Coloring the Nuthatch Sketch from my Colored Pencil Practice Coloring Book, Drawn to Life: Volume 2 – Bird Sketches.
The sketches help me focus on improving my coloring techniques through practice, study and observation.
As I move through each section of the illustration, I refer to the reference image, and constantly ask myself if the value is getting lighter or darker here, and is it getting warmer or cooler?
Sometimes I start by layering the lighter values, such as on the belly and cheek. But for areas where there are lots of fine details I want to preserve such as the wing, I will map out the darkest areas first.
The thing I love about having these practice sketches is I don’t have to be too careful with the sketch (I can always print another), I allow myself to experiment with different techniques, make mistakes, and figure out what works and what I would do differently next time.
The colored pencils used are Prismacolor Premier softcore colored pencils.
The nuthatch sketch is from my colored pencil practice coloring book, Drawn to Life: Volume 2 – 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:
Bird Sketches for Colored Pencil Practice
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