Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art

Once you have mastered the language of light and shadow, a world of vibrant possibility opens. This course is designed as the natural evolution for those who have discovered the power of the pencil in our Intro to Drawing I class and are ready to breathe life into their work through the sophisticated medium of colored pencil. We invite artists of all generations to return to the studio, reuniting the precision of our foundational skills with the emotive energy of a full-color palette. Our journey begins by revisiting the "Inner Architect”, refreshing our mastery of line, shape, and perspective to ensure our structural bones are rock-solid. From there, we transition into the foundational principles of color theory. You will learn to see color not just as a decorative layer, but as a structural tool. We move beyond "coloring in" to explore how hue and saturation interact with our established knowledge of value and form, allowing you to create depth and dimension that rivals any painting. The heart of the class lies in the exploration of the colored pencil itself. You will dive into professional techniques such as layering, burnishing, and glazing, discovering how to blend pigments directly on the page to achieve rich, luminous mid-tones and dramatic, high-contrast shadows. We continue our focus on thoughtful design through thumbnail sketching, ensuring your compositions are as intentional as your color choices. Join us as we bridge the gap between the sketch and the masterpiece.