Witnessing the enchanting colors of the Northern Lights is a breathtaking experience that can take your breath away. Whether you are an adventurous spirit or a nature enthusiast, capturing the lights with a pencil and paper can be an exciting journey. Drawing the lights may seem complicated, but with the right tools and a bit of practice, you can create your own masterpiece.
First, you’ll need some supplies. Collect a set of colored pencils, some paper, an eraser, and an HB pencil. This will form your drawing kit which will stay with you throughout the entire process. When you’re ready, take in the scenery and try to capture the essence of the lights in your mind. Look for the swirls, shapes and colors.
Start your masterpiece by sketching some light, sweeping shapes with the HB pencil. Once you’ve sketched the shape and size, put your colored pencils away and turn to blending. Start to blend the colors in your sketch with a blending stump or a blending stump dipped in blending solution. You might also use your finger to blend the colors, but be careful not to smudge the colors.
As you create strokes and dips with your pencils, gradually build intensity to capture the movement of the Northern Lights. With a few swoops and swirls, your sky will come to life with the colorful, shifting light. Keep the colors light and gradient, while deeping the shades where you want the lights to be brighter and bolder. Move your pencil slowly and follow the curves to add texture and movement to the painting.
While drawing the lights, use your imagination and envision how the sky would look in reality. Also, be very mindful of how hard you press the pencils for darker shades. Always use a light touch when drawing; start out with the lightest shade and work your way up to the dark hues. Remember, you can always add more layers of color, but you cannot undo any mistakes once they’re done!
As you slowly blend and add more layers of color, keep an eye on the highlights. Bring out the beauty of your painting by adding small touches of white paper to help make the highlights sparkle and give your painting the rich realism it needs. Also, be sure to add a spot of pink and a dab of green for the traditional northern lights colors if desired.
Finally, step back and admire your hard work, and watch how it has brought the night sky to life! If you enjoyed the process, keep practicing and perfecting your skills and soon enough you will become a master in creating realistic-looking Northern Lights with just a pencil.
