3/25/2021

How to draw an apple with colored pencils - step by step tutorial

Red apple drawing

A colored pencil step-by-step showing a red apple, ideal for beginners, using just seven shades. This tutorial was drawn with Koh-I-Noor Progresso pencils, but if you don't have them, use pencils you have - just compare the colors and choose similar :)


Progresso colors used:

3 Titanium White
10 Carmine Red
11 Natural Siena
12 Ivory Black
16 Bordeaux Red
23 Dark Brown
170 Pyrrole Red

Optionally:

Derwent Drawing Chinese White, kneadable eraser

Colors used and photo of Progresso pencils

Paper:

Strathmore Toned Gray, I used size approx. 8 x 10 cm (3 x 4 in) - you can use something a bit bigger if you want

Reference photo:

pixabay

So let's start!

1. The outlines - I did them with Carmine Red, Bordeaux Red and Dark Brown.

Look at the step 1 scan and draw carefully a rounded shape of an apple. Don't press the lead too hard to the surface so that you can easily erase eventual mistakes.


Step 1: outlines

2. Mark shades - with Dark Brown and Bordeaux Red on the apple.

Give them a smudgy look as in the attached drawing.


Step 2: adding base color

3. Add more shades - darkening our apple with Ivory Black and Dark Brown.

The bottom of the apple is in the shadow so it should be the darkest part.


Step 3: darkening base colors

4. Use Pyrrole Red to mark lighter parts of the fruit.

Leave some spaces uncovered - we will add there some white color later.


Step 4: adding bright red layer

5. Now take white pencil and draw the shiny parts.

Add some white here and there over previosuly created dark layers so that our apple will be more diverse in colors and with that more interesting.


Step 5: adding the shiny parts with white pencil

6. The last step - adding sme shadow under the apple and a bit of white to lighten the background.

The drawing is finished :)


Step 6: adding shadow and a bit of background


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