Tips and Studio - Coloring comparison

Hey guys! I've gotten some requests to talk about shading for a 'Tips and Terms' post. While this is a great topic, there are a few things that make it a little hard to approach. First off, shading is a broad topic that involves a lot of information. Secondly, and this is a little embarrassing to admit, I'm not quite sure how to discuss it. While I can shade, I'm not sure why I choose the colors that I do.

Let me explain. In sixth grade I attended a special school for gifted kids one day a week. I was there for art. One of the things they went over was color theory and basic shading. And while something must have stuck, that was a long time ago. *laughs*

Still, I'd like to try deciphering what I know and sharing the results since there's an interest in this topic. I located a reference that should start to help - I need a refresher on color theory and mixing colors myself - which should be arriving in a few days. So, I though we could work our way through coloring and shading together over time.

In the meantime, for today's 'Tips and Terms' I thought I'd compare watercolors, Copics, and colored pencils by listing the colors needed to get a similar result.

I'll be using the 'Fisher' watercolor and comparing it to two quick colorings of the digital roughs I printed out yesterday. I just colored the puffin lady on the pencil and Copic versions due to time limitations.




First off, watercolors. I use Reeves brand because they're nice, bright, and frankly inexpensive. I'm still learning to control watercolors and am not interested in buying top of the line products until I feel ready for them.

The nice thing about watercolors is you can do a lot with just a few tubes and some water. You create variation in color simply by adding water. Both the light and dark feathers of the puffin lady were done with Payne's Gray, with just a touch of Cerulean Blue Hue for the darkest areas. I only used ten colors total for the whole image.

Hair
Medium Yellow
Deep Yellow
Yellow Ochre
Raw Umber

Feathers - Light and Dark
Payne's Gray
Cerulean Blue Hue

Suit
Cerulean Blue Hue
Viridian Hue
Payne's Gray

Next is my favorite medium, Copic markers. I really like the way these blend and behave. Unfortunately, they're on the pricey side and I find I use more colors than I do in watercolors or pencils.

Copics are laid down with quick strokes, either side to side or circular. Due to the fact Copics are semi-transparent, you may have to make multiple passes to get a smooth layer of color.

While you can lighten watercolors by adding water, Copics are pretty much set. You can use the Colorless Blender marker to remove some color, but for the most part what you see is what you get. As for pressing harder, while that can help vary the color when using colored pencils, it will only wear down the tip of your markers. So, it's a slow process of adding layers to get changes in color values. It's fun, but time consuming.

Hair
Y02 - Canary Yellow
Y35 - Maize
YR14 - Caramel
BV20 - Dull Lavender
BV25 - Grayish Violet

Feathers - Light
C00 - Cool Grey No. 00
CO - Cool Grey No. 0
C2 - Cool Grey No. 2
BV20 - Dull Lavender

Feathers - Dark
C4 - Cool Grey No. 4
C7 - Cool Grey No. 7
BV25 - Grayish Violet

Suit
BG11 - Moon White
BG13 - Mint Green
BV20 - Dull Lavender
BV25 - Grayish Violet

The final comparison I have is colored pencils. I'm using Faber-Castell brand because I personally find the Prismacolor brand too soft. I'm weird.

For the most part, colored pencils are applied with quick, light strokes, making multiple passes to get an even coating of color. But, you can make colored pencils look lighter or darker based on how much pressure you apply. A softer touch gives you a lighter layer of color. A harder touch gives you darker. But don't press too heavily or you could gouge your paper or give your hand a cramp.

Colored pencils can vary in price depending on the brand you use. But, since you can control some of the lightness/darkness of each pencil using pressure, you can do more with less colors. As for the time it takes to use them, I personally find that they take longer than working with Copics. But, this could be due to the problems I have with my wrist.

Hair
Cream - 9201-102
Cadmium Yellow - 9201-107
Light Yellow Ochre - 9201-183
Caput Mortuum - 9201-169
Mauve - 9201-249
Light Cobalt Turquoise - 9201-154

Feathers - Light
Cold Grey IV - 9201-233
Mauve - 9201-249
Light Cobalt Turquoise - 9201-154

Feathers - Dark
Cold Grey IV - 9201-233
Payne's Grey - 9201-181
Mauve - 9201-249
Light Cobalt Turquoise - 9201-154

Suit
Light Cobalt Turquoise - 9201-154
Phthalo Green - 9201-161
Mauve - 9201-249

Each medium has its own quirks and look, but color theory and shading methods work across all mediums. As I said, I'm a little uncertain of how to explain something that has become intuitive, but I'll look into it and try working up some more informative shading/coloring posts over the next few weeks.

I'm keeping a notebook of possible topic ideas. If there's something you'd like me to cover please let me know and I'll write it down for the future. You can contact me here on the blog or via email. Thanks guys!


"Color, like everything else concerning visual expression, usually boils down to a gift, an innate sensibility and sensitivity. Ultimately, artists develop their own palette and color sense."
-- Scott Kahn