Using colour to add that spark of life
Realistic drawing - be it wildlife, human portraiture, trees, landscapes, absolutely anything - do not require colour to make them, well, realistic. The same way that someone with colour blindness can still determine things are three dimensional and see life and beauty, or we understand life and realism in a graphite drawing, for example, the primary key to realism is always, always value (the interplay between light and dark).
But, and it is a big but, just a dash of colour can add a special spark of life.
What exactly is a dash of colour, you ask? There are some examples below of something I LOVE to do - adding a little coloured pencil to a graphite drawing or sketch. Another dimension - boom! Particularly when added to the eyes and face (and you know how much I love drawing eyes!). No longer all graphite, nor a full coloured pencil piece, this is something else altogether, another way to tell a story and describe the beautiful world we live in.
(and if you would like to try this with my guidance, there is a YouTube video below with all the instruction!)
Understanding Colour in Wildlife
Understanding colour is just like understanding any of the other elements of art making. It is a skill - something that takes practice to use in the way that we want to.
We essentially have to develop a curiosity and capacity to learn to see like an artist.
And like understanding shape and form and value, the more we see, the more we see. The more we practice, the more detail unfurls before us, and we see hues and shades and tints we did not ever notice existed before!
When, for example, we really observe a Robin - I mean like really watch with an intent to see and understand and allow wonder - we begin to see that they're not just brown and grey and orange. Far from it - they're an entire world of colour. This mirrors something profound about life itself: nothing in nature is ever just one thing.
Watch your Robin (or any other wee bird) for a while. See how the feathers are not one flat colour? There are gradations. Tiny markings. Differences between the colour and shape of every single one of them.
When you have observed deeply, try this embodiment exercise to concretise in your mind’s eye what you just witnessed:
Close your eyes and imagine holding a robin's feather
Feel its softness between your fingers
Turn it in the light (still with eyes closed)
Notice how even in your mind's eye, the colour shifts and changes
Open your eyes carrying this understanding of colour's complexity
The gift of working with both graphite and colour is that we can build this complexity layer by layer, just as nature does.
The Science of Colour Perception
Did you know that birds see more colours than we do? Our eyes use rods and cones to distinguish hue (colour), and birds have an extra cone in their eyes that allows them to see ultraviolet light. This is important in their relationship with plants, particularly, but also means that to them, the world is an extra riot of colour. I would love, just for a moment, to see what a Robin see’s.
While we can't replicate their incredible colour vision, understanding this can help us:
Appreciate the complexity of natural colouring
Look for subtle colour variations we might otherwise miss
Remember that our wild kin experience the world differently than we do
Stay curious about what we might not be seeing
Building Layers Like Nature
Just as a Robin's feathers are made of multiple layers - the structure, the pigment, the iridescence, the form, the use - we can build our artwork in thoughtful layers:
Start with Structure
Use graphite to find your forms
Think like a sculptor, carving away what isn't robin
Keep your marks light and explorative
Trust that colour will come later
2. If you would like to use colour in just a section, like I do, choose the area you want to work on
Think about what area is the focus of the story you are telling. For me, that is usually the face, but
if an outstretched wing is a thing of colourful beauty, perhaps that is where the colour belongs
or the iridescent chest of a hummingbird, for example
3. Add Base Colours
Begin with your lightest colours
Work in gentle layers
Notice how colours interact
Stay connected to your subject
4. Build Depth
Layer darker values thoughtfully
Let graphite and colour dance together
Keep some areas soft, others more defined
Remember to breathe
5. Final Details
Add those sparkles of light
Define important areas
Let other areas stay loose
Know when to stop
Mixing Your Media
Some media just work beautifully together. Graphite and coloured pencil is one of those beautiful combinations.
Working with multiple mediums is like having a conversation in multiple languages - each one brings its own beauty to the story. There's no right or wrong way to combine them. Some days you might use more graphite, others more colour. The joy is in the exploration.
Remember: You're not trying to achieve some external standard of "perfect" - you're developing your own relationship with these tools and with the wild beings you're honouring through your art.
I am always happy to remind you (as I remind myself, too) - we are after connection, not perfection.
How can you use your tools to tell a story, to provide connection for yourself (and your viewer if you share it)? Wonder often plays a part in connection - when we are in wonder, we want to know more (connection!), so how can you use colour to create wonder?
Patience and Practice
Creating with multiple mediums asks us to slow down, to trust the process, to let each layer inform the next. You will miss out on connection if your work is all about rushing to a finished piece. Be present with each mark, each colour choice, each moment of seeing and translating what you see onto paper. Give yourself permission to be curious, to be full of wonder. Wonder is wonderful, and more than a little addictive! Wonder at the being you are studying, and wonder at how you, a beautiful human animal, can grasp pigment in your hand and magically use it to make something that was not there before. The very definition of magic, yes?
Robins carefully build their nest twig by twig, and we build our art mark by mark, layer by layer. Each choice thoughtful, each moment an opportunity to deepen our connection.
So next time you sit down to add colour to your wildlife sketches, take a deep breath. Put your hand on your heart. Remember that you're not just making marks on paper – you're participating in an ancient tradition of humans seeing, celebrating, and honouring the wild through art.
And isn't that worth taking time for?
