- Everybody
- 30 min
What you need:
Colour pencils Goldfaber
Goldfaber: quality makes the difference
The Goldfaber colour pencil is an classic drawing pencil. But what makes it so special? The answer is simple: the quality of the resources that Faber-Castell uses.
This starts with the wood that encases the lead. You wouldn't want to get annoyed because it is hard to sharpen the pencil, which is exactly why we use wood with long fibres that is as knot-free and evenly grown as possible to ensure clean and easy sharpening. Less shavings mean you get to enjoy your colour pencil for longer.
The centrepiece of every colour pencil is the lead. The Goldfaber lead consists of highquality pigments which, combined with wax as an impregnating agent, lend the pencil its soft and intensive stroke. We take the time to finely grind and mix the components for the lead to ensure the best quality. You would like to draw and we provide you with the ideal medium: with components of highest purity and quality, optimum opacity, rich colours and good light fastness.
The effect of colour
A drawing is made up of multiple factors:
number of colours, colour intensity, contrast,
composition, proportions – in short, a very
complex system. But don't worry, it's up to you how complex the creation of your drawing
will be.
It will help you to learn about colour harmonies
and to understand about the interplay
of colours. A good exercise for this is to
draw the same picture using a different number
of colours.
For a simple colour harmony, only use one
colour at first. To lighten it use white, and
black for darkening. Pay attention to good
contrasts to avoid the drawing being overly
two-dimensional.
Choose a second colour and draw the same
picture with these two colours as well as
mixtures of them. As you will see, the mixed tones create a fresher look.
Choose a third colour and draw the picture
once more. Mixing three colours requires
practice, so you should use the third colour
sparingly.
Did you know
In contrast to a pencil's lead, which is
burned, the firmness of Goldfaber colour
pencils' leads is achieved in a drying
process.
The right paper
You have probably been there: standing in front of the shelf with drawing pads asking yourself which paper might be best for your project. Unfortunately, there is no definite recommendation as the choice of paper depends on your personal drawing style and plan. Various ranges of grain sizes and textures influence the stroke and thus the picture's character. Nevertheless, we have a few tips to help you make your choice.
Good to know: High-quality drawing paper is characterised by a higher grammage, first-class raw material composition as well as good acid and ageing resistance.
Hot press paper is very smooth ensuring
clearly defined lines as well as homogenous
coloured areas and is suitable for detailed,
precise drawings.
Cold press paper has a finely to coarsely
grained surface, which breaks lines and areas
creating a loose pencil stroke.
Also experiment with coloured paper. The
brilliance of the Goldfaber colour pencils
comes into its own on dark paper.
Darken and Brigthen
Of course you can use black to darken a colour. Try using the corresponding complementary colour to do this, too. On the colour wheel, this is the colour opposite the colour you chose. In the example depicted, blue and orange are opposite each other. When you layer these two colours over each other, you get a shade of grey. You can vary the shade of grey by adjusting the ratio of the two colours.
Overlaying a colour with white is a great way to lighten the colour. Likewise, you can also try using other brighter shades. Depending on the shade used, the colour that has been overlaid will get a warm or cool character.
Did you know?
Complementary colours put next to each
other enhance each other’s colour
effect. So, for example, orange makes
blue shine when used next to it.
Colour mixing
You naturally pick up a green colour pencil to draw a green area. This is absolutely fine, since there already are beautiful shades of green in the Goldfaber colour range. However, if you want to make the most of the Goldfaber colour pencils' diversity, take the time to see how differentiated the tones can be, which you can mix with the different shades of blue and yellow. Even the order in which the colours are painted over each other is important; for example, overlaying yellow on blue will result in a different shade than blue on yellow.
Good to know: Bright colours, such as yellow, are more transparent than dark colours. Therefore, bright colours do not cover as well as dark colours.
Another variable when it comes to colour
design is the intensity of the colour overlay.
But be careful: an overly thick layer of colour
can seal off the paper surface, thus preventing the application of further colours.
This is particularly tricky when laying several
colours on top of each other. It requires
practice, but it's well worth experimenting
with your own nuances of colour. To finish
off, you can use the topmost colour to give
the overall shade a cool (bluish) or a warm
(reddish) touch.
Hatching
You'll be amazed at the wealth of expressive
possibilities the following hatching techniques
have in store for you!
In a drawing, hatching defines the lighting
conditions and gives objects a three-dimensional
look. Hatching lets you quickly develop
your own "signature" because, in reality, every person hatches differently. The more you
practice different line distances, vary the
pressure you apply and give overlays a try,
the sooner your efforts will be rewarded with
an increasingly confident stroke.
flat inclination = broader liner
We are showing you how to do parallel and cross-hatching. For both techniques, you need to hold the pencil at a steeper angle. The inclination determines whether lines are drawn finely and precisely or broader.
Parallel Hatching
As the name suggests, this hatching technique
involves drawing lines parallel to each
other and at the same angle. This might not
sound very exciting, but the range of hatching
possible through length of stroke and applied
pressure alone is astonishing.
Start by using one colour and applying even
pressure. Hold the pencil upright and draw
parallel lines in the same direction on the
paper. The closer the lines are to each other,
the darker the area appears. Drawing short
hatching lines creates overlaps that boost the
contrast between light and dark. Overlaying
hatching strokes causes these areas to appear
denser.
Cross Hatching
You will like cross-hatching as it allows a
looser, more spontaneous stroke that doesn't
have to be perfect.
Start with one colour and overlay hatching at
different angles. Observe the impression of
depth created by looser and denser crosshatching.
Altering the density and length of
the lines results in different tones.
Drawing with multi-colour cross-hatching is
much more challenging. Here, the shades will
visually blend into a nuanced play of colours.
Don't use too many colours to start with, but
increase the number bit by bit.
With time, you will develop a hatching style only you are able to master! Using a looser stroke enables you to boldly merge different hatching techniques creating extravagant looks.
When viewed from a distance, hatchings intense and dark the colour appears. visually merge into colour areas. The closer the lines are to each other, the more intense and dark the colour appears.
Shading
Shading is ideal to create beautiful, extensive
colour gradients as you apply the colours
layer by layer and are always able to adjust
if the gradient isn't quite right yet. Unlike hatching, you hold the pencil in a very flat
position so that the entire lead surface is
used. This results in a homogeneous colour
application.
Frottage
With shading you can try out a simple drawing
technique: frottage. Place a sheet of paper on
a textured surface. This can be a coarsegrained
wood, a metal grate, a textured linen
or a porous crock. When you shade subsequently,
the texture will be transferred onto
the paper, creating a beautiful pattern.
Sgraffito
The last time you tried the sgraffito technique was probably during your childhood using wax crayons. But sgraffito is also an interesting way of using coloured pencils.
Here's how it works: the first step involves completely covering one colour with another. Ideally, the underlying colour should be brighter than the upper colour. Then carefully scratch out lines and areas from the upper layer using a knife. And just like that, you have magically created beautiful contrasts and patterns!
Little tricks
Use the
techniques
creatively!
Paper edges and stencils
You can use a sheet of paper to help you to
draw patterns. By drawing short lines over the
paper edge you can create stubble fields,
grass or abstract structures and patterns.
Embossed paper
Embossing paper is a charming technique.
Prior to drawing, emboss patterns or lines into
the surface of the paper with an embossing
stick or blunt needle. These lower-lying lines
remain white when drawing on the paper and
create a beautiful contrast to your drawing.
Baby oil
This is genius! Goldfaber colours can be
dissolved with paraffin oil (baby oil) for extensive
painting. This enables you to create
extravagant backgrounds to continue drawing
on once they have fully dried.
Tools
Usually, an eraser helps to correct mistakes.
Why not use it in a completely different way?
Place one or two sheets of paper onto your
drawing and gently use the eraser in the gap
between them to create brighter lines or
areas, which has a great effect on the entire
picture. By using stencils you can create even
more sophisticated looks.
Using a knife, scalpel or sanding board you
can quickly create beautiful patterns in your
picture. Scrape some pigment off the tip of
your pencil directly onto your drawing and
spread it with a wiper or finger to create
dramatic effects. This is an ideal technique
to effortlessly create patterns or larger
colour areas.
Combining strong techniques
The drawing techniques we have presented
offer endless possibilities for creating
extravagant pictures. If you are looking for
even more room for variation and you love
mixed media pictures, experiment with exciting combinations of other materials and tools from the Creative Studio range. You could, for example, use the Pitt Artist Pen with waterproof ink for preliminary sketching. The interplay of soft and oil pastels with the Goldfaber drawing pencil also delivers great results.
mixed media pictures, experiment with exciting combinations of other materials and tools from the Creative Studio range. You could, for example, use the Pitt Artist Pen with waterproof ink for preliminary sketching. The interplay of soft and oil pastels with the Goldfaber drawing pencil also delivers great results.
