Strathmore’s Artist Educator Sarah Becktel shares her techniques for how to get started using colored pencils. Whether you are just beginning or already have experience, see her favorite tips for creating a colored pencil piece.
Raw Materials carries a carefully-curated selection of colored pencils, but we recommend using paper specifically made for use with colored pencils, such as Colored Pencil Pads (Series 400) by Strathmore, or the paper Sarah uses in the video, Heavyweight Drawing Paper Pads (400 Series) by Strathmore. Both pads are on sale at 20% off!
The heavy-weight, all-purpose white paper used in Strathmore’s Colored Pencil Pads is excellent for practicing techniques or creating finished artwork using colored pencil. It also produces good results with markers and pen and ink. Each wire-bound pad contains 30 micro-perforated sheets that are actual size sheets when removed from the pad.
Heavyweight Drawing Paper Pads (Series 400) by Strathmore contain versatile, cream colored drawing paper for sketching and most finished work. The paper is ideal for working with pencil, colored pencil, charcoal or sketching sticks to achieve a great depth of tone and uniform areas of half tones. It features the same cream color as the top-selling 400 Series Drawing papers, however the medium surface of this extra heavy-weight 100 lb. (163 gsm) paper has slightly more texture than the 80 lb. sheets found in the 400 Series Drawing pads. Each spiral-bound pad contains 24 perforated “actual size” sheets.