How to Paint a Realistic Moon with Inktense Pencils Over Acrylic Paint

Moon Painting Project Part 2: Refining the Moon with Inktense Pencils

In the first stage of this moon painting project, I created a dusky sunset sky with an acrylic glaze of phthalo blue, lemon yellow, burnt umber and varying amounts of white onto primed card. I now aim to touch up the lunar details with Inktense pencils, the focus of this demonstration.

Why Use Inktense Pencils Over Acrylic Paint?

I found Derwent Inktense pencils ideal for touching up detail on simplified glazes, as can be found in this painting. They are water-soluble art pencils that can be used for shading and detail, and, when added with water via a soft brush, behave like watercolour, but the pigment dries water-fast.

Inktense pencils offer greater control and enable small marks to be placed precisely where needed. Different colours can be layered, helping to create a natural-looking lunar surface.

Art Materials Used

• The completed painting of acrylic glazes, which have now dried.
• Inktense pencils of the following pigments: Black, charcoal, ultramarine, fern green and white.
• Optional: a white Caran d'Ache pencil for extra luminescence.
• A pencil sharpener or scalpel to keep the pencils sharp.
• Soft sable brushes sizes 3 and 6
• A palette with a small dipper for holding water.
• A rag to dab off excess water.
• And a photographic reference showing a close-up of the moon with of craters and lunar plains.

Step 1: Establish the Bright Crescent of the Moon

The grid of images shows how I gradually built up the detail of the moon over the basic acrylic glaze applied earlier. The first image shows the moon before I used the Inktense pencils. Notice the basic shapes and rough suggestion. This provides a good base on which to sharpen up detail to make the moon stand out.

Step 2: Develop the Main Crater Shapes

Firstly, I used a white Inktense pencil to reinforce the crescent shape of the moon. I drew the pencil over the acrylic glaze to sharpen the highlight. See how the crescent jumps out. I observed how the sunlight strikes the lunar surface via firm but controlled marks, feeding in the white to midtones to suggest the sun hitting the edge of craters.

The moon begins to gain volume, appearing less like a flat disc and more like a spherical object. See how it stands out against the black rooftops.

Step 3: Add Green Shadow Colours

Once I had established the crescent, I mapped out the midtone crater shapes, beginning with the charcoal Inktense pencil. See the moon as tonal shapes rather than detail. The photographic reference is vital here to precisely replicate the shapes. I fed in the ultramarine and fern pencils to make the moon appear less monochrome and belong to the green sky.

I dabbed a little water on the pigment to eradicate unwanted pencil marks that could rob the moon of a painterly feel. Only a tiny amount is needed for the pigment to flow. I will dab off excess water with a dry sable or rag.

Step 4: Introduce Subtle Green Accents

I experimented with the white Caran d'Ache pencil to see if it would add luminescence to the moon. I will often try out different products in a mixed media painting to see what will happen. In this case, I found I could attain a soft crayon-like feel to the midtones, but other than that, the Inktense alone was more than enough to make the moon the centrepiece of the image, and so I reverted back to the Inktense.

Step 5: Strengthen Contrast

The closing stages of this piece of artwork consisted of returning to the lightest and darkest areas to reestablish focal points to the moon. Strong contrast between light and dark will make any object stand out and draw the eye. Here, the black Inktense pencil can now be used to enrich the darkest areas. A little water will deepen the hue further, so care is needed here.

The Final Touches of a Painting

This final image shows the photographic resource I used and the Intense pencils. Viewed from a distance, the moon stands clearly visible against the night sky and retains a definite three-dimensional appearance.

A sharp, brightly lit rim can help separate the moon from the sky, whilst the black rooftop silhouette further emphasises the highlight.

Conclusion of Using Acrylic Paints and Inktense Pencils

The addition of Inktense pencil transformed the moon from a simple underpainted shape into a focal point rich with texture and detail.

The finished moon now stands out against the luminous green night sky, as opposed to the acrylic glazing stage earlier. This blend of acrylic underpainting and pencil refinement offers a high finish while maintaining a painterly feel.

Related Tutorial

If you missed the previous stage of this project, see:
Painting a Night Sky with Acrylic Glazes: Creating the Foundation for a Moonlit Scene

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