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How do you use watercolor or regular colored pencils?
A recent thread entitled Colored Pencils--ever too many, actually prompted this inquiry. How do most of you use watercolor (or regular colored) pencils? Is it mostly to color in outline stamps or are there other techniques you use them for?
I love to color but I've never really used the pencils although I have several. I just can't seem to get the affect I like--the colors aren't intense enough. I haven't really learned how to shade so that might be my problem. I'd love to hear any suggestions on how you use your pencils and see some examples and/or tutorials.
Try DerWent InkTense pencils - they have eye popping color.
I don't necessarily color the outside of the areas I want to color... I use the pencil on the spots I want the darkest, not all areas you want to color need to be colored with the pencil. Then I put water on the dark spots with a small brush and just drag the color to the white spots you want color in. I probably didn't explain that too well, but ... that's what I do, LOL.
You can put down a lot of color and layer the color. Don't scrub the paper and how much water your paper can take will depend on the paper. It takes practice (I still need loads). So don't get frustrated. There is a lot of pigment in those pencils so plenty to practice with until you get the look you want.
I like Inktense but wouldn't recommend them until someone is happy with their watercoloring and just wanted to intensify what they already were doing. Like many tools there is a knack to using them.
Color the outline only and then use a wet paintbrush to pull the color inward, great for getting a shaded effect since the color will fade out towards the center of the image.
Color the whole image and then use a paint brush to wet the pencil marks, good for more intense color, mixing several color together or for layers of multiple colors. Just be sure the area is dry before putting on a new layer of color or the paper will pill and/or tear. You will probably need a good quality watercolor paper for these techniques.
Get a more traditional watercolor effect by touching a wet paint brush to the pencil tip and the painting your image with the color that has transferred. Many will tell you this will damage your pencils but I've done this technique for 20+ years and my pencils are fine.
Do traditional pencil coloring with or without OMS
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With regular pencils: light touch, don't press down too hard, unless your doing it on purpose to achieve an effect.
use the rules of three when coloring an area- a light, a medium and a dark color. Do not use all the same color family either such as all green, a little yellow and maybe a little red or violet to accent highlights and shadows will make a huge difference for example.
The lines and streaks you get with pencil are a good thing if you learn to use them and not fight them. You don't need to use OMS on everything. The angle you hold your pencil and how sharp/dull your pencil is can be used to your advantage with practice. When coloring in clothing I often use a back and forth stroke with one color, up and down with the second and cross ways strokes with the third color.
Check out a book or two on Colored Pencil techniques from your local library, I learned a lot when I did.
I don't color on the paper with the pencils - I use a paintbrush or aquapainter to pick up pigment from the pencil tip and then paint that way - so more like traditional watercolor.
You should try Inktense - the pigments are very saturated. It's not a classic watercolor though - once it's dry it's permanent and can't be activated with water again.
Here's a video showing that and how intense the colors are:
There's no right or wrong way. I use both traditional and/or pencil. Sometimes I use brush to pencil and sometimes not. Sometimes I use inks like watercolors. To me it's all about the feeling of accomplishment when I'm finished, the relaxation while I'm doing it, and the joy of giving. Just have relax, have fun, and enjoy.
I color my pencils on a piece of watercolor paper to make a palette and then pick the color up from the palette with a damp paint brush. This allows me to have more control over the amount of color and to blend colors. If I want dark color I use less water and for lighter colors, more water. I then paint just like you do with any other watercolor medium.
Using the palette method allows me to watercolor on non-watercolor paper because I'm not getting the cardstock very wet so no pilling or bubbling.
One more thing I do is that I store all my watercolor mediums in one of the SU stamp boxes. I store all the same color of watercolor pencils, H2Os, crayons, etc. in one box. So if I want purple, I just look in the purple box and I can pick from any number of colors. Also, in the box I made a color chart that has a sample of all the colors in the box. Since I changed to this storage method I find that I use all my products and gives me a huge range of colors for water coloring.
I tired the Inktense pencils and although they have very bright colors I don't like them for water coloring. I use them like a wax pencil and for mixed media. The reason I don't like the Inktense pencils is because once they dry they are permanent so no more blending. For some artist this is a good thing, but I like to come back and re-blend and I can't do that with the Inktense. I don't recommend them for anyone who is just starting out because since the colors are so very bright, it may be harder for a new artist to control the color.
You should take Online Card Classes Watercolour class. It's over now but I believe you can still buy it. The forums are closed and you can't win the prizes but the lessons and videos are still available. It was amazing and covered too many techniques to count!
__________________ RebeccaEdnie Mixed Media Artist, Paper Crafter, Jewelry Designer SCSDirtyDozenAlumni Www.Boxofchocolatescrafts.Com YouNeverKnowWhatI’mGoingtoMake
Here's a whole playlist from Lindsay the Frugalcrafter using Watercolor Pencils. She is a great teacher. She has owned her own studio and teaches children and adults in her community. HTH
Here is a close up of an apple I drew and colored this weekend all done with Prisma pencils. I used three different colors of red, a yellow, yellow-green and Apple green. I used many layers of color, starting with OMS and the yellows and greens, the first couple of layers of reds were also blended with oms. At this point I was done with the OMS and put it away.
Then I started adding color and texture (lines) that I wanted as part of the image. I would color the apple and then blend/polish it with a paper towel and repeat. Some of your color will rub off so change the area of paper you are polishing with frequently to avoid contamination of colors. A few more layers of red over everything using the side of the pencil lightly and more polishing and it was done.
You will probably get some color bleed outside of what you are polishing but it usually comes off with a good quality eraser (white plastic). The only color I tend to have trouble with is red but as you can see I managed to get almost all of it off and decided if it wasn't perfect it's okay. It's art after all not a photograph.
How do you use watercolor or regular colored pencils?
