Coloured pencils are the perfect medium if you need to combine your artwork with other activities.
They can be picked up and put down without any need for clearing up paint palettes or brushes, and there is no fear that your work will deteriorate if left for a length of time. The colours are also bright and do not change in use, unlike some paints that appear lighter when dry. There are also vast ranges of enticing shades on the market from which to choose. I keep the pencils I select for a particular drawing in glass tumblers, one for ‘warm’ colours (reds, browns, yellows) and one for cool colours (blues, greys and greens). These are put on a shelf to one side in between sessions.
Drawing directly from an object rather than a photograph allows it to be seen from many angles to get a good sense of it, whereas a photograph will often ‘flatten’ or distort the image. Working from an object, however, presents different challenges. Perishable subjects, such as fruit, vegetables or flowers, can deteriorate if the drawing needs more than one sitting.
You will need
• I used Fabriano
