Ribbons are fun and (relatively) easy! Most ribbons are shiny, like satin, so the trick with shiny ribbons is the highlights. To create a highlight for any shiny object, you need a large area held back to paper white, with a fairly sharp line where the color starts. As usual, we start with the base color, which here is Mulberry. Placement of the highlights is also important. You need to decide where the light source is, and then create highlights on the tops of the curves and bumps in the ribbon. Highlights go on the tops of the curves, and shadows on the bottom of the curves. The highlights also need to be in a horizintal band from edge to edge of the ribbon. This simulates the stiffness of the ribbon; the softer the ribbon is, the more twisted and curved the shape of the highlight can be.

After the base color is down, I add in the trim color, which is Yellow Ochre. With ribbons, I like to decide where the highlights are with the primary color, so I do that first. Then it's easy to lay down the trim base color, which follow the same highlight areas.

Next, I blend in the lighlights with White. To keep the white really clean and not smeared with purple, I usually start the strokes in the center of the highlight, which should be paper white. Then I work my way outward, blending into the purple. Be sure to blend well beyond the highlight area and into the solid purple. This insures a good blending of the two colors.

Shiny ribbons are usually very high in contrast, with bright white highlights and deep shadows. My next step is to add a darker color as shading, which here is Violet. I chose Violet because it has more blue in it to complement the warm purple. If you try this, you'll see that Violet doesn't cover that well over Mulberry. It is one of those pencil combinations (there are several) that make you work. You can blend them, you'll just need to keep working it for a bit longer. Be patient and go over the area again and again to really work the color into the base.

Just as the main portion of the ribbon needs shading, so does the trim. I added Pumpkin Orange on the yellow trim, following the shading patterns of the main color.

The final step is to add Black. Just as the highlights are pure white, so shiny, reflective surfaces need some pure black to make them realistic. This is also true of other reflective surfaces, such as glass, crystals, and metals. As you would guess, you only put Black in the deepest folds and largest distances between highlights.

This technique can also be applied to any shiny surface, even porcelain, gloss paint, or plastic. The key to making things look shiny is the strong, sharp highlight. Everything else can change, but without the strong highlight, it won't look shiny.