Colored pencils: any tips for using, or good brands?

hi, just wanna say you dont need some fancy pencils, use what you got! dont press hard, just lightly scratch and pay attention to the direction youre colouring, if you just kinda go anyway its obviously not gonna look great. THE WHITE PENCIL IS USEFUL! trust me! i find it helpful to get a photo and make it black and white, try and identify what colours would be used in those shadows. i also take pictures of myself and use them as reference, i look at the colours and shadows ans stuff. its about layering i find, dont just go right it going one colour full out.

100% agree with Tyson's advice! Also, if you use a graphite pencil for linework, make sure to keep it light if you want it to be unnoticeable in the final drawing. You may also be able to lightly sketch with colored pencils, though those are harder to erase. I also recommend using the black colored pencil very sparingly when it comes to shading (unless you want duller/muddier colors. or are doing a piece in greyscale). The white colored pencil is useful for blending colors btw! It helps smooth them out, though it may lighten the color.