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Colored pencils are commonly associated with being art supplies for children, but as savvy adults know, they are versatile tools for drawing at any age. The utensils come in a variety of hues and have a waxy finish, allowing you to blend colors like you would oil or acrylic paint. Thanks to this malleable characteristic, it’s possible to create artwork that looks like a photorealistic painting.

Many artists have honed their drawing skills to create color pencil art that’s awe-inspiring in its creativity and technical abilities. Blending hues play a big part in how these works of art appear; if done well, the luscious colors are rich in depth and look as though they could pop off the page. Best of all, this technique works for a variety of subjects, from portraits of people to the animal kingdom.

Colored pencil art is an accessible creative practice that anyone can try. Because there are so many brands readily available—especially on Amazon—it’s easy to get started. So, if you’re looking to take your creativity in new directions, check out some of our favorite realistic colored pencil art. Then, consult our list of the best colored pencils for beginners to professionals.

Once you’re familiar with colored pencils, you can enroll in a class on Craftsy to further hone your skills. They have a fantastic e-learning course called Step-by-Step Photorealistic Colored Pencil Portraits that’s taught by artist Karen Hull. It has hours of close-up instruction with stunning results.

These incredibly patient and gifted artists are taking color pencil art to a whole other level.

Cj Hendry

Artist Cj Hendry is known for working in a monochromatic palette, but she departed from her typical style to create Complementary Colors, a series of hyperrealistic colored pencils drawings that recreate luscious blobs of paint. Considering that some of the best colored pencils are oil based, the choice of the tool seems fitting.

Redosking

Maybe people think the eyes are the window the soul, and Redosking’s color pencil art eyes are certainly proof. His series of lifelike drawings capture the swirling colors of the iris as well as tiny reflections that give you the feeling of the rounded eye socket.

Lui Ferreyra

Artist Lui Ferreyra imagines people in vibrant technicolor. While many artists utilize blending to create a realistic feel, Ferreyra takes a different approach; he’s a skilled draftsperson who builds three-dimensional form by pairing short, directional lines with geometric shapes. Clad in a variety of rainbow hues, the subjects cast a brilliant glow.

Morgan Davidson

Trained as an illustratorMorgan Davidson exercises a love of fashion and nature through bright, inviting colors. Davidson grew up in Florida and her sun-soaked days seem to influence her work today; even when drawing underwater scenes, the pallete includes lively purples and blues. Davidson sells her work as prints in her a couple of online shops.

Heather Rooney

Specializing in lifelike drawings, self-taught illustrator Heather Rooney is “captivated by the challenge of photorealistic drawing.” She’s been producing this type of artwork since high school and continued through college. Now, she shares her extensive process through time-lapse videos on her popular YouTube channel and exclusive content through Patreon.

Karen Hull

Karen Hull has an extensive colored pencil portfolio that ranges portraits of people to whimsical scenes. Although they are all impressive, the human subjects represent some of her best work. Hull is adept at depicting people’s age and using toned papers, fine layers of color, and intricate mark-making to do so. From smooth, porcelain-like skin to stubble to wrinkles, her images show the beauty of youth as well as growing older.

This story was originally published on My Modern Met.

See more home art ideas:

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