How to Color Like an Artist: Instructions for Blending, Shading & Other Techniques
By: Veronica Winters
Rating: 5 of 5
I have a number of books which explain color theory and the use of colored pencils; however, those books focus on drawing with the medium rather than coloring in coloring books. In this book, the author has explained a wide variety of ways to use colored pencils specifically for coloring in existing designs.
There are ten chapters in the book which deal with: Pencil Stroke types, Shading Techniques, Highlights on White and Colored Papers, Textures, Blending Colorings with Solvents, Blending Colors with Light-Colored Pencils, Basics of Color Theory, Color Harmony, Using Gray Colors to Create Selective Focus and Combining Mediums.
The author also gives a “shopping list” of types of materials that an adult coloring fan should have at hand. There were some suggestions that I had not considered in the past (such as fixative and tracing paper.)
I am very happy with the projects that are included in the book. I’ll include some photos of the finished projects so you can see what type of work you will be doing. There are line drawings of each project included, so you can follow the very precise instructions.
The artist does use Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils and Caran d’Ache Pablo Colored Pencils. She even provides the exact colors that she suggests for use in the projects so that your work will match that which is shown in the book.
The only thing I wish is that the book covered blending pencils and use of oil and/or Vaseline as blending agents. It focuses on solvents (such as Gamsol.) It would have been helpful to try the others even though, in the artist’s opinion, solvents are the best blending medium to use.
In addition to the copy of this book I purchased on Amazon, I was provided a temporary digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.