Sometimes I get so excited about a particular pencil-paper combination that I have to talk about it. I’m currently drawing a sky with Derwent Drawing pencils, and it’s going so well, I want to share the process with you.
Drawing a Sky with Derwent Drawing Pencils
About this Drawing
This is my reference photo. It shows one of my favorite scenes from the Flint Hills region of Kansas. If it looks familiar, that’s because it’s the same scene I’ve attempted to draw as October in the Flint Hills.
I decided to do this scene because it’s greener and has towering clouds. I love towering clouds, especially when combined with such vast distance.
The paper I chose is Clairefontaine Pastelmat in Light Grey. I chose Light Grey because I got such good sky color layering blues over light grays in another landscape. Why not start with gray paper and save a few steps?
Because I’ve also discovered that Derwent Drawing pencils glide so wonderfully over untouched Pastelmat, I chose them for the initial color applications. I won’t be able to finish the landscape with these pencils because the color selection is so limited. But it’s my intention to push them as far as I can.
For this tutorial, I’m showing only the sky. I worked on the landscape at the same time, but that’s a topic for another day.
Step 1
I marked the picture plane at 6×9, marked off the grid, and started sketching, but this time, I sketched with graphite. Why? I could more easily erase graphite. Also, if I didn’t like the sketch, I could make changes more easily than if it was drawn with colored pencil.
After sketching for a while, I decided to use the entire sheet for the picture plane and removed as much of the graphite margins as possible. As it happened, that wasn’t very successful. There are still lines visible, but I used a regular No. 2 pencil eraser. Mounting putty worked a little bit better. A click eraser worked even better.
I was satisfied with the final sketch, which I drew freehand while referring to the reference photo. The hills are easier to see, even in the distance. The groups of trees balance the clouds nicely and I love the road leading into the distance.
You can’t really see it in this sketch, but there’s also a pond in this landscape, so I get to draw water, too!
Step 2
When I started laying in color, I worked on the horizon with Crag Green. That separated the sky and land and also gave me a point of reference. I worked shape by shape and began by outlining each shape, then shading it in. I used light pressure to apply short, horizontal hatching strokes to fill in the two largest shapes on the horizon with flat color.
There is a smaller shape behind these, so I started that the same way, but also shaded Solway Blue, then White over it to make it a bit dimmer.
The last thing I did was outline the cloud shapes overlapping the sky then shade in the sky with Solway Blue. I continued using light pressure to apply horizontal hatching strokes, but I also used the side of the pencil to glaze color for the last layer.
I didn’t outline the thinner more wispy clouds, but I did work around them with Solway Blue.
Step 3
I began this step by adding another layer or two of Solway Blue to the sky.
Then I switched to Smoke Blue and added several layers to darken the sky and smooth out the color. I used light pressure for all the layers, but used horizontal, hatching strokes, some scumbling strokes, and glazing strokes with the side of the pencil both vertically then horizontally.
I also sharpened the pencil to outline the outside cloud shapes and some of the smaller interior shapes.
Next, I shaded Smoke Blue over the area between the cloud base and horizon with light pressure and mostly horizontal, hatching strokes.
So far, I really like using these pencils on this paper. They lay down easily and cover the paper well. It would be nice if there were more colors, but I’m glad to have the colors I have.
Step 4
Next, I layered Solway Blue over the visible sky first with vertical hatching strokes, then with horizontal crosshatching strokes.
I used medium-light pressure and a dull pencil for both layers, but focused on creating the smoothest possible color layer for the sky.
After adding color, I brushed a finger across the color to see how it blended. There was a slight improvement, but I decided to wait until I have more color on the paper before trying any kind of mechanical blending.
Step 5
After that, I hatched and crosshatched Solway Blue with light or medium-light pressure to the area below the cloud base.
I followed up with Smoke Blue because this area is a little bit darker than the sky above. I applied two layers, the first with vertical hatching strokes, and the second with diagonal crosshatching strokes.
Then I shaded Warm Grey into the base shadows of the clouds, followed by another application of Smoke Blue.
Step 6
Next, I worked on the clouds. There are two or three groups of clouds.
I used Smoke Blue applied in two or three layers, adding more layers to create darker shadows in the darker clouds in front. I used scumbling strokes for most of these two areas because the clouds are so fluffy.
Then I used the same color applied in hatching and crosshatching strokes in the flatter clouds on the right. In that area, I glazed Smoke Blue up to within about 1/3 of the top of those clouds, then blended Solway Blue up to almost the top of the same area. I left the upper portion unshaded to keep it separate from the sky above, and because that area is lighter in value than the rest of the cloud. I used light pressure for all of this area and each of the layers.
After that, I shaded Solway Blue into the flat clouds behind the fluffy clouds on the right. I used the same color to shade the larger, fluffy clouds in the center and left. I used light pressure for this area.
Step 7
Next, I worked on the sky below the cloud base by layering Smoke Blue with scumbling strokes to start, then switching to horizontal hatching strokes. After that, I crosshatched vertical strokes. I used light to medium-light pressure for all of these layers.
Then I applied Smoke Blue with vertical hatching strokes and medium-light pressure. I followed that up with horizontal crosshatching strokes, also applied with medium-light pressure.
I’m finding that I have to increase the pressure I’m using in some areas where a lot of color has been applied.
Step 8
I blended the sky above the clouds with a cotton swab just to see how well that worked. I used hatching and crosshatching strokes with some scumbling in an effort to get a good blend.
This type of blend was okay, but didn’t produce the level of smoothness I wanted. It could be that I need more color on the paper for a cotton swab to be effective. It’s also possible that a bristle brush would give better results. Derwent Drawing pencils are on the soft side, so they may require a little more pressure to blend.
Step 9
I layered Smoke Blue over the sky above and beneath the clouds. In the area beneath the clouds (where I began), I used light to medium-light pressure and crosshatching strokes to lay down a couple of layers of smooth color.
In the larger area above the clouds, I started out by layering Smoke Blue into the margins, which have never quite matched the actual picture plane. After putting down a couple of layers there, I started working over all of the sky. I don’t know how many layers I put down, but it was more than just three or four. I hatched and crosshatched with light to medium-light pressure several times, working toward creating the smoothest color I could.
Then I added a couple of layers of Solway Blue as blending layers, then added more Smoke Blue.
I’m trying to fill in the tooth of the paper, but by the time I finished, I thought I might need to try different pencils the next time I work on the drawing.
In addition to working on the sky, I darkened the hills on the horizon with Smoke Blue. For these areas, I used a sharpish pencil and short horizontal strokes.
Step 10
Despite my thoughts at the end of the previous step, I was able to push this sky a little further with Derwent Drawing pencils.
To begin, I layered Smoke Blue over the upper portion of the sky. Then I spent the rest of the time working on the clouds using horizontal hatching strokes applied with medium-light pressure.
Next, I used Smoke Blue, Solway Blue and Chinese White to draw the thin clouds in the background above the fluffy clouds. I used horizontal hatching strokes with medium-light or slightly heavier pressure to apply Solway Blue in all of the clouds except the lightest areas. Then I layered Chinese White over the lighter area and blended it into the middle values. I also worked over the edges to soften the clouds and blend them into the sky.
Then I realized that there were thin clouds at two levels on the left side. I used Chinese White to apply horizontal hatching strokes for the light colored clouds, then used Smoke Blue in the same way to create the darker clouds.
It was difficult to tell the light clouds from the sky, so I glazed Smoke Blue over the sky.
In the dark clouds in front of the main clouds, I scumbled Smoke Blue with light pressure.
To finish, I scumbled shadows in the fluffy clouds with Solway Blue. I used multiple layers to create darker shadows, but left the highlighted areas untouched with any color.
Drawing a Sky with Derwent Drawing Pencils
I thought about adding more detail in the fluffy clouds, but the color and value transitions are so subtle that I need more colors. It’s possible I also need smaller pencils. Derwent Drawing pencils are larger in diameter than most colored pencils. Getting a sharp point is also more difficult because they’re so soft.
This sky isn’t finished by any means, but I’ve taken it as far as I can with Derwent Drawing pencils.
I also need to finish the land part of the landscape with Derwent Drawing before moving on to another brand.
What brand will I use when I do make the switch? I haven’t decided, yet, but am leaning toward Caran d’Ache Pablo pencils. I think a test or two is in order first, though. Stay tuned!
Sign up for Carrie’s free weekly newsletter and be among the first to know when she publishes new articles.
Always love to see what you come up with. I am really liking the Caran d’ Ache Luminance pencils, but I am finding that it is a little difficult to get hard lines with them.
Gail,
Thank you for your comment.
The softer the pencil, the more difficult it can be to get crisp edges and thin lines. That’s my chief problem with the Derwent Drawing pencils. They are soft and they are also thicker than most pencils, so even when they’re very sharp, the resulting lines are not all that thin or crisp. They’re great for base layers, but not so much for finishing touches!