White Objects in Colored Pencil

My colored pencil class lesson yesterday was to have my Bristol Art Museum students draw white objects on gray toned Canson Mi-Tientes paper. Working on a toned paper helps the student create a full range of value and tone in her drawing. When we begin with a toned surface, we start somewhere in the middle of the value scale and will only need to push the values lighter and darker.

I have collected various white objects in different shapes, textures and degrees of difficulty and I encouraged my students to select an object or objects each would feel comfortable drawing. We began the class with a short talk about our lesson and I also like to present a short PowerPoint presentation with examples of my works and other artists' works pertaining to the lesson. 

As they began working, I asked students to take a few minutes to study their still life objects and determine the light and dark tones. White shapes will come forward and dark shapes will recede; as an object curves away from the light, it will become darker causing a gradual change from light to dark. I will help my students determine the lights, darks and shadows and how different textures will affect light and dark tones. 

Each student began with 3 colored pencils white, medium toned gray and dark gray. This helps to simplify applying color and tones. All students were using Prismacolor pencils in either Warm or Cool Grays. After completing the initial value drawing in grays, I asked my students if they were able to see hints of colors in their objects and encouraged each to add some color in order to create some interest and some colorful grays. 

I like to end class with a little sharing of works and discussion about the lesson and how each students interpreted their subjects in colored pencil. It also helps my students stand away from the drawing and see how each drawing looks at a distance; are values significant enough? Do shapes and composition work? I also like them to look at other students' and see how each person interpreted their subject(s). 

Our class time is 3 hours long and during that time I guide each student through drawing and making color and value choices. Many of the students in this class are new to colored pencil and some are new to the drawing medium. I was pleased with the results – each student starting to develop her own style of working and choice of subject matter.