The Colored Pencil Course: Creating Texture - Part 1
Lesson Description
Lesson Nine of The Colored Pencil Course focuses on creating the illusion of texture using value and directional lines. Building on the previous lesson’s work, students continue their colored pencil drawing of a Golden Retriever, exploring techniques that bring fur and surface details to life. Matt emphasizes that texture is an essential component of realism, helping viewers perceive the material qualities of the subject. By carefully manipulating line direction, layering colors, and controlling value, students learn how to simulate the appearance of soft, fluffy, or coarse textures within their drawings.
The Role of Value in Creating Texture
Matt begins by reviewing the importance of value—the lightness or darkness of tones—in colored pencil drawing. Value is crucial for creating depth and the illusion of three-dimensional form, particularly when drawing textured surfaces like fur. Students learn how varying the intensity of light and dark areas creates the perception of volume and tactile quality. Matt demonstrates how to observe subtle shifts in light across the Golden Retriever’s coat, teaching students how to translate these observations into layers of colored pencil that convey both depth and surface detail.
Using Directional Lines to Suggest Form and Texture
In addition to value, directional lines play a key role in simulating texture. Matt explains that fur, hair, and other fibrous textures have natural flow and pattern, which can be suggested by the careful placement of pencil strokes. Students practice using lines that follow the contours of the dog’s body, emphasizing the natural direction of the fur. By layering lines of different lengths, pressures, and colors, students can create the illusion of depth, density, and softness. Matt demonstrates how shorter, lighter strokes indicate fine, soft fur, while longer, darker lines suggest coarser areas of the coat.
Part One: Continuing the Golden Retriever Drawing
This lesson continues the colored pencil drawing of the Golden Retriever introduced in Lesson Eight. Matt guides students through the initial stages of adding texture to the dog’s fur. Starting with a base layer of color, he demonstrates how to gradually build value by applying multiple layers of pencil, alternating light and dark tones to suggest shadow and highlight. Students learn to balance subtlety and contrast, avoiding overworking the paper while still achieving a realistic representation of the fur’s surface.
Layering and Blending Techniques
Matt introduces techniques for layering colors and blending lines to enhance the textural effect. By applying light pressure with multiple colors and carefully blending in strategic areas, students can create rich, natural-looking textures without losing the directional quality of their strokes. Matt emphasizes patience, showing how slowly building layers allows the artist to refine the illusion of fur, highlight individual hairs, and maintain control over the overall value structure. This step-by-step approach ensures that the Golden Retriever’s coat appears lifelike and three-dimensional.
Observational Skills and Detail Work
Throughout the lesson, Matt encourages students to carefully observe the reference photo, noting the subtle shifts in value and the patterns in the dog’s fur. He demonstrates how to replicate these details with precision, enhancing the realism of the drawing. Students learn that texture is not simply about replicating every hair but capturing the essence of the surface through well-placed strokes, layered colors, and consistent value contrasts. This observational approach ensures that the drawing feels dynamic and authentic.
By the end of Lesson Ten, students have a strong understanding of how to create the illusion of texture using value and directional lines. Part One of the Golden Retriever drawing demonstrates how careful observation, controlled layering, and thoughtful line placement combine to simulate realistic fur. This lesson provides students with practical tools and strategies for adding texture to colored pencil drawings, preparing them to continue refining the dog’s coat in subsequent lessons and tackle other textured subjects with confidence and precision.
Lesson Materials
Bristol paper, Prismacolor colored pencils, photo reference, paper clip, tape.
Lesson Resources
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Reference Image
Course Curriculum
Founder of The Virtual Instructor, artist and teacher. Matt makes learning art easy to understand and enjoyable.
What is best pencil brand that I could as a beginner?
What kind of pencil brand that I could use as a beginner?
Hi Marilyn. I would start with a quality brand. I suggest using Prismacolor. If the Premier line is too pricey, you can start with the Prismacolor Scholar line.
hi
can I use the watercolour pencils (dry) from faber castell? am about to buy the 120 set.
Hi Juliana,
The watercolor pencils have a different binder than colored pencils and will not behave in the same manner. Watercolor pencils are meant to be activated with water and will not layer and mix like colored pencils. I hope this helps.
Hi, where would I submit a drawing for critique?
I’d like to know this also please.
matt,
1.have you heard of “Blind impressing”,do you use it, or teach it? this is lines made by drawing or scribbling on the paper with a point,leaving the
surface white when shaded over with a colored pencil.
this is supposibly used to create texture of a wall on the side of old building.
thanks,raquel
Hi Raquel,
Yes, this technique can be used for a variety of effects. It’s simply indenting the surface of the paper, producing small grooves that cannot be filled with the medium.
We call it the indentation method using an indentation tool
Could you do a live lesson sometimes on drawing a cat or kitten in graphite and/or colored pencil and focus on showing how to add white whiskers?
I agree!
Ditto on agreeing
I am drawing a Golden for a friend who was quite old. Most of her face it completely white. I am using tan Stonehenge paper. Would I do some sort of underpainting before I put in the white hairs? Any suggestions?
Hi Pat, It’s hard to say exactly without the reference, but most likely, you won’t need to create an underpainting. An underpainting would help if you have a broad range of values and you want to establish those first. If the face is mostly made up of lighter values, then the underpainting may be irrelevant. You can always darken values even if you have lighter values in place.
Hi, Matt Should I always use the local color of an animal drawing to burnish my colors? Thanks
Hi Matt
My son just ruined my drawing by putting colour lines in it. It’s not coming out from the kneaded eraser nor the other one. Can I save it.
Hi, Matt on my drawing the fur isn’t coming out like yours. This is first drawing fur my husband says it look good but don’t thank so. I go too Heavy on the dark colors, if you have any suggestions please know.
I try to avoid any tracing of photos so I did not do the exercise above this one, tracing the photo. I will however try to draw this from scratch and do the exercise. Great series!
I waited too long to listen to the part where you said to be careful so as not to make the layers too dark and butchered your dog’s poor ear. So I started again from scratch out of respect for your dog. Picking up more the second time.
Can any one tell me …What does the “M” in the right top tight corner mean while playing the video?
Hi Julia, the “M” on the top right hand corner refers to the pressure you put on the pencil. “L” is for light pressure, “M” is for medium pressure and “H” is for hard or heavy pressure (I can’t remember exactly which word Matt uses). It is to give an indication of how much Matt presses down on the pencil. I think he references it at the beginning of the course somewhere if you want to recap.
I used the grid technique to create my pencil drawing. Should I erase the grid lines before I start with the color pencil? Or just put the color pencil over them? I’m wondering if it will create problems in the paper if I try to erase the lines first. Thank you.
Hi Elisabeth,
Yes, I would definitely recommend erasing as much of the graphite away as possible – especially the grid lines.
Thank you Matt! I finished the drawing already but yeah, discovered that I should have erased them more than I did. Lesson learned! it’s not too bad. Just a couple of light areas where they show through.
Matt, I’m looking at my Prismacolor pencils and realizing there are many similar colors you could have chosen – I am wondering what process you (or others) use toward making your color selections? Do you use a software application like Colored Pencil Picker, your own color chart, trial and error on scratch paper, or is it just coming from prior experiences with those specific pencils that led you to choose Goldenrod and Beige? Being new to colored pencils, choosing the colors has been one of my challenges. I am often times not satisfied with the result of my choices.
Hi Peter,
There’s not a lot of science here. I typically try to match colors based on intuition. I may grab several colors and make a few test marks. It’s not as important as you may think to match colors. What matters more is matching values. Knowing color theory is exceptionally important in choosing colors and mixing them.
I thought the course was going to be for absolute beginners. I did okay with the peppers and the apples, but I only have 12 coloured pencils as i wasn’t really sure what to get in the beginning. I also don’t have this picture so can’t really follow it. I would love to be able to draw animals but unfortunately I’ll have to skip this bit until I’m a bit more advanced.
It would have been nice right at the start to have been told more about the actual supplies needed.
I’m actually auditing this course first! But, I’m learning SOOOO much already. I’ve done some drawing before, but am thrilled to be learning so many new things. I appreciated the earlier comment about color selection as I’ve come up with some less than appealing color combos!
Great course; I’ll be going through again
Hi! I am using this video as a guide for drawing a different dog, and he is a black and grey and white dog, but you said that black is not a very naturally occurring color, do you have any suggestions on what colors I should use? Greys and brown mixed with blues to make black or something else?
Thank you for your time!
Your dog has straight hair. What if the dog had curly hair, like a toy poodle. How would you create the illusion of texture for a curly haired dog?
Hi, Hope this is still monitored, looks like nothing has been ansewred for a few years!
So I am curious how much detail I need to put in my working outline ? Right now I am still using a light board. I hope to quit using it as I draw more animals and get proportions down.
As far as details with a light board I can go down to the nares on the nose and fur direction, even small groups of furr. Should I just be doing an outline and the placement of the eyes, nose and ears or should I do more minute changes?
Glad I happend to find this site. I think this lesson is going to be very helpful for me.
Thanks Ed
So sorry all. For some reason I didn’t know the was more information videos that went along with this video set, I found the one with the transferring info.
Sorry to be a pest
Ed
Hi Ed,
Yes, all of the comments are monitored and even though this course is older, it is still very active.