The Colour Pencil Pressure Test
4 min read
Table of Contents
In my second short article about using color pencil I am concentrating on tension. Understanding the strain you use when laying down pencil is one of the most essential areas of operating with this medium. Listed here I will describe how to evaluate and regulate the force you use to assist you attain greater final results.
Why is stress so vital?

When starting off out with color pencils a good deal of beginners generally give up really early on. Normally this is only simply because they are so diverse to perform with in contrast to other far more conventional mediums. Colour pencil is observed as quite a sluggish medium that needs persistence and perseverance. In addition they also need a little bit of a distinct technique to how you work. Colours are combined and blended specifically on the surface area applying a number of levels and glazes. A great deal of this is dependent not only on the amount of money of strain that you use to use the pigment, but also the form of support or area that you are implementing them to. Also, as we have by now viewed in this article, the sort of pencil that you pick out also would make a big difference.
Acquiring out your stress is an absolute ought to when setting up out. From my own practical experience of many decades of in individual educating I have typically witnessed somebody who thought they had been rather light handed really turned out to have a pretty major tension and vice versa. Understanding the stress employed or necessary when functioning with color pencil is a easy detail to uncover out by subsequent a fundamental strain test.
How to do a strain take a look at
A force check is where we acquire our pencils from a whisper to a scream on our picked support. Color pencils are a extremely tactile medium. It is not just about the result that you can see with your eyes but also the experience and touch of the pencil going down. To produce your have strain exam you need to just take a handful of pencils. I counsel a couple of lights, a couple of mid-tones and a few of darks.
Whisper to Scream

Working from 1 side to the other use a vertical back again and forth stroke. At the commencing position use the lightest achievable contact to the paper. Step by step build the tension as you function throughout to the other facet till you are urgent as really hard as doable. This is using it from the whisper to the scream.
Make a scale

You by no means want to implement the heaviest pressure in just one single layer. This is simply because it will crush the tooth of your help. That usually means that you cannot lay down any of the layers or glazes essential to realize real looking blends or tones. A typical pressure is a gentle to medium strain on the scale. Variety the scale from 1-5, you want to be operating around pressure 2-3 for most of your layers.
Evaluate your stress

If your lightest stress is on the lookout more like a 4 to 5 on the strain scale attempt modifying your grip on your pencil. By keeping the pencil about midway up the shaft it stops you from applying much too significantly strain. It will promptly allow you to be far more light handed with your solution.
Follow will make perfect
It is critical that you follow this as a lot as you can. Preferably in advance of commencing any new task and particularly if doing the job on a distinct assistance or using various pencils. Over time, as your working experience builds and you get to know your pencils and your supports better then you will be ready to change your pressures much more within just your operate. But, when starting up out it will enable you to acquire more rapidly if you try to use a light hand as a great deal as attainable.
Enjoy the online video
You may be interested in my to start with posting about the dissimilarities in my most made use of Derwent pencils. View out for my 3rd site put up about working with diverse pencil strokes.
Lisa Ann Watkins BA(Hons), AFC, CPCAM, UKCPS is properly known in the environment of coloured pencils as a multi award profitable artist & tutor.
In July 2017 Lisa set up her first formal teaching channel on Patreon. Lisa creates in depth videos & written tutorials for her online students each individual month & now teaches over 300 people about the world. She has also just unveiled her initially ebook with Search Push. Lisa is a member of the prestigious tutoring groups of renowned artwork educators this sort of as the SAA & Patchings Art Centre. She works closely with Clairefontaine and Grafix and is an formal Brand Ambassador for Derwent Artwork.
You can keep in touch with Lisa on her internet site Animal Art by Regulation and on her instagram or fb pages.
