Colored Pencil Process Steps

11/8/26 Derwent Drawing pencils in Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook (photo reference)

After our recent windstorm and atmospheric river, most of the foliage on this maple has probably blown off – it was already past its prime when I snapped the reference photo. Although I had sketched it from life in early October (I think it was my only watercolor pencil sketch during InkTober month), I took the photo a week or so later, anticipating that I might want to sketch it again sometime.

When a blog reader recently asked a process question about a colored pencil sketch, this was exactly what I needed to talk about how I approach a scene with lots of foliage and layers of texture. I made a point of stopping at a couple of points to scan my work in progress. This would also be a good opportunity to talk about how I simplify scenes (which I mentioned briefly in yesterday’s post).

Stage 1 is a simple block-in of the main shapes I want to include: the maple tree (my focal point), some background trees, and the car. I had not yet decided how much of the right-side foreground trees to include (a thumbnail at this point would have been useful, but I was too lazy; do as I say and not as I do).

Stage 1: Block-in

In stage 2, I start filling in the main shapes, and I’ve committed to how much of the foreground trees to include. Later I saw that it was too much and cropped out some of the foliage on the right in the finished sketch (top of post). Late in the game (again, a thumbnail would have helped me make this decision earlier), I felt that there wasn’t enough going on in the foreground, so I added a patch of the grassy parking strip. I admit, I make a lot of decisions like this on the fly. I don’t recommend it, but that’s my process. At least I don’t regret this particular choice (not always the case).

Another blog reader asked a question that I'll address here: I almost always work the entire composition at once rather than finish one element completely then move on to another. I find it easier to keep my eye on and adjust the relative values this way.

Stage 2: Composition and filling in color

Other notes:

Foliage texture: As I was coloring the maple tree, I realized that one way to show realistic foliage is to apply colors unevenly throughout. Dry colored pencils have an advantage in this way: Sometimes with water-soluble pencils, I’ve made the mistake of smoothing out the texture too much with water and making a tree one consistent hue instead of a range of subtle hues. It’s easier to avoid too much consistency of color and texture when I don’t use water.

Composition: I gave the car two important roles: One is to simply provide scale next to the maple. The second is to anchor the composition with a tiny spec of high-contrast sharpness next to all that fuzzy foliage.

Reference photo (Feel free to sketch from this yourself if you want to!)

Simplification: As you can see from the reference photo at right, a lot of stuff was in the background and the foreground – more vehicles, different types of fencing, a political sign, more bushes, even a distant bush with a scary face for Halloween (if you zoom way in). I ignored all that stuff that I didn’t want to draw and that would detract from my focal point. The easiest way to ignore it is to vaguely color in the values. I also consciously changed the direction of pencil strokes in the vagueness to indicate a variety of "stuff" (without showing the actual stuff).

If you’d like to watch a master demo simplification, check out this video from Ian Roberts. (Of course, I didn’t make a thumbnail as he recommends.)

Some may say that I simplified too far, and maybe I have, but here’s the question I always ask when I’m deciding what to simplify out: Is it clear to the viewer what I’m interested in? I think there’s no doubt here, right?

Thank you, Cathy, for asking the question that prompted this post! I enjoy thinking (and writing) about my processes, but it never occurs to me when I’m in the field. Looking back at my process images, I realize they probably aren’t helpful to others, but maybe the explanations of my thinking are more useful. Helpful or not, your question and this Pencilvember sketch gave me an opportunity to think aloud.