Does anyone have any good ideas on how to make special effects work with dry techniques? Â (I use colored pencils as my main medium.) Â When creating a glowing effect, plan beforehand how far the glow reaches, how bright it should be in various points, and what surfaces might reflect the light.
Most non-computer media do not look so great applying lighter colors onto darker to create highlights. Â (I know there are exceptions and it all depends on this and blah blah blah. Â I am saying that adding a yellow glow on an already black surface tends to fail in something like colored pencil.) Â Hence, planning light and dark in advance is necessary. Â Also, knowing what kind of light is helpful. Â A softer and less focused glow will probably require more blending as it fades away from the source, while a focused beam could be drawn as a solid mass of light that is nearly consistent from source to destination.
Of course, shading, highlights, and other things connected to light sources are still weaknesses for me, so hopefully you can get more information from more experienced artists... or from your own practice and observation.