The Colored Pencil Course: Watercolor and Colored Pencils - Part 1
Lesson Description
Welcome to Lesson 18 of The Colored Pencil Course. In this lesson, we begin exploring the exciting combination of watercolor and colored pencils. This is the first part of a two-part demonstration that introduces techniques for integrating watercolor painting with colored pencil drawing. By the end of this lesson, you will understand how to create a strong foundation using watercolor and prepare your work for the addition of colored pencil details.
Why Combine Watercolor and Colored Pencils?
Combining watercolor with colored pencils allows artists to achieve a unique range of effects that are difficult to achieve with either medium alone. Watercolor provides vibrant washes, soft gradients, and a luminous background, while colored pencils offer precision, detail, and the ability to layer textures. In this lesson, Matt explains the benefits of this mixed-media approach and how it can enhance your artwork by providing depth, color variation, and a professional finish.
Choosing Materials and Supplies
Before beginning, it’s important to gather the right materials. In this section, Matt discusses the types of watercolor paper, paints, brushes, and colored pencils best suited for combining these media. He emphasizes using high-quality supplies to ensure smooth application, vibrant colors, and durability of your finished artwork. Understanding your materials helps you achieve more predictable and satisfying results.
Planning the Composition
Every successful drawing starts with careful planning. In this lesson, we begin by lightly sketching strawberries onto watercolor paper. Matt explains how to plan shapes, spacing, and overall composition before applying any paint. This step ensures that your final piece will be balanced and visually appealing. Planning also helps you identify areas where watercolor will provide the base colors and where colored pencils will add fine details later.
Applying Watercolor – Base Layer
The focus of this lesson is applying the first layer of watercolor to the strawberries. Matt demonstrates how to mix colors to create vibrant reds and subtle highlights, giving the strawberries a natural, juicy appearance. Techniques include wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry applications to control how colors blend and flow. You’ll learn how to build transparency, create smooth gradients, and avoid overworking the paint, which is essential for maintaining the luminosity of watercolor.
Working with Light and Shadow
Light and shadow are key to making strawberries appear three-dimensional. In this section, Matt explains how to observe light sources and incorporate soft shadows and highlights in your watercolor base. By establishing value and contrast in this first stage, you set the foundation for adding colored pencil details later. This approach ensures that your strawberries have depth and realism from the very beginning of the process.
Preparing for Colored Pencil Layering
Once the watercolor base is complete, it’s important to prepare the surface for colored pencil application. Matt provides tips for ensuring that the paper texture is suitable for layering pencils without disturbing the watercolor wash. He also explains how to judge when the paint is fully dry and how to avoid smudging or lifting areas when you begin adding colored pencil details in the next lesson.
Practical Exercises and Observational Tips
At the end of the lesson, practical exercises encourage you to practice color mixing, brush control, and subtle value transitions. Matt emphasizes the importance of observation, suggesting that you study real strawberries or reference photos to understand color, light, and texture. These exercises build confidence and prepare you for the second part of the demonstration, where colored pencils will enhance and refine the initial watercolor work.
Lesson 18 introduces the fundamentals of combining watercolor and colored pencils. By focusing on planning, composition, watercolor application, and value, you establish a strong foundation for adding detailed colored pencil layers. This mixed-media approach allows you to achieve vibrant, realistic strawberries and prepares you for more complex applications in future projects. Completing this lesson gives you confidence in using watercolor as a base and sets the stage for refining your work with colored pencils in the next module.
Lesson Materials
Canson coldpress illustration board, Prismacolor colored pencils, colorless blender, watercolor paints, nylon brushes, water, liquid masking fluid, kneaded eraser.
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.
Great video! I can’t wait for Part 2. And the background music is quite lovely too. May I ask who is the composer?
Hi
What is liquid masking fluid made of?
Thanks Leanne
Wow! Can’t wait to see part 2 and begin! I have been drawing fruits with Primsacolor for framing for kitchens for my family. Strawberry looks challenging, but I am ready for it! Thanks, Matt!
Awesome, Mary!
I’m trying to watch the videos on a new iPad Air 2, both on Wi-Fi and in “roaming” modes, but cannot get the audio and video portions of any of the videos to play simultaneously. I’m subscribed to a number of online video courses, and don’t have this problem with any of the others.
I’m guessing this is because the imbedded data here is so large; so far, I have been able to watch the videos on my home computer, but it would be great (and much more practical, study wise) if i could see them on the iPad as well. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Greg,
All of the videos are set to play in HD by default. You must have a stable Internet connection to stream video. You will experience buffering if your Internet connection is not stable and definitely if you are trying to access the video while on “roaming”.
Hi matt, I really love this course and have been super happy with the results! I am unable to find Canson cold press illustration board. Is there a different paper I can use for this?
hi matt,
1.are you familiar with Faber-Castell watercolour pencils?
2.have you worked with them? they are totally different than your traditional watercolor set/brush
3.have you considered making a full course like the “colored pencil”course?
4.what does “cold-press” mean?
5.is block paper better than strathmore pads (watercolor)than the individual bigger size? besides the cost $$$ difference.
really appreciate it,raquel
Hi Raquel,
1. Yes, I have few tutorials using them…
http://thevirtualinstructor.com/members/watercolor-pencils-landscape-part-1/
http://thevirtualinstructor.com/members/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-pencils-part-1/
http://thevirtualinstructor.com/members/the-colored-pencil-course-watercolor-pencils-part-2/
http://thevirtualinstructor.com/members/the-watercolor-workshop-watercolor-pencils-part-1/
http://thevirtualinstructor.com/members/the-watercolor-workshop-watercolor-pencils-part-2/
2. Yes, I almost consider watercolor pencils to be their own medium.
3. Members can vote on the next course that they’d like to see developed. Voting will begin when “Portrait Drawing The Smart Way” is complete. Just 3 more modules left…
4. Cold press refers to the manner in which the paper is produced. It is rolled on cold cylinders. You can learn more here…
http://thevirtualinstructor.com/members/the-watercolor-workshop-brushes-and-surfaces/
http://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/all-about-drawing-papers-and-surfaces
5. The advantage to using block paper is that it stays tight while you paint, eliminating the need to stretch the paper. Beyond that, the paper is the same.
Hi Mat enjoyed this video very much. Could I use acrylic paint thined down to under paint instead of water colour?. Diana.
Hey Matt,
I am really enjoying the course and drawing/coloring along with you! I am going to get a set of watercolors to do this module and have found a nice Winsor & Newton set with 14 colors, incl. all the colors used in this module. I am thinking about taking your watercolor course next, though, and wanted to know if 14 colors would be enough for that course or if I should look at a larger set? The colors in the set I am considering are Lemon Yellow Hue, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Cadmium Red Pale Hue, Cadmium Red Hue, Alizarin Crimson Hue, Purple Lake, Ultramarine, Cerulean Blue Hue, Sap Green, Viridian Hue, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber and Chinese White. I just want to make *one* watercolor set purchase for now so want to make sure it would work for your watercolor class. Please let me know if you have a different recommendation. Thanks!
Hi Lesa,
I think the only other color you may want to add is Prussian Blue – but you can definitely do without it as well. Happy painting!
Hi Matt,
I’ve enjoyed all of your classes so far. No doubt I will do for the other classes I haven’t watched yet.
I’d like to know if we can make the underpainting with watercolor pencils instead of watercolor paints? How should I process? with less water as possible?
Thanks!
Hi Matt,
I’m having a hard time finding Canson coldpress illustration board. Can you provide a link to one? OR is there any other type of paper you would recommend for this project??
Thanks!
Hi Erika,
Here’s some from Cresent (this is an affiliate link)…https://amzn.to/2zyXngF
Matt,
Have you considered a link to all the materials (affiliate or not) so students can have the opportunity to use the resources you employ? It would be an excellent addition to the site.
Jeff