This simple exercise will help you to familiarize yourself with colored pencils as a medium.

• Line out 3 x 4 cm rectangles, as many as you want –>
• Then fill in the sections with various techniques like stippling with dots, hatching with parallel lines, waves, crosshatch, scumbling wit circular movements. See the image above as an example.
• Try applying various pressure while hatching
• Lay your pencil flat and draw waves (don’t push too hard or the lead will chip)
• Repeat the same but with freshly sharpened pencil placed at 90 degrees to the paper
• Layer two colors (light color should be on top). Press lightly while laying the darker color underneath  so the paper is not completely waxed and there is still some space for the lighter color to go on top).

Also, you can manipulate color and depth by varying the pressure you apply on the pencil. If you want a soft pastel shade, then add a white pencil on top – it is more waxy and is usually sold separately.

In this example I’ve used:

Faber-Castell Classic Colour set of 36 pencils;