Best Books for Coloured Pencil Artists

Coloured pencil books tend to fall into two camps: those that teach the medium itself, and those that teach a subject through the medium. The best collections have both. You need a technical grounding in layering and colour, and you need a guide to the specific things you want to draw, whether that is a glossy pastry, a fox or a foxglove.

This list curates the titles from our wider best books to improve your drawing and specialist lists that matter most to coloured pencil artists, organised by goal. Each one earns its place by teaching something you can put on paper straight away. For the bigger picture, see how to get better at drawing.

Colored pencil is simply the US spelling of coloured pencil, so these books serve artists on both sides of the Atlantic. If you are newer to the medium, the beginner’s guide to coloured pencil drawing and the best coloured pencil sets guide make good companions, and the which pencil set quiz can narrow the choice.

Pick by goal

Goal	Book	Author
Colour, layering and the painterly look	Colored Pencil Painting Bible	Alyona Nickelsen
Glossy and reflective objects	Super Realism	Sarah Evans
Botanical drawing in colour	Botanical Drawing in Color	Wendy Hollender
Wildlife, fur and feathers	Drawing Wildlife	J.C. Amberlyn
Texture and subtle shading	Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil	J.D. Hillberry
Approachable realism	You Can Draw	Leonardo Pereznieto

A bookshelf filled with art books and sketchbooks.

Colour and layering: Colored Pencil Painting Bible

Nickelsen is one of the most respected coloured pencil educators, and this book is a masterclass in realism. It teaches layering, glazing, solvents, burnishing and colour theory specifically for coloured pencil, and shows how to make the medium look like paint.

Best for: artists aiming for professional realism, and amateurs ready to level up.

Why it matters: if hyperrealism is your goal, this book is essential. It is dense, so treat it as a course rather than a read-through. Our technique guides on layering, blending and burnishing give a lighter first pass before you tackle the deeper material.

Glossy objects: Super Realism

Evans concentrates on everyday objects - glass, metal, food and plastic - and teaches how to make them convincingly real. Her approach is methodical and friendly, with step-by-step guidance and clear breakdowns of complicated surfaces.

Best for: still life lovers and anyone who wants better texture rendering.

Why it matters: it is one of the best books for learning how light behaves on different materials. Highlights and reflections are the whole story on shiny subjects, and this book shows how to plan them. Extend it with our guides to drawing glossy surfaces and shiny metal and reflections, and consider grey paper for these subjects.

A studio bookshelf of art books, sketchbooks and brushes.

Botanical: Botanical Drawing in Color

Hollender teaches form, value, colour mixing and layering through botanical subjects, with clear, friendly, step-by-step projects that build confidence.

Best for: coloured pencil artists and amateurs learning colour theory.

Why it matters: it is one of the best books for learning botanical drawing in coloured pencil, and plant subjects are a forgiving, well-lit way to practise colour and edges. For more options, see the best books for botanical drawing.

Wildlife: Drawing Wildlife

Amberlyn focuses on wildlife realism in coloured pencil and graphite: fur, feathers, eyes and natural textures. The demonstrations are detailed but approachable.

Best for: artists who want realistic wildlife drawings.

Why it matters: wildlife realism demands texture mastery, and Amberlyn teaches it clearly. It pairs with our guide to drawing animal fur and the wider best books for animal drawing.

Texture: Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil

Hillberry’s graphite book shows how to create wood, metal, fabric, skin and glass through subtle shading. It is graphite only, but the lessons carry directly across.

Best for: artists who want more convincing texture, especially those moving from graphite to coloured pencil.

Why it matters: texture is often the missing piece in realism, and graphite isolates value so you learn it cleanly. See also how to draw realistic textures in graphite.

Accessible realism: You Can Draw

Pereznieto breaks realistic drawing into approachable steps: shading, highlights and texture, with clear demonstrations and particular strength on reflective surfaces.

Best for: amateurs learning realism, and artists refining shading.

Why it matters: its friendly tone makes realism feel achievable, and it makes a good bridge before the more demanding technical titles.

How to study a coloured pencil book effectively

1. Match the materials first. Results depend on paper and pencil. Note what the author uses, and expect your results to differ if you use a different paper or brand. Our best paper for coloured pencils helps you choose.
2. Copy the small exercises before the big projects. Swatch layering, blending and burnishing on a scrap sheet.
3. Keep a swatch page. Record which pencils, pressure and layer order produced each effect.
4. Follow one project all the way through. Finishing teaches things skipping does not.
5. Then draw something of your own using the same method. That is how technique becomes skill.
6. Revisit after a month. Compare a repeat of an early exercise with your first attempt.

Building a small coloured pencil library

Six books is plenty, and you do not need all of them at once. A sensible order for most artists is: an observation or accessible realism book first, so that your drawing is accurate before colour complicates it; then Colored Pencil Painting Bible for technique; then whichever subject book matches your interests. Someone who mainly draws food and objects should prioritise Super Realism; someone who draws animals or pets should choose Drawing Wildlife; someone who likes plants should begin with Botanical Drawing in Color.

What books cannot tell you

Books describe one artist’s materials and habits, and yours will differ. Pencil brands, paper choice, pressure and even room lighting change how a technique behaves. Treat every demonstration as a starting point, and test it on your own paper. If a book recommends a technique that seems to fail for you, the cause is usually a different surface. Grey and toned papers, for instance, behave quite differently from smooth white paper, as our guide to grey paper for coloured pencil explains. Wax-based and oil-based pencils also layer differently, which our comparison of wax versus oil-based coloured pencils sets out.

Books plus practice

Colour is a skill of judgement, and judgement comes from repetition. After each chapter, make a small study of your own using the method: a single fruit, a folded cloth or a leaf. Keep the study small so that you finish it. If colour choice troubles you, the colour scheme generator is a quick way to test harmonies before you commit pencil to paper, and our guide to colour harmony schemes explains why some combinations work.

Which pencils to use with these books

The authors work with various brands, so check each book’s materials list before buying pencils. Our reviews of the best coloured pencils and of Polychromos give general guidance, and no book requires a particular brand to learn from. Start with a modest set and expand as you find gaps.

Common questions before you buy

Many artists ask whether they should wait until they are more experienced before buying a technical title. In most cases the answer is no, provided you accept that some chapters will make more sense later. Read the early sections on materials, pressure and layering straight away, and return to the advanced glazing and solvent chapters when you have a few finished drawings behind you. Another frequent worry is edition and availability: books go in and out of print, so check a current listing before ordering, and consider second-hand copies of older titles, which are often perfectly good for learning.

The short version

Buy Colored Pencil Painting Bible for technique, Super Realism for glossy objects, Botanical Drawing in Color for colour mixing through plants and Drawing Wildlife for fur and feathers. Add Hillberry for texture and Pereznieto if realism feels intimidating. Work through them one at a time, on the paper you actually use.