Eyes in the Dark: My First Colored Pencil Owl on Black Paper

Eyes in the Dark: My First Colored Pencil Owl on Black Paper

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work.

My exploration into colored pencil art began in the summer of 2022. At that time, I had been creating artwork with watercolor paints for about two years. A friend’s beautiful colored pencil creations at my weekly art group piqued my interest. Eager to try the medium, I purchased a variety of colored pencils.  I started with Amazon Basics Premium Colored Pencils, then purchased Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils and a small set of Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils.  I found the reference photo on Pixabay, a website offering royalty-free images that can be used freely, even for commercial purposes, without requiring attribution.

The image featured striking black eyes that captivated me, and I decided to recreate it using colored pencils. I wanted to use black paper to represent the deep shadows  I saw in the photo.  I was a bit unsure about how to transfer the outline accurately, so I opted to use the grid method. This technique involves drawing a grid over the reference photo and a corresponding grid on the drawing surface. By focusing on one square at a time, it’s easier to replicate the image with accurate proportions.

Using the grid method allowed me to build the drawing systematically, ensuring accuracy and helping me develop my skills with colored pencils. This approach proved especially helpful for capturing intricate details and achieving a realistic result. The eyes really drew me in, so that’s where I began.

Little did I know that  the Prismacolor colored pencils were perfect for black paper. The colors really popped against the dark background.

Work progressed slowly as I filled in each square one at a time.

Square by square, the owl began to take shape.

As I progressed, the eyes were always staring at me. I often prefer to get the eyes just right early on in my artwork. It seems like when the eyes are just right, the rest isn’t as crucial.

First roughing out squares, expanding the area, going back and adding details—and before I knew it, it was done.

Mockup in a frame

This project taught me the value of patience and attention to detail. Working methodically, square by square, I was able to bring the owl to life on black paper. It was a rewarding experience that deepened my appreciation for colored pencil art.

Love this drawing? You can find this owl design and other favorite artworks printed on pouches, totes, mugs, journals, and more in my refreshed Etsy shop: NorthernSwanArt.etsy.com. Functional art you can carry and enjoy every day!

If this owl’s piercing gaze speaks to you, you can now take it with you wherever you go! I’ve added this design to several practical, gift-worthy items in my Etsy shop. You’ll find it featured on a sturdy ceramic mug, a roomy tote bag, a flat accessory pouch perfect for art supplies or everyday essentials, and a T-bottom pouch ideal for makeup, knitting notions, or travel. Each item is printed with care and brings a little artistic mystery into your daily routine.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the progress of this owl drawing! I’d love to hear your thoughts—what types of progress photos would you like to see more of? Are there specific pieces you’d be interested in following along with? Or perhaps you’d like to see some product reviews mixed in? Let me know in the comments!

Supplies Used in This Piece: Some links below are affiliate; I may earn a small commission at no extra cost—thank you!

• Amazon Basics Premium Colored Pencils
• Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils 
• Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils.  
• Pixabay Reference Photo
• Strathmore 400 Series Gray Scale - Black Sheet

A Fuzzy Little Distraction

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!

What do you do when your house is under construction, you’re behind on watercolor commissions, and stuck in bed with the flu for a couple of weeks? You grab your colored pencils and revisit a donkey drawing you’ve been wanting to redo.

First attempt

The reference photo came from Pixabay. I’d already drawn this little guy once before, but I wasn’t happy with the results.

I had already created the outline for earlier in Procreate and printed it out on Vellum paper, so all I had to do was transfer the image Saran graphite paper onto my paper of choice, Bristol Vellum, and get to work.

I often start with the eyes of animals.  After all, they are “windows to the soul” and I’ve found that, when the eyes are just right, they give life to the artwork. This little guy though, had his head at such an angle that they were hidden by his heavy brow ridge.  Once those were drawn in, I moved my work to that cute, tiny muzzle.

Colored pencils make you work harder than other mediums I’ve explored. When you’re mixing colors with pencils, you’re doing it by layering one pencil over another. Much like with watercolor, I build my tones from light to dark, reserving the white areas where I can.

This little guy had the furriest forehead—and after roughing in a bit of that texture, I made my way up to those fuzzy, expressive ears. Miniature donkeys have the most endearing fuzzy ears, and this guy was no exception!

For a while I went back and forth, refining the ear, then returning to that soft, shaggy forehead. As you can see from the image, I did a majority of the work on this guy in bed.  paper taped down to my artists board and used my desk top easel as a laptop easel.  I’d work on it off and on when I needed to do something more than just lay there and watch TV.  A kneaded eraser was a big help with those fine adjustments along the way; no eraser crumbs in bed. I have to say, this was the most enjoyable, and memorable flu I had.  Banging and pounding of the work down stairs, me watching The Gilmore Girls for the first time, and messing around with my colored pencils in bed.

After finishing the head, I moved on to the body—starting with one leg. The collage above shows how it slowly came together. I roughed in the darker tones first, then gradually continued layering different colors of pencil to match the photo.

Leg completed, I moved on the body.  This was when I realized I need help of the grid method; it’s a little harder to add them after the art work was started, but it was vital to get the exact placement of areas I didn’t trace out.

Once the grid was sorted out, I could keep going. One thing I love about colored pencils is how you can just keep layering—tiny hair after tiny hair. I’m not sure where I first heard this, but it stuck with me: when drawing hair, try quickly sketching three hairs in the direction of growth, but each one angled slightly differently. It helps the hair look more natural and prevents those too-uniform lines that don’t really look like hair.

Once the donkey was completed, the addition of straw grounded the little guy to the paper so he didn’t  look like he was floating.  I was so glad I gave him another shot—and happy with how he turned out.  The image above is a scan of the original drawing; it’s amazing how lighting and a camera can distort images.

When I showed the finished drawing to my husband and mentioned that I’d love to turn it into a Christmas card, he said, “Donkeys have nothing to do with Christmas.”

Challenge accepted.

A quick search led me to a sweet poem by Rita Beer called Just a Little Donkey—a reflection on the humble donkey who carried Mary on Christmas Eve. That was all the confirmation I needed.

This fuzzy guy made his Christmas card debut in 2022, and I still smile every time I see him.

I’m excited to offer this card in my Etsy shop—but only for a limited time! Since I can’t use Rita Beer’s poem due to copyright, I created an original poem to go along with the artwork. I’m proud to share this piece with you all, and I hope it brings as much joy as it has brought me.

Click here to order the donkey Christmas cards now! Available in packs of 8, 16, or 24 with envelopes—perfect for sharing with friends and family this holiday season. These are printed to order and ship directly from my production partner, so please allow a little extra time for delivery.

Sorry, U.S. orders only. Limited time—available now through November 30.

Have a favorite animal you’d love to see brought to life in colored pencil or watercolor? Or a holiday memory this little donkey reminds you of? I’d love to hear from you in the comments—or feel free to reach out if you’re curious about commissions or past card designs!

Supplies I Used for This Drawing

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!

• Colored Pencils – A mix of brands, including Prismacolor Premier and Faber-Castell Polychromos
• Paper – Strathmore Bristol Vellum Pad, 9x12
• Transfer Paper – Saral Graphite Transfer Paper (for tracing outlines)
• Kneaded Eraser – Kneaded Rubber Eraser (no eraser crumbs!)
• Artist Tape – Scotch Artist Tape for taping down paper
• Artist Board – Portable Drawing Board for a sturdy surface
• Desk Easel – Compact tabletop easel for comfortable drawing
• Ruler – Clear acrylic ruler for grid method layout

Heart Hands

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!

Heart Hands from Let's Make Art Tutorial

I first painted Heart Hands from a Let’s Make Art tutorial, the Heart Hands Project back in February 2020. Honestly, if you want to learn everything about watercolor, you can’t go wrong with Let’s Make Art. No kickbacks or affiliate links here—just genuine respect and gratitude for Sarah Cray and the entire team.

When my niece was getting married, I knew I wanted to create a heart hands portrait of her and her new husband. I pulled the photographer aside and explained what I had in mind. She kindly took the photo, and when I offered to pay for it, she graciously said she was happy to do it at no additional charge.

Once I got the photo, I traced the image using Procreate, printed it on Translucent Vellum Paper and transferred the outline onto Arches 140lb Cold Pressed Paper with my LED Light Box. 

Before I began painting, I used ruled washi tape to map out the edges of the composition on Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper, then stretched the paper.  I secured it to my GatorBoard with water-activated tape and staples. The washi tape border keeps everything tidy while I work. (Curious about my prep process? Drop a comment—I might just write a full post about it.) 

To protect the  hands and arms while I worked on the background, I first outlined those areas with masking fluid, before covering them.

With masking fluid protecting the hands and arms, I started working on the background. I wanted the vegetation and beach to feel loose and a bit out of focus, just like in the reference photo, but with enough suggestion that someone might recognize the setting. Once I was happy with the initial layers of the background, I removed the masking fluid and started building up the hands and sleeves.

Once I felt I had gotten as far as I could with the beach at this stage, I removed the masking fluid. Watercolor painting is very much a dance—you think one area is finished, move on, and then realize it needs more work after all. As you’ll see in the photos, the foliage and beach kept evolving as I went.

I learned a lot about mixing colors just by doing—mostly through early tutorials from Sarah at Let’s Make Art. She doesn’t dive into formal color theory; she simply tells you which colors to combine to get what you need. That hands-on approach worked.

As you can see in the photo above from when I first painted Heart Hands, skin tones come from a mix of red, purple, and green. It makes a kind of brownish base, and then you can adjust the tone depending on the skin you’re trying to match.

Because of that experience, I felt confident painting skin tones, even though many people feel the need to find the “exact” color. And honestly, what color is skin, really? It’s all about the variations and undertones you capture.

After enough practice, color mixing starts to feel natural—you develop an instinct for what to reach for.

Having said all that, my favorite way to mix a skin tone is to start with Raw Umber.  It is a yellowish-brown, and I add Light Red (which, to me, kind of looks the color of blood) to shift to pink, a touch of Cerulean Blue for cooler shifts.  (I am using my Mijello Mission Gold Watercolor 36 Set). Here I’m working on the first layers of their hands and sleeves.  

I wasn’t expecting to have to paint the bride’s white dress with those shirred sleeves. It was a good reminder of something I often tell myself (and other artists): paint what you see, not what you know. I had to take a deep breath and really look at what was in front of me—cool shadows, touches of blue—not just the “white” fabric I knew I was looking at.

Since this was a gift for them, I wanted to include elements in the painting that would help them remember their wedding day: the main focus: their heart hands and the sleeves of their wedding attire.

In the image above this, after working on the hands, I realized the background needed more attention.

Creating artwork is a constant balancing act—a bit of a dance. You get one area just right, and suddenly the rhythm shifts—something else needs adjusting. This painting was no different. Once I got the hands where I thought I wanted them, I realized the background was too light and needed more depth.

…and once you get the background right, the hands need highlights! That’s the nature of watercolor—it’s a dance. You make a move in one area, and it changes the rhythm somewhere else.

Some watercolor purists say never to use white, while others disagree. Let’s be honest—sometimes the paper is just a tad beige, or you accidentally paint over an area you meant to leave light. In this case, a few highlights on the hands helped them pop right off the page and brought the whole piece back into balance.

The happy couple was pleasantly surprised by the framed artwork, and it now hangs in their home alongside other wedding décor.

Do you have a special keepsake or piece of art that holds deep meaning in your life? I’d love to hear your story in the comments!

If this post gave you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative process you enjoyed, consider sharing it with a friend who might love it too. Your support means the world and helps me keep creating and sharing these meaningful moments.

Supplies Used in This Piece:  Some links below are affiliate; I may earn a small commission at no extra cost—thank you!

• iPad
• Procreate App
• Translucent Vellum Paper
• LED Light Box A4, Ultra-Thin USB
• Saral Graphite Transfer Paper (wax-free)
• Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleedproof White
• Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper
• Mijello Mission Gold Watercolor 36 Set
• Winsor & Newton Masking Fluid
• Water-activated tape
• Washi Grid Tape
• Ruled Washi Tape (I used tape from TheArtistLife.com, they are no longer in business)
• GatorBoard - Purchased locally at Blaines Art, mine is cut in half.