5b Pencil Drawing

[Trisha Quercioli]

Ive been trying to find a method within Affinity Photo to extract hand drawn and scanned pencil sketches from their background. Something the same as this photoshop technique would be ideal =KE9V3-K8SwI

Thanks @toltec for this post, I'll try this method for my pencil drawings. I used to do that by selecting the sampled color first (select sample color) and then hitting delete, but this method not always gives the desired effects.

In Affinity Photo I missed an action I used in Photoshop from Media Militia used to isolate pencil strokes from a white background..

Today I discovered a quite simple order of steps, but had not the time to automate this (I am still not familiar with these steps in Affinity Photo yet).

Advice in advance: This description may look long at first read, but you can speed up with exercise quite good or even automate the standard adjustments and layer operations between the manual tasks as macros one day.

Now clean up your file, keep a masterversion with all you need for later adjustment and use the export persona to export nice PNG or tiffs with white background. If you like you can vectorize the stroke and fill layers and use then as startpoint for vector graphics as well.

Below is The Sentinel. It was the demonstration drawing for a series of articles describing the use of a complementary underpainting. The articles appeared on EmptyEasel and you can read the first article of my three-part series here.

The first thing I wanted to do was tweak the grassy areas in front of the central tree. Color application was the lightest in that area, making it the easiest to adjust. There was also a very lightly colored strip in front of the tree that suggested a path, which I wanted to develop more.

So my initial step was using a White Pearl eraser to lift as much color as possible along that strip. I used the edge of one end of the eraser to lift color, using short strokes and beginning with light pressure, then increasing the pressure as color was removed.

Because there was already color on the paper, I had to use heavy pressure. Since I was working on a grassy area, I also used short, vertical strokes in the middle ground. In the area on the right, I used longer strokes to bring that area forward.

To emphasize the effect of burnished highlights, I added middle tones with Apple Green in the places where the ground slopes toward the foreground. I used medium heavy to heavy pressure, a slightly rounded pencil tip, and short, vertical strokes. If I burnished at all, I used Limepeel or the colorless blender.

I then darkened the slope immediately behind the foreground with alternating layers of Apple Green and Limepeel, then glazed Dark Brown and Indigo Blue in alternating layers into the part of the slope that meets the crest of the hill in front. I used vertical strokes, but used sharper pencils and pulled color down into the crest of the hill in front to create the taller grass on top of the hill in front.

I also began darkening the lower right foreground by stroking multiple layers Dark Brown and Indigo Blue into that area. I used open strokes, stroking from the ground upward to establish the tall grass in the foreground.

There was so much wax on the paper from the original work, that I had to spray the drawing with workable fixative a couple of times to restore surface tooth. Each time, I applied two light coats of fixative, allowing the drawing to air for a minimum of 30 minutes after each application.

IMPORTANT TIP: Workable fixative should be used in a well ventilated area and the artwork should be allowed to dry or air until the fumes are no longer noticeable. I generally allow artwork to sit over night even after it has aired.

Once the major changes were in place, the finishing process became a matter of layering color and burnishing until I was satisfied with the work. I worked throughout the composition and even burnished white over the distant trees and the sky to give the composition more depth.

Just remember that changes should be made using the same methods used to create the artwork. Proceed carefully and work slowly. . . always take the same care in correcting the drawing that you used to create it in the first place.

Saw this and had to comment.

I use Hairspray and it works very well. You can spray quite lightly and it dries very quickly. The acrylic goes over the top easily and holds well without picking up the graphite granules from the pencil. Even soft graphite dose not come through. Relatively cheap fix. The brand is Alberto VO5 extra hold.

Hi all,

Sorry about the delay in replying. In the end I decided I was being too precious and exacting with the drawing (Davkin) so started from scratch, using a bit of the original design. On a dark background I roughly outlined in yellow ochre (Hunterpaul) . Thankyou all for your suggestions. Handy to know these tips. I intend to try them all out. Thanks Serefosa:wave:

If you use just colored pencils and no solvents, blending tools, or special papers, it will probably take longer to complete a drawing, than if you used solvents, blending tools, or special papers. Solvents especially are time-savers for colored pencil artists.

So are watercolor pencils. You can lay down base colors very quickly with watercolor pencils if you want to, then let the paper dry and finish the drawing with regular colored pencils. The time saved with the watercolor pencils can sometimes significantly reduce the amount of time needed to finish even large pieces.

Make the most of your new colored pencils with these easy-to-follow video lessons from Skillshare! Get instant access with a 14-day free trial or use our code, ARTISFUN30, to get 30% off annual membership! As a Skillshare affiliate I get a small commission that helps support this site.

Several weeks ago, I drove to Boyd, WI to drop off a colored pencil portrait of a black lab for a client. When I went to knock on the door, I was surprised to see a complete stranger standing in front of me. For a second, I thought I had the wrong house!

It turned out, the lady standing in front of me was to be my next client. She was a friend of the lady whose black lab (and blue merle) I had drawn. After we were introduced and having seen that drawing, she wanted one done of her dog, too.

"I've always been interested in pencil drawing and really wanted to be a part of one of JD's workshops, but as a beginner, I was afraid I wasn't good enough. I'm so glad I finally did this. JD taught me more in 1 hour than I have every thought possible. He is a great teacher and a friendly critic."

"This class was exactly what I needed to take me to the next level. JD's teaching style is so encouraging for artists of any level. Everything I hoped to learn in this class was delivered. I had such a pleasant and satisfying experience. Thank You, JD Hillberry- it was great!"

"The workshop was wonderful! Full of great information and with a light heartedness in the classroom. I loved learning the new techniques and having an opportunity to practice them with JD's personal, friendly guidance. Not only is JD's work inspiring, but also the way he engages the students and shows interest in their development as an artist."

"For many years, I have harbored a deep love of drawing. Due to a fear of my lack of knowledge and experience, I rarely if ever attempted to draw. I ran across JD's work on the internet and knew that I could learn so much from his workshops. Within the first 2-3 hours, I learned more than I had ever believed possible. By the end of the 4 days, it was apparent by my work how much I had learned... stuff that would have taken me years to figure out on my own!"

"This workshop was great for all skill levels and all ages. The challenge to stretch existing skills was given with clear and concise direction. JD is very articulate and does not waste words. Every sentence is gold!"

"I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed meeting you and attending your class. I wish I'd had you for my instructor in High School and College! Seriously, you are one of the best instructors I've had.

This line drawing unit covers scaling objects up using a 4-part Quadrant Method. We start small, usually a worksheet with a 3 x 4 inch drawing. Then we move on to another small practice prior to the final project (8 x 10 inches). During these first practice drawings we focus on using that grid as a guide. The grid interacts with the image. The lines in the grids directly relate to the points in the reference. If we consider those relationships and line things up using the grid, the drawing will be perfectly proportional to the reference.

Another common mistake is using a rectangular reference photo with a horizontal configuration and turning the drawing paper vertically. This will cause the drawing to be way too wide and not fit into the quadrants correctly. Fortunately, this error is usually seen with the placement of the first few lines, and easily corrected with a turn of the paper.

Once students are successful with the Quadrant Method, I move through the Shape Method of Drawing , Negative Space, then we explore visually communicating Form through the use of Value with graphite pencil.

Later in the semester, when I got to my pencil drawing Value Unit, I thought I would revisit the shoes. I put the kids in groups of 4 and they took close up photos of the piles of shoes. I even told them a day ahead about the photo shoot so they could wear their most interesting pair.

In between the Quadrant Method and this Shoe Frenzy lesson, students have learned how to build an object with shapes, how to build an object using only Negative Space, and how to create a form out of a shape by adding Value. The foundation has been set for a challenging realistic drawing that requires strict observation, sound skills, and rock solid confidence.

I stand up in front with a piece of 10 x 12 inch drawing paper and I explain that we will be doing this together. Everyone gets their paper, their pencil, their ruler and we go through these steps:

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