4 Things To Know About Colored Pencils That Can Make You A Drawing Expert

Art can be expressed through various mediums that range from various types of paints, inks, markers, and colored pencils. Each medium has a style and appeal of its own. The most well-known art medium is paint. But generally speaking, people give too much attention to artists who paint and neglect those who specialize in other art mediums like sketching and coloring. However, if you look for art made in other mediums, like colored pencils, you will find equally breathtaking and diverse drawings made by colored pencil artists. 

There is a stereotype among people and even artists that colored pencil is an art form used only by amateur artists, and once an artist gains expertise, he must move on to painting. That is entirely wrong. Colored pencil art is a whole subfield in art, and artists have made entire careers creating mesmerizing colored pencil art. Of course, these artists don't use ordinary everyday colored pencils. In this blog, we will take a detailed look at colored pencils used for art, so let us dive in. 

Colored Pencils: Important Characteristics To Consider 

Quality

Whether you are an aspiring colored pencil artist or just a regular kid who likes to draw in school art classes, there are various types of colored pencils available based on quality. Colored pencils are broadly classified into two kinds according to quality. They are mainly 'student grade' and 'artist grade .'Naturally, artist-grade pencils have a higher quality and are more expensive than student-grade ones. Artistic color pencils contain more pigment compared to student-grade ones, so they have bolder and more striking colors. Moreover, artist-grade pencils last longer, and your drawing will not fade over time. 

Hard Vs. Soft Consistency: The Difference Between Amateur and Expert Coloring

The structure of a colored pencil is basically a circular strip of 'lead core,' which is surrounded by wood. The lead core is made of pigment, filler, which is usually chalk or clay, binder, and wax. 

Regular colored pencils for everyday drawing have a hard lead core that can be sharpened easily to a sharp point. If you are a student who engages in occasional coloring, then you don't need to buy high-end colored pencils, and you should opt for hard colored pencils. Just choose any normal coloring set manufactured by a top-quality colored pencil supplier, and you are good to go. 

However, if you are a professional artist, then colored pencils with a soft lead core are much more suitable. They have bolder colors, and the color layer is much more uniform. The negative aspect of using a softer core is that you will have to sharpen the point more frequently. Soft colored pencils are easier for producing detailed blending and shading, which is essential to add depth and detail to any picture. 

Most hard-colored pencils have more chalk in their lead than pigment, so the colors are dull. Hard colored pencils also require more effort in applying color as the hard point does not flow on paper and applying too much hand pressure can also damage the paper. Blending color requires more effort. However, there is a category of artistic hard-colored pencils that come with bold, striking colors and are utilized to make outlines in the drawing. Hardpoint artistic grade pencils are useful for drawing pictures with subtle and lighter colors. 

Resistance To Fading

Whether you are creating art using paint or colored pencils, the colors are bound to fade with time. Expert artists usually want their art to last for a long time and prefer to use colors that can resist environmental factors like humidity and sunlight, which can lead to color fading. The ability of a colored pencil to resist fading is known as 'lightfastness. 'Most artistic grade pencil brands come with a lightfastness rating. This rating is printed even on pencils of the same brand. The rating is given from 1 to 5 stars. Most colored pencils produce colored pictures that will last sufficiently long. But if you are an expert artist who wants your colored picture to last for years, then you should pay attention to the lightfastness rating. 

Color Diversity 

When it comes to blending colors in art, colored pencils are not an easy medium to blend colors and create new shades as compared to paints. That is why most artistic coloring sets come in a wide variety of shades. For beginner artists, 24 color shades are more than enough. But as an artist evolves, eventually, she would require more colors to add detail and visual appeal. Professional artists use 120 colored pencil shade sets. Diverse coloring sets come with a coloring chart to help guide artists in their work. 

Remember, there's no definitive answer to the question of the "best" colored pencils for art. Instead, there are choices to be made, each influenced by the artist's individuality and artistic goals. Before making a decision, take the time to experiment, explore, and perhaps even mix and match different brands and types. Embrace the process of discovery, as it's often through this journey that artists uncover unexpected techniques and unlock new dimensions of their creativity.