Adding color to a sketch drawing can take it from a rough draft to a beautiful finished piece of art. While there are many mediums and techniques for coloring a sketch, some basic steps will help you achieve vibrant, eye-catching results. With the right materials and a little practice, you’ll be able to effectively color your sketches.
Choose Your Coloring Medium
One of the first decisions to make is which type of coloring medium to use. Some popular options include:
- Colored pencils – Available in a wide range of hues, colored pencils allow you to layer and blend colors. They work well for adding detail.
- Markers – Markers provide bold, solid colors. Both permanent and non-permanent markers are available.
- Watercolor paints – These paints can be diluted with water to create washes of color. Watercolors blend beautifully.
- Acrylic paints – Acrylics are bolder and thicker than watercolors. They are opaque rather than transparent.
- Soft pastels – Made from chalk, pastels offer rich pigment that can be smudged to blend. They work well over colored paper.
- Inks – Both liquid inks and gel pens can be used for coloring. They work best for smooth color coverage.
Consider which mediums you’re most comfortable using and provide the effects you desire. Many artists use a combination, such as colored pencils for details and acrylic paints for flat even areas of color.
Choose Your Palette of Colors
It’s important to have a range of colors on hand to bring your sketch to life. Some essential hues to include are:
- Primary colors – red, blue, yellow
- Secondary colors – orange, green, purple
- Tertiary colors – mixes of primary and secondary colors, like red-orange or blue-green
- Neutrals – shades of white, gray, and black
- Earth tones – tans, browns, mustard yellows, brick reds
- Pastels – soft pinks, mints, sky blues, buttery yellows
Having a wide spectrum will allow you to mix and match to create additional shades. You can always buy more colors as needed for future projects. Build up your collection over time.
Understand Color Theory Basics
Learning some fundamental color theory can help immensely when it comes to choosing a color palette and creating cohesive, vibrant artwork. Here are a few key principles:
- The color wheel – Arrange colors in a circle based on their hues. Complementary colors are opposite each other. Colors next to each other are analogous.
- Color harmony – Using colors adjacent on the wheel creates harmony. Complementary colors offer contrast.
- Color temperature – Reds/oranges/yellows are warm colors. Blues/greens/purples are cool colors.
- Color context – The surrounding colors impact how a color is perceived. A blue will pop against oranges.
Use these principles when selecting your colors so they work visually together. Warm against cool colors make elements stand out. Analogous colors promote harmony. Apply colors thoughtfully rather than randomly.
Prepare Your Drawing Surface
It’s best to color on a sturdy paper thick enough to hold up to erasing and layering without damage. Bristol, mixed media, and high-quality drawing papers are ideal choices. Smooth paper allows for seamless blending. Consider using toned paper that isn’t stark white to make colors pop. Tape down the edges of paper before starting so it stays fixed in place.
If using markers, watercolors, acrylics, or inks, the paper should be thick enough that it doesn’t bleed through or wrinkle up with moisture. Stretch watercolor paper first by soaking it in water for a few minutes, then allowing it to dry under weights. This prevents warping.
Establish a Color Scheme
Before applying any color, it helps immensely to decide on an overall color scheme. This provides cohesion and harmony to the finished piece. Some approaches include:
- Monochromatic – Shades, tints, and tones of one color. Provides a bold, graphic look.
- Complementary – Opposite colors on the color wheel. Creates high contrast.
- Split complementary – A color plus the two colors adjacent to its complement. Provides contrast with balance.
- Analogous – Colors side-by-side on the wheel. Gives a cohesive, harmonious look.
- Triadic – Colors equally spaced around the color wheel. Bold and vibrant.
Choose a scheme that suits the mood and composition of your sketch. Keeping the colors limited promotes unity. Don’t be afraid to deviate from the scheme later by accenting with additional hues.
Consider Light Source and Shading
Just like a pencil sketch, the shading and highlights in a colored drawing can add life and dimension. Consider:
- Where is the light source? The highlights will be hit by direct light.
- Shadowed areas can be colored with darker shades and less intensity.
- Reflected light can be hinted at in shadowed regions.
- Objects nearer to the viewer appear brighter and more saturated.
Use your color choices to emphasize form, depth, and lighting. Warm yellows and oranges in lit areas will advance, while cool blues and purples recede in shadows. This creates the illusion of volume.
Begin Laying Down Color
Once you’ve prepped your surface and have your medium ready, it’s time to dive in applying color! Follow these tips for best results:
- Start light in value, you can always go darker. Layering from light to dark prevents muddiness.
- Use the side of your pencil tip or light pressure with markers for smooth gradients.
- Blend with colorless blender pencils or alcohol for smoothness with markers.
- Vary pressure for naturally textured techniques like dry brushing.
- Use a basic wash or underpainting of watercolor first to anchor colors.
- Keep neighboring areas distinct in hue to avoid unintended blending.
Remember that you can continue to refine as you color, so don’t feel the need to be perfectly precise immediately. Develop values and details gradually in layers.
Refine Details and Adjustments
Once your base colors are laid in, you can begin refining details and making adjustments. Ask yourself:
- Are there areas that need brighter highlights or deeper shadows?
- Do any sections need sharper edges and borders between colors?
- Could highlights and shadows be warmed or cooled for more impact?
- Are there details that could be punched up with contrasting colors?
- Do all the colors work cohesively together?
Make edits with glazes, more opaque layers, crisp lines, and highlights. Step back periodically to look with fresh eyes. Don’t be afraid to make changes until you’re satisfied.
Add Finishing Touches and Accents
Final flourishes of color can bring your whole piece together. Consider adding:
- A color echo that ties separate elements together.
- Pops of brightness in small details to draw the eye.
- Metallic accents like silver, gold, or copper gel pens.
- Sharp dots, lines, or splatters of contrasting colors.
- Dark outlines or borders around focal areas.
- Selective color in a primarily monochromatic piece.
The sky’s the limit when accenting with color! Add judiciously so accents enhance without overwhelming the original sketch. Vivid touches make finished work pop.
Connect Your Colors
It’s easy for coloring to feel disjointed if different areas lack cohesion. Tie your composition together by:
- Repeating a color in different spots to link them.
- Using parallel colors (different hues of similar tone/temperature) across sections.
- Creating progression with graduated shades of analogous colors.
- Including transitions rather than abrupt divisions between areas.
Unify objects with cast shadows, reflected light, and overlapping shapes. Layer colors for seamless blends. The human eye appreciates flow and connection.
Preserve Whites or Use White Accents
Don’t overlook the power of areas of white in colored work. Preserving paper white:
- Allows colors to pop next to it with contrast.
- Can convey light hitting an object.
- Gives the eye a place to rest.
- Creates brightness and lifts shadows.
You can also use white colored pencils, gels pens, or acrylic paint to add eye-catching accents and highlights on colored paper grounds. Use sparingly for maximum vibrancy.
Take Textures into Account
The texture of your paper impacts how colors look. For smooth blending try hot press watercolor or marker paper. For tooth and mottling use cold press, rough sketch paper, or pastel card. Play with techniques like:
- Dry brushing – graze paint over textured paper leaving some white areas.
- Sponging – dab with a sea sponge for mottled texture.
- Scumbling – lightly drag a dry brush over dry paint.
- Washes – thin transparent layers.
- Glazing – thin opaque layers.
Textured paper also takes pastels beautifully. Experiment with different papers and techniques to discover what you like best.
Consider Black and Metallic Colors
For dramatic effect, consider incorporating black, metallics, or unusual colors like neons or iridescents as accents. Used judiciously, touches of these colors can make your other hues pop in exciting ways. Keep in mind:
- Black outlines make elements stand out boldly against lighter colors.
- Metallics imbue a magical, luxurious feel.
- Neons make neighboring colors glow.
- Iridescents shift color – excellent for surfaces like water or glass.
Don’t go overboard with these strong colors – a little goes a long way. But used thoughtfully, they can make your colored sketch eye-catching.
Sign and Protect Your Finished Work
Once you’ve completed coloring your sketch, sign it by including your name/initials and date. This marks it as your original artwork. Protect it from handling, smudging, and fading by:
- Spraying with a fixative like workable fixatif
- Framing under glass/acrylic
- Applying watersoluble varnish
- Scanning and printing on archival paper
Take pride in your creation! Proper signatures, titling, matting, and presentation will show off your colored sketch professionally.
Conclusion
Coloring a sketch takes it to the next level artistically. With the right approach, supplies, and techniques, you can transform a simple pencil drawing into a vivid, impressive work of art. Use strong fundamentals like good drawing, value, composition, and color theory as your guide. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and learn as you go. Most importantly, allow your creativity to shine through in the colors you choose. An enchanting color palette can make any sketch spring to life.
| Coloring Medium | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Colored Pencils | Layerable, blendable, wide range of hues |
| Markers | Bold, solid colors, permanent or non-permanent |
| Watercolors | Transparent, blend beautifully when wet |
| Acrylics | Opaque, thick, bold color |
| Soft Pastels | Rich pigment, blendable, work well over colored paper |
| Inks | Smooth color coverage, variety of hues |
This table summarizes key characteristics of popular coloring mediums to consider when selecting supplies for your colored sketch.
