06/21/2026
Well, Facebook won't let me post today's "Sunday on the Porch" drawing video. So here's a photo of the completed work of the rose we drew in pencil last week.
I use Prismacolor pencils, building up the color layer by layer. The first layer of color is a light overall application of Permanent Red, leaving white spaces here and there for a highlighting effect. The next layer is Scarlet Lake to darken areas where shadows would fall, but leaving sections of the first layer visible. You want lights and darks. The third layer is Magenta for the very dark places under petals and in the tight center. All layers are blended using a blending stick, leaving the white areas for highlights.
For the stem and leaves, use a light application of Apple Green on the entire stem and leaves. You can always leave white sections for highlighting. I decided to have a shadow on the left and light on the right. You can see the difference in the picture. For the shadow side, I used Grass Green to darken, pressing harder for a darker line to create the veining in the leaves. Then I used the blending stick to blend the colors together, smudging the veining slightly so it isn't intrusive. Rose leaves usually have the color of the petals on the jagged tips, so I added Magenta to accentuate and blended again. Magenta was also used to create the thorns on the stems.
Grab your pencils and have a go at it. As my art teacher in high school told me, "There are no mistakes in art, only happy accidents! "
Sunday on The Porch with Rose Ann Hirsch, where the art is always fun, always creative, and always done freehand.
