How to Use Watercolor Pencils: Shading Techniques for Beginners

In this tutorial I will show you how to shading using watercolor pencils.

I also added a video in which I show all the techniques in detail and
the painting process of an illustration using those techniques.

You will need: watercolor pencils, brushes and water, watercolor paper.

Step 1: Shadows

Light sources make objects shines and create shadows. Shadows are darker near the object.

In the top you see an example of shadow created by one source of light. Shadow's direction depends on the position of the source of light.

In the bottom there is an example of multiple sources, that affect the object independently.

Step 2: Shading

Every object has a volume composed by curved lines. Thinking about those lines will help for creating realistic coloring.

In this case I colored using several layers: first I painted dry on dry and then I wet the drawing with a brush.

After painting dried, I added new layers with watercolor pencils.

Step 3: Shading Techniques: 1)

There are 6 possible techniques for shading with watercolor pencils:

1) dry on dry, as normal pencils (in the end I mixed colors with white pencil)

Step 4: Shading Techniques: 2)

2) watercolor first layer of paint, then add shadows with dry pencil

Step 5: Shading Techniques: 3)

3) watercolor first layer, then add shadows using cross hatching technique

Step 6: Shading Techniques: 4)

4) blend all colors together as normal pencils, then watercolor the result

Step 7: Shading Techniques: 5)

5) paint several layers of different colors: watercolor a layer and let dry, then add a new layer and let dry, and so on

Step 8: Shading Techniques: 6)

6) Blend analogous colors + grey tones, then watercolor the result.

In the video I show you every technique and I explain in detail how shadows work, I also added a complete illustration colored in this way, so for more details please watch the video :)