Creating Coloured Pencil Backgrounds

Ever found yourself skipping coloured pencil backgrounds because they feel too overwhelming?

Trust me, you're not the only one.

But with a few simple techniques, you can create backgrounds that do more than just fill space—they bring your work to life.

For landscapes and still life, richly coloured backgrounds can set the mood, add depth, and draw the viewer in.

On the other hand, with botanical art, a clean, minimalist background might be all you need to make your subject stand out.

Whether you're going for bold or subtle, layering and blending colours will help you achieve the perfect effect for each piece.

What is the purpose of a background?

A good background should quietly enhance your artwork without stealing the show.

It creates a sense of distance, known as aerial perspective, which adds depth and makes your subject stand out. By using softer colours or less detail in the background, you can give the illusion of three dimensions, helping to push the main subject into focus.

The goal is to let the background support your composition, not compete with it, so that all eyes are drawn where they should be—right to the heart of your piece.

Planning and Adapting Your Background

You may have a clear plan for the background before you start, or it could be that you allow it to develop as you go along, adjusting the colours and details based on the needs of the foreground subjects and the overall mood you want to achieve.

This approach allows for flexibility and ensures that the background complements the main subject effectively.

For example, if you're working on a landscape, the background might need to be adjusted to reflect the changing light conditions or to create a sense of depth and distance.

When should we work the background?

It's usually best to start with the background, laying down a soft, subtle layer of colour first. This way, you can easily build your foreground subjects on top, ensuring clean, crisp edges and avoiding any awkward gaps.

Plus, with the background in place, it's much easier to add delicate details like flyaway hairs or fur, blending them into the scene rather than trying to work around an already detailed foreground.

Adding these overlapping details helps reduce the impression that the subject matter might be a cutout stuck onto the background, creating a more cohesive and natural look.

Paper choice

The type of paper you use plays a significant role in how your coloured pencil background turns out. Surfaces respond differently, so selecting the right paper can really influence your results. 

Smooth Paper for Precision

For smaller, more detailed backgrounds, smooth paper like hot press watercolour paper or Stonehenge printmaking paper is ideal. These papers allow for fine detail and a more even colour application, especially in areas where precision is needed.

Let’s compare two different surfaces: rough white card and Stonehenge paper. Both of these samples are about 3 inches wide. 

To start, I applied a layer of white coloured pencil on both, which helps lighten and smooth the blues that come afterward.

On the card, the grain makes it tough to get a really smooth finish, no matter how gentle or precise I am with the pencil.

The Stonehenge paper, on the other hand, handles the colours better, though it’s still not perfect. You can clearly see how that first layer of white impacts the darker blues as they blend further down the image.

Textured Paper for Larger Pieces

When working on larger backgrounds, a textured paper like Colorfix, Pastelmat, or cold press watercolour paper can work well.

The texture grabs onto the pigment, allowing for heavier applications of colour and creating a more dynamic look.

However, this texture can also make blending more challenging, so be prepared to work your colours into the grain of the paper with patience.

Brandy Perez used Prismacolor pencils on Colorfix paper for the background in the step-by-step example below.

The sanded surface of Colorfix can hold plenty of pigment, which works well for larger pieces like her 16x20-inch artwork. With larger pictures, the grain of the paper is less of a concern.

A pencil background example

In the following example, Brandy demonstrates her technique for creating a richly textured background.

You'll see how she starts with a bold paisley background pattern in the photograph below.

In the second step, Brandy applies a blending layer over the top, softening the bold pattern into a gentle, out-of-focus area of colour. 

This technique gradually darkens the edges of the picture, helping to frame the subject without drawing attention away from it.

Above, she applies the light colours to provide a base for the detail on the animal. 

In the final image, you can really appreciate the intricate detail Brandy achieves. She applies multiple layers of pencil to bring richness and depth to her work. 

Alternative methods for creating pencil backgrounds

Blending with felt

Sometimes, traditional pencil strokes aren’t enough to achieve the smooth, even coverage you want for your background.

A great alternative method is to use a piece of white felt to pick up pigment from a temporary paper palette. This technique allows you to apply soft, blended layers of colour to your background quickly and effectively.

A piece of cold pressed watercolour paper works best for your temporary palette. Its rough surface helps collect a lot of pigment from your coloured pencil, allowing you to build up a dense pool of colour.

This makes it easier to transfer soft, even layers onto your drawing surface, perfect for creating smooth, atmospheric backgrounds like skies.

Using powered pencil

Another excellent method, involves using powdered pencil pigment.

Use the blade of a knife to scrape pigment gently from the core. Hold the blade at a right angle to the pencil and scrape away, collecting the fine powder as you go.

Alternatively, you could rub the pencil tip against a metal tea strainer to produce similar results.

The amount and texture of the powder will depend on the softness of your pencil, but you should end up with a fine collection of particles ready to be applied to your background.

Again, you can use a small piece of thick white felt to gently work the powdered pigment into the paper’s surface.

This method gives you less control over the colour than directly applying the pencil, but it can create a beautifully soft and diffused effect.

When using either of these techniques for your pencil backgrounds, it’s best to apply the background colour first, before adding the details of your main subject. This way, you won’t have to worry about achieving clean edges, which can be difficult once the foreground is already in place.

To tidy up the edges where you can’t overlap the background with your subject, use a battery eraser. For added precision, cut a piece of card to act as a shield, protecting the areas you want to keep sharp from accidental smudging or pigment removal.

Using Frisket Film

For precision work, Frisket film* is a fantastic option to protect your edges while you apply background colour

It comes in rolls and is low tack, so it’s easy to cut and position without damaging your paper. Airbrush artists often use it for the same purpose, and it works just as well for coloured pencil backgrounds.

One thing to keep in mind is that, although the film sticks well to the paper, it can sometimes lift if you’re brushing colour up to the edge. To avoid this, always brush outwards from the film onto the paper.

For a more consistent result, try using the powdered pigment technique we talked about earlier. Simply scrape the pigment onto your paper, rub it in gently with white felt.

This method offers the control you need for those clean, crisp lines around your subject while allowing you to freely work on the background.

Some artists use a natural sponge for this technique, but I prefer white felt.

The reason I stick to white is that it allows me to reuse the felt for future projects. I can easily spot where I’ve picked up the wrong colours, which helps me avoid any unwanted surprises—like accidentally applying red in the middle of a blue sky!

In the example below, I’ve used this technique on a small ATC (Artist Trading Card) sized piece, featuring a white nanny goat. The card measures just 3.5 x 2.5 inches, so precision was important.

The images above illustrate the process I used.

First, I cut out the shape of the goat from the Frisket film and carefully positioned it on my white Stonehenge paper.

Next, I scraped powdered pigment from my Polychromos pencils onto the surface of the paper. Using outward strokes, I gently pressed the film down as I went, rubbing the pigment into the paper with white felt to create a smooth background. Once the background was finished, I removed the film, leaving a clean outline of the goat.

From there, I added details to the background, darkening areas as needed to enhance the overall depth. Finally, I completed the piece by applying a few light strokes of colour to bring the goat to life.

Using watercolour pencils for backgrounds

Watercolour pencils can be a great alternative when you want a soft, painterly effect in your background.

While many artists shy away from wet techniques, there are ways to use watercolour pencils that don’t require full-on washes—perfect for those who prefer to keep things more controlled.

Start by applying the colour dry, just like regular pencils, layering and blending the shades where needed.

Once you’re happy with the basic colour layout, lightly dampen your finger or a small brush and gently blend the pigment.

The trick is to keep the water to a minimum—you’re not aiming for a full wash but rather a subtle blending effect that smooths out the pencil marks without losing the richness of the colour.

This method works particularly well for creating abstract or soft-focus backgrounds, where you want a suggestion of detail without overpowering the main subject.

Peter takes up the narrative...

I decided to step out of my comfort zone and tackle an unusual subject for me—a bird portrait.

It all started as a demonstration piece for a couple of art groups, and the original reference photo featured a beautifully detailed bird, courtesy of the talented Jo Goudie.

What caught my attention was the soft, out-of-focus background that really highlighted the intricate detail of the bird itself.

I began by sketching the image onto a sheet of Fabriano 5 cold pressed 300gsm watercolour paper.

For the background, I turned to my trusty Caran d'Ache Supracolor 2 watercolour pencils, keeping the colours abstract but cohesive.

After layering the pigments dry, I discovered I could blend them beautifully with just a light touch of my finger—the warmth of the day seemed to help the pigment respond. It was a semi-dry technique that allowed me to build up colour without the need for water or a brush.

Unfortunately, I didn’t capture any photos of the watercolour pencil background in progress, so I can’t provide a full step-by-step. However, I’ve included a close-up of the background at the mid-stage so you can see how it was developing.

By the end of the day, I had made a good start on the bird itself, which you can see in the image above. The piece is about 12 x 8 inches in size, and I worked the background to suggest the impression of leaves and branches in soft focus, giving the scene a natural feel.

While this method might not be perfect, it does offer an interesting alternative.

It highlights one of the unique strengths of watercolour pencils—the ability to blend with a semi-dry or semi-wet technique using just your fingers. It’s flexible and forgiving, making it worth exploring for softer backgrounds like this one.

 

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