I used to think greys and blacks were boring until I learned how to blend complementary colors, white, and black to create a more vibrant and complex looking grey.
My set of 48 Prismacolor colored pencils (the one I take travelling) does not actually have grey, there is a silver but no greys. So the greys in this blue jay were created by blending light blue and peach (complementary colors), the lightest layer of black, and white. I adjust the warmth and coolness of the grey as needed as I work along the bird’s body. The grey in the front or light areas are warmer, and the greys in the shadow areas are cooler.
Even when I do have the right greys I still like to use this method. My favorite part of colored pencil is sometimes seeing the light layers of color woven and layered together to create another. Like when you think something is grey, but upon closer inspection you find blue and peach or red and green, or purple and yellow. I think it’s beautiful!
The colored pencils used are Prismacolor Premier softcore colored pencils.
The Blue Jay sketch is from my colored pencil practice coloring book, Bird Sketches. Which includes 24 hand drawn sketches and reference photos. It also includes a swatch and blending charts, and tips to get you started.
Available from my Etsy shop:
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