Naomi Jenkin recommends Caran d'Ache Pastel Pencils as an ideal Christmas gift with a demonstration on how to draw holly leaves.
Caran d'Ache Pastel Pencils are a dream to work with. The colours have lovely strong pigments and the pastels give a beautiful soft creamy texture when you lay them down on the paper. They’re very easy to blend so you can get some lovely smooth colour gradients. I also love the selection of colours available. They’re so versatile, and can be used for quick sketching, or more complex pieces.
I completed the following demonstration using the box set of 20 pastel pencils, which can be purchased from Art Supplies with Painters Online for £72.25, but they also come as individual colours and in sets of 12 and 40.
ORDER YOUR PASTEL PENCILS TODAY!
Demonstration: Holly Leaves
Stage one
Draw the outline of the leaves using pencils no 788 for the darker green areas and 232 for the lighter green areas. Shade in the leaves using these same two colours and blend together with your Sofft tool. Use no. 631 to draw in the stems and add some shading using 690.
Stage two
Go over the points of the leaves with 232 and 512 to give them highlights. Lightly draw in the vein down the middle of each eave using these same two colours. Soften these lines slightly with your finger. Add a bit more highlight to the stem using 631 and a touch of 901.
Stage three
Bring out the shine on the leaves by adding in some 011 to the brightest areas, blending to 232. Soften this out lightly with your finger.
Stage four
Lightly draw in the veins on each leaf using 232 and 512, and add in a touch of 788 to the darkest areas of the leaves. Soften the shadow area on the stalk by blending it with the 631 pencil.
Stage five
Add in the bright red berries using 788. Drawn them as filled-in round circles, then add the white highlights over the top using 901, blending outwards by decreasing the pressure of the pencil on the paper. Use 408 and a touch of 149 to add some shadow areas to the stalk, and detail to the berries.
Stage six
Fill in the background using a combination of 003, 161 and 901. Crosshatch these colours together, and then blend out using the Sofft Tool mini applicator.
Top tip
Your Caran d'Ache Pastel Pencils can easily be sharpened by rubbing against the sandpaper provided in the set.
About Naomi Jenkin
Naomi is a renowned pet portrait and wildlife artist, celebrated for her ability to capture the personality and soul of her subjects. Specializing in highly realistic pet portraits, Naomi meticulously hand draws each piece using only the finest art materials.
Find out more on her website by