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Mixing different colouring techniques

Mixing different colouring techniques

The combination of different pens can produce awesome painting results.

Combining coloured and graphite pencils

Combining coloured and graphite pencils

When you’re colouring you often choose a technique or a pencil that you want to use for the whole picture. Perhaps for convenience, because it’s easier to stick to one technique. But if you’re looking for a bit of a challenge or just a change, there’s always the option of completing the design with different pencils. The first and most obvious approach would be to combine coloured pencils with graphite pencils, because these are similar to handle and have a comparable stroke style. But it does take a little planning to decide where to use monochrome, i.e. grey, and where to use colours. Tip: choose one type of pencil as the dominant one, and use the other as a kind of effect.

Drawing with graphite pencils

Graphite pencils offer many different modes of expression and options for creating a design. Pencils with softer leads (B, 2B, 4B etc.) can generate a wider range of greys and are therefore particularly good for shading and hatching.

Hatching works the same way as for coloured pencils. However, working with greys can often produce an impression of light and shade, and you should keep that in mind when using graphite pencils.

Drawing with graphite pencils
Light and shade

Light and shade

Graphite pencils allow you to modulate areas very easily, and so light and shade effects should be used selectively. To apply this technique correctly, imagine a light source in the picture and then think about where it throws light and about which areas will have to be in shadow, for instance because they are behind other Areas.

Image composition

If you are combining coloured and graphite pencils you should consider in advance how to balance the two techniques in your picture.

If you want the picture to be mostly in colour, with graphite elements simply used for emphasis or to support your overall effect, you should plan which techniques to use in which areas when composing your image so as to produce the most striking effect.

Look carefully at your design and try to imagine, for instance, which parts of it will be effective done in grey. There are no rules for this – go with your instincts and you’ll be spot on!

Image composition

You need the following STAEDTLER products:

ergosoft® 157ergosoft® 157Coloured pencilSTAEDTLER box containing 12 coloured pencils in assorted colours
ergosoft® 157ergosoft® 157Coloured pencilSTAEDTLER box containing 24 coloured pencils in assorted colours
Mars® Lumograph® 100Mars® Lumograph® 100Drawing pencilMetal case containing 12 drawing pencils in assorted degrees
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