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I've looked into the other Prismacolor threads and haven't seen an answer to my question.
There are several types of Prismacolor pencils. Does it matter whether I purchase Premier, Scholar, Verithin...
Thanks for your help Stampers! I always appreciate it.
They all have different properties so I guess it matters in terms of what you want to achieve. Scholar has less pigment and more carrier so they're the "budget option", Verithin are a harder formulation so you can get a very fine point on the lead for detail work. If you plan to colour stamped images and maybe use mineral spirits (Gamsol) for blending then the Premier are likely to be your best bet - you'll probably get frustrated by Scholar as they lay down less colour so you won't get the rich results you probably associate with Prismacolor samples you've seen online and with Verithin it's easy to feel they're "scratchy" because of the hard lead.
I understand people have had some issues with Prismacolors manufactured more recently (they moved production, I think to Mexico but don't quote me on that) in terms of blending. There are certainly threads around on that issue so you might want to have a look at those before you invest heavily to see what the general feeling is.
One of the beauties of Prismacolor (and many other high-grade pencils) is that you can buy open stock so getting one or two pencils to try is an option rather than having to get a full set and then finding you don't like them. I have Prismacolor Premier (older ones), some Derwent ColourSoft and a couple of Walnut Hollow pencils - they're all slight different and although I like them all, some people have a definite preference so trying a few out if you possibly can is a great way to find out what suits you. There are other brands that people might be able to wade in and recommend too (Polychromos and Spectrum Noir spring to mind - there'll be loads I can't remember at the moment though!).
Joanne, I always appreciate your answers. I bought Premier, and my LSS sells them individually so I have quite a few. I use blender stumps and odorless mineral spirits, but can I use some other tool with the OMS? I love the look I get with the stumps, but I'm not crazy about them. Could I use a blender pen or some other type of tool?
Joanne, I always appreciate your answers. I bought Premier, and my LSS sells them individually so I have quite a few. I use blender stumps and odorless mineral spirits, but can I use some other tool with the OMS? I love the look I get with the stumps, but I'm not crazy about them. Could I use a blender pen or some other type of tool?
Kathy, here are some Prismacolor colorless blending pencils for a great price at Walmart. I don't have these but there are some nice reviews on Amazon about them. I don't think they blend as well as the stumps and OMS, but people say you can get a softer blended look with them.
As Bugga says, you can use the blending pencil but those don't need OMS, you just use the pencil to kind of "burnish" and blend the pigment you laid down with the coloured pencils. I have one made by Derwent and I use it occasionally - works best when you have lots of colour laid down and want to blend a couple together or just get a smoother look to a solid colour, they won't give you that sort of "halo" you can get with OMS.
What don't you like about the stumps? You can use something like a firm q-tip with the OMS but those are skinnier and to my mind, harder to grip and control. I've seen people sing the praises of filling the Tim Holtz fillable marker (designed for alcohol ink) with OMS and using that - I haven't tried it but it sounds like it should work so if you feel a marker would be more comfortable than a stump, that might be an option.
I have a blender pencil but don't get the effect I want. I totally forgot about the Tim Holtz refillable marker. I have one or two of those! Thanks. I guess I just don't like cleaning the stumps. They color nicely though.
I have a blender pencil but don't get the effect I want. I totally forgot about the Tim Holtz refillable marker. I have one or two of those! Thanks. I guess I just don't like cleaning the stumps. They color nicely though.
Kathy, just a suggestion. If you have the Dollar General stores in your area, they make a house brand of "Q-tip". They are really tightly woven on the ends, and not "fluffy" like regular Q-tips. They have less cotton, so that's probably why they are cheaper, lol. I like them to use with my eye shadow and eyeliner when I use make-up. I don't like the fluffy, fuzzy name-brand Q-tips. These cheaper ones might work well for blending, too.
__________________ Bugga in OK
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I guess I just don't like cleaning the stumps. They color nicely though.
If you keep a stump for each colour family, you don't need to do much cleaning if you prefer not to! When you're done with colouring, just wipe the tip of the stump on some scrap paper until no more colour comes off. An occasional wipe with a piece of sandpaper will give it more of a spring clean if you feel it needs it.
I'd be interested to know how the refillable marker works out if you try that. My only hesitation would be whether the nib would get gummed up too quickly.
Joanne, I always appreciate your answers. I bought Premier, and my LSS sells them individually so I have quite a few. I use blender stumps and odorless mineral spirits, but can I use some other tool with the OMS? I love the look I get with the stumps, but I'm not crazy about them. Could I use a blender pen or some other type of tool?
Started to answer this the other day and Firefox crashed on me, then I forgot to come back! You can use an alcohol blender to blend pencils - it makes the tip ugly but doesn't ruin it. There are also these Finesse blenders that are made specifically for pencil blending: Colored Pencils Blender Pens | Finesse Blending Pen - JerrysArtarama.com
The blender pencils do work well (I like the Lyra and Derwent ones best) but they don't work in the same way as the solvent blenders, where we color, blend, color, blend. They're meant to burnish areas of color after all the color (in multiple layers even) has been laid down.
I'm with Joanne on the stumps - I have one for each color family so I don't need to sharpen or clean.
You can just color off on a scrap piece of paper. They're fun to work with and very portable. I do think the Copic or Touch blender tips are more durable though, and refillable.
Prismacolor Question
