My goal for this drawing is to create an illusion of various organic textures. We’ll be dealing with two groups of objects – mushrooms’ caps and surrounding plants. They feature different textures but are similar in color. We’ll need to make a distinction between these two types of life so that the artwork looks interesting and varied while still harmonious.
Sketch of a mushroom with different colors
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Mushroom Colored Pencil
Use colored pencils and sketchbook paper to draw a mushroom. Use the photographs and instruction handouts provided or take a walk and look for mushrooms at the Alaska Botanical Garden to sketch. You may also find mushrooms in your garden at home or in your neighborhood to draw from.
1. Draw the outline of the mushroom. Imagine you are laying a string around the outside of the mushroom, follow that with your eye and draw the outline. Next look for any interior lines you see in the mushroom for example the little white scales on top of the mushroom cap or the annuals on the stem.
2. Use yellow, red, orange, white, and grey to block in the colors you see on the mushroom cap and stem. At this stage it’s okay to be somewhat general with the shapes and sections as you can blend them later. Keep your pencil pressure light at this stage so you have the option to layer later. Go over the scales on top of the mushroom cap with a white colored pencil, you could also layer a little bit of yellow or cream to make it slightly off white.
3. Squint your eyes and look at the mushroom’s values. Value means how light or dark the parts of the mushroom are. You may notice some light highlights on the top or side of your mushroom. Also look for shadows under the cap or annuals on the stem. Use tertiary colors like yellow-orange, red-orange, and red-violet to shade in the values on your mushroom. Layer colors on top of one another to mix new color combinations.
4. Now look for any details on your mushroom, small specks of dirt, gills or spores you may see and draw those details on your mushroom sketch. Use other colors like brown, blue, violet etc. to capture shadows and details. Next it is time to burnish or polish your drawing. This means using layering, blending, and pressure until no white or paper tooth shows through your layers. Using more pressure on the colored pencil you can begin to go over the colors in each section and layer and blend until they are rich in color and smooth.
*Be careful when touching mushrooms and always research ahead of time which mushrooms are safe to handle.
Mycology & Color: A Chromatic Universe of Mushroom
Curious about fungi? Have a love affair with color? Combine your interests and explore the realm of color created from mushrooms. They have long been used as a source of natural color, yielding some of nature’s most vibrant colors. In this workshop artist, farmer and creator of the Mushroom Color Atlas Julie Beeler will teach students how to identify and unlock the hidden colors within easy to identify wild mushrooms and transform them into dyes, pigments, paints and inks. We will spend Saturday in the forest, learning about and foraging for dye mushrooms. Julie will walk students through the mushroom identification process and teach you how to locate dye mushrooms using environmental indicators. You will leave with an understanding of how to find, forage for and identify dye mushrooms.
On Sunday we will spend the day in the studio. Julie will cover general mushroom dye techniques as students explore the myriad of shades these forest friends offer us. She will teach you how to transform the mushroom dyes and explore the process of lake making to create mushroom pigments that can be used in a variety of forms. You will learn different extraction methods for making inks and mull your own watercolor paint. Everyone will create a mini accordion book to record and capture the color. You will assemble wool and silk fiber samples for the mushroom color chart you will create. Everyone will take home some sample mushroom paint and an instructional craftbook including mushroom dye recipes. Throughout class we will have opportunities for questions and discussions on everything we cover in the class, including best practices for foraging, reviewing a list of available resources and more.
No previous experience necessary, though a fantastic workshop for practicing dyers. Students must be comfortable and physically able to spend 5 hours hiking through the forest, off-trail. Saturday’s session will be held rain or shine. Limited to 15 participants.
Cave Creek Farm
EVENT DETAILS:
Friday, October 13
5pm Welcome gathering at Cave Creek Farms
5:30pm Farm foraged dinner at Cave Creek Farms – Featuring chef Karl Holl and included in your registration.
Saturday, October 14
9am Meet at Post Office Coffee
10am-4pm Foraging in Gifford Pinchot National Forest
6pm Evening gathering at Trout Lake Hall
Sunday, October 15
10am-4pm Working in the Bloom & Dye Studio
AIRPORT: Portland International Airport is 1.5 hours from Trout Lake
TRANSPORTATION: Trout Lake is at the base of Mt. Adams and the entrance to Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
There are not any public transportation options to get up to this neck of the woods. However, there are shared shuttle rides from PDX airport to Hood River but it would require a coordinated rideshare or carpool with other attendees to get up to Trout Lake.
If you are driving from the Seattle area, please note you will need to stay on the major freeways south towards Portland and then head East. The local forest backroads over Baby Shoe Pass ARE NOT OPEN this time of year. Even if Google or Apple maps shows this route available, DO NOT drive these roads–you risk getting stuck!
Oregon chef and forager, Karl Holl (who will be cooking for us!)
MEALS: The following incredible meal is included in your registration!
Farm foraged dinner on Friday, Oct. 13. Please provide any dietary restrictions and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
COME PREPARED: Attendees will need to plan to bring the following items:
Saturday’s forest forage
Register online in ADVANCE (no wifi available in the forest) for your REQUIRED FREE mushroom permit
Sturdy walking boots (closed toe shoes)
Wear a bright colored item such as a jacket, vest, backpack or hat (it is hunting season) – MANDATORY!
Wear longs pants and long sleeves (walking through forested habitat)
Pack extra layers to stay warm, including hat and gloves
Bring waterproof pants and jacket (in case of rain)
Sack lunch for Saturday and Sunday (no refrigerator) and beverage
Collecting basket
Knife for mushroom cutting
Sunday’s studio session
Water bottle
Pen for writing
Apron to protect your clothes
Gloves to protect your hands
WORKSHOP PRICE INCLUDES:
Workshop
Farm foraged dinner
Materials fee
SCHOLARSHIP:
We are offering a partial scholarship and the link to register is here. Please note that we will award the scholarship before the workshop opens, so APPLY NOW as registration closes 5PM Pacific Wednesday May 3! All are welcome to apply!
ABOUT JULIE:
Julie Beeler is a designer, artist and educator living at the base of a volcano in Trout Lake, WA. Growing up with a deep love and curiosity for the natural world, she conceived and launched Bloom & Dye along with the Mushroom Color Atlas to grow her work and passion to benefit what she values most: curiosity, education, creativity, collaboration, community, and the environment. For Julie, educating others on how plants, fungi and their colors reflect the beauty of nature is something she is moved to share as a way to inspire care, stewardship and impact. Her textile work is bound up in the landscape; every thread is infused with earthly energy as she gently simmers Mother Nature to unlock her colors. Drawing on cultural traditions and ancient natural dye histories, each textile object is a record of a place and time, reflecting our relationship to the natural world. For seven years she was on the faculty of Pacific Northwest College of Art and Oregon College of Art & Craft in Portland. When she is not out foraging you can find her tending to her flower farm, working in her art studio, or leading workshops.
Did you see Julie on FEEDBACK FRIDAY? Watch the video recording here.
Draw the Mushroom with a Graphite Pencil
Before we start working with colored pencils, it’s necessary to create the outlines (or contours). I recommend planning your composition beforehand. Create a miniature sketch or just draft a rough model of the image in your mind. Will there be any secondary objects like leaves, twigs, or berries? Now is the time to make these decisions.
First, I mark the boundaries of the drawing and set the composition. I decided to go for a couple of mushrooms instead of just one, but the second fungus will be smaller. It is supporting its larger and older neighbor.
I add a couple of guiding lines that mark the floral elements. I also mark a stylized shape of the leaf in the lower portion of the drawing.
As you can see, I’m presenting the mushrooms as a set of forms that have some volume. This positioning helps to create a more credible, realistic drawing.
Note that the cap of the larger mushroom has a specific relief. There is a shallow hollow in the middle of the cap’s top, and the cap is bending downwards along its edges.
You don’t have to draw all of these imaginary ovals and core lines, but these marks help me to create a structure for the drawing. Keep your lines as light and few in number as you can. My outline is relatively heavy for a colored pencil drawing in order to demonstrate the construction process. It may be helpful for some beginning artists to see these steps.
At this step, ask yourself if you like the composition? Are you pleased with the general impression of your basic sketch? If yes, let’s proceed. However, if there is something that needs to be changed, take your time to make those tweaks. Having a balanced composition is extremely important.
Next I refine the mushrooms. I change the shapes of the caps and stems. The contour lines should be organic, just as the objects are that we’re drawing. I erase all the unnecessary graphite marks as I go.
I mark the hollow in the cap of the bigger mushroom. The younger fungi usually don’t have this feature.
I draw the details of the cap’s underside, indicating the gills.
I add the surrounding elements. I draw the sphagnum moss, applying short lines that go in different directions. There are several moss-like elements of varied sizes, resembling small fern leaves. It’s good to have some variation of shapes in order to add variety and create a more natural appearance.
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I refine the twig of the red whortleberry, adding more leaves. Note the direction of the upper leaves – they guide the viewer’s attention to the larger mushroom.
The leaf gets some veins as well. Remember, you don’t have to outline all of the details – only the ones that you feel are essential.
Drawing a Mushroom with Colored Pencils
Before making marks with colored pencils, let’s first evaluate the intensity of the graphite pencil marks. Excess graphite left on the surface can contaminate the colored pencil applications. Lift any bold marks with a kneaded eraser.
We’ll first do some work to preserve some of the lighter values. I cover the mushrooms’ stems and the undersides of the caps with White. A white layer will show through the subsequent applications, affecting their value and, less significantly, the hue. A white under layer makes it easier to restore a light tone, if so required later in the process.
Then I cover the caps with Earth Green Yellowish. I also add this color to the floral elements around the mushroom, creating a base layer.
Keep the pressure light on your pencil. You can create small circles or directional lines – the technique is up to you. When working on grass and moss, I recommend that your marks flow in the same direction as the plants grow.
Now it’s time to start creating the pattern on the mushrooms’ caps. I work with Juniper Green and Chromium Green Opaque. These colors belong to the green family, but their perceived temperatures are quite different. The first color is cooler and the second one is warmer. Using them together creates variety.
You can choose to use the cooler hue mostly in the lower part of the cap and the warmer one in the top area. Or, apply them interchangeably.
The pattern consists of separate rounded shapes of different sizes. Some areas get a uniform covering – this is especially true for the central parts of the caps. You’ll find my samples of marks in the image below.
Young fungi usually have a less pronounced texture, so I avoid drawing too many separate spots on our smaller mushroom.
I also mark the hollow in the center of the bigger mushroom’s cap.
I add Olive Green Yellowish to the bottom part of the drawing. I mark the darker areas, including the gaps between the grass blades and in the moss. Inspect your drawing at this point. Your marks should conform to the pattern of shadows. However, the moss texture is quite forgiving, so developing a rough interplay of lighter and darker areas will get you a suitable result.
This green has a pronounced inclination to a dark, muted yellow sub hue. Using it to draw the floral elements will make the artwork more realistic.
Also, I intend to influence the caps and surrounding plants so that they differ in terms of color temperature. In my mind, the caps should be slightly cooler than the grass and moss.
With Warm Grey II, I develop the core shadows on the mushrooms’ stems. The texture isn’t completely smooth so feel free to add some details of relief – for example, small cuts, bumps or hollows.
I also draw the gills on the larger cap’s underside. When you’re working on details, keep the tip of your pencil sharp for added control and precision.
I cover the red whortleberries with Dark Red. The shadowed areas get additional layers of color – making the color richer and darker.
I add some Prussian Blue to the shadows. Be careful and keep the pressure at a minimum, especially when working on the lightly colored areas.
Too much of this blue hue may look unnatural. In small amounts, it gives the shadows a natural feel.
At this point, we still see too much of the paper showing through the drawing. The artwork looks slightly raw and rough. It’s time to increase the density of color.
I add another layer of color to ensure solid coverage with Earth Green Yellowish. The caps, leaves, moss – everything becomes much more saturated. All of the existing applications of color still show underneath, increasing the complexity of the color in the drawing.
Now we can increase the pressure on the pencil. (But just slightly!)
With Juniper Green, I make the pattern of the caps more noticeable while also strengthening the darker areas.
I apply Olive Green Yellowish to the floral environment. I like the existing bright green hue, but it needs to be muted down to look more realistic. At this step, the tip of my pencil is very sharp.
I also add this green to the mushrooms’ stems. There are cast shadows that the caps cast on the stems – we should intensify them. Some strokes of this color may be added to the caps as well.
Optionally, you can add more strokes of Earth Green Yellowish to the environment. Use this pencil if the layers of color are still lacking the desired intensity.
Now we have enough pigment on the paper – it’s time to burnish our drawing. I’m going to use the White pencil to complete this process. Burnishing smooths out any remaining surface texture produced by the texture of the paper. This step will make the drawing look more like a painting.
I pay particular attention to the mushrooms’ caps and stems. The goal is to polish the surface so that no tooth grain is showing through. Burnishing moves the pigment around, so some areas may appear slightly lighter after this process.
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I also burnish the flora and the berries, moving the pencil alongside the elements and within the lines.
Using White for polishing the artwork is not the only option. If you’re a more experienced user of colored pencils, I suggest burnishing some areas of the caps with Warm Grey II and Earth Green Yellowish to create more variety.
The drawing is almost complete. All that’s left are a few minor changes that will enhance the result.
With Olive Green Yellowish, I enhance the details of the larger cap’s underside gills. In order to develop these details, the pencil tip is super sharp! I also add this shade to the darker areas of the stems, carefully applying the pencil with short hatches.
With Warm Grey II, I mute the brightest areas of the stems.
I add just a bit of Prussian Blue to the shadows in the moss. I also use Walnut Brown to increase the contrast in this area. You can apply the pencil in a soft shading manner or draw single lines that simulate grass or moss elements.
Lastly, I evaluate the drawing once again and make sure that there are no specks of white paper showing through. Earth Green Yellowish may be used to fill in any remaining specks of white.
How to Draw a Mushroom with Colored Pencils – Conclusion
Thanks for joining me on this journey. As you can see, it doesn’t require a ton of colors to create complexity in a colored pencil drawing. Even a simple subject, like this mushroom, can lead to a rather complex colored pencil drawing. Be sure to start with a solid graphite sketch and patiently layer colored pencil applications. Most importantly, enjoy the process.
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