How to Match Colored Pencils to A Reference Photo
Method 3- Colored Pencil Picker App
Method 3- Colored Pencil Picker App
I started to take drawing with colored pencils seriously around 2019. Once I found this application, it was a game-changer for me. I don’t receive compensation for recommending the app. My goal is to share about the Colored Pencil Picker App in case it might help someone else.
First, I will explain how Colored Pencil Picker works. Then I’ll get into how I use it and some pros and cons of the app.
You can find the Colored Pencil Picker on the Apple App store. It was designed for the iPad, which is how I use it. Although you can use your iPhone if you want to. I also located it on the Google App Store, so I’m assuming you can find it to work with products that use Google.
The App is by Kristian Olidana, and it has a one-time cost of $7.99, which I think is a steal. You can use a free version, but it doesn’t have all of the functionality that the paid version does. Also, you’ll have to endure advertisements if you use the free version, and who wants to suffer through that?
The brands of pencils that are in this app are as follows:
-Prismacolor: 150s, 132s, 72s, 48s, 36s
-Faber Castell Classics: 48s, 36s
-Faber Castell Polychromos: 120s, 72s, 60s, 48s
-Caran d’Ache Luminance: 76s, 40s
-Caran d’Ache Pablo: 120s, 80s, 40s
-Caran d’Ache Supracolor: 120s, 80s, 40s
-Derwent Artist Pencils: 120s, 72s, 48s, 36s
-Derwent Lightfast: 100s, 72s, 48, 36s
-Arteza Expert Colored Pencils: 120s, 72s, 48s
The description of the App says that more pencils are to be added in the future. I hope they add the 150 set of Cara d’Ache Luminance, which includes the portrait colors.
Below is a screenshot of how the app is pictured in the App Store. It shows the list of colored pencils on the left, how to read the results you get when you hover over an area of your reference image, and an example of how to achieve the “Mix Preview” by layering two pencils.
In A Nutshell
I’ll walk you through an example using this app, but in general, the app will tell you which three (sometimes 2 or 1) colored pencil colors of the brand you selected will provide you with a color match to your reference photo. The app will provide you with a mix-ratio as well (how much of each color to layer). I don’t go by this information exactly, but I’ll get into that below as I walk through an example using Jo, the beautiful dog.
Step 1
After you open the app, select which brand of colored pencils you are using to create your piece. The number next to the brand name denotes the number of pencils in your pack. For my portrait of Jo I am using my box of 120 Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils and therefore I will choose “Polychromos 120s”.
Step 2
Next, select an image from your iPad or iPhone by clicking on the image icon on the bottom left side of the screen.
Step 3
After you load your image, you will see something like the above picture, but of course with your reference image. Move the crosshairs with your finger to select an area where you want to figure out the color. The crosshair in this example is on Jo’s cheekbone.
How The Colored Pencil Picker App Says to Use the Software
The numbers “2, 1, 1” on the screen are the ratio that is supposed to give you the “Mix Preview” color. In the example above, the numbers mean that you should put down one light layer of Terracotta, followed by one layer of Warm Grey II, one layer of Light Yellow Ochre, and finally one more layer of Terracotta.
Also note that there is a “Target” box, which denotes the pixel color you are trying to match, and a “Mix Preview”, which is what the suggested color mix is supposed to give you. Ideally, these two colors should match, but sometimes the software can’t come up with a perfect resolution.
I highly recommend you test a mixture if you are unsure on a piece of scrap paper. Sometimes it has you doing a crazy, unnecessary mixture, or a mixture that will look not quite right. I believe this happens because we aren’t using paint and colored pencils don’t
mix the same. For example, if you mix red and green paint, you would get brown, but when using colored pencils you might get something different and not so pretty. You may see more green or red because it’s not mixing as well.
How I End Up Using the Software
Now that I have been drawing with colored pencils for 4 years, I don’t have to use the app all the time to figure out a color mixture (although I do use it to isolate colors quite frequently- more on that below). But let’s say I am at a loss and I need some help discerning what colors to pick. I would put the cursor over Jo’s cheekbone to get a better look. Then I’d look at the “Target” color on the right-bottom side of the screen. I’d consider if I have a pencil color(s) that I know will be a good match (I’m not always looking for 100% accuracy). In this case, I might say Ivory and Burnt ochre. Then I would test my theory on a piece of scrap paper. If I feel that I have a good match, I might proceed with that combination.
If I can’t think of a good match on my own I wouild look at the mix that the app is telling me to use. The key here is to consider if the colors the app lists would make sense because they don’t always as I suggested with the red and green combinations. The mix in the picture above looks like it might work out. I tried it out on a piece of scrap paper, and it looked good. You will find with colored pencils that a lot of roads lead to Rome. Which is good news! That means many different combinations can give you a satisfactory outcome.
You’ll find that the combinations can vary when you move the cursor around. So I like to move it around a bit to see if I can see a combination that makes the most sense. Then I’ll use that same combination in all areas where there is a similar hue. For example, I am using burnt ochre, cinnamon, and green gold on a lot of mid-tone areas in my portrait of Jo. I don’t use the exact color combinations that the app says to use all over my picture. That would be unnecessary and it would take forever!
Finally, another good way to use the app is just to use the cursor to isolate a color. Sometimes it’s hard to see what color you need because your eyes are taking in so much surrounding information. See the picture below. It looks white, but it’s not white at all.
Pros and Cons of the Color Picker App Method
Positives
The method is very easy. It only costs a one-time fee of $7.99, and it is very easy to use. I honestly use it for every drawing. I even use it when I draw with pastels because I like how it isolates a color for me to see.
This method is quicker than the other two color-picking methods I went into in my previous two blog posts. I love that. I am impatient. I don’t want to swatch or pick out colors on Adobe. I just want to get started.
I love that I can use the app to isolate a color. This really helps me to focus on what color I could use regardless if I am using the suggested layers or not.
Also, the app has provided me with some go-to layer combinations that I use all of the time now. For example, I have found that ivory, flesh, and warm gray I create lovely light hues for orangey animals. I’m honestly not sure that I would have come up with this combination on my own.
Negatives
A negative of this method is that you have to pay for the application, although I think it’s pretty cheap.
I’m also not aware of how it works on Samsung or Google products, so I can’t vouch for that.
Finally, a negative would be if you take this application too literally it might drive you crazy. I’ve learned over time how to adjust using it to fit my needs. But I could see how it might overwhelm some people instead of helping them.
Let me know what you think. Have you tried this color-picking app? Do you like it? If you haven’t, would you try it? Have you found any other apps that help with this process?
For the next blog, I will be talking about a book called Art & Fear.
Until then, happy coloring.
