Colored pencils are a great art medium. Good colored pencils – are even better!

All it takes to make things appear real is understanding how light reflects off a surface, and a simple four-step coloring technique.

You can break down any complex form into basic shapes. Once you understand the technique, you can apply the steps to the rest of the design.

You can apply this coloring technique to any design to make it look three-dimensional.

worksheet

Print out the worksheet.

Use colored pencils to add color and dimension to the design.

Color each section separately.

Pick 2-3 pencils – light, medium, and dark shades.

Color each section with a different color set.

Start shading with the mid-value pencil.

Shade lightly, especially in the center.

Intensify right and left sides of the section.

Use the light shade to color the center and to gradually blend with mid-value color.

In addition, use light shade to blend the far right and the far left ends of the section.

Use the dark shade to color the two inner parts of the section.

Use the same pattern for other colors.

Always use the lightest pencil as a blender.

You can always substitute it with White.

Adding light accents at the far ends of a section will create an illusion of a reflected light.

Darker color goes inside the section.

To color the "berries" – start with the lightest color in the center.

Use darker color on the sides.

Use lighter pencil to blend the colors.

You can always add a white highlight for more effect.