Tools for creating White Effects - Part 1 of 3 - Prismacolor Pencil

Over the next few days I'd like to showcase three dynamite tools that I use for creating white highlights, effects and accents!

Sketching on tinted or colored paper gives you the opportunity to use the natural tone of the paper as your middle tone and then explore creative ways to add white accents to your work.

The first tool up to bat...White Prismacolor Pencil

 Prismacolor pencil is an extremely versatile tool for creating white effects. Here's why I love it..
 
1. A full tonal range is achievable depending on the pressure of your hand.
2. The soft lead allows for a rich, deeply saturated white (the best I've seen of any pencil brand).
3. Colors easily on top of any existing media (super helpful when you want to go back in to something and add those last minute touches and effects).
4. Works beautifully tight or loose.
5. These pencils sharpen to a razor point in most pencil sharpeners.
6. These pencils are sturdy. Carry them around in your sketching kit without worrying about breakage.

Here are some various methods for using the White Prismacolor pencil in sketches.

I was pretty tight here. Notice how I softened the edges of the highlights in the hair as well.

I used a heavy handed, saturated approach here to create snow.

I kept it light and loose in this sketch to create the impressions of some clouds. Also a few highlights in the grass.

Here I scribbled in the white very loosely to create these cherry blossoms.

I used the pencil sparingly here just for accents.

 Tight use of the pencil here combined with pure black to create an old time cartoon feel.

On pink colored paper I applied heavy pressure for the thin outline, teeth, eyes and jewelry. For everything else I used light pressure and softly laid in the tone.

Drop me a line if you've got anything you'd like to add or if you have any questions!
Tune in tomorrow for the second tool in this 3-part series.

BIG THANKS to Blake for writing in to this blog recently to inquire about methods of applying white effects. You inspired this 3-part series, man!