Tutorial:Realistic skintones with colored pencils
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11K ViewsHello everybody!
Finally a tutorial on creating realistic skintones with colored pencils. For all of you who asked.
I don't cover issues such as kind of pencils, paper etc because I honestly think that it doesn't matter. Use whatever you feel comfortable with. (For example, my favourite paper atm is decadry laser print paper, it isn't even supposed to be for drawing but I love it) I hope it will be useful guys!
Final drawing:
Finally a tutorial on creating realistic skintones with colored pencils. For all of you who asked.
I don't cover issues such as kind of pencils, paper etc because I honestly think that it doesn't matter. Use whatever you feel comfortable with. (For example, my favourite paper atm is decadry laser print paper, it isn't even supposed to be for drawing but I love it) I hope it will be useful guys!
Final drawing:
Image details
Image size
2372x2268px 2.7 MB
Published:
© 2014 - 2021 Joanna-Vu
Comments67
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What coloured pencils did you use for this ;-; it's beautiful
Thanks for this. I am anxious to give it a try. I've never had much success with color before, but I'm hopeful!
Welcome, and good luck! 
Someone wished me good luck because I needed to find a good tutorial for colored pencils to work on my Frozen OC. You just saved me a ton of searching time. Thank you!
Hope it is useful! 
Thanks for these tips... but still , these are the things I always do when I make a drawing (you can see my gallery, my pencil poirtrats)
I start with a light color, dont pressing too much on the paper, but the effect is always the same, like a 10 years old drawing... in a drawing, since the result was not a 'full color', I pass more 'hard' the dark tones, yet, the effect it's nothing like this one of your tutorial or general videos on youtube...
So there must be something that I dont understand... maybe how to pass the color, how to apply shades... the way to move the pencil tips on the paper.. I dont have idea... but Im very disappointed by ALL my drawings... I draw for years and years...
People keeps tell me is just matter of practice a lot. This is just in part true, after realizing I always drawing with pencil colors and nothing really changed, after 20 years.Lately I noticed there's a LOT of people who are brillant and simply use color pencils of Prismalo, the same I have. they move hands and add shadings the same way I do, yet, my drawings looks poor compared their.
I start with a light color, dont pressing too much on the paper, but the effect is always the same, like a 10 years old drawing... in a drawing, since the result was not a 'full color', I pass more 'hard' the dark tones, yet, the effect it's nothing like this one of your tutorial or general videos on youtube...
So there must be something that I dont understand... maybe how to pass the color, how to apply shades... the way to move the pencil tips on the paper.. I dont have idea... but Im very disappointed by ALL my drawings... I draw for years and years...
People keeps tell me is just matter of practice a lot. This is just in part true, after realizing I always drawing with pencil colors and nothing really changed, after 20 years.Lately I noticed there's a LOT of people who are brillant and simply use color pencils of Prismalo, the same I have. they move hands and add shadings the same way I do, yet, my drawings looks poor compared their.
How is possible? I press my pencils first gently, then hard, as much as hard the color permit me to do it, still my drawing are not 'full' decise colors, but ended up to be all messy, not fine,the typical pencil color drawings, with that unrealistic effect. with all the lines directions of the pencil's tips still visible.
How everyone are able to make fine arts that looks like oil poirtrats so fully colored and so realistic?
See these videos:
(they dont use brushes or water, or special tools, just pencils!)
youtu.be/3Hj2-uD8AkI
youtu.be/bh8dE-dgZvQ
youtu.be/5RVNzUPTlVs
Im SURE there's some tricks and technique they all have in common, many of these 'incredible realistic' drawings are made by teenagers or young people, so its not even that they used drawings for 20 years. Theres definitively a technique.
A thing very common is that often they create drawing starting from... nothing! They place an eye, and from that eye, keeps coloring and create the right proportions keeping add nose, mouth, etc, one after one, etc.
can really tell me What technique is this?
It's not just practicing... I love to observe a lot details and I like to 'work' on details... yet, after 20 years nothing come out similar those videos..
They are really young artists... maybe 16 years old too... so they didn't need 20 years before learn to coloring like that... there must be some tutorials that really help...
I wish someone could really tell me how to learn to coloring like that...
How everyone are able to make fine arts that looks like oil poirtrats so fully colored and so realistic?
See these videos:
(they dont use brushes or water, or special tools, just pencils!)
youtu.be/3Hj2-uD8AkI
youtu.be/bh8dE-dgZvQ
youtu.be/5RVNzUPTlVs
Im SURE there's some tricks and technique they all have in common, many of these 'incredible realistic' drawings are made by teenagers or young people, so its not even that they used drawings for 20 years. Theres definitively a technique.
A thing very common is that often they create drawing starting from... nothing! They place an eye, and from that eye, keeps coloring and create the right proportions keeping add nose, mouth, etc, one after one, etc.
can really tell me What technique is this?
It's not just practicing... I love to observe a lot details and I like to 'work' on details... yet, after 20 years nothing come out similar those videos..
They are really young artists... maybe 16 years old too... so they didn't need 20 years before learn to coloring like that... there must be some tutorials that really help...
I wish someone could really tell me how to learn to coloring like that...
I just quickly read through your comment and only looked at a few of your deviations. I'm not a pro, but to me it looks like you should use shorter strokes to make the colour fill more and more layers. With layers I mean go over with various colours to create life more than you already do. If the subject is supposed to be out in the sun, don't be afraid to put orange, yellow and red on the skin, or blue and gray if she's a queen of ice. Think of all the colours as layers you can't see, but you can see the effect of them. Meaning, you're going to need many layers to achieve the final effect/result.
Thank you a lot for writing me a review and tips...I think I understand what you mean, I'll do my best from now on... I want to improve by all means! 
No problem Good luck!
Good luck!
very useful tutorial, I shall follow your guide once I am ready.
Yeay my favorite character in your amazing drawing !
Green!? Wow never expected it would cancel the color! I would like to try this!
Thank you !
Green!? Wow never expected it would cancel the color! I would like to try this!
Thank you !
Yes green! 
Hope it is useful!
Hope it is useful!
Great tutorial
Thank you Philip! Of course you don't need it, your colored pencil works are fab! 
Impressive
Thank you! 
It's an honor seeing your works
Thank you so much for this! <3
You're welcome! 
Thank you this is just what I needed! 
(as I really suck at coloring)
(as I really suck at coloring)You hardly need any advice my friend, your coloring is awesome!
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