Go Back

How to Color a Pumpkin using Color Pencils

Learn How to Color a Pumpkin using Color Pencils this Thanksgiving. In this tutorial you will learn how lights and shadows, and using certain colors (for example complementary colors) will create a realistic looking pumpkin.
Nikki

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.