Red Pepper Tutorial

(Beginner Level)

 

Supplies

• Paper, Bristol smooth
• Prismacolor Premier pencils (see list for colors)
• Graphite pencil for initial sketch
• Eraser
• Reference Photo

 

 

Prismacolor Pencils:^*

 

Sky Blue Light 1086     Pale Sage 1089           Light Green 920           Yellow Chartreuse 1004

Cool Grey 30% 1061      Beige Sienna 1080    French Grey 10% 1068    Deco Pink 1014

Grey Green Lt. 289        Blush Pink 928          Cream 914                      Pale Vermillion 921

Poppy Red 922                Neon Orange 1036    Permanent Red 122      Carmine Red 926

Salmon Pink 1001           Orange 918                 Neon Pink 1036             Pink 929

White 938                       Crimson Lake 925        Jasmine 1012                Eggshell 140

Beige 997                         Sienna Brown 945       Chestnut 1081               Terra Cotta 944

Chocolate 1082               Mahogany Red 1029     Lt Umber 941               Dark Brown 946

Green Ochre 1091           Espresso 1099              Raspberry 1030             Crimson Red 924

Moss Green 1097            Nectar 1092                    Seashell Pink 1093        Deco Peach 1013

Spanish Orange 1003     Lime Peel 1005               Spring Green 913           Black

Artichoke 1098               Apple Green 912             Chartreuse 989               Canary Yellow 916

Scarlet Lake 923              Tuscan Red 937

^*Note about colors: I am using a 150-count set of Prismacolor pencils. If you have a smaller set that does not include some of these colors, check-out the resources page for a table I created which allows you to use the pencils you must create the missing colors. This is an extensive list of colors for such a simple picture. Some colors are essential while others are more optional. Use your own artistic eye to decide these issues. These pencils are also sold as open stock, so if you find that a color is essential but missing from your set, you can purchase just that pencil.

 

Step 1: Reference Photo

• Choose your reference photo; for this tutorial the photo is included with the list of supplies
• Optional: convert reference photo to black and white and print. I do this to make the major color shifts more obvious
• Transfer a line-drawing to the art paper using your preferred method. (see post titled “I Want a Transfer” for options)

Step 2: Erase

• Use an eraser to lighten the lines of the transferred image. This is important as the lines cannot be erased once colored pencil is put down on top. Also, the graphite can mix with the colored pencil and muddy the color.

Step 3: Choosing the Colors

• This is something you can spend a lot of time doing. Until you get some experience with color theory, it takes a lot of trial and error. There are tools out there to assist with this, so don’t be afraid to use them. I use an app on my tablet called Color Pencil Picker developed by Kristian Olidana, but there are others available. These tools, while very helpful, are not an exact match, but it gives you a very good starting point. When using these apps, keep in mind that they don’t give us info on the pencil pressure used for each color in the mix, so you will want to practice swatch your colors. See supply list for my colors.

Step 4: Highlights

• One of the first things I do is mark the areas of highlight
• We can see areas of bright highlight around the top of the pepper
• Most highlights will not be stark white. They are often a much lighter shade of the base color or they can be reflecting color from the surroundings.
• Starting with the highlight that appears at about the 11:00 position (to the left of the stem), apply a layer of French Grey 10% (1068) using very light pressure as there will be more colors to come.
• Deco Pink (1014) is layered on next, try to keep the stokes in the direction of the curve.
• Then layer on Grey Green Light (289) or white can be substituted. **Note: these are very light colors and will be difficult to see, but they need to go down first because they cannot go down over darker colors. Using toned paper makes highlights easier to see, but you will give up some vibrancy or color accuracy.
• Working counterclockwise, you see a very bright highlight at about the 10:00 position. Lay down a layer of Deco Pink (1014) then blend with a layer of white.
• Between the two highlights we have already applied, there are darker highlights. Use Blush Pink (928) or Pink (929) can be used but use a very light hand.
• Again, working counterclockwise, the next bright spot is at about the 9:00 position. Lay down a layer of Deco Pink (1014) then blend with White (938). (At this position you can see 3 separate highlights, this is the bottom of the three)
• Between this highlight and the previous one (at 10:00), there is another darker highlight. Apply Blush Pink (928), Cream (914) and White (938).

Step 5: First Quarter

• I’ve broken this picture up into quarters, so now we can go back and apply darker colors to this same section.
• Directly to the left of the stem there is a small, triangular shaped area of red before the highlights begin. Apply a light layer of Pale Vermillion (921) along the top edge using small circular strokes.
• Next, apply a layer of Poppy Red (922) then Neon Orange (1036). Plain Orange (918) can be used but the Neon adds a luminance to the overall color. Then go back with Poppy Red (922) to adjust the color if needed.
• Going “deeper” into the top of the pepper in that same area, apply a layer of Permanent Red (122). Apply this all the way down to the center between the stem and the crease that can be seen before the highlighted area. Use Pale Vermillion (921) to blend this with the area above. If necessary, go back with the Permanent Red (122) and darken the deeper areas for more contrast.

Step 6: First Quarter Continued

• Moving counterclockwise to the highlighted section running from 10:00 to 11:00
• Above the highlight, start with a layer of Pale Vermillion (921) followed by Carmine Red (926) and Salmon Pink (1001).
• To make this more realistic, use a sharp white pencil to pull some of the color down into the highlights.
• If the white alone doesn’t quite do it, use the Permanent Red (122) to lightly extend into the highlight then blend with white. This may take several back-and-forth applications to get it where you want it, but don’t overdo it! We can always add more color later, but its much harder to remove color.
• Between this highlight and the next (at 9:00) is a darker area. Start with a layer of Poppy Red (922) from the edge to about where the curve would be at its peak.
• At the peak of the curve, apply Pale Vermillion (921), Poppy Red (922), and Neon Orange (1036).
• Going “deeper” into the curve, apply Poppy Red (922) and Orange (918).

Step 7: Going Deeper into the First Quarter

• Below the bright 11:00 highlight, there is a slightly darker horizontal strip separating another highlight. Use Pink (929), Neon Orange (1036), and Neon Pink (1038) then a second layer of Pink (929). **Use Neon Pin, with caution. It tends to be overpowering and does not blend well. If this area appears too bright use white to blend, working the edges into the highlight.
• Below the horizontal strip is a duller highlight. Apply Blush Pink (928), Salmon Pink (1001), and Neon Pink (1038). Again, blend into the above area.
• Below that duller highlight is a darker area. Apply Permanent Red (122) all the way down to the center. You can use Salmon Pink (1001) to blend with the section above.
• Moving counterclockwise, you see a darker area below the highlight. Apply Pale Vermillion (921), Poppy Red (922) and Neon Orange (1036) all the way down to the center stem.