We are delighted to feature the work of Cecilia Sandberg, a student on our Coloured Pencil Drawing Certificate Course. Cecilia recently completed three carefully observed and skilfully built drawings that show her thoughtful approach to colour, texture and tone.
What makes Cecilia’s work especially inspiring is her openness to learning and her steady, reflective process. In her own words, she didn’t plan to study coloured pencil art—she simply started experimenting after drawing a portrait of her daughter and realised how much she loved building an image slowly, layer by layer.
Observing Nature and Everyday Objects
Beached Boat and Rocky Shoreline
Cecilia chose bright, clear colours for her boat on the estuary drawing, which gave the piece a clean and cheerful tone. While she found it challenging to balance the right level of detail and match the subtle colours of the original scene, the result captures a real sense of light and form. Cecilia reflected on her use of layering and values, wondering whether more depth could be achieved with additional passes — a great instinct that shows how her eye is developing.
“It was hard to find a balanced level of detail… I tried to think about dark and light… Some areas might need another layer.”
Autumn Tree by the Water
For this exercise, Cecilia used her own photograph taken earlier in the season. The natural setting offered plenty of challenges. Flickering light through leaves, complex shadows, the shifting texture of grass, and shimmering reflections in water. She noted how difficult it was to keep the light looking natural, especially in the leaves, but the resulting drawing is atmospheric and delicate.
“It was hard to get the light reflected in a natural way… and I struggled to get the water right.”
Even in the face of technical difficulty, Cecilia brings a real sense of place and mood to her work. We loved seeing this personal reference photo alongside her finished piece.
Found Objects
Cecilia selected a simple still life arrangement of shells, a heart-shaped stone, a bit of thread, and a stick, all laid out on a white surface. Her use of shadows and colour blending brings a surprising warmth to this minimal setup. She made thoughtful decisions about colour in the shadows, noticing that they were not just “grey,” but tinged with the colour of the object casting them.
“The shadows were on a white surface, but they looked kind of brownish… so I used sepia and blended with a light layer of the object’s colour.”
Cecilia’s Tools and Techniques
Cecilia used a combination of Polychromos, Lyra Rembrandt, and a few Luminance pencils on Hahnemühle hot-pressed watercolour paper, a lovely pairing for layered coloured pencil work. She noted that this paper/pencil combination worked far better for her than in earlier assignments, highlighting how important material choice can be.
She worked in soft, gradual layers, noting that each drawing took between 7–8 hours. She’s also keen to learn how to work more efficiently, and wonders whether stronger tonal planning might help speed up the initial stages — a sign of someone thinking like a true artist.
Learn More About the Course
The Coloured Pencil Drawing Certificate Course is ideal for beginners and improvers who want to explore this beautifully versatile medium. From blending and tonal control to observational drawing and colour layering, the course guides students through key techniques with structured assignments and personal tutor feedback.
Whether you are returning to art after a break or just starting out, this course helps you build your skills one layer at a time, just like Cecilia.
Well Done, Cecilia!
A big congratulations to Cecilia on her progress and thoughtful reflections. We look forward to seeing what she creates in the next stage of the course.
Inspired by Cecilia’s work?
Take a look at the Coloured Pencil Drawing Certificate Course →
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