How I Color Match Pencils With Photos Step By Step

One of the hardest skills when becoming an artist is being able to color match to a reference photo. I will take you step by step exactly how I do it each time. I make is simple and easy so you can mark this skill off in the long list of things you need to know as an artist. This video has step-by-step instructions..😊

Color Wheel

[andrewmandywilsontatham]

Hi Lori, I worked a swatch card system out a few years ago. I use a "card" made from 1/3 of a sheet of good paper cut lengthwise. I have 3 divisions on it each side lengthwise, and 30 divisions crosswise, so I can put a whole set of 120 pencils on each card. Color, set, and classification in the centre column. This makes it very easy, I just run the card down the picture to find the colours I want to use. I can also compare sets to find the best set to use. They are portable, you can keep them with each set, or all together. BTW I find that for my eye there are 2 colours almost identical in the Starjoy set, 31 & 36. I find them both greenish, rather than one bluish....I've wanted to say that for a long time, but you haven't been in a good space. So good to have you back

[Colorista_]

Your color theory videos have been some of my very favorite. It has made all of my artwork, regardless of the medium I choose, 1000 times easier. I've got to go dig out my wheel....I haven't used it in quite a while. I can see that as in any topic, there is always so much more to learn. Thank you.

[FernCurtis]

She’s back!!! Good to see it, Lori! 💕

[artsci]

I have just joined your channel. I am sorry regarding your loss and may your channel go to 100 thousand subscribers soon!

[conniediggs]

Thanks for resuming color theory techniques…..

[juliashiver]

I am really enjoying your videos. They are so much more informative without extra fluff. However, I keep looking at your extensive list of videos and I am unclear where to start, especially as a beginning colorist. Some type of playlist, broken down into beginner, intermediate, and advanced, would be very helpful. Or possibly a list, putting classes in some kind of order.
Also, you have been very much in my thoughts and prayers. My husband was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. It is our first brush with life and death matters in our 40 years together. I am so in awe of how you have handled your grief. You gave yourself lots of space to grieve and heal. And when the time was right, you seemed to step back into life with so much joy and enthusiasm. You have been a real source of inspiration for me.

[drbennettdc]

Thank you! I think this is the best color theory video I have ever seen!

[carolestevenson]

So excited to get a "grip" on color matching!! Swatching has been a good tool for me to get an "eye" for colors and their undertones, this goes to another level. I have so many fabulous reference photos saved to my computer. Thank You!

[tucoerquilenne]

Awesome video and glad to see you doing these tutorials again. My goal this year was to learn about color and how to pick colors for projects. As a noob these tutorials are very informative. I think my main question I have right now as a noob colorist is how to build your layers with your color pencils.

[carose]

You are such a wonderful instructor/teacher. Thank you for doing this.
I always take so much time getting the colors I need together for my picture and I am looking forward to more videos like this.
I do have question…. I have several sets of pencils and would like to use them all. I never go by the color name but by the color the pencil produces when choosing my colors Your recent method of storing your pencils by color seems like a great idea, but is there certain brands that I shouldn’t mix? I have StarJoys, Prisma, Polychromo, Brut Square, and a few other similar. I know you can’t answer all questions but if you’d mention it in a video I never miss your videos ❣️

[oliviarinaldi]

Lori, my son would so love you. He loves the NY accent so much that he actually practices doing it. I LOVED this video so much. I have no idea until now how to use that color wheel. I got it when you suggested it. Even my ADD self could focus on this lesson.

[carolbatchelor]

I've missed you so much, Lori! I'm glad that you're doing videos again. This is a great lesson on color. Thank you, Lori!!

[AfterArt]

Awsome and informative. I'm still watching. 😊. Edit - this method is extremely similar to how I match my pencils and pastels. I just use the paper I'm going to be using, pastelmat, the colors look dif on each paper shade so I have a few swatch cards for each set of pencils. I do animal portraits so colors need to be as close as possible. 😂

[KarenHavenaar]

So interesting and helpful. I only wished the top cards in the video weren't cut off.