(This post originally appeared on my other blog, WitchCrafty.biz!)
We’re several days into Aquarius already but none-the-less, here’s part 2 of the Capricorn Color-Along!
And if you haven’t seen Part 1, check it out here.
These are the supplies I used, but of course, use any pencils you like… and try applying these shading techniques to other coloring books and drawings, too.
From: Coloring Book of Shadows
By: Me! Amy Cesari.
Pencils Used: Prismacolor Premier 72 Pc. Set
Colored Pencils Used For Saturn:
Putty Beige
50% French Grey
70% French Grey
Ginger Root
Sand
Golden Ochre
Colored Pencils Used For Garnet:
Carmine Red
Crimson Red
Crimson Lake
Tuscan Red
Dark Brown
Step 1: Saturn!
First, lightly get your basic stripes going.
- If you look at a picture of Saturn, you’ll see that it’s got some distinct stripes going on. Get those in first, lightly, so you can kind of see it take shape.
- I used the darker French Greys for the dark stripes, and Ginger Root and Putty Beige for the lightest spots.
- I filled in with the Golden Ochre and Sand for the more yellow parts.
- A good tip is to keep your pencil strokes going along with the rings as much as possible, since that’s how Saturn flows.
Then, darken up the shading on the bottom-left sides of Saturn.
- Recall from Part 1 of this Color-Along, we did the darker shadows on the bottom-left sides, since the light-source was the opposite, the upper-right.
- Using 50% French Grey and 70% French Grey pencils or something similar, darken up the bottom-left sides of Saturn, shading it out and along the same direction as the stripes.
- Darken the rest of your stripes till you get a depth of color that looks good to you.
- Remember to keep your strokes going along with the rings to get the most realistic look!
Then, use the blender pencil
- Using the blender pencil is optional, you can still shade without them. However I love ‘em and I think it’s a great “trick” when working with colored pencils.
- Blend the stripes of Saturn just a bit, going in the direction of the rings.
- Also color the rings of Saturn, as well as the bits between the rings in red or background color, which I’d forgotten to do up till this point. Oops!
Step 2: Garnet
Dark shadows first!
- I wanted to make sure there was enough contrast in the garnets, so I started with the darkest pencil, Dark Brown, as you see above.
- Again, I put the dark shadows on the bottom-left of the objects.
- Also see how that’s just 1 pencil used above, but some of the spots are colored super-dark and some are a little lighter — with the same Dark Brown pencil.
Continue the Shadows
- Next I used Tuscan Red, the second-darkest color in the garnet.
- I’m moving more towards the center with this color but it’s still heavier on the bottom-left.
- Note how it overlaps a bit with the brown I did before on some parts, and not in others, so you get a nice range of reddish-browns.
Add the brightest Reds
- Using Crimson Lake as the main color here (giving it definition from the glow) color most of the remaining spots in red, leaving a bit of super-light white/pink highlight on some of the front-left spots on the garnets.
- You can also brighten the top-left side of the garnets with a little Crimson Red and Carmine Red.
- Then use your colorless blender pencil (optional!) to blend it all together and smooth it out.
Step 3: Sea-Goat, Herbs, and Space
- I’m going to let you loose on your own for the finer details — the plants, little spacey items, and most of the Sea-Goat.
- For the Sea-Goat, I’ll start you off with some hints in the above pic!
- I used two colors of green, Apple Green (light) and Dark Green.
- Try to keep the darker shadows on the bottom-right, and the lighter color on the top-left as we’ve been doing. I thought that his head and hair would be creating a shadow on the top of his legs, so I added the darker color there, too.
Finish Up
- Use the blank space to write things, or leave it empty.
- I wrote the name and birthday of a new baby (see last pic below!) but you can use it for notes, correspondences, spells, findings, or whatever