101 Textures in Colored Pencil

77 Smooth Bark

STEP ONE Sycamore bark is interesting because it is smooth, yet has subtle, irregular color shapes—like a jigsaw puzzle. Begin with a light outline. The shapes don’t need to be exact, because nature isn’t exact.

STEP TWO Cover the entire area with a light wash of cream. This provides a slightly warm color base and a layer of waxiness to smooth the following layers. Indicate the darker patches with a light layer of 20% French gray. ...