E-book: Colored Pencil Drawing for Adult Beginners

Nineteen techniques and five complete drawing lessons, with printable outlines to color — so all your attention goes to the technique, and the result appears right away.

Coming soon on Amazon. The English edition of the author's colored-pencil method, first published by EKSMO in 2007 and expanded in 2016; the Russian edition has been reprinted continuously and was translated into Chinese in 2019.

Who this book is for

For adults who have never drawn or gave it up long ago. No talent or experience is needed: the book starts with how to hold a pencil and make a color swatch, and ends with finished drawings.

Colored pencils are the easiest way into drawing. No studio, no water, no drying paint: a handful of pencils, an eraser and a printed outline fit in a bag.

How the book works

The e-book links to printable outlines for the techniques and lessons — PDF files: print one at home on plain office paper and color it as the chapter describes. A spoiled attempt costs nothing: print another one. The sheets for Techniques 1–3, with color-chart templates for 12 to 36 colors, are free for everyone; the complete set of PDF sheets is a download linked from inside the e-book.

Free practice sheets from the first chapters →

What's inside

• Part I — 19 techniques, from getting to know your pencils to drawing on relief, with common mistakes and practice for each
• Part II — 5 complete drawing lessons, step by step: roses, water and stones, lily and bird, Karlštejn Castle, pencils
• A materials guide, frequent questions and a glossary

The EPUB e-book on a tablet: pictures and tips stay in front of you while you draw — on a tablet or a phone.

What you get

• One file in EPUB format, about 40 MB: the complete e-book — 19 techniques, 5 step-by-step lessons, more than 500 illustrations.
• Delivery by email. Right after payment you receive an email with a personal download link. The link works for 30 days and for up to 5 downloads; if it runs out, write to us and we will send a new one.
• Read it on your own device: a phone, a tablet, a Kindle or a computer — see How to read below.
• Printable outlines for the techniques and lessons are PDF files: the e-book links to them, you download them and print them at home.
• Nothing is shipped. This is a digital product only: no printed book, no colored pencils, no paper or other materials are included. You draw with your own pencils on your own paper.
• Try before you buy: the first chapters are a free EPUB file — the link is next to the price.

Payment is processed by Paddle.com, our Merchant of Record, which also issues your receipt. Refunds: if the file does not download or open and we cannot fix it, if you were charged twice, or within 14 days of purchase if you have not downloaded the book — see the Refund Policy.

How to read

• Phone and tablet: Apple Books on iPhone and iPad; Google Play Books or ReadEra on Android.
• Kindle: via Send to Kindle — files up to 50 MB go through.
• Computer: Apple Books on a Mac; Calibre or any EPUB reader on Windows.

Tap any picture to open it full screen.

How this book came about

This e-book grew out of the Russian "Drawing with Colored Pencils: A Self-Study Guide," published by EKSMO in 2016 and reprinted ever since. That book in turn expanded the 2007 "Felt-Tip Pens and Colored Pencils" guide: the techniques section grew from thirteen to nineteen, adding solvents, blending with water, working on a wet surface, the white pencil, sandpaper, and drawing over relief.

The book is recommended for study in art schools and continuing-education programs. In 2019 the rights were acquired by a Chinese publisher.

The digital edition adds common mistakes and practice for every technique, a materials guide, a glossary, frequent questions, and printable practice sheets.

All books →

About the author

Olga Shmatova is an artist and teacher. She has taught adults to draw since 1997 — first in her Moscow studio, then through her books. More than 700,000 people have learned to draw from her self-study guides (publisher's data, 2021), and four of them were translated into Chinese. She lives in Tbilisi. About the author →

Payment and refunds

The EPUB edition is sold through our reseller Paddle.com, the Merchant of Record for all orders: it takes the payment, issues the receipt and answers payment questions. Cards issued in Russia and Belarus are not accepted. Terms and Conditions · Refund Policy · Privacy Policy · hello@olgashmatova.com