This is a great tutorial, especially how to approach Bokeh and why the techniques and colour choices work. I'll probably keep returning to the video until I get more familiar with it. Thank You so much.
I'm so pleased you like it- and I'm pleased you think I'm doing it right! I know the feeling, it's something that I see people struggle with so frequently- that's why I thought I'd make the video to try and help out :D
Claudia, you are so smart and talented. I like your bokeh better than any others I've seen on pencil channels. And you gave a great plausible reason for sizes of circles and all other aspects. I really like that Birdy. Love Marcia in Modesto ...almost forgot to thank you dear !!!
I have attempted bokeh backgrounds afew times ...unsuccessfully... I can never seem to get it looking the way it should... Thanku for this video,..You explain the process very well..I shall have another go at it using this video as my guide😎😎 Once again THANKU❤❤
WOW! Fabulous Background Claudia, i love the results of Blending different colors and it's exactely that kind of tutorial videos i love the most because to me it's much easier to understhand different techniques and practice on it so Big thank's Claudia for the great tutorial, i really enjoy to watch!
2-3 hours is very quick for coloured pencil work though. :) An A5 (6x8", 15x20cm) piece usually takes me between 6 and 10 hours (usually on the higher side of that estimate)... and I work fast. :P
Claudia Sketches the drawing looks great in the end ,love it but I have a hard time wanting to spend too much time on the background instead the main thing
I understand! I don't usually do backgrounds for my pieces- a lot of my work is pet portraits and adding a background can detract from the subject matter (or at least it can be very difficult to strike a balance). This was pretty mindless work. Although it was very repetitive, it was also pretty soothing. I always watch or listening to something whilst I work and the time just melts away. I think though with a pretty composition, the background and surroundings can be equally as important as the subject matter in order to really set the context of a piece and create an atmosphere. It's personal preference of course, but also very much dependent on the goal for the piece and the reference(s).
Thank you so much for sharing these full tutorials. I have learned so much from you. I don’t begrudge people promoting their Patreon pages, but I am very grateful for your generous tutorials and commentary!
A lot of people have mentioned my videos are like ASMR! I don't personally get any effect from ASMR so I suppose I'm immune to my voice when I'm editing. I don't mind it at all, if people enjoy it that's just an extra little benefit to my videos I suppose :D Thank you very much for watching and commenting :)
Have you ever tried pan pastels? They are ideal for those bokeh backgrounds and the application takes a fraction of the time it takes to draw them with coloured pencils (and they combine very well with coloured pencils + are excellent on Pastelmat)
Yes, I bought a set of 10 last summer! They seem really lovely although I haven't tried any big projects with them yet. Because I have a limited colour palette it is a little intimidating, but I imagine with a larger range of colour it would be very quick to create a similar background to what I created here.
Hi Claudia, really appreciate your help. Yep I'll just do a nondescript background and try this on a textured surface. Pastel mat is so hard to get here in Oz! Was going to buy powder blender etc but it all got to much. Many thanks. ❤
Many thanks for your quick answers ❤️ It‘s amazing how you do that with Polychromos only. I have tried so many times to blend them on different rough structured paper. Clairefontaine, Strathmore and so on. But the estompe didn‘t work, so I threw it away since I was so frustreted :-( I would not buy chalk because of the dust.
Thank you so much Claudia! Your video inspire me to try some bokeh backgrounds in my drawings. I'm wondering about the surface of the Pastelmat you are using. This kind of paper/board is not available in my country. So I have to find a replacement because I love the result you get. Cheers!
Raul Brozzi Thank you very much, Raul! The reverse side of Canson Mi Teintes works quite well, I've heard that one is pretty available and a lot cheaper than pastelmat. It's not a perfect substitute, you won't be able to blend or layer quite as easily. Otherwise look into sanded papers such as Canson Mi Teintes Touch, UArt, Fisher etc. I have yet to try this technique on true sanded paper but I imagine on a fine grade of paper you'd get a similar feel. :)
Hi Claudia, I've done a fairy wren in Luminance on Fabriano artistico. I'd love to do a bokeh backround. Do you think this would work even using polychromos or do I need a more toothey surface please? Love your tutorials.
The technique I show here relies on being able to get pale colours to show well on top of darker ones- the Pastelmat is a key element here as the highly textured surface makes pale colours easily stand out over darker layers. You may be able to adjust the technique on a smooth/non-coated surface though- you could try reserving your pale colours early on (either by avoiding applying any dark pigment to these areas, or by blocking them in with a firm application of a pale colour). Alternatively, Luminance are quite opaque and waxy and will still show up over some layers of darker pigment, so you could try working somewhat dark to light, providing you keep your initial "dark" layers very mellow, and darken them up after you've decided where your light spots are going to go. Another solution would be to use a texture fixative over the top of your dark layer so that you can easily get light colours to stand out over the top of them. This may make a soft look more difficult to achieve though, as the physical barrier between your light and dark layer will also prevent them from blending. I'd suggest experimenting to see what method you find works, and what you enjoy most.
Thank you very much! :D It wasn't too time intensive actually given the area covered- my footage was somewhere between 2 and 3 hours for the background.
Hi Claudia, admire your talent greatly..Only wish I had half your talent. I have wanted for a long time now to learn how to draw and color with coloring pencils. But I have no Idea how to start. When I have attempted in the past, I start with a light scketch using pencil, but it never seems to turn out. Any advise would be great.
Hi Teresa! Thank you very much- all talent is is lots of practice and dedication! Many artists start off with a very light sketch in graphite, erasing away the graphite before applying their coloured pencil. Personally I prefer sketching in coloured pencil (using a colour that can be easily covered or one that is similar to the subject matter) as it means I don't have to worry about erasing away the sketch as I go. I use erasable coloured pencils (Prismacolor Col-Erase) as of course erasing mistakes at this stage is still very convenient. Other than that, I'm not sure what to help with- if there's anything more specific you have problems with (proportions, accuracy, composition etc) let me know, and I can offer more advice. :)
Give it a go! If you're unsure you can always try doing a small section like a study. Staedtler make a few different lines of pencils (and naturally, different pencils have different properties). I know very little about any of them though. The only general advice I can give is that student/children's/office grade coloured pencils are usually less pigmented than artist grade pencils, which can make getting rich colour and even blends that bit more challenging.
given that watercolour is a very translucent medium, you'll struggle to get lighter colours to stand out over the top of a dark base. Here I'm able to do just that, purely because of the combination of coloured pencil with an abrasive surface (pastelmat paper)
I'm not 100% sure what you're asking for, but I won't be uploading a slower version of this. Most real-time footage (and longer explanations) will be reserved for the Patreon channel I plan on starting at some point. :)
Homogenous is an established variant (www.lexico.com/en/definition/homogeneous), but I didn't realise the other ways of pronouncing were more common. I guess we both learned something!
That's because I was reading from a script. It's better this way 😉 I would love to be able to talk more naturally but this way I could keep my content better structured and more informative.
The best bokeh tutorial I have seen! Thank you. Looking forward to next week.!
Ramona D Thank you so much, Ramona! :)
This is a great tutorial, especially how to approach Bokeh and why the techniques and colour choices work. I'll probably keep returning to the video until I get more familiar with it. Thank You so much.
luxorharp Thank you very much for watching and commenting! I'm so glad you found it helpful :)
Watching again and again, you are terrific teacher. I miss you but totally understand your vocation schooling and my very best to you ms Claudia!!!!
Excellent tutorial Claudia, thank you.
finally a good bokeh video! there is one particular popular youtube artist who does it horribly wrong and it drives me nuts! great tips. thank you :)
I'm so pleased you like it- and I'm pleased you think I'm doing it right!
I know the feeling, it's something that I see people struggle with so frequently- that's why I thought I'd make the video to try and help out :D
Very useful and lovely drawing. Thank you x
you are a amazing teacher and thank you very much for the wonderful tutorial and technique
Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Claudia, you are so smart and talented. I like your bokeh better than any others I've seen on pencil channels. And you gave a great plausible reason for sizes of circles and all other aspects. I really like that Birdy. Love Marcia in Modesto ...almost forgot to thank you dear !!!
Thank you so much!
photographer here, damn your bokeh is realistic! definitely gonna try!
I really enjoyed this tutorial. Beautiful colour palette
I have attempted bokeh backgrounds afew times ...unsuccessfully... I can never seem to get it looking the way it should... Thanku for this video,..You explain the process very well..I shall have another go at it using this video as my guide😎😎 Once again THANKU❤❤
Thank you very much for watching and commenting, glad you found it helpful :D
Love the results of blending different colours !!!
Thank you so much, glad you like it! :)
Marvelously clear explanation. Thank you for this introduction to Bokeh. You are a talented artist and teacher.
You are so full of information.
Very lovely Bokeh technique. I might copy that in my next drawing.
Thank you for your tips and time.
Thank you for watching and commenting, glad you liked it! :)
WOW! Fabulous Background Claudia, i love the results of Blending different colors and it's exactely that kind of tutorial videos i love the most because to me it's much easier to understhand different techniques and practice on it so Big thank's Claudia for the great tutorial, i really enjoy to watch!
Sylvie Dufour glad you enjoyed it, Sylvie! :)
I really enjoyed this tutorial Claudia. The colour palette is beautiful
Thank you very much! The reference photo was a pleasure to work from- I boosted the saturation in order to get those colours to pop :)
Thank you very much for this informative tutorial. Waiting for its next part !!
You're most welcome! Thank you for watching and commenting :D
great video! Thanks a lot! Helped me a lot for my artwork
you are a great artist love to see your drawings..merrily :)
2-3 hours omg , i was like ..nah i don't need background anymore :))
2-3 hours is very quick for coloured pencil work though. :) An A5 (6x8", 15x20cm) piece usually takes me between 6 and 10 hours (usually on the higher side of that estimate)... and I work fast. :P
Claudia Sketches the drawing looks great in the end ,love it but I have a hard time wanting to spend too much time on the background instead the main thing
I understand! I don't usually do backgrounds for my pieces- a lot of my work is pet portraits and adding a background can detract from the subject matter (or at least it can be very difficult to strike a balance). This was pretty mindless work. Although it was very repetitive, it was also pretty soothing. I always watch or listening to something whilst I work and the time just melts away.
I think though with a pretty composition, the background and surroundings can be equally as important as the subject matter in order to really set the context of a piece and create an atmosphere. It's personal preference of course, but also very much dependent on the goal for the piece and the reference(s).
Thank you so much for sharing these full tutorials. I have learned so much from you. I don’t begrudge people promoting their Patreon pages, but I am very grateful for your generous tutorials and commentary!
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Absolutely gorgeous
Super cool video, cute robin, and unintentional ASMR!
A lot of people have mentioned my videos are like ASMR! I don't personally get any effect from ASMR so I suppose I'm immune to my voice when I'm editing. I don't mind it at all, if people enjoy it that's just an extra little benefit to my videos I suppose :D
Thank you very much for watching and commenting :)
Have you ever tried pan pastels? They are ideal for those bokeh backgrounds and the application takes a fraction of the time it takes to draw them with coloured pencils (and they combine very well with coloured pencils + are excellent on Pastelmat)
Yes, I bought a set of 10 last summer! They seem really lovely although I haven't tried any big projects with them yet. Because I have a limited colour palette it is a little intimidating, but I imagine with a larger range of colour it would be very quick to create a similar background to what I created here.
Hi Claudia, really appreciate your help. Yep I'll just do a nondescript background and try this on a textured surface. Pastel mat is so hard to get here in Oz! Was going to buy powder blender etc but it all got to much. Many thanks. ❤
Many thanks for your quick answers ❤️
It‘s amazing how you do that with Polychromos only. I have tried so many times to blend them on different rough structured paper. Clairefontaine, Strathmore and so on. But the estompe didn‘t work, so I threw it away since I was so frustreted :-( I would not buy chalk because of the dust.
Thank you so much Claudia! Your video inspire me to try some bokeh backgrounds in my drawings. I'm wondering about the surface of the Pastelmat you are using. This kind of paper/board is not available in my country. So I have to find a replacement because I love the result you get. Cheers!
Raul Brozzi Thank you very much, Raul! The reverse side of Canson Mi Teintes works quite well, I've heard that one is pretty available and a lot cheaper than pastelmat. It's not a perfect substitute, you won't be able to blend or layer quite as easily. Otherwise look into sanded papers such as Canson Mi Teintes Touch, UArt, Fisher etc. I have yet to try this technique on true sanded paper but I imagine on a fine grade of paper you'd get a similar feel. :)
Beautiful technique!🥰
Thank you! This was quite helpful.
Thanks for watching and commenting, glad you found it helpful :D
Enjoyed this tutorial. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for watching and commenting! :)
Great tutorial!!! Thank you so much!!
Thank you for watching and commenting! Glad you liked the video :)
I really want to know if you work as a flight attendant or operator.
I love your tutorials, they are extremelly didactic.
Would love a tutorial on how to draw a white flower with colored pencils...may be a cala lily :)
Hi Claudia, I've done a fairy wren in Luminance on Fabriano artistico. I'd love to do a bokeh backround. Do you think this would work even using polychromos or do I need a more toothey surface please? Love your tutorials.
The technique I show here relies on being able to get pale colours to show well on top of darker ones- the Pastelmat is a key element here as the highly textured surface makes pale colours easily stand out over darker layers.
You may be able to adjust the technique on a smooth/non-coated surface though- you could try reserving your pale colours early on (either by avoiding applying any dark pigment to these areas, or by blocking them in with a firm application of a pale colour).
Alternatively, Luminance are quite opaque and waxy and will still show up over some layers of darker pigment, so you could try working somewhat dark to light, providing you keep your initial "dark" layers very mellow, and darken them up after you've decided where your light spots are going to go.
Another solution would be to use a texture fixative over the top of your dark layer so that you can easily get light colours to stand out over the top of them. This may make a soft look more difficult to achieve though, as the physical barrier between your light and dark layer will also prevent them from blending.
I'd suggest experimenting to see what method you find works, and what you enjoy most.
I needed this lesson, thank you :)
Glad you found it helpful!
This looks like it must take absolutely ages to do, great start though. Looking forward to the bird :)
Thank you very much! :D It wasn't too time intensive actually given the area covered- my footage was somewhere between 2 and 3 hours for the background.
Hi Claudia, admire your talent greatly..Only wish I had half your talent. I have wanted for a long time now to learn how to draw and color with coloring pencils. But I have no Idea how to start. When I have attempted in the past, I start with a light scketch using pencil, but it never seems to turn out. Any advise would be great.
Hi Teresa! Thank you very much- all talent is is lots of practice and dedication!
Many artists start off with a very light sketch in graphite, erasing away the graphite before applying their coloured pencil. Personally I prefer sketching in coloured pencil (using a colour that can be easily covered or one that is similar to the subject matter) as it means I don't have to worry about erasing away the sketch as I go. I use erasable coloured pencils (Prismacolor Col-Erase) as of course erasing mistakes at this stage is still very convenient.
Other than that, I'm not sure what to help with- if there's anything more specific you have problems with (proportions, accuracy, composition etc) let me know, and I can offer more advice. :)
Can you use Staedtler colored pencils for this?
Give it a go! If you're unsure you can always try doing a small section like a study.
Staedtler make a few different lines of pencils (and naturally, different pencils have different properties). I know very little about any of them though. The only general advice I can give is that student/children's/office grade coloured pencils are usually less pigmented than artist grade pencils, which can make getting rich colour and even blends that bit more challenging.
If I will try this in watercolor, is it recommendable to colorize the background in dark green? 🤔 Has anyone tried it?
given that watercolour is a very translucent medium, you'll struggle to get lighter colours to stand out over the top of a dark base.
Here I'm able to do just that, purely because of the combination of coloured pencil with an abrasive surface (pastelmat paper)
Very sad you have stopped uploading new vids.
RIP your brain and hand. all that repetition. XD
I'd scream. Beautiful work tho!
Parasol Mushroom Art Didn't feel like repetition at all :) It was kinda relaxing actually- just lots of fun picking colours!
Slower version?
I'm not 100% sure what you're asking for, but I won't be uploading a slower version of this. Most real-time footage (and longer explanations) will be reserved for the Patreon channel I plan on starting at some point. :)
Confession: I had to look up the word ho·mo·ge·ne·ous.
/ˌhōməˈjēnēəs/
Learn to pronounce
Homogenous is an established variant (www.lexico.com/en/definition/homogeneous), but I didn't realise the other ways of pronouncing were more common. I guess we both learned something!
Very complicated...
Lady . It sounds like you are reading a script.
That's because I was reading from a script. It's better this way 😉 I would love to be able to talk more naturally but this way I could keep my content better structured and more informative.
Were you being marked for an oral English exam? Pronouncing every word precisely sounded unnatural and was very off-putting.
You are the first person I've come across who thinks that good enunciation is a bad thing :P
This is the way I talk, I'm not changing it :)
You're quite right. I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I apologise.
Thank you, I appreciate your apology :) And no worries, it happens to the best of us!