How to Color a Pumpkin using Color Pencils
Craving a pumpkin tutorial this Thanksgiving? Look no further than my tutorial: How to Color a Pumpkin using Color Pencils! In this tutorial you will learn how lights and shadows, and using certain colors (for example complementary colors) will create a realistic looking pumpkin. With Thanksgiving right around the corner pumpkins are used as decorations. So this is the perfect time to show you how to color a pumpkin using color pencils to make it look realistic. The best part is once you are done with this tutorial you can hang it on your wall for the Thanksgiving celebration. Join me on my art journey as I unveil the secrets to creating this realistic looking pumpkin!
Here’s how I did it…
How to Color a Pumpkin using Color Pencils
Step 1: Gather Necessary Supplies
I used…
- 8 1/2″ x 11″ Printer Paper
- Pencil
- Pentel Clic Eraser
- Color Pencils (I used Crayola in the colors yellow and yellow orange. For RoseArt I used the colors light green, aqua green, and red)
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Step 2: Draw a Pumpkin on 8 1/2″ x 11″ Printer Paper
For this step I used the tutorial: How to Draw a Pumpkin which you can find here.
Step 3: Decide on Where You Want Your Light Source
This is a very important step. Where you put your light source will determine where your lights and shadows go. For me I decided to put my light source, which I symbolized it by drawing a sun, at the top right of my paper. (For this step please make sure to draw your light source lightly so you can easily go back and erase it later).
STEP 4: COLOR YOUR PUMPKIN WITH COLOR PENCILS
When using color pencils I like to treat them like watercolors. I use the lightest color first then work my way gradually to the darkest color. The reason I do it this way is because its hard to lighten an area if you colored it too dark with color pencils.
1. For the first step, I color my whole pumpkin yellow except for the area that is closest to the sun as well as the bottom of the pumpkin that is directly opposite from it. (The reason I don’t color the area that is closest to the sun is because it is my highlighted area. As for the area on the bottom of the pumpkin that is my reflected light area).
2. Then I use yellow orange to color the areas of the pumpkin that have direct light. At this point my pumpkin has a highlighted area that is white and direct light areas which the lightest is yellow and the darkest is orange.
3. For the next step I color the stem a light green.
4. Now jumping back to the pumpkin I color the shadow areas red.
5. Then going back to the stem I use aqua green to create lines. (For this step remember that the areas furthest from the sun should be the darkest and the areas closest to the sun should be the lightest).
6. Back to the pumpkin I darken the shadow areas with red.
7. Following that step I use yellow orange to blend the darkest areas, red, to the yellow orange on the pumpkin. This creates a smooth transition from the darkest to the lightest areas.
8. To continue blending colors I use yellow to color over the whole pumpkin except for the highlighted areas. Now my pumpkin looks orange.
9. To create a core shadow for my pumpkin, or the darkest areas, I use aqua green on the lines of the pumpkin furthest away from the sun. The reason I am using green instead of black is because it looks more natural to use the opposite color on the color wheel from red.
10. To continue creating a core shadow I use aqua green to color the darkest areas on the pumpkin.
11. Then going back to the stem I use red to color the darkest areas.
12. Following that step, I use aqua green to color over the red areas on the stem to make it look more realistic.
13. Then I use yellow to color over the whole stem.
14. Going back to my pumpkin I use yellow to color over the whole pumpkin to blend all the colors I used together and even some of the white areas to shorten the highlighted areas.
15. Then I use yellow orange to darken the colors aqua green, red, and orange on my pumpkin as well as blend all the colors together to create a nice smooth transition from the core shadow all the way to the lightest direct light areas.
16. For the last step, I go back over the whole pumpkin with yellow to blend the colors together and to shorten some of the highlighted areas on the bottom of my pumpkin.
STEP 5: ERASE YOUR LIGHT SOURCE
Once I am finished coloring my pumpkin I go back and gently erase my light source with a Pentel Clic Eraser.
STEP 6: ENJOY
So that’s how I colored a pumpkin using color pencils. Now you can color your own pumpkin using color pencils to make it look realistic. If you’re looking for how to color a pumpkin using color pencils I hope this tutorial was helpful!
How to Color a Pumpkin using Color Pencils
Materials
- 8 ½" x 11" Printer Paper
- Pencil
- Pentel Clic Eraser
- Color Pencils (I used Crayola in the colors yellow and yellow orange. For RoseArt I used the colors light green, aqua green, and red).
Instructions
- Draw a pumpkin on 8 ½" x 11" printer paper.
- Lightly draw a light source (sun) at the top right of paper.
- Color the whole pumpkin yellow except for the area that is closest to the sun as well as the bottom of the pumpkin that is directly opposite from it.
- Use yellow orange to color the areas on the pumpkin that have direct light.
- Color the stem a light green.
- On the pumpkin color the shadow areas red.
- On the stem use aqua green to create lines. (For this step remember that the areas furthest from the sun should be the darkest and the areas closest to the sun should be the lightest).
- On the pumpkin darken the shadow areas with red.
- On the pumpkin use yellow orange to blend the darkest areas, red, to the yellow orange on the pumpkin. (This creates a smooth transition from the darkest to the lightest areas).
- To continue blending colors on the pumpkin use yellow to color the whole pumpkin except for the highlighted areas. (Now your pumpkin looks orange).
- To create a core shadow for the pumpkin, or the darkest areas, use aqua green on the lines of the pumpkin furthest away from the sun. (Using green instead of black looks more natural because it is the opposite color on the color wheel from red).
- To continue creating a core shadow for the pumpkin use aqua green to color the darkest areas on the pumpkin.
- On the stem use red to color the darkest areas.
- Use aqua green to color over the red areas on the stem to make it look more realistic.
- Use yellow to color over the whole stem.
- On the pumpkin use yellow to color over the whole pumpkin to blend all the colors together and even some of the white areas to shorten the highlighted areas.
- On the pumpkin use yellow orange to darken the colors aqua green, red, and orange on the pumpkin as well as to blend all the colors together to create a nice smooth transition from the core shadow all the way to the lightest direct light areas.
- Go over the whole pumpkin with yellow to blend the colors together and to shorten some of the highlighted areas on the bottom of the pumpkin.
- Gently erase the light source with a Pentel Clic Eraser.
And if you want to learn how to draw a pumpkin this post can help:
Thanks so much for following along! Have a wonderful weekend!
