Tips for Using Different Traditional Mediums!

Question

Here are some tips from me on using different art mediums.

Colored Pencils (Crayola)

So, I have been using colored pencils since I started drawing. Crayola products don't usually give you a final or professional look, but here are some tips regarding Crayola colored pencils that may help you achieve it!

 

• Do not make hard marks. Lightly color for a light color and press down for a darker color. 
• Lightly color over an area and then make darker marks for shadowing.
• Certain Crayola packs don't have the white skin color unless you buy a larger pack. However, if you want to avoid this, simply use an orange colored pencil and color over your character's skin lightly. It looks very close to a normal skin color!
• When coloring hair, make marks in the direction the hair is going. 
• When making highlights, just leave areas blank.
• Always sharpen your pencil when shading details, like under lips or noses.
• If you make a mistake, you can erase! But be careful, some Crayolas will not erase. 
• When shading, if you want a different look, use a different color. For example, say I color some jeans dark blue and use purple for shading and indicating drapes and folds: it gives it a cool look.
• When coloring anime eyes with colored pencils, color lightly and then shadow with the same color if you want.

Those were  some tips I have for Crayola colored pencils!

 

Markers

Crayola markers are not a very good choice for coloring. They bleed and tend to be very hard to blend and shade from my experience. So I don't really have tips for this medium. However, I do have tips for coloring with Copic and other professional markers!

 

• Be ready for a graphically clear look. Markers like Copics color very smoothly but they do bleed on printer paper so use thicker paper like watercolor paper.
• Blend! These colors blend with other colors, which means they can look different depending on if they are applied alone or on another color. Blending works well for shading. 
• Use paint for shines. Using white paint (just the paint, no water) can make anime eyes and clothes shiny, Apply a bit on a stiff brush or a finger and dab lightly on the picture (wash your finger afterwards). Corrector works as well but tends to look odd, so paint is best.
• Leave room for highlights.
• Be careful, because sometimes they can spread. Color a distance from other places to avoid getting the color where you don't want and touch up on the blank area that occurs later.

I hope you liked these tips as well! Onto the next medium!

 

Inking 

Inking is quite easy to do, depending on your pen. The pen makes all the difference! Ballpoint pens tends to spread and smear, so I suggest getting a pack of inking pens on Amazon (usually about $10 but well worth it), which usually have 10 pens in it with varying MM. 

 

• Use the medium MMs (2, 3, 4) for inking the character to make them have thicker lines. You can also use these for backgrounds if you are drawing it. 
• Use the smaller MMs (0.5, 1) for details, like the inside folds of the clothes or the fingers. For a female anime character, thicker MMs work well for their eyelashes.
• Don't worry about smearing with professional pens. However, if you have a ballpoint or a gel, make sure you ink carefully, not resting your hand or arm on the paper. After you are done with the inking, wait at least 5 to 10 minutes for the ink to dry. Otherwise color may not apply well. 
• Shading with pens is different than with color or pencil. I shade manga-style, which means I usually use cross-hatching, before coloring.
• Thicker lines, even for professional pens, can be smeared, so make sure you check before coloring. Colored pencils are more likely to smear the ink if you press too hard.
• When making anime eyes, ink all the details like eye shines, shadows, and the like for a manga-like look. 

Those are my inking tips! Now, on to the pencil tips. 

 

Pencil (Normal, #2)

Here are some tips for those of you who work chiefly in pencil!

• Blend. Blending with pencil is very different from marker blending, you must do it yourself with your finger or a tortillon. 
• Make hard lines only for main details like curves. Make sure they aren't too hard or they will look rough (unless you want this effect).
• Color with pencil like you do colored pencil.
• Keep your hand up and away. Like with pens it is possible that you will get the graphite on your hand and accidently smear it on your paper without noticing.
• Keep your eraser handy. Because it's pencil, you can use your eraser for highlights as well.
• Keep your pencil sharp for details. A dull pencil can work for wide areas where you want dark shading.

Do you have a request for tips? Maybe drawing something in particular? Request below!

 

 

Some Requests You May Have...

1. Tips on how to draw boys or girls anime eyes...
2. Tips on drawing bodies...
3. Tips on drawing animals...
4. Tips on making a certain effect (shimmer, maybe) with markers'pencils….
5. Tips on shading anime eyes with a different medium...

Answer 1

For me, I don't use Crayola colored pencils (which normally DO erase) I use Prismacolor which are good for blending (which DO NOT erase). And I normally just sketch with a pencil, I use a mechanical pencil if I plan on making it colored. And also I don't have access to Amazon or Ebay or anything like that, just Wal-Mart.