$10

weekly

or $40 for all content

Drawing With Colored Pencils: Animal Portrait Project (Self-Paced)

Completed by 84 learners

Ages 12-17

Self-Paced Course

Create a beautiful animal portrait using Prismacolor colored pencils, while practicing the fundamentals of drawing, color, and composition.

Kristy Mankin

Average rating:

4.9

Number of reviews:

(1,150 reviews)

Star Educator

Popular

4 pre-recorded lessons

4 weeks of teacher support

Choose your start date

1 year of access to the content

Enroll Now, Start Anytime

Go at your own pace

Your learner can start learning when they want and progress at the speed that works best for them.

Enroll Now, Start Anytime

Start when you want.

Learn at your own pace

Access course material for a full year.

Get hands-on support from teacher.

About Learning Overview Schedule Teacher Reviews

What's included

4 pre-recorded lessons

4 weeks

of teacher support

1 year access

to the content

Homework

1-2 hours per week. Students may wish to use extra time to complete their drawings. Flex classes are particularly suitable for the medium of colored pencil because although some learners work very quickly, others (like myself!) prefer to work at a slower pace.

Assessment

Students are invited to post images of their work to receive feedback and suggestions from the teacher. Photos may be posted in the classroom to receive video feedback, or sent through messenger for written feedback.

Class Experience

US Grade 6 - 9

Intermediate Level

Students will put their colored pencil drawing skills to use in this class, designed to guide them in creating a beautiful animal portrait!  
**Artist-grade colored pencils (such as Prismacolors) are required for this course.**

We'll review some fundamental techniques, do more advanced shading practice, strategies for setting up an effective composition, and create a portrait with shading, texture, and a background. 

For our project drawing, learners may follow along with my teacher's example of a cheetah, or choose their own animal. 

Lesson topics:
1. Fundamental techniques practice/review, and advanced shading practice
2. Arranging a composition: thumbnail sketches, image transfer, background, and color schemes
3. Blocking in shadows and laying the "ground"
4. Filling in color, adding highlights, final steps to preserve the work

Students should post or message photos of their work to receive teacher feedback. Every message will be personally answered :).  Please post, so that I can give you helpful feedback, as well as affirmation for all the things you're doing really well!

Students who are new to colored pencil drawing are highly encouraged to begin with the course, "Drawing with Colored Pencils: Techniques and Tiger Eyes."  https://outschool.com/classes/drawing-with-colored-pencil-techniques-and-tiger-eyes-Ekg1oFIc#us3u0MdGLD

Learning Goals

Practice using artist-quality colored pencils to blend, shade, and create realistic textures and forms.

Practice arranging an aesthetically pleasing composition, using color theory, and building the layers of their drawing to create richer and more nuanced artworks.

Syllabus

4 Lessons

over 4 Weeks

Lesson 1:

Drawing Techniques Practice

 Colored pencils: how they work!  Mark-making & layering techniques review and new practice exercises.

Lesson 2:

Planning Your Project

 Beginning a project from scratch:  sketches, transferring the image, and choosing a color scheme.

Lesson 3:

The Shadow Layer

 Creating the shadows  and textures-- creating an underlayer to add depth to our drawing.

Lesson 4:

Background & Final Colors

 Filling in the background, and finishing the drawing with a final layer of bright colors and highlights!

Other Details

Pre-Requisites

Some colored pencil drawing experience is essential for this class. My class, "Drawing with Colored Pencils: Techniques and Tiger Eyes," is recommended.

Supply List

1. High-quality colored pencils, set of 24 or more--
----Artist-grade colored pencil sets such as Prismacolor or Faber-Castell.  
---- Here is a brand that I recommend: https://www.dickblick.com/items/prismacolor-premier-colored-pencils-set-of-24-/
----Crayola, RoseArt, and other brands of lower quality cannot create the techniques we will practice.

2. Drawing paper, white or tinted (I recommend tinted paper from Canson or Strathmore)
---- Here is one of the brands I prefer: https://www.dickblick.com/products/strathmore-artagain-pads/

3. Pencil sharpener
4. Eraser
5. Chalk, chalk pastel, OR graphite for image transfer**(if the learner chooses to use the image transfer technique)

****Suggested additional/optional supplies:

6. Colorless blending pencil 

7. Workable Fixatif (fixing spray: Krylon or Grumbacher are recommended brands)

External Resources

Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

Meet the teacher

Kristy Mankin

Joined September, 2019

4.9

1150reviews

Star Educator

Popular

Profile

Teacher expertise and credentials

2 Teaching Certificates

California Teaching Certificate in Music/Theater/Arts

Texas Teaching Certificate in Music/Theater/Arts

2 Degrees

Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from University of Nebraska at Kearney

Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Texas Christian University

I've taught drawing classes for many years in school, as well as creating many original artworks of my own.  The techniques we'll practice in this course are designed to lay a great foundational that developing artists can use to bring richness and depth to their colored pencil drawings!