Colored Pencil Shading

Colored pencils are present in a student's environment from a very early age, but as they enter a high school level art class, the quality of these colored pencils greatly increases, along with the quality of the drawings they produce with them.  The procedure for colored pencil shading is deceptively difficult, even for me, a lifelong art enthusiast.  I was unaware of the proper way to achieve smooth color gradient and using layering to create complex colors and depth using colored pencils until the other night, so figuring out how to drive home the proper way to do so to teenagers is also a challenge.  First, I would emphasize the importance of keeping the colored pencil sharp and your touch light.  As the point becomes blunted and/or heavy pressure is applied, too much material is deposited and the thick layer of wax resists more color on top of it.  For example:

This practice colored pencil spectrum demonstrates light, layered shading in the red and blue area.  But in the yellow area, a little too much material was deposited and the colors resisted each other.

This example exhibits a smooth, gradient between colors, which was achieved by a sharp pencil and a very light touch.

Showing students these examples can help them to achieve their own smooth shading, which can be used in more advanced drawings, like still lives of fruit.  Fruit can be a great way to practice the layering of colors using colored pencils.  Most fruit have a yellow base and can be made realistic with the layering of more colors over top of the yellow.  I would use this assignment as a final project for a lower level class and practice for a higher level class.

For the higher level classes, I would have them create a zentangle mandala that incorporates several color schemes and areas of value shading.  This allows them to have the freedom to make their own design while showing me their skill with the colored pencils.