Harmony, Colored Pencil

 I began  working on this piece back in the summer and posted the top image previously on my blog. While I was working on writing the colored pencil book, I was also learning or brushing up on the structures of artworks such as composition, design and color theory. I was intrigued to try working on some colored pencil drawing in harmonious colors. Harmonious or analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel. I had taken this photo of cabbages growing several summers ago and was curious to give it a try using only harmonious colors – green – blue  violet. I began by layering colors to create a blue/violet underpainting. I added various greens over the blues and violets but not covering up all of the blues and violets or allowing them to show through layers of green.

I am thrilled to say this finished piece received a Merit Award in the Providence Art Club Winter Members' Exhibit going on through February 15, 2019. Approximately 175 pieces were submitted and only thirteen awards were given out so I consider myself very fortunate!

Scroll down to see the piece in various stages and also one photo of my color notes on the borders.  I layered Faber Castell Polychromos under and over Prismacolor and Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils. The Polychromos are a harder pencil and mix nicely with the softer Prismacolor and Luminance pencils. Polychromos will help to fill color so less of the paper will show through. I burnished with a bristle brush and also a Prismacolor colorless blender pencil. This drawing is on Strathmore Drawing paper.

 

I used a mixture of different brands of colored pencils: Prismacolor, Faber Castell Polychromos and Caran d'Ache Luminance and made color notes to choose colors and help me remember which colors I had used.

The Color Wheel and A Harmonious Color Drawing

 I have been looking at colors and color relationships and decided to do create a colored pencil color wheel. The colors in the outer ring are the 1) three complementary colors: red, yellow and blue, 2) three secondary colors: orange, green and violet, and 3) twelve tertiary colors: red orange, yellow orange, yellow green, blue green, blue violet and red violet.

The second ring of color is the tints of each color, this is white added to each color. The third ring of color is a layer of black pencil added to each color to create the shade. The inner ring of color is the mixture of each complementary which are directly across from each other on the color wheel. Mixing complementary colors creates colorful dark values.

I am working on a new drawing of cabbages in which I am using only analogous colors. Analogous colors are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. I am keeping my palette cool and working with colors on the color wheel between blue violet and green. I started with a blue violet to blue green underpainting and am working the green hues over the blue.

The initial drawing stage took quite a bit of time as I wanted to draw in each highlighted vein. I am striving for abstraction and movement in the veins and the overall piece.