How to Draw Realistic Rough Stones and

Cement Objects in Colored Pencil

by Carrie Lewis

In my last two articles, we looked at how surface texture affects values and at ways to enhance
contrast by pushing value ranges to their limit. This week, well put those two things together in
a single drawing.
Here is the reference photo of the object Ill be drawing today. Its an old-fashioned hitching
post for horses, made of stone and cement with lots of great texture and roughness.

Before I dove into texture or color or anything else, I started with a precise drawing that shows
the edges of shadows, reflected light, and a few larger details. Here it is:

No matter what object youre drawing, make sure to begin with a similar outline. This will be
your guide throughout the drawing.

Step 1: Lay down a base color

Work begins with a base color. I used Cream in the warm sunlit areas, Rosy Beige in the cool
sunlit areas, Clay Rose in the lighter shadows, and Black Cherry in the darker shadows and the
iron ring. In each area, I used very light pressure and loose, open strokes following the contour
of the shape. I overlapped the colors enough to keep edges from appearing.

For subsequent layers, I suited the stroke to the area, but continued to use light pressure. In the
darkest shadow, I used more precise strokes, but overlapped the strokes randomly to begin
creating the coarse surface.
In the lighter shadows and cooler highlights, I used a combination of randomly placed,
crosshatching strokes and followed up with a few squiggly strokes and stippling to add details.
In the warm highlights, I used squiggly strokes and stippling to add Rosy Beige and Clay Rose
accents.
I used Black Cherry with light pressure and directional strokes placed close together to draw the
shadows and give shape to the ring.

Step 2: Add your basic texture

Found texture played a major role in the next step. I swept the front walk, placed my paper on it,
then used Bronze to stroke the paper. I stroked from right to left to make darker color on the
shadowed side of the hilly texture throughout the globe.

On the shadowed side of the globe, I used slightly heavier pressure, multiple layers, or both to
make darker values. In the middle tones and lighted sides, I used lighter pressure, fewer layers,
or both.
Because the texture on the globe should be the most distinct where shadows and middle tones
meet, I made the found texture more distinct in that area.

When I was satisfied, I moved inside again and continued layering Bronze over the drawing.
Again, I used slightly heavier pressure or more layers to darken the shadows.
Throughout the drawing, I used short directional strokes that didnt overlap very much to
continue building the illusion of a rough and pitted surface. In some areas, I preserved
highlights on the lighted rims of pits.
I worked around the general area of the highlight with light pressure and open, directional
strokes. There is no clear edge to the highlight, but there is an area that is generally lighter than
the surrounding middle tones.

Step 3: Add some warm and cool shadows

I used a blunted pencil tip to glaze Black Cherry over the base shadows with long, parallel
strokes. Then I added darker accents and darkened the shadowed side of some of the surface
texture to emphasize the coarseness of the base.
On the globe, I used short, hatching and crosshatching strokes applied with the flat side of the
pencil tip to glaze Black Cherry into the form shadow then added darker shadows and accents
throughout the shadow.
Finally, I used the sharp edge of the pencil tip to glaze Black Cherry into the shadows on the
ring and post.

Next, I added Sepia to the cast shadows, working around some of the surface features and
darkening some of the pits. I used medium pressure for most of this work.
I also glazed Sepia with light pressure and the side of the pencil into the sunny side of the base
and the middle tones on the globe. For the ring and post, I used the tip of the pencil and medium

pressure. In the globe, I drew a few more surface details to emphasize the texture.
Then I glazed Rosy Beige into the lighter shadows on the sunlit side of the base, and followed
that with a glaze of Cream over everything but the ring and post. I used the tip of the pencil, but
didnt sharpen it first. The bluntness of the pencil helped me skip color over the paper and
create further texture.
I then used the same method to glaze Rosy Beige over the top of the globe and Clay Rose over
the lower half of the shadowed side.

Step 4: Develop additional value and color

I began developing values by adding Clay Rose, Slate Gray, and Sepia to the background. All
colors were applied using the tips of sharpened pencils and horizontal strokes.
I darkened shadows with Indigo Blue applied carefully around the surface features. I added pits
and stones within the shadows but also emphasized the irregular edge of the form shadow by
adding pits and stones along that edge.

Then, because there is a lighter shadow above and to the right of the dark shadow, I switched to
Sepia and used a sharp pencil to work around the surface details within the shadow and along its
edges. I also layered Sepia over the Indigo Blue.
For both colors, I used medium to medium-heavy pressure.
Next, I applied Slate Blue and Rosy Beige into the reflected light areas. Finally, I glazed Dark
Brown over the middle tones around the highlight area using the side of the pencil and very
light pressure.

Step 5: Push your value contrasts

I continued building contrast and shape by layering the various colors over the globe. But I also
layered Sand over all of the globe and base. I did one layer over the lighted areas with the paper
lying on the front walk to pick up texture. The next layer was applied in a more traditional
manner, with closely spaced strokes to even out the texture.

I followed up with Bronze throughout the globe, but worked around some of the stones
embedded in the surface. I burnished the stones with Cream, then with White before glazing
Rosy Beige into the cool lighted area, Clay Rose into the cool shadowed area, and Dark Brown
over all of the shadows. In the background, I layered Mediterranean Blue to reduce the
brownness.

I drew the ring with Red Ochre, Dark Brown, Sand, and White, using slightly heavier pressure
with each layer. The highlights were burnished with Sand then white.
For reflected light on the ring, post, and stone, I added Sky Blue Light with medium-heavy or
heavy pressure after a glaze of Slate Gray.