<p>You can certainly add color into a monotone image (like you would have with a graphite pencil drawing). You are correct that there is the risk making the drawing messy or muddy though, so use (workable) <strong>spray fix</strong> to protect the base drawing before adding light shading with the colored pencils (or water color, etc.).</p>
<p>However using color when drawing in the style of the video, as well as in any added shading, will give you cleaner colors overall. So if you want the fur itself to have color it <em>would</em> be best to work with colored pencils for the line work as well as any tone work you might add after the base drawing. Try using a few different colors when drawing the fur to add more realism; check out some close up photos of fur to get the idea.</p>
<p>In general when doing works in color black becomes a very strong visual element compositionally. So if you do a black and white drawing first any colors you add later will be secondary to that base image. If you do a drawing (or painting) in color any black you use will really stand out. Finding the right balance between the two is the key.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-06T20:47:00.173Z
2020-12-07T16:52:17.793Z
2020-12-07T16:52:17.793Z
rebusB
<p>I'm a amateur child artist trying to draw <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mywLPjoK1XU&amp;t=350s&amp;ab_channel=How2DrawAnimals" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this</a>. At the end of the video, the artist uses his pencil to make fur-like textures. However, I want to do this with color. After doing the whole tutorial, drawing the fur and all, can I go over the fur texture with colored pencil to add more color? Will my drawing still look realistic, and not messy?</p>

<drawing><pencils><colored-pencils><pencil-shading>
Can I draw dog fur with pencil and then go over it with colored pencils?
Alexandrang
# Can I draw dog fur with pencil and then go over it with colored pencils?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-12-06)

I'm a amateur child artist trying to draw [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mywLPjoK1XU&t=350s&ab_channel=How2DrawAnimals). At the end of the video, the artist uses his pencil to make fur-like textures. However, I want to do this with color. After doing the whole tutorial, drawing the fur and all, can I go over the fur texture with colored pencil to add more color? Will my drawing still look realistic, and not messy?

**Tags:** drawing, pencils, colored-pencils, pencil-shading


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-12-06. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

You can certainly add color into a monotone image (like you would have with a graphite pencil drawing). You are correct that there is the risk making the drawing messy or muddy though, so use (workable) **spray fix** to protect the base drawing before adding light shading with the colored pencils (or water color, etc.).

However using color when drawing in the style of the video, as well as in any added shading, will give you cleaner colors overall. So if you want the fur itself to have color it *would* be best to work with colored pencils for the line work as well as any tone work you might add after the base drawing. Try using a few different colors when drawing the fur to add more realism; check out some close up photos of fur to get the idea.

In general when doing works in color black becomes a very strong visual element compositionally. So if you do a black and white drawing first any colors you add later will be secondary to that base image. If you do a drawing (or painting) in color any black you use will really stand out. Finding the right balance between the two is the key.


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