12 Coloured Pencil Techniques By Cindy Wider.

Whether we are new to a hobby or passion, whatever it may be, or been around for a while, it is always beneficial to get a professional in that area to gently guide you through the mine field that can sometimes ensue. Or, in the case of the professional, getting a fresh perspective from another fellow professional can also only be a good thing.

When I first started working with coloured pencils, I didn't have a clue about all the fantastic tips and techniques that could be applied to the medium in order to help you reach magical effects with your painting. I watched YouTube videos, took online course and read books, which all helped me grow as an artist and really understand the medium. In this review I will be looking at a book called "12 Coloured Pencil Techniques By Cindy Wider" , but before I get into the book, lets take a look at the Author Cindy Wider.

In this day and age, anyone can publish a book on line, so it is important before purchasing an ebook or ordinary paperback book, that you research the author, check out reviews on the book and see what other people think. Hopefully this review, will go a long way to helping you make the right decision.

About The Author

Cindy has been an artist for over 20 years, originally from Australia, Cindy now lives here in West Yorkshire, England. With regards to experience, Cindy is in no way lacking, with publications in highly regarded magazines ranging from the UK Coloured Pencil Society, one of the UK's most popular art magazines, Leisure Painter and the Australian Society of Coloured Pencil Artists. Cindy also runs the very popular Draw PJ site, offering the most all round comprehensive online course for coloured pencil artists, I highly recommend you visiting the site and reading through the magnificent opportunities on offer and the wonderful assignments included on the course.

Cindy Wider is also an Ambassador for the very popular pencil company Derwent and the high quality paper company St Cuthberts Mill Paper. Cindy has also had many of her own works of art displayed in Exhibitions around the world. It's also worth mentioning Cindy has written other books such as, 12 Charcoal Techniques, Six Pencil Techniques and Paint in your Pyjamas - Every Women's Guide to Finding YourLife Purpose Through Art. This is just a small list of Cindy's accomplishments, qualifications and awards, to see the full extensive list click the link and visit Cindy's profile on Draw PJ.

So after safely establishing that 12 Coloured Pencil Techniques has been written by an individual who clearly knows her area of expertise and well versed in the many various forms of art, lets get straight into the book review. I always find reviewing books quite difficult, because the last thing I want to do is practically read the book for you, meaning you don't have to purchase the book yourself, but at the same time, supplying you with enough information to help you decide if this book is for you.

Book Outline

Without tantalising you and teasing you until the conclusion, I simply have to tell you from the get go, that 12 Coloured Pencil Techniques, has got to be the most comprehensive, up to date, pieces of literature out there for coloured pencil artists. There are so many excellent things to talk about in this book I cant wait to tell you.

When I first seen this book or heard about it, I have to admit that I thought it would be a twelve page pamphlet explaining simple coloured pencil techniques, I am happy to report I couldn't have been more wrong. This is a jam packed, coloured pencil course in a book format, spanning 143 pages of information, tutorials and beautiful illustrations to aid in your learning experience.

I have personally read quite a few books on the art of coloured pencils, however, none of them cover colour theory like 12 Coloured Pencil Techniques. I understand that some people just want to pick up a pencil and start drawing and are not interested in learning colour theory, but I can't emphasise enough the importance of learning this information as it will help you so much. But, if you really don't want to learn colour theory you can of course skip this section.

definitely would not pigeonhole this book as a beginners guide or guide for professionals, I really think that everyone will benefit from this book in some way. The layout of the book is perfect and what I mean by this is as follows. I have read some books in the past and the layout seems to be either back to front or all over the place. Cindy has written this book as if you were just starting out with colored pencils and gives you a guide from start to finish.

The book is split into seven weeks, with each week a separate course on important techniques, art supplies etc.

Week 1

Week One covers all the important fundamental building blocks to coloured pencil art, your work space, getting to know the actual pencils, the colour wheel which is so important to learn and so much more covered in this first week.

I think it is fantastic how "12 Coloured Pencil Techniques" is broken down into these manageable week chunks and at the end of each week, Cindy sets out an Assignment for the reader to complete which covers all the lessons learnt in that particular week.

Week 2

Week 2 covers art supplies that you will be using, popular colour schemes, hue families, creating your own colour swatch and so much more along the colour theory line. I think week 2 is what really sets "12 Coloured Pencil Techniques" apart from so many other books in this genre. Regardless of your views toward learning colour theory, it is so important to learn.

When I first started out with coloured pencils, I knew a little bit about colour theory, but I didn't want to learn it, I just wanted to get started straight into the drawing, but I soon discovered the importance and learnt it.

Week 3

Week 3 goes a little deeper into colour theory, teaching you important subjects such as, how to send objects backwards into the picture plane, how to bring areas forward, the difference between creating tone with Graphite and Coloured Pencil and so much more.

Again, as with every week in the book, an assignment will be given to you, giving you the chance to draw something using all the techniques you have just been taught.

Week 4

Week 4 starts moving things along a bit and starts getting you prepared for drawing a realistic Apple. All the way through this week, Cindy lays out all the stages you need to follow, making the process simple and fun regardless you level of expertise.

For the entirety of the book, Cindy refers to the Derwent Coloursoft range of coloured pencils, which in my view are absolutely perfect for everything Cindy teaches throughout the book. Never the less, if you don't have the exact same coloured pencils you can still absolutely follow along and complete the assignments.

Week 5

Week 5 starts getting a bit more complicated and shows you how to draw the outline of an African Daisy Flower. Botanical art with coloured pencils is not only very popular but the results are absolutely stunning. Cindy's "12 Coloured Pencil Techniques" week 5 assignment sets you well on the way with this lesson to beautiful botanical art.

Weeks 6 & 7

The final two weeks, bring together everything you have learnt in order to create a final project. The project entails creating a realistic strawberry, adding all the pips, highlights and shadows and if you have followed Cindy's direction up to this point, I am sure your final project will be worthy of any frame on any wall.

12 Coloured Pencil Techniques Conclusion.

I've already alluded to my feeling about this book, but let me just explain why. The book is beautifully laid out in the right order for a new artist to get started with coloured pencils and not feel confused half way through, or feel the need to flick through the book, seeking relevant information previously taught or not taught yet.

The assignments are fantastic, starting of relatively easy and working up to your final project. There is no need to feel overwhelmed as every new technique is covered with excellent explanation and detailed images.

Also the weekly break down of the book into week long courses, helps you along with time management around your already busy life. You can complete the first week and if something else comes up, you can set the book aside and pick up the second week when you are ready.

I would highly recommend this book as an excellent all round guide to the art of coloured pencil painting. I really do think that this book should be in every artists arsenal of information. As artists we always need inspiration, hints and tips, which doesn't always come in the form of a stroll through an enchanted forest, sometimes, flicking through an excellent book, filled with images and ideas can also spark the required inspiration.

As of writing this review, you can purchase this excellent book on Amazon in paperback for £24.08 here in the UK, just click on the Buy On Amazon button below and you are in for a treat. For this price you are absolutely getting a bargain and don't forget, Christmas is not too far away so this would be an excellent gift for the artist in your life.