This is the kind of book you don't sit down and read like a novel. Gather your supplies and pick a chapter to start a new technique. The first few chapters are devoted to finding the best supplies. Since I'm a beginner at colored pencil, I haven't gone out and bought a lot of expensive supplies just yet. First, I'm going to try a few designs with my standard school colored pencils and some fancy resume paper I had laying around. Regular colored pencils like Faber Castell that you buy in the back-to-school section at Walmart are not going to have the same effect as a more expensive pencil, they don't blend as well, but they're ok for some early sketches to see if you like working in this medium.
I started by finding a picture of a flower in a magazine and started applying some of the techniques, such as playing with color contrast and layering colors. I had a lot of fun trying to make the picture more realistic, although I think I was too ambitious in picking my first design....To start, stick with a simply design...
Here is my first attempt using the color contrast and layered color design. (And it is still a work in progress)
I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in trying a new creative art. Open to any chapter and dive in. And if you find you really enjoy this art, go out and buy some good quality supplies. I'm going to!
