Creating realism in your coloured pencil drawings is about more than just layering your pencils (although that is a very important factor!). There are several other tools and techniques that will really help to add a spark of life to your drawings, and using an embossing tool is one of them.

When working on things like collars, I use an embossing tool to create the small stitches you typically find around the edges. 

To do this yourself, use a fine-tipped embossing tool and gently press it into the paper to form an indent. If you want a little more guidance, you can finely sketch an initial pattern onto your surface, so you’ll know where each stitch needs to be added. 

Once you’ve used your embossing tools to add your indentations, lightly layer pencil over the embossed lines. Usually, by the third layer or so, the stitching effect becomes more prominent and really effective.

To enhance the realism, incorporate shadows with the help of a knife or Slice Tool, which you can use to refine some of the stitches that may have become less distinct. 

Then, gently layer your pencils to smooth out the areas between stitches, which really helps to achieve that realistic leather appearance.

To find out how I put this technique into practice, click on the video at the top of this page.