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Learn Coloured Pencil Drawing

No pressure to do it all. Pick the section that matches what you feel like today.

Step-by-step lessons and guided projects for beginners and improvers — so you always know what to do next.

Coming back after years? Feeling rusty is normal. We’ll rebuild the basics calmly and help you create realistic, polished results.

Coloured pencil starts to click when you master a few core skills: values (light and dark for 3D form), smooth layering (gentle passes), and clean blending (soft transitions).

No guessing. No searching.

Just a clear next step.

Choose your starting point: Getting Started → Fundamentals → Core Techniques.

Start with the first lesson for a quick win today.

Coloured pencils ready for drawing

Getting Started Hub

Get started the calm way: choose sensible supplies, set up your space, sharpen properly, transfer outlines accurately — then do a simple pressure-control exercise for a quick win.

Photo references and transfer methods aren’t cheating — they’re standard artist tools.

Get Started
Mini colour wheel

Fundamental Skills Hub

Learn the foundations that make coloured pencil look realistic: shape and proportion, light and dark for 3D form, colour basics to avoid muddy layers, plus composition, simple perspective, and working from photo references.

If your drawings feel flat, that’s usually a light-and-dark issue we can fix.

Grasp the Fundamentals
Yellow coloured pencil layering over a blue base to demonstrate creating a green colour through optical mixing.

Core Techniques Hub

Practise the techniques that make drawings look polished: clean strokes, layering rich colour (without mud), blending smooth transitions, burnishing for a finished look, and simple fixes for common mistakes.

You won’t “ruin it” at the end — you’ll learn tidy finishing steps and easy rescues when blends go wrong.

Practise Core Techniques
Portrait photo of Carol, the Pencil Topics teacher

About Carol, Your Teacher

Hi — I’m Carol. I’ve worked in coloured pencil since 2010, developing reliable, repeatable methods through wildlife studies and commissioned pet portraits. In 2020 my work won a UK Coloured Pencil Society prize.

Pencil Topics teaches the exact process I use — clear lessons and guided projects that help you build smooth layers, blend cleanly, and create believable texture without overwhelm.

Learn more about me

Coloured pencil drawing of foxglove flowers with a small snail
From my first attempt at drawing from my own photo…
Coloured pencil drawing of a barn owl portrait
…to my first UK Coloured Pencil Society prize winning entry (2020)


More Ways To Learn (when you're ready)

If you’d like a project to finish, a deeper skill focus, or a quick rescue when something’s gone wrong — start here.

Coloured pencil drawing of a bowl filled with various types of fruit.

Tutorials

Step-by-step projects that turn the basics into finished drawings you’ll feel proud to show.

Tutorials

Practical Tips & Troubleshooting

Quick rescues for patchy colour, waxy build-up, muddy layers, and “I’ve ruined it” moments — with tidy fixes you can apply right away.

Browse Troubleshooting

Resources and Materials Guidance

What’s worth buying, what can wait, and what to skip — so you don’t waste money chasing “the perfect supplies.”

Explore Resources

Landscape Drawing

Turn your own photo into a coloured pencil landscape by practising one element at a time — trees, grass, sky, stone, and water.

Try a Landscape
Completed drawing of Tavy Rocks in Devon

Common questions

Do I need expensive supplies?

No. Start with a modest kit — I’ll show you what’s worth buying, what can wait, and what to skip.

I’m coming back after years — what if I’m too rusty?

That’s normal. We’ll start with a short exercise that rebuilds control, then add skills one at a time. Rust fades quickly when you practise the right basics.

Will I learn how to fix mistakes?

Yes. You’ll learn tidy ways to rescue patchy colour, waxy build-up, and overworked areas.

Can I really go from a photo to a finished piece?

Yes — you’ll learn a clear workflow: choose a reference, plan your drawing, build layers, and finish with confidence.

Why do you spell color with a “u”?

I’m based in the UK, so you’ll see British spellings (colour, favourite). The techniques work the same wherever you are.


Not sure where to begin? Start with Getting Started — and take it one calm lesson at a time.