How to draw a Halloween demon with colored pencils and Sketchbook Pro.

Step 1: Draw a Halloween Demon

Start with a blank page. Here I am using a watercolor paper with medium texture.

Step 2: Sketch the Figure

Use light regular pencil to sketch out the demon. I start with simple shapes, a circle for the head, torso, and hips. I later connect the circles with lines to make the demon's body. I decided to give this demon horns and a tail.

Step 3: Enhance the Line Drawing With Color

I continue to develop the line drawing by replacing the regular pencil with colored pencil. I also add some cool color to the areas where there will be shade to establish a value pattern. You can choose your own color scheme for this drawing. I chose to use two main colors--red and blue.

Step 4: Start Coloring the Sky

Stay light with the initial color layers when using colored pencils. This is useful in case any modifications are needed to the composition, and especially if you make any mistakes laying the color down. To give the sky an atmospheric feel, I use the cross-hatch technique to lay down color. By doing this, I can develop a gradient and have more control of how light and dark an area is.

Step 5: Develop the Background

Start developing the background of this piece. A dark sky is what adds drama to the scene. Areas with the highest contrast will draw the attention of your viewer's eye. Use this knowledge to enhance your image by directing the viewer's where you want it to go and distracting it from non-important areas.

To keep the piece together, make sure that the highest contrast areas are well placed. In this case, I want to make the highest contrast areas
1. By the demon's face and horns, which is framed by a dark patch of sky.
2. In the left lower area where two underlings are floating
3. In the lower right corner where another small creature floats by the demon's foot.

By creating this triangular composition through contrasts, I ensure that the viewer's eye will continuously travel from one corner of the picture to the other and up to the main subject again. My goal is to make an image which will captivate the eye and prevent it from escaping out of the picture.

Step 6: Color the Cloak

In the next step, add a darker value to the demon's cloak. Make the cloak lighter than the rest of the sky but significantly darker than the demon itself. This will help to add volume to the image and make the demon "pop out" of the picture.

While coloring the cloak, I continued with my initial plan of creating contrasts to draw the eye around the picture. As a result, the dark cloak recedes into the background while the lighter demon underlings float in the space and create interest in the lower right hand corner.

At this point, I scanned in my picture and used Sketch Book Pro to experiment with the hues and contrast of the picture. You can use the program to manipulate the hues, saturation and contrast. I like to use the zoom out function to get a good overview of the image and make sure there are no visible errors or trouble-spots.

Put the finishing touches on your image, and you have a spooky Halloween Demon to grace your walls for the holiday.

Attached is the final result!