Mastering Layering: The Art and Impact of Pencil Layering for Beginner Colourists

In this episode of our beginner series, we're diving into the topic of layering!
🎥 Video Highlights:
• Learn the fundamental differences between blending and layering.
• Explore why layering is a powerful technique for depth, highlights, and texture.
• Witness a live demonstration showcasing the impact of layering with a specific color combination.
• Gain insights into understanding various pencil types and how they influence layering.
If you found this video helpful, don't forget to like, subscribe, and leave a comment below. Happy colouring!
Videos mentioned:
⇒ Blending Like A Pro: • Blending Like A Pro: E...
⇒ Understanding Colour Theory: • UNDERSTANDING COLOUR C...
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[@patseitz679]

I've coloring for about 5 years now and I'm just learning that blending goes from dark to light while layering goes from light to dark but seeing this side by side has just blown me away! Thanks, sweet friend and teacher!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Oh thanks so much Pat. This is my preference when colouring, but I’m sure others use different techniques 🤗❤️🥰

[@gwenscoggins1]

I don't consider myself a beginner colorists but I love learning everyday. The skin tones in Hanna Karlzon's book is flawless. I know you probably have a video on it with music but I'd love to hear your ideas as you're doing it. Easier said than done because all I'm doing is watching and listening not talking and trying to concentrate on laying the color down or worrying if what I'm doing is on camera etc etc. Your job is not easy but I can tell you love it. I love watching but when it's music I just fast forward. Thank you so much Karen for all you do!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thank you so much Gwen. I definitely have a how to colour skin video coming in the future along with combos for different skin tones. These will be talking videos 🤗

[@gwenscoggins1]

@@MyColourfulCountryLife looking forward to it !

[@Funtime-kx5rx]

I'm looking forward to the skin tutorial.

[@lanettehudgins9905]

Thank you so much explaining the differences in layering and shading. This is a wonderful series for those of us still learning. You are a amazing teacher! Waiting for the next video in the series!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Ohh thank you so much Lanette 🤍 So happy to know these videos are helping 🤗

[@christinepeterson7582]

I agree! I haven’t seen the two side by side. Thank you!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome Christine 🤗

[@lurabrown7]

Thank you so much, I am pretty much a beginner and your lessons are sooooooo valuable I appreciate all the help you give❤️I have watched so many of your you tubes each one AMAZING❤️

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thank you so much ❤️❤️

[@Dubxor]

First!, also, thx for everything, your recent few vids have been especially helpful!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome 🤗

[@juliekershaw942]

Thank you so much Karen. I’ve been waiting for this as I have polys and find it hard it to do blending because of my arthritis. So again thank you so much I really appreciate all you do for us you are such a good teacher explaining everything xxx

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Oh you’re very welcome Julie, happy it’s been useful 🤗❤️

[@crazybyproxy]

Thanks so much for the options. I was just watching coloring videos looking for colors ideas for a Johanna picture.

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You are so welcome 🤗

[@boxermomma15]

You are so right. The amount of color Chris Chang uses is craaayyyyyzeee

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Oh i reckon I probably use just as many colours haha. But her layering techniques, they make her work look like you could pick it up off the page, so realistic it’s mesmerising 🤗

[@emmawalters3581]

Ive been colouring for about 10years and ive used many different types of pencils, my current favourite are from Castle Arts UK, i have the Gold version and they are oil based, and i simply adore them, i can layer and blend with them, they give a great point but arent too hard, im especially addicted to using them in my Kerby Rosanes books, the details look amazing with the pencils

[@kellyb1765]

Thank you for taking the time to do these videos karen, they are so helpful. 😊🇬🇧

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome Kelly 🤗

[@andreasouth3721]

I was confused about layering before but I get it now! Thank you so much for making this video! Very informative and will definitely utilize the tips as well.

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Ohh thanks so much Andrea, so happy this helped clear some things up for you 🥰

[@DoseofDawn]

I find myself using both techniques. Thanks for sharing

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re welcome Dawn 🤗

[@susiklimmer2248]

wow so great this Video, thank you very much, its so helpfully for me, i am so happy for this ❣️

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You are so welcome, happy it was helpful for you 🤗

[@marlletzzyne8758]

Hi. This is very useful video. Hope you make videos about layering. That was interesting subject. Thank you very much 🥰

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome ❤️

[@tishrickey2320]

Thank you for the tips!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome 🤗

[@jocelynecosta3444]

Most helpful. Thank you!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome Jocelyne ❤️

[@fabiennemalaise1892]

Very interesting! Thank you very much!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome Fabienne 🤍🤗

[@caskane8399]

Thank you so much for this info

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome 😊

[@rachaelwarrington25]

Great video 😊. This series es of your has taught so much. Thank you.

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Aww that’s so nice to hear Rachael 🤗🤍

[@ClauClauditza]

I learned so much from the new videos ❤ thx for filming them for us 💜

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re so welcome Claudia! I’m so happy you’re enjoying them 🤍🤗

[@sandyreece3004]

So much detail in one piece..I love it!!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thank you Sandy 🤗

[@gooddollie]

Another excellent video!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thank you so much 🤗

[@Colors_in_the_attick]

Me like 👌👌 Love these series very much . Thank you 💙💚😻🌷

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome ☺️

[@cathyAntz]

Briliant as usual. Thanks

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thanks Cathy 🥰🤗❤️

[@susancooper3745]

Thanks for this video. You have answered many questions that have been spinning around in my head. I feel a little more confident to try colouring in Kerbys books.

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Oh that makes my heart happy Susan! ❤️🤗

[@annadivietri4051]

Excellent video.. thank you ❤

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re welcome hun 🤗❤️

[@maryvonne_proudmary]

Great video dear Karen. When I started coloring, I followed Chris Cheng's tutorials. So: superposition ! ❤Then, I discovered your work and it more suited my expectations. But I'm still going to try layering again! Thank you again for your generosity!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome Maryvonne. I adore Chris Cheng, she is extremely talented. Yeah blending comes more easily to me, but I do believe layering has its place ❤️

[@DieterPrivate]

Thanks for this video, it shows very well the difference between blending and layering, which can indeed be confusing. I personally prefer to layer, because I need to build up my drawing in a consistent way. I find it hard to see what the darks/lights need to be,, and I find myself adjusting the values throughout the whole process, and that's where layering helps a lot. This layering can be applied to water-based markers too, and if done, it will create nice colourings where the "streaking" is or not noticeable or a very nice texture, something I think lots of colourists ignore or not think of. Water-based markers can really produce great colourings if used in a layering fashion, and that's why I love them, especially the pigment based ones like the Faber-Castell Pitt Brush Pens or Zig Brushables.

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Ohh I never really thought of layering water based markers. I usually just use them for basing. But this makes sense, I layer other water mediums so why not markers. I’m so going to have to try that!

[@cherylscolourjam]

Thanks for this, I still tend to press too hard, but Prisma are my go to pencils. Look forward to more vids.

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome! I love pressing hard haha smooshing my prismas is my favourite way to colour 🤗 Pressing lightly takes concentration for me 😅😁🤍

[@anniefaint6373]

I really enjoyed this video, and I have just subscribe looking forward to seeing more ,,,, thank you,,,xxxxxxxx ❤

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

So happy you enjoyed it, thank you so much 🤗

[@eileenjones8552]

Thanks again Karen!

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re very welcome Eileen 🤗

[@chrissynovful]

Perfect timing! I tried creating the “twilight hour”. The colour choices are almost right, but my blending needs some work

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Hope it helps Chrissy 😁❤️

[@Ess81]

Love your videos ❤❤

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thank you so much 🥰❤️

[@soucky1]

Hi Karen, yes i really enjoy to watch these two different techniques of layering , i used to worked by dark to light for me it's more easy to controlled my layering but i will gave it a try for shure. You are such a MASTER colorist dear Karen your colored pictures are absolutely stunning and i was wondering if by any chance your so beautiful baby deer was a color along 💗🤞❤ it's so fun to learned with youKaren you explain so well gave the number & name of colored pencils which is awesome and i cou,ld spend a entire day with you here because learn from you is a huge GIFT and love your style so much so thank you so very mcuh for sharing your amazing talent with us and for this fantastic tutorial, i truly appreciated it! ❤

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Oh thank you so much for your lovely comments, it’s much appreciated ❤️. Which baby deer picture were you thinking of. Is it a Hanna Karlzon page, if so that is definitely a colour along 🤗

[@laney2499]

Thank you for this series of videos for beginners, I’ve been doing art for years but there is always something new to learn. I’ve lost count the number of times I’m left thinking, why didn’t I think of that?

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Oh I love when that happens! Then something just clicks into place after haha ❤️❤️❤️

[@racheldixon7973]

I love this video. You mentioned Rita Berman and I see she has an Instagram page. When you mentioned to see her videos, I am not sure where to look, or do you mean her reference pictures?

[@HappyCatastrophy]

This was really well done and informative! i never thought of the two techniques being so different! i honestly couldn’t see much difference in the sample you colored… those scales looked pretty much the same to me. But when you showed bigger examples that you had already done- especially the Hanna Karlzon page… i could see the layering. I would still like to see an example of each side by side but maybe something big enough to be able to see the difference? Pencils are a new medium to me and i really want to love them… lol. Currently it’s more of a “like”… kind of

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thank you. Haha yeah I realised after that I should have left a space between the two, the shadows from the blending was too close to the layering 😂 if you cover each side one at a time with your hand you can see it haha I should have used a bigger area but the robot shows the layering well ☺️

[@KekeLivin]

Thank you x10million !

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

You’re welcome lovely 🥰

[@greeneyedmimibostian3013]

❤❤❤

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thanks lovely 🥰

[@traciesawrey9084]

Now I know why I prefer smooshing my prismas together 😂😂

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Hahaha you and me both 😂🤗

[@winifredhilbers4295]

I love your video's, they are very helpfull to me. And I love your colouring books. Can you please let my know where to find them?

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thank you lovely. I don’t make any colouring books I’m sorry 😊

[@gr8fuldeb699]

So the polychromos would be better for layering and prismas for blending?

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

So yes, but you can use both of them in both ways. Polys are great for layering and prismas blend so easily as they’re so soft and buttery 🤗

[@gr8fuldeb699]

Thank you!!!

[@jaimiec2404]

👍🙂

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

❤️

[@kirstendecoster3201]

Hi, lovely video again ❤ Does it work the same way with polychromos? I find it hard to get rid of the white of the paper without using 20 layers 😅

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thanks Kirsten. So yeah I use all my pencils in the same way. With polys if you try colouring one layer and think of it as working out colour placement so it’s light / medium pressure. Then on the second layer use hard pressure to burnish (you could use the blending technique for the second layer or last layer in general). This should give you a vibrant colour similar to if you did a straight blend. Hope that helps 😁

[@kirstendecoster3201]

@@MyColourfulCountryLife Thank you, yes, that makes sense. I think my layers are too light, so going in with a medium pressure first and burnish with the second layer should work. Thanks for the help!

[@waymire01]

Start with a base. If your in a single sided book alcohol markers are my favorite. Use a light color, the highlight color, all over. This fills the tooth. Then it requires much less layering. Polys do beautifully over alcohol marker. For double sided books try picking up waterbased marker with a damp brush off a palette, it goes down smoother that way. You don't need a ton of markers, just light pastel shades in warm and cool tones. The pencils you choose to use over the top can provide a lot of color variation.

[@kirstendecoster3201]

@@waymire01 Good advice, thank you!

[@flossey100]

💖💖💖🇦🇺

[@MyColourfulCountryLife]

Thanks ☺️

[@annamarielewis7078]

Beginning videos with such a complicated drawing is a bit too steep a gradient for my learning curve.😂