Creating Textures in Colored Pencil

I received the book and just love it. All new things in there for me to discover. I, too, put colored pencils down for their lack of vibrant, saturated color. This book gives me and this medium a whole new chance. 😊 I read through the various reviews and realized that the one I have referenced above says it all, and says it best. Please read through that one, dated June 5, 2006, for a better understanding of what this book is all about. Happy 📚 reading.

There is alot of good colored pencil instruction and examples in this book. It is worth a try.

"THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK is to get your 'creative juices' flowing by painting interesting, realistic textures with colored pencil, then applying what you glean to develop exciting and unique colored pencil paintings." - Gary Greene [from the front flap]

I have a Bachelor degree in drawing and had no problem getting the hang of any drawing tool except for coloured pencils. Several years ago I took a class specifically on drawing with colour pencil and was disappointed when the teacher told me that I'd have to settle for a light layered application of the pencil on paper so as not to develop wax bloom--what I wanted out of the pencil was rich, vibrant colours, not something washed out. I put down my Prismacolours and resigned having to use them to colour in my anatomy colouring book, not for actual drawing. That's why I was encouraged when I found and read my way through "Creating Textures in Colored Pencil". The author mentions the use of burnishing to build layered colour so it is rich and vibrant, as well as the use of solvents. He also mentions different coloured pencils, like water-soluable pencils, which I normally would use not for drawing but for fine touches on my watercolours, and oil-based coloured pencils. After reading this book it feels like a whole new world of drawing has opened up to me, in addition to my use of graphite, conte crayon, pastels, and of course what I already do in paint. Incidentally, the author addresses dealing with wax bloom by spraying the drawing with several layers of workable fixative--I've also heard that wiping the bloom with a paper towel will remove the cloudiness. Mr. Greene includes several examples of items to draw, including step-by-step instructions with colours mentioned. I'm sure those would be great for the beginning/intermediate student to build up skills and confidence; that sort of thing doesn't appeal to me as I'm used to grabbing tools and drawing from life. I think this is a great basic book on how to handle the medium. As for handling textures, I thought some were very well done while others were not as realistic as I would like. It has very nice full colour reproduction and is very easy to read.

The real merit of this book is the absolutely gorgeous drawings which, if not for the title, I wouldn't have beleived were colored pencil. It is wonderful to see colored pencil treated with the same legitamacy as acrylic or oils, and I now look forward to "painting" with my pencils.The most useful aspect of the book is the rev iew of materials, where the author breaks down how to use rubber cement thinner, odorless turpentine, and colored markers to enhance your colored pencils, as well as various artistic tools.Before I used this book, my colored pencils always were grainy, and I didn't even really realize it. There were too many "flecks", too much white showing through the paper. This book taught me a technique called burnishing, which has dramatically and instantly improved my drawings, I'm sure it can do the same for you. I also am experimenting more with layers, after looking at the phenominal results that can be achieved.My only complaint is the lack of detailed how-to's. The individual colors used are explained, and there is some break down of the process, but not enough to produce satisfactory results. However, I think it is definatley worth the modest price, and would recommend it to anyone interested in this medium.

"Creating Textures in Colored Pencil" is a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to know how to create rough brickwork, soft, shiny ribbon, or any texture in between. Gary also gives the color pallets for each demonstration (including skin tones) and explains the different types of supplies. I've had this book for 5 years and still find myself referring back to it.