while you're drawing, so you can tap into the skills(and mindset) needed for a drawing. The book also goes into how drawing is a skill that can be mastered by almost anyone(when given the right instruction), rather than a magical talent that only the gifted are blessed with. I hope you, (and all who read this) will have a happy and healthy holiday season as well!
Some tips. Try using pastel pencils (like Stabillo Carbothellos). They have the powdery texture you were getting without having to grind them and rub them on. Also try a heavier weight paper that can take some pressure without wrinkling. Also try a smoother surface paper to avoid the white spots. Those white spots are low areas that the pencil can't get down into. You might also experiment with other types of paper. There are "pastel" papers that come in pre tinted colors. Also you might try velum. And you might also try taking regular mat board and adding a clear acrylic "texture" paint which dries to a feeling of fine sandpaper. This added tooth helps pull the pencil lead off the pencil just like the sandpaper you used to make the powder. In other words make your whole working surface like sandpaper by adding the clear texture paint. When I discovered pastel pencils I didn't ever want to go back to colored pencils.
@@StorytellingHeadshots I always like to give a thumbs up and a positive comment to any TH-cam video I watch. I appreciate that someone went to the trouble of making a video to share their knowledge with others. I've been drawing and painting since I was a little kid (60 years!) and it's always interesting to hear other artists input and ideas and TH-cam is a fabulous place to do that!
Additionally regular art pastels work too. They cna be broken down easier than the colored pencils and are used for this on other things like doll repainting
This is brilliant. Made me rush immediately to get my inexpensive pencils and use your technique to create a lovely soft background. As a beginner, I've been struggling to stay within budget. Now there is no need to buy any more supplies (pastels/fixative spray and whatnot) Thank you so much for sharing this.
Cool technique. I do the same with chalk pastel. I use it as the foundation then spray it with a fixative. It creates a tooth that the pencil can grab ahold of. It's great
The container she uses to hold her powder in the first part of the video is for pan-pastels (note the printing onthe lid). That is a powdered pastel pigment which is applied exactly as her "new" technique is, and for the same reasons. You can also layer colored pencil over it, erase it off and so forth. You can also mix a medium into it ans apply it as a watercolor looking base layer. Often pan-pastels are used with sanded paper because they fill the tooth of the surface so well.
I literally got anxious and all rigid for the outcome of that drawing/all your work when that grey (which looked blue on my screen) was accidentally swiped onto that face. So glad you could fix it. Thanks for showing all that too. It really helps. Quite frankly, everything you post helps so much you’re my number 1 recommendation to others that want to draw “but can’t “ because you are such a master at giving newbies the confidence on top of the know-how to draw and more. QUESTION though: what was that white pencil with wooden barrel please? I have no idea what difference white charcoal, white pastels or white chalk would give, what the pros and cons are with each one
Yes I thought it was very important to show mistakes like this because everyone makes mistakes, which is a normal part of the drawing process, it is knowing how to fix them that is the important part. I want to include more of this in my videos because I want to teach more how to embrace making mistakes and not fear them. We are make mistakes when drawing and most of the time it can be fixed 🥰 also that pencil is the white Caran d’ache luminance coloured pencil
Great video! This is a technique that has been used by artists for years. I can't remember who taught me, but I know it was over thirty years ago. It's a great way to lay a foundation to keep the paper from ripping.
Great idea! This needs to be taught in elementary school all the way to art school. I think that a better idea would be to get a long thin nail and gently grind away at the top end of the pencil, instead of wearing away at the usual sharpened tip. You could even use a cheap drill to spin the to nail. The idea is that the top of the pencil will become hollow, and you can still hold on to it, as the pencil shortens, which means that you get more use out of the coloured stuff. Also, the powder can be collected in pill containers, which are used to keep track of 7 days worth or a month's worth. Another idea is to use old contact lens containers: they seal tight, even though they are supposed to be thrown out. Does this all make sense?
Something I ALWAYS do when drawing with pencils is place a clean white sheet of paper on top of the drawing whenever I need to move my hand over any part of it. That way, it stays protected and you won't smudge things out by accident, or put colours on it where they don't belong. ;)
Watercolour artists may like to try watercolour pencil crayons. You can keep the sharpened shavings from the pencils. I’ve made combo colours by combining the bits of sharpened pigments Regarding pencils you can shave then with a knife you might loose less pigment using this technique
That's great! I usually work with watercolor and use the crayons over it more or less excessively to add more detail to my watercolors. But with your new technique, I might also try working (almost) entirely with dry media and wouldn't necessarily have to use the watercolor paper. That opens up new possibilities. Thank you!
Love this! Not only does it speed up the drawing but it gives it a lovely texture that brings out the essence of the medium instead of that super smooth look that burnishing and some other techniques for blending color pencil give.
This was amazing! Thank you so much! I've actually tried a similar technique with the skin using old makeup and the brush! It really did help to speed up the process. I'm nowhere near as good at coloring as you, but it was so fascinating to see this being done using coloring pencils! Thank you so very much!
That is absolutely beautiful 😻. Such a talent!! I’m generally artistic, so I like to flip between different mediums and projects. But I’ve NEVER successfully drawn a face, hands, feet etc. So I’d like to start practicing. I’ve not used pencils for years, I’ve just purchased some new pencils, but I’ve found it’s an expensive task. As each time I realise there’s something I’m not keen about the pencils I’ve bought. Don’t think I’ll ever be as good as you, but I can only try! X
Love that drawing. Especially the way you bring the blurry colours of the eyes into such sharp focus with some dark outlining. I really enjoy watching your clips.
Cool! 😍 I wonder if sanded soft pastels would have the same effect as the coloured pencils as a base layer? This is great - I do it with graphite pencils but it has NEVER occured to me to use it with coloured pencils 🤯 definitely a game changer for me 😍
Yes I use pastels (both pan and stick) all the time as base layers for color pencils but with pastels it is not as "adhesive" as the color pencil because they do not have wax in them, you will probably need a fixative, with this hack I image you do not though Kristy doesn't say...though with her smearing mistake you have to believe this might not adhere to the paper as when it comes directly from the pencil. I am going to try this with a test page soon and I will try to remember to come back and let you know.
I had never seen this technique for charcoal... man, I remember impressing my teacher with the range of smooth colors I can get with a single mechanical pencil (can't quite do the same with a regular pencil...) ....this technique would have saved a lot of time for medium ranges.
Before I bought pan pastels I tried it with soft pastels and it worked, but was very gritty. Maybe depending on the quality of the soft pastels it will work better, mine were pretty bad quality.
This is the reason I've seen artists use pan pastels as a base! personally I use watercolor, alcohol markers etc, but this is a fun technique. I'll definitely try it out. 😊
Thank you so much for doing this video. I hated coloured pencils for being do harsh on the paper & not providing softness to my drawings. You are very talented.
I had a set of pastel pencils that I didn't know what to do with, so have started adding a base layer to my CP drawings. Works well on Bristol board aswell as pastelmat. I will also try CP for the colours I don't have in pastel pencils
Brilliant hack, I must try that! I like using colour pencils, but, as you said, it takes ages to make a realistic piece, and I don't always have patience nor stamina for that. Plus there's an extra benefit of this technique - there's no pencil waste, in contrast to having to sharpen pencils all the time.
Wow, this technique is amazing Kristy. I have used chalk pastel powder under colored pencil before, but I didn't always have the right color. This is a game changer. Thank you so much! I don't use charcoal, so this never would have occurred to me. Thank you!
Haven’t work with color pencils in a while, didn’t mind how long it took to get the process, it was more on how often the pencils came damaged and broke every time i sharpen 🤦🏽that was sooo annoying. But this technique is really a game changer thank you soo much 🙌🏼🙌🏼✨
I love the more sketchy look of this piece. It turned out beautifully and I'm definitely going to try this technique. Thank you for going through the trouble of testing these methods out. Appreciate you sharing all your techniques and tips. You are amazing!
This is sooo cool. I am currently doing an online drawing course, and shall certainly use this technique when we get to the coloured pencils module. I think I would have enjoyed the charcoal module more if I'd used the technique then, too. Thank you for an excellent tutorial!
Very helpful! I have been quite frustrated by the difficulty of adding sharp detail with colored pencil after the base layer is filled in with burnishing or blending. I am excited at trying this technique. Thanks.
It's beautiful. You did a great job. You've probably made a market for the colored pencil companies to market colored pencil powder. I know I'd buy it to save time. Also, I like to put a piece of tracing paper over my work where my hand can rest so I don't pollute the drawing. You have to change the tracing paper out sometimes as you move it around to protect your work.
Great advice…I like coloring my son gifted me huge set color pencil, oil paint, acrylic paint … after testing some pencils the colors was all over the paper.
I've wondered about using brushes in this way. Now I'm very excited to try it myself, as well as the other tools you demo'd. I will say that I've had the same problem dragging media across my work until I invested in some cotton gloves. I cut thumb and 1st 2 fingers out so I can hold my tools, and the rest protects the surface fairly well. 😊
Wow amazing time saver plus such smooth blending results. I don’t do portrait work but I can see this as useful for all pencil work. I know Sandy Allnock uses a tea strainer to shave her pencils to powder, but I can’t find a good tea strainer for it.
Alyona Nickelsen published a book in 2017, Colored Pencil Portraits, in which she teaches classic portraiture using this approach (gathering pencil pigment dust) to greatly speed up the time and to create portraits that look like oil paintings. I think she also sells a variety of products that make it easier to collect the dust, maybe a special paper, too, if I remember correctly. Fantastic book, well-researched and thorough.
Thank YOU after now getting back into artwork, after a long time, I am focusing on Portraiture for humans and animals, using pencils, inks, and graphite. ( I like to mix these forms of media.)
@@ligaskirbauska8652 some of us either don't have the budget starting out, or sometimes "inherit" less than stellar recycled supplies. This has Kickstarted my creativity, tbh ♡
@@katywrightgallery6523 well,techniques are techniques,it’s good to know all possible techniques and experiment-that’s more important for artist than having all possible materials..also it’s good to try this with some old pencils before spending on those pastels in case you don’t have them and don’t even know if you want,will use them... I personally have ton of art materials,addicted to getting them,to me it’s just easier and more logical to grab pastels than destroy my expensive pencils.I’m just saying-if you got pastels no need to destroy pencils for this experiment,pretty much same it will be.
Wow this was a brilliant showcasing of your talent. What a beautiful end result. So happy that you were able to save the image from the gray tones. This was such a great technique to see. I am blown away by your talent. It is so lovely to see you expanding into new areas not only for yourself, then sharing it with others. That makes you a ROCK Star in ART in my opinion. Thank you for the lesson, the inspiration mostly though for adding your creative talent to the collective. We all rise when ARTISTS share their gifts. ✨🧡✨
Wonderful video.. Making powdered pigments from Prisma Color Pencils and using tortillons and brushes to create/blend depth (shadow/highlights). Glad someone else figured it out. It's one of my favorite techniques that I "discovered" in the late 80's while going through art school.
Omg to do this drawing in that time is amazing! I love working with powdered graphite and charcoal and never thoughts of using coloured pencil in this way. Thank you I will definitely be trying this. Thank you 👏👏👏👏♥️♥️
I found some color pencils that seem to have week lead. So they break easy in the pencil sharpener. This may work for those so I am not waiting the color or lead from them. Thank you.
Thank you so very much for this wonderful video! It has helped me so much, and helped speed up the process, and fill in those little pesky white spots. Thank you! 😊
Dear Kirsty! I am having some art prismacolor artsticks and I had thinking to do just the same hack than you, due to the fact of my deformed fingers by Rheumatoid Arthritis and this is why I did not subscribing to yours course yet! I will take a try for sure! TKY yo be so humble and showing us your discoveries! 😊
I'm really glad you're expanding people's concepts of how to use their easy-access tools. But also, frans, they sell all kinds of powders, pastels, and pigments for this exact thing. If you like it, you can skip the sanding-down-a-pencil step.
And save a ton of cash. Those pencils she's sanding down are £329 a set for Caran D'Ache luminance and the polychromos aren't much cheaper. A Caran D'Ache single pencil to restock is almost £5 on its own. When you're going to go through them like this it's going to be a costly way of doing something you can use pastel powders for.
Thank you so much for this tipp, this is PERFECT. 💖 I have used pastel pencils in the past to get it more smooth than with colored pencils but I like to draw details with colored pencils sooo much more. I will paint our family dogs who past away for my mum for christmas because she wished for that and Im gonna use your brilliant technique. 🤗
I CANNOT wait to do this ❤So I just started drawing 2 months ago,Iam 48😮It started with beautiful easy tulips & I was shook! I have NEVER been able to so much as draw a stick man,Iam 💯 serious. I started truma EDMR therapy and it the art just came out of me,liKe it was locked in there. I have more room now 😊Then I started with Zen Tangle & that helped me learn to steady my hand & draw shapes repetitively we see in nature everyday along with shading. I started drawing the cutesy little doodles of characters In the stories I tell my Grandson. Iam truly having so much fun! I am really excited I found you on thr tube 😊
I really enjoy all of the videos I’ve seen of yours. You inspire me often to keep trying new things, and also help kind of bring back techniques I forget about. Thank you for sharing this! I’ve done this with charcoal but never colored pencils! I’ll have to try it out!
So I ground down some cheap soft pastels to have my own powder pots, these work great as a base for colour pencils, and pan pastles are waay to pricey. The one drawback with this is you can't lift the colour up again with an eraser, so can definitely see the draw to your idea. The negative is the effort of grinding down those pencils but definitely another technique to keep in mind! Great idea and thanks for sharing!
Omg for the first time in my life I want to use colored pencils 🥲 you did an awesome job explaining why using colored pencils in its natural state is a no go. Thank you for testing out so many different blenders!
I discovered this technique by accident last winter. I use Conte hard pastel sticks to powder the base into place and then draw onto that. By using Conte sticks I can scrape the powder directly into place over large areas for block in and then smooth out with a tissue. I can lay down a 2/3-layer base coat very quickly.
Thank you! I love colored pencil art. In one vid you addressed many of my great difficulties with the medium. Looking forward to starting my next/ 1st pic using your technique.
I have intrest on color pencil but haven't actually tried because of how long it takes and you can't blend it without spending on some product. But this is a gamechanger!!!😍. I'm gonna try color pencil medium and enjoy how fun it's going to be!!😍 Yay!!! Thank you so so much!! I'll never forget you!🤩❤️✨. Sending lots of love and light to you and your family!!😍❤️✨
Kristy, thank you so much for demonstrating this hack with color pencils because: Sylvia Mahdal uses this technique with her breathtakingly beautiful charcoal and pencil drawings. So, I thought it would also work great with colored pencils and dry pastels. As a 55+ years old lady, who recently returned to my passion for art, after not being able to draw for over 20+ years. I have spent the past 10 months studying you and a lot of other artists because: All of you are teaching techniques and providing valuable information and resources that I was not aware of; prior to this year. So far, one of the best hacks I have learned is how to protect my artwork; while I am working on it. A lot of my favorite artists - who use various kinds of mixed mediums - always recommend placing a blank piece of copy paper, wood block, or various other kinds of objects between their hand and their artwork; to protect their artwork from smudges, oil stains, sweat, etc. This works really well for charcoal, pencil, pastels, ink, and markers. However, I don’t recall any of them using this technique for any type of paint; for obvious reasons. So, I decided to share it with you because: I know you have a passion for teaching your 1.3+ millions of followers... Again, thank you for demonstrating this hack; which was on my list of things to try with my colored pencils…
What a great idea!! I got a small set of colored pencils to try this medium recently. As someone who has been intimidated by the time colored pencil art can take... this is a game changer. Also I can see this as a way to pre-mix colors to extend my set without having to layer them separately. Thanks so much for sharing!!
So when I first bought my Caran d Ashe luminance, I didn’t want to waste them whatsoever so I would collect the pencil shavings and use them like this and it works so well that I started using this method with my other brands. I thought that other artists would have thought I was silly so I kept this “hack” to myself. Now seeing Kirsty do this I was like ,”yup I know this will work, try tissues” or “YES using your finger makes it go down darker for some reason.”😂
I was searching in the comments if somebody tried this with the caran d’ache luminance pencils because it’s more wax based. Can I interpret your comment like it works out well with this brand?
I also did the same a few weeks ago but with expired makeup and I was amazed with the results its soo smooth. My color pencils are cheap so t doesnt do well as the makeup : ) the makeup erases easily too! Worth to try
Wow. I am a watercolor artist and I never wanted to try colored pencils because of how long it takes. But this changes the game for me. Thankyou!!!
Yay Laura I’m so happy that this idea has sparked your interest in trying coloured pencil. How time consuming coloured pencil is definitely a turn off but I hope you have fun speeding up the process with this trick 🥰
I am mainly a watercolor artist too, but I've always used the mediums together. Washes of watercolor and then color pencils or even markers, paint, etc.
You can also use watercolor as an underlayer and use colored pencils on top for details
I’m mainly a watercolor & gouache artist. I have used colored pencils before & found that because it takes so long to get color down on the paper or issues you explained in the beginning I experienced, I wasn’t to thrilled about it for a medium to use. This is definitely a wonderful hack & surprise for me, especially since I have tons of colored pencils that I want to try it out on now. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful video!
Some suggestions in my opinion only: you can buy a half glove from Jacksons Art Shop London that doesn't lift the pencil marks or grated graphite etc, - you can also buy art pencil graters that are in the lid and the grated colours fall in a container below, rather than in rubbing against sandpaper some may be lost into its grain. You can put a sheet of white paper next to where you are drawing to rest your hand. Watercolour pencils can lay a wash to be worked into wet/dry
Reducing solid and friable drawing media to powder is a great way to get broader coverage and more variety in mark making! Artists testing this technique who can use light-duty solvents might also try using denatured alcohol to "paint" with the powder- some colored pencil core material can be blended with alcohol, and after it evaporates, it leaves a uniform brushstroke that can be incorporated into further drawing! (Works with graphite, too)
I wonder if alcohol with water color pencils would act differently than regular water?
@@MommyOfZoeAndLiam We expect it depends on the binder, but alcohol is generally a good wetting agent for pigments that don't directly mix with water. The faster evaporation rate might facilitate quicker layering, but might also reduce "open" time when the paint is still fluid. These are just guesses...
@@Blick_ArtThis is interesting. Once you have a uniform brushstroke and the alcohol has evaporated. Can you then go in with an eraser and pull highlights out ?
@@arty1168 You can with graphite, not sure about a potentially staining medium
I have a massive collection of budget colored pencils that would be perfect for this technique, since I wouldn't mind grinding them down to make the powder blend. In fact, I think this might be the best way to repurpose the spent stubs I've been saving up.
Just thinking the very same thing!
that's a good idea, all those tiny nubs can get just that little bit of extra mileage out of them.
You could also use pencil extenders
@@josephwalsh7546 I did, until the nubs got to less than 1 inch / 2.5 cm and were too tiny to sharpen anymore. Though in the past I made the mistake of throwing them out. I'm not going to do that anymore, for sure.
@@FrozEnbyWolf150 Thanks for the info. I have a box of extenders and have never used them yet.
Something that's not mentioned in the video that I think is a huge potential benefit for this method is how it can save your hand. I've had to quit colored pencils because of how badly it hurts my hand, but I might try this and see if it's easier on me.
Exactly what I was thinking as a fellow member of the hurty hand club.
It kills my very badly affected shoulder/rotator cuff inuries
THIS! Switched to other media like watercolor and it is so different on the hands!
@@pesto12601 I want to try watercolor (with brushes), but it's intimidating.
@@chrisashtonlightell-west1189 Just buy some decent paper (much more important than the paint or brushes), and 3 tubes of good paint (primary warm or cool set) and have a go.... it's not as difficult as it looks so long as you have good paper that allows for blending and learn water control. Enjoy!
You can also use the pan pastel knife(applicator) and also a makeup tool that has a foam-like tip for blending.
When you drew in her eye details it was like a magic trick. Absolutely brilliant I can't wait to try this technique. Thank you for sharing this.
This is a game changer! Especially for doing backgrounds! I do adult coloring and I enjoy coloring with my Prismacolor pencils and a few other brands like Faber Castill and Caran d'Ache, but I have to use a different medium for my backgrounds because trying to color a whole background will eat up your colored pencils super fast, and the pencils I use cost too much to use them up on backgrounds! So I usually have to use pastels, water soluble pencils or gel sticks, etc. So I am super excited to try this method out and share this video with my coloring friends! Thank you so much for sharing! And you are an amazing artist!
About six months ago I joined your patron page, and I just have to say that you made a huge difference in my life. Five months ago I attempted a drawing for a school expo, after watching your tutorials. And by the event I had many people come up to me and ask if the drawing was printed!
It was simply a drawing of an eye, but it taught me a lot about shadow, layering/ mixing colors and other techniques that can be used for multiple mediums. It also gave me the confidence to start painting again. which I haven’t done for years, and I’m really grateful for that!
It also helped me view the world in a new light, and start to appreciate all the beauty that God has placed on this earth. From the colorful change of leaves during autumn, to the vibrant flowers in the spring and summer, there lyes so much beauty all around us. We just need to stop and take a moment to appreciate it.
Instead of just looking at an object/scenery as a whole I now see the blending of perfect colors,shadows,highlights and angles that make up that object/scenery.
For anyone who believes that that drawing/art is a waste of time, or any less important than other subjects in school, I would recommend giving it a real shot. And before you’re so quick to say that you can’t draw try one of Kirsty’s tutorials and you might surprise yourself! I know I did!
Drawing doesn’t only help change your view on the world, it helps you increase your attention span. And this is so important these days where everything is instantaneous.
And this video even helps you speed up the process a little bit so you have no reason not to start! Just go for it! Don’t let the blank page scare you!
And for those of you who have taken the time to read this long comment thank you. 🙏
I hope you have a wonderful day full of beauty and inspiration.💕
That's really cool, that's the first thing I started with also, I can't say how many eyes and different techniques I've tried, by time I was done, I felt like I was being watched..lol anyways sorry had to throw the humor in, but it's awesome and a great release, God bless all and sending everyone out there a happy n healthy holiday season 🤗
@@debralynnv3044 yess! it did make me feel like I was being watched!😂
@@debralynnv3044 Also a book I would really recommend is 'drawing on the right side of your brain' by Betty Edwards. The book teaches you how to trick the left side of your brain into stepping back while you're drawing, so you can tap into the skills(and mindset) needed for a drawing. The book also goes into how drawing is a skill that can be mastered by almost anyone(when given the right instruction), rather than a magical talent that only the gifted are blessed with.
I hope you, (and all who read this) will have a happy and healthy holiday season as well!
Thank you Miriam, appreciate the reply, will defently look into book..please have a happy n healthy holiday season with your love ones 🤗
You too Debra!
Some tips. Try using pastel pencils (like Stabillo Carbothellos). They have the powdery texture you were getting without having to grind them and rub them on. Also try a heavier weight paper that can take some pressure without wrinkling. Also try a smoother surface paper to avoid the white spots. Those white spots are low areas that the pencil can't get down into. You might also experiment with other types of paper. There are "pastel" papers that come in pre tinted colors. Also you might try velum. And you might also try taking regular mat board and adding a clear acrylic "texture" paint which dries to a feeling of fine sandpaper. This added tooth helps pull the pencil lead off the pencil just like the sandpaper you used to make the powder. In other words make your whole working surface like sandpaper by adding the clear texture paint. When I discovered pastel pencils I didn't ever want to go back to colored pencils.
Agree! I LOVE pastel pencils esp Carbothellos. Excellent tips. Very complementary to the original video. Thank you for this!
@@StorytellingHeadshots I always like to give a thumbs up and a positive comment to any TH-cam video I watch. I appreciate that someone went to the trouble of making a video to share their knowledge with others. I've been drawing and painting since I was a little kid (60 years!) and it's always interesting to hear other artists input and ideas and TH-cam is a fabulous place to do that!
@@squidkid2 Thanks for the recommendations!
Additionally regular art pastels work too. They cna be broken down easier than the colored pencils and are used for this on other things like doll repainting
This is a really informative comment, thanks!
This is brilliant. Made me rush immediately to get my inexpensive pencils and use your technique to create a lovely soft background. As a beginner, I've been struggling to stay within budget. Now there is no need to buy any more supplies (pastels/fixative spray and whatnot) Thank you so much for sharing this.
@@jaymarie2592 I think that was a harsh remark to say " Stole it from... ".
Cool technique. I do the same with chalk pastel. I use it as the foundation then spray it with a fixative. It creates a tooth that the pencil can grab ahold of. It's great
The container she uses to hold her powder in the first part of the video is for pan-pastels (note the printing onthe lid). That is a powdered pastel pigment which is applied exactly as her "new" technique is, and for the same reasons. You can also layer colored pencil over it, erase it off and so forth. You can also mix a medium into it ans apply it as a watercolor looking base layer. Often pan-pastels are used with sanded paper because they fill the tooth of the surface so well.
Exactly what i was thinking.
Thank you for this tip. I have some pan pastels and never got on with them, and this could be a very good way to start using them in a different way!
I use Pan Pastels. This video is ridiculous. Does she think we don’t know about them? lol Very silly nonsense.
I literally got anxious and all rigid for the outcome of that drawing/all your work when that grey (which looked blue on my screen) was accidentally swiped onto that face. So glad you could fix it. Thanks for showing all that too. It really helps. Quite frankly, everything you post helps so much you’re my number 1 recommendation to others that want to draw “but can’t “ because you are such a master at giving newbies the confidence on top of the know-how to draw and more.
QUESTION though: what was that white pencil with wooden barrel please? I have no idea what difference white charcoal, white pastels or white chalk would give, what the pros and cons are with each one
Yes I thought it was very important to show mistakes like this because everyone makes mistakes, which is a normal part of the drawing process, it is knowing how to fix them that is the important part. I want to include more of this in my videos because I want to teach more how to embrace making mistakes and not fear them. We are make mistakes when drawing and most of the time it can be fixed 🥰 also that pencil is the white Caran d’ache luminance coloured pencil
Why not use watercolor and water-soluble graphite?
@@KirstyPartridgeArt Ma'am could you please tell me will staedtler pencil will gonna work with this technique?
@@KirstyPartridgeArt my sister, I would like you to share it with your friends, it's important to help me, sister
Please Help me share 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Great video! This is a technique that has been used by artists for years. I can't remember who taught me, but I know it was over thirty years ago. It's a great way to lay a foundation to keep the paper from ripping.
Great idea! This needs to be taught in elementary school all the way to art school.
I think that a better idea would be to get a long thin nail and gently grind away at the top end of the pencil, instead of wearing away at the usual sharpened tip. You could even use a cheap drill to spin the to nail. The idea is that the top of the pencil will become hollow, and you can still hold on to it, as the pencil shortens, which means that you get more use out of the coloured stuff.
Also, the powder can be collected in pill containers, which are used to keep track of 7 days worth or a month's worth. Another idea is to use old contact lens containers: they seal tight, even though they are supposed to be thrown out.
Does this all make sense?
Something I ALWAYS do when drawing with pencils is place a clean white sheet of paper on top of the drawing whenever I need to move my hand over any part of it. That way, it stays protected and you won't smudge things out by accident, or put colours on it where they don't belong. ;)
there are also gloves with 3 fingers free, I love those :)
A clear piece of plastic, is even better, because it allows you to see underneath. That, and nothing easily sticks to it.
@@johndough8115 True, but it will stick to your hand/arm if it's hot and you get sweaty though. :P
I use paper towels under my working hand.
I do that as well otherwise I would have smudges,
Watercolour artists may like to try watercolour pencil crayons. You can keep the sharpened shavings from the pencils. I’ve made combo colours by combining the bits of sharpened pigments Regarding pencils you can shave then with a knife you might loose less pigment using this technique
One might LOSE less pigment, too....
@@jb6712you're fun at parties, aren't ya?
That's great! I usually work with watercolor and use the crayons over it more or less excessively to add more detail to my watercolors. But with your new technique, I might also try working (almost) entirely with dry media and wouldn't necessarily have to use the watercolor paper. That opens up new possibilities. Thank you!
Love this! Not only does it speed up the drawing but it gives it a lovely texture that brings out the essence of the medium instead of that super smooth look that burnishing and some other techniques for blending color pencil give.
This was amazing! Thank you so much! I've actually tried a similar technique with the skin using old makeup and the brush! It really did help to speed up the process. I'm nowhere near as good at coloring as you, but it was so fascinating to see this being done using coloring pencils! Thank you so very much!
I've been doing this for years since I discovered you could sand down pastels 😂 I tried the color pencils and it worked greatly.
That is absolutely beautiful 😻. Such a talent!! I’m generally artistic, so I like to flip between different mediums and projects. But I’ve NEVER successfully drawn a face, hands, feet etc. So I’d like to start practicing. I’ve not used pencils for years, I’ve just purchased some new pencils, but I’ve found it’s an expensive task. As each time I realise there’s something I’m not keen about the pencils I’ve bought. Don’t think I’ll ever be as good as you, but I can only try! X
I think i will try this technique to draw shadows next time. Thanks for the tip 🤗
Love that drawing. Especially the way you bring the blurry colours of the eyes into such sharp focus with some dark outlining. I really enjoy watching your clips.
Cool! 😍 I wonder if sanded soft pastels would have the same effect as the coloured pencils as a base layer? This is great - I do it with graphite pencils but it has NEVER occured to me to use it with coloured pencils 🤯 definitely a game changer for me 😍
Yes I use pastels (both pan and stick) all the time as base layers for color pencils but with pastels it is not as "adhesive" as the color pencil because they do not have wax in them, you will probably need a fixative, with this hack I image you do not though Kristy doesn't say...though with her smearing mistake you have to believe this might not adhere to the paper as when it comes directly from the pencil. I am going to try this with a test page soon and I will try to remember to come back and let you know.
I had never seen this technique for charcoal... man, I remember impressing my teacher with the range of smooth colors I can get with a single mechanical pencil (can't quite do the same with a regular pencil...)
....this technique would have saved a lot of time for medium ranges.
Before I bought pan pastels I tried it with soft pastels and it worked, but was very gritty. Maybe depending on the quality of the soft pastels it will work better, mine were pretty bad quality.
This is the reason I've seen artists use pan pastels as a base! personally I use watercolor, alcohol markers etc, but this is a fun technique. I'll definitely try it out. 😊
I’m a portrait artist and this is going to make a huge difference!!!
So happy to hear that Jennifer 💕
Thank you so much for doing this video. I hated coloured pencils for being do harsh on the paper & not providing softness to my drawings. You are very talented.
Eye shadow works really well too
I had a set of pastel pencils that I didn't know what to do with, so have started adding a base layer to my CP drawings. Works well on Bristol board aswell as pastelmat. I will also try CP for the colours I don't have in pastel pencils
Brilliant hack, I must try that! I like using colour pencils, but, as you said, it takes ages to make a realistic piece, and I don't always have patience nor stamina for that. Plus there's an extra benefit of this technique - there's no pencil waste, in contrast to having to sharpen pencils all the time.
Wow, this technique is amazing Kristy. I have used chalk pastel powder under colored pencil before, but I didn't always have the right color. This is a game changer. Thank you so much! I don't use charcoal, so this never would have occurred to me. Thank you!
Haven’t work with color pencils in a while, didn’t mind how long it took to get the process, it was more on how often the pencils came damaged and broke every time i sharpen 🤦🏽that was sooo annoying. But this technique is really a game changer thank you soo much 🙌🏼🙌🏼✨
This is so cool! I've been collecting broken pencil tips for a while and now I have something to do with them! Thank you!
Thank you for making such amazing tutorials for free, all kinds of artists can learn so much from your channel 💜
You are a genius, Kirsty! Thanks for sharing this. 🙏🏻♥️
Brilliant! Quick coverage, ability to easily layer on top, plus lift highlights…wow! Thank you!
I love the more sketchy look of this piece. It turned out beautifully and I'm definitely going to try this technique. Thank you for going through the trouble of testing these methods out. Appreciate you sharing all your techniques and tips. You are amazing!
This is sooo cool. I am currently doing an online drawing course, and shall certainly use this technique when we get to the coloured pencils module. I think I would have enjoyed the charcoal module more if I'd used the technique then, too. Thank you for an excellent tutorial!
Very helpful! I have been quite frustrated by the difficulty of adding sharp detail with colored pencil after the base layer is filled in with burnishing or blending. I am excited at trying this technique. Thanks.
It's beautiful. You did a great job. You've probably made a market for the colored pencil companies to market colored pencil powder. I know I'd buy it to save time. Also, I like to put a piece of tracing paper over my work where my hand can rest so I don't pollute the drawing. You have to change the tracing paper out sometimes as you move it around to protect your work.
Great advice…I like coloring my son gifted me huge set color pencil, oil paint, acrylic paint … after testing some pencils the colors was all over the paper.
What a timesaver. Thanks for sharing!!!
Great innovation. I will definitely try this on my portraits and botanicals. 👍🏻🌹🌹🌹
I've wondered about using brushes in this way. Now I'm very excited to try it myself, as well as the other tools you demo'd. I will say that I've had the same problem dragging media across my work until I invested in some cotton gloves. I cut thumb and 1st 2 fingers out so I can hold my tools, and the rest protects the surface fairly well. 😊
Thank you for showing us this hack! What an absolute game changer!!
So simple yet so brilliant! ❤❤❤
I tried this hack with colored pencils and I love it! Thank you! I'll try it with graphite and charcoal.
Wow amazing time saver plus such smooth blending results. I don’t do portrait work but I can see this as useful for all pencil work. I know Sandy Allnock uses a tea strainer to shave her pencils to powder, but I can’t find a good tea strainer for it.
I am so pleased in observing your techniques. You inspire me so much. I'm glad that I found your blog.
Alyona Nickelsen published a book in 2017, Colored Pencil Portraits, in which she teaches classic portraiture using this approach (gathering pencil pigment dust) to greatly speed up the time and to create portraits that look like oil paintings. I think she also sells a variety of products that make it easier to collect the dust, maybe a special paper, too, if I remember correctly. Fantastic book, well-researched and thorough.
Thank YOU after now getting back into artwork, after a long time, I am focusing on Portraiture for humans and animals, using pencils, inks, and graphite. ( I like to mix these forms of media.)
Miss I've not even finished your video and I have to say your a genius. Well done 👏
Dear mam, keep creating a tutorial videos and we really love your all tutorial videos and thank you so much for providing this tutorial videos 🙏❤️
Thanks for bringing things to light and for sharing experience
thank you for tackling the number 1 issue with color pencils to me!
Thank you for sharing this technique. It’s inspiring. And your artwork is just beautiful. So skillfully executed. Lovely work!
Would be awesome if you made a video on how to mix the colors for different skin tones with this method 😀
What's the difference between this technique and using pastels? Is it less messy than pastels?
Nah,it’s pastel technique..I don’t get why not to use pastels then
@@ligaskirbauska8652 some of us either don't have the budget starting out, or sometimes "inherit" less than stellar recycled supplies.
This has Kickstarted my creativity, tbh ♡
@@katywrightgallery6523 well,techniques are techniques,it’s good to know all possible techniques and experiment-that’s more important for artist than having all possible materials..also it’s good to try this with some old pencils before spending on those pastels in case you don’t have them and don’t even know if you want,will use them...
I personally have ton of art materials,addicted to getting them,to me it’s just easier and more logical to grab pastels than destroy my expensive pencils.I’m just saying-if you got pastels no need to destroy pencils for this experiment,pretty much same it will be.
Wow this was a brilliant showcasing of your talent. What a beautiful end result. So happy that you were able to save the image from the gray tones. This was such a great technique to see. I am blown away by your talent. It is so lovely to see you expanding into new areas not only for yourself, then sharing it with others. That makes you a ROCK Star in ART in my opinion. Thank you for the lesson, the inspiration mostly though for adding your creative talent to the collective. We all rise when ARTISTS share their gifts. ✨🧡✨
Wonderful video.. Making powdered pigments from Prisma Color Pencils and using tortillons and brushes to create/blend depth (shadow/highlights). Glad someone else figured it out. It's one of my favorite techniques that I "discovered" in the late 80's while going through art school.
that is seriously so good to know Ive struggled with the exact problem and wondered how to fix it
This technique answers a question I have had for a long time. Thank you! I am going to try this.
What you do, unite patience. The power of learning. Ty you Bright light
Holy cannoli, this is the first time I’m seeing your videos…you art is UNBELIEVABLY amazing!
Omg to do this drawing in that time is amazing! I love working with powdered graphite and charcoal and never thoughts of using coloured pencil in this way. Thank you I will definitely be trying this. Thank you 👏👏👏👏♥️♥️
This was done in under 3 hours, even with all the setbacks? Amazing!
Wow! Its actually so strait forward, but didn't occur to me. Thank you so much for sharing ❤
I found some color pencils that seem to have week lead. So they break easy in the pencil sharpener. This may work for those so I am not waiting the color or lead from them. Thank you.
Thank you so very much for this wonderful video! It has helped me so much, and helped speed up the process, and fill in those little pesky white spots. Thank you! 😊
Very informative. I too faced this problem. I will implement this idea in my work. Thanks for sharing this idea.
Dear Kirsty! I am having some art prismacolor artsticks and I had thinking to do just the same hack than you, due to the fact of my deformed fingers by Rheumatoid Arthritis and this is why I did not subscribing to yours course yet! I will take a try for sure! TKY yo be so humble and showing us your discoveries! 😊
I'm really glad you're expanding people's concepts of how to use their easy-access tools.
But also, frans, they sell all kinds of powders, pastels, and pigments for this exact thing. If you like it, you can skip the sanding-down-a-pencil step.
And save a ton of cash. Those pencils she's sanding down are £329 a set for Caran D'Ache luminance and the polychromos aren't much cheaper. A Caran D'Ache single pencil to restock is almost £5 on its own. When you're going to go through them like this it's going to be a costly way of doing something you can use pastel powders for.
Thank you so much for this tipp, this is PERFECT. 💖 I have used pastel pencils in the past to get it more smooth than with colored pencils but I like to draw details with colored pencils sooo much more. I will paint our family dogs who past away for my mum for christmas because she wished for that and Im gonna use your brilliant technique. 🤗
I CANNOT wait to do this ❤So I just started drawing 2 months ago,Iam 48😮It started with beautiful easy tulips & I was shook! I have NEVER been able to so much as draw a stick man,Iam 💯 serious. I started truma EDMR therapy and it the art just came out of me,liKe it was locked in there. I have more room now 😊Then I started with Zen Tangle & that helped me learn to steady my hand & draw shapes repetitively we see in nature everyday along with shading. I started drawing the cutesy little doodles of characters In the stories I tell my Grandson. Iam truly having so much fun! I am really excited I found you on thr tube 😊
I really enjoy all of the videos I’ve seen of yours. You inspire me often to keep trying new things, and also help kind of bring back techniques I forget about.
Thank you for sharing this! I’ve done this with charcoal but never colored pencils! I’ll have to try it out!
Omg. I can’t express how good I think this tip is!!! ❤❤❤ THANKS!! 🙏🏻 I am absolutely subscribing to your channel, I want more 😂
So I ground down some cheap soft pastels to have my own powder pots, these work great as a base for colour pencils, and pan pastles are waay to pricey. The one drawback with this is you can't lift the colour up again with an eraser, so can definitely see the draw to your idea. The negative is the effort of grinding down those pencils but definitely another technique to keep in mind! Great idea and thanks for sharing!
Omg for the first time in my life I want to use colored pencils 🥲 you did an awesome job explaining why using colored pencils in its natural state is a no go. Thank you for testing out so many different blenders!
I learned this in art class in high school. Very useful and life changing tip!
Wow😮I’m a charcoal & graphite user and I used this method but I didn’t think this will also work on color pencil thats amazing❤❤❤❤❤❤
I discovered this technique by accident last winter. I use Conte hard pastel sticks to powder the base into place and then draw onto that. By using Conte sticks I can scrape the powder directly into place over large areas for block in and then smooth out with a tissue. I can lay down a 2/3-layer base coat very quickly.
Thank you! I love colored pencil art. In one vid you addressed many of my great difficulties with the medium. Looking forward to starting my next/ 1st pic using your technique.
BEAUTIFUL PORTRAIT!
I like the look of colored pencil drawings but I hate all the time it takes so this might be a real game changer for me. Thanks so much for sharing!
Wow! This is one of the best colored pencil hacks I've ever seen! ❤️
I have intrest on color pencil but haven't actually tried because of how long it takes and you can't blend it without spending on some product. But this is a gamechanger!!!😍. I'm gonna try color pencil medium and enjoy how fun it's going to be!!😍 Yay!!! Thank you so so much!! I'll never forget you!🤩❤️✨. Sending lots of love and light to you and your family!!😍❤️✨
Yay so happy this is a gamechanger for you! Hope you have lots of fun 🤩
That portrait does look great. I think this is a very excellent tip!
I love when you explain things more casually without a script
Kristy, thank you so much for demonstrating this hack with color pencils because: Sylvia Mahdal uses this technique with her breathtakingly beautiful charcoal and pencil drawings. So, I thought it would also work great with colored pencils and dry pastels.
As a 55+ years old lady, who recently returned to my passion for art, after not being able to draw for over 20+ years. I have spent the past 10 months studying you and a lot of other artists because: All of you are teaching techniques and providing valuable information and resources that I was not aware of; prior to this year. So far, one of the best hacks I have learned is how to protect my artwork; while I am working on it. A lot of my favorite artists - who use various kinds of mixed mediums - always recommend placing a blank piece of copy paper, wood block, or various other kinds of objects between their hand and their artwork; to protect their artwork from smudges, oil stains, sweat, etc. This works really well for charcoal, pencil, pastels, ink, and markers. However, I don’t recall any of them using this technique for any type of paint; for obvious reasons. So, I decided to share it with you because: I know you have a passion for teaching your 1.3+ millions of followers...
Again, thank you for demonstrating this hack; which was on my list of things to try with my colored pencils…
What a great idea!! I got a small set of colored pencils to try this medium recently. As someone who has been intimidated by the time colored pencil art can take... this is a game changer. Also I can see this as a way to pre-mix colors to extend my set without having to layer them separately.
Thanks so much for sharing!!
So when I first bought my Caran d Ashe luminance, I didn’t want to waste them whatsoever so I would collect the pencil shavings and use them like this and it works so well that I started using this method with my other brands. I thought that other artists would have thought I was silly so I kept this “hack” to myself. Now seeing Kirsty do this I was like ,”yup I know this will work, try tissues” or “YES using your finger makes it go down darker for some reason.”😂
haha thats how i discovered it too, by being so stingy with my shavings!
I was searching in the comments if somebody tried this with the caran d’ache luminance pencils because it’s more wax based. Can I interpret your comment like it works out well with this brand?
Congrats! Such a creative solution to a common problem. Can’t wait to try it
Thanks for everything Kristi 🌷💖You are an excellent teacher.Have a nice day and keep it up
I’ve learned this technique from you for graphite- can’t wait to try it with colored pencil!
Wow!!! Wow!!! I'm very impressed!!! Thats I need it!! Thank you for this useful hack! Ohhh my GOSH!!!
If you use the eraser pencil gently, you can get a lighter shade again over the power for more subtle highlights than the mono
This is such a genius hack; I can't wait to try it!
I also did the same a few weeks ago but with expired makeup and I was amazed with the results its soo smooth. My color pencils are cheap so t doesnt do well as the makeup : ) the makeup erases easily too! Worth to try
this is amazing and I am going to try this. Thank You Kirsty
That is amazing, I've started colored pencils again, definitely going to you this .thank you 💜
Superb dear. I have been following your videos since 2018 and learned a lot of techniques and this is one of the most unique of them! Thank you 🥰