It’s been over four years since I branched out to coloured pencil portraiture in my artistic journey, albeit inconsistently, and I must say it has been quite an experience.

Deterred by the duration of coloured pencil portraiture, most of my drawings (besides animations/cartoons) have been rendered in graphite pencils. However, I must say, that my recent drawing is causing me to reconsider things as I weigh the associated pros and cons.

As mentioned in my first coloured portrait post, drawings executed using crayons and coloured pencils do require a sufficient deal of patience as one needs to account for every single hue gradation and the right colour blends to come up with a satisfactory result. On the flipside, results tend to be more visually appealing due to the vibrant colour spectrum available to the artist when compared to the limited range of monochromatic graphite pencils.

In addition to time constraints, coloured pencil portraiture is generally less lightfast (i.e. less resistant to fading over time upon exposure to light) when compared to graphite pencil portraiture. So you may ask, “Why should I invest that much time in these drawings if they tend to fade away faster?” The good thing is that most of my coloured drawings are completed in sketchbooks, which tend to last longer due to limited light exposure. Furthermore, most coloured pencil brands develop improved lightfast pencils to enhance the longevity of our splendid creations, thus mitigating the fading/smudging pitfall in the process.

After considering these aspects, it’s challenging to fully favour one over the other. Thus, my next steps will involve refining techniques to enhance overall portrait realism using both platforms. I’m satisfied with the outcome of this drawing and plan to incorporate more coloured pencils into my portraits to achieve a harmonious balance between the two forms of dry media.

For those who could be discouraged by the time constraints posed by colour pencil drawings or any form of artwork in general, I’ve found that adopting the kaizen approach does work effectively. It generally ensures continuous improvement of a singular artwork by discretizing the artistic stages rather than completing everything in one fell swoop. 

I hope that works for you, and I’m excited to hear any other ideas you have about coloured pencil portraiture or your artistic process in general. In the meantime, I wish you a fantastic week ahead, and until next time, take care!

Cheemnonso