Felt-Tip Pens and Colored Pencils: A Self-Study Guide

This combined edition is out of print — it was replaced in the series by the expanded 2016 colored-pencil and 2021 marker, fineliner, and felt-tip pen guides. Not yet available in English.

About the Book

After the successful release of the "Watercolor Self-Study Guide" in 2005, the "Learn to Paint with Olga Shmatova" series gained a unique volume that brought two drawing techniques together in one book.

This was the first self-study guide in Russia to explore in depth the artistic possibilities of felt-tip pens. Until it appeared, felt-tip pens were regarded as nothing more than a tool for highlighting text or for children's crafts. Olga Shmatova opened new horizons for this medium, developing her own original methods for using felt-tip pens as a painting tool — for example, "Lines with a Half-Dried Felt-Tip Pen," "The Complex-Shaped Tip," "Spattering," "Drawing on a Damp Surface," and "Felt-Tip Pens as Paints."

In the section devoted to colored pencils, the author not only adapted classic drawing techniques but also introduced innovative ones, such as "Drawing on a Textured Surface" and "Drawing on Sandpaper."

The book's success helped drive the growth of the art-supplies market: professional refillable felt-tip pens with interchangeable tips appeared, along with sets in a wide range of colors and specialized types of pens (alcohol-based and watercolor). The range of colored pencils across different price categories expanded as well.

Authorship and Editions

• 2007 — publication of "Felt-Tip Pens and Colored Pencils: A Self-Study Guide"
• 2016 — release of the second, improved and expanded edition, "Colored Pencils: A Self-Study Guide," in the "Learn to Paint with Olga Shmatova" series; still being reprinted today
• 2021 — release of the second, improved and expanded edition, "Markers, Fineliners, and Felt-Tip Pens: A Self-Study Guide," in the "Learn to Paint with Olga Shmatova" series; still being reprinted today

Important: The year printed in the book may differ from the year of first publication, because the publisher updates it with every reprint. You can check which edition you are holding in the publication data on the last page of the book. The ISBN may also change from one reprint to another.

About This Edition

• ISBN 978-5-699-25349-4
• Publisher: EKSMO
• Format: 84×108 1/16
• 2007

Who This Book Is For

• Beginning artists who want to master colored pencils and felt-tip pens
• Anyone who wants to use drawing media to create painterly effects
• Artists looking to expand their technical repertoire
• Anyone searching for new creative possibilities in familiar materials

Advantages of Colored Pencils

Versatility

• Suitable for both drawing and painterly work
• Combine well with other media
• Work on a variety of surfaces
• A wide range of techniques

Practicality

• No special working conditions required
• A minimum of additional tools
• Compact materials
• Easy to transport

Technical capabilities

• Precise control of the line
• Layer-by-layer buildup of color
• Fine detail work
• Complex color transitions

Advantages of Felt-Tip Pens

Creative potential

• Bright, pure color
• Painterly effects
• A variety of lines and strokes
• Unexpected effects when techniques are combined

Ease of use

• Instantly ready to work
• Even application of color
• Fast drying
• No additional tools needed

Modern possibilities

• A wide color palette
• A variety of tips
• Special effects (metallic and fluorescent colors)
• Refillable options

Contents

Art Materials — p. 6

Colored Pencils

• Getting to Know Your Pencils — p. 13
• Strokes — p. 16
• Hatching — p. 19
• Color-to-Color Transitions in a Single Layer — p. 22
• Toning and Blending — p. 24
• Layers in a Pencil Drawing — p. 26
• Transparent and Opaque Colors — p. 30
• Uncovering White — p. 32
• Stencils, Films, and Tape — p. 34
• Pencil Dust — p. 36
• Drawing on a Textured Surface — p. 38
• A Colored Ground — p. 40
• Drawing on Sandpaper — p. 42

Felt-Tip Pens

• Getting to Know Your Felt-Tip Pens — p. 46
• Thick and Thin Lines — p. 49
• Lines with Semi-Transparent Felt-Tip Pens — p. 50
• The Complex-Shaped Tip — p. 52
• Hatching and Toning — p. 54
• Puanserism (an original technique coined by the author) — p. 58
• Stencils — p. 60
• Layers — p. 63
• Spattering — p. 68
• Drawing on a Damp Surface — p. 71
• Felt-Tip Pens as Paints — p. 75
• Strokes — p. 82
• Monotype — p. 85
• Drawing on a Textured Surface — p. 89
• A Colored Ground — p. 92
• Mixed Media and Corrections — p. 94

Let's Draw Together

• A Bouquet of Daffodils — p. 96
• Spring — p. 99
• Andreyevsky Bridge — p. 102
• Artists on the Beach — p. 105
• Garden and Wild Strawberries — p. 108

What Makes This Book Special

• Clear explanations with example works
• Detailed step-by-step illustrations
• Technique diagrams with practical advice
• Descriptions of common mistakes and how to fix them
• A set of exercises for every technique
• Advice from an experienced artist
• A "Let's Draw Together" section with five step-by-step drawings

What You Will Learn

• Skills and techniques for working with felt-tip pens and colored pencils
• Creating smooth transitions of color and tone
• Drawing fine lines
• Applying semi-transparent layers
• Original felt-tip pen and colored-pencil techniques
• Choosing materials and tools

Practice Assignments

• 13 colored-pencil techniques
• 16 felt-tip pen techniques
• 3–10 exercises in every chapter on artistic techniques
• 5 complete step-by-step demonstrations of finished pictures

Illustrations in the Book

"Felt-Tip Pens and Colored Pencils: A Self-Study Guide" features works by both the author and her students. Olga Shmatova did not always sign the illustrations, trusting that readers would be able to tell professional work from student work intuitively.

The Author Thanks Her Students

The book features works by the author and by her students: Ekaterina Saenko, Zinaida Tripus, Vera Shmatova, Yaraslava Kuzmicheva, Nailya Alyautdinova, Galina Kozlova, Tatyana Khalizeva, Maria Davidenko, Yulia Afonina, Irina Shkindereva, Olga Astafyeva, Maria Shishulina, Anna Shchennikova, and Alexey Petrov.

Availability

"Felt-Tip Pens and Colored Pencils: A Self-Study Guide" from the "Learn to Paint with Olga Shmatova" series is no longer being reprinted. It has been replaced by "Colored Pencils: A Self-Study Guide" and "Markers, Fineliners, and Felt-Tip Pens: A Self-Study Guide."

Look for the book in your local library.

Not yet available in English.