Keep in mind that odourless solvents STILL are not something designed for our lungs…!

Don’t water-soluble colored pencils appeal to you? Some of them, like Faber Castell Albretch Durer are excellent!

In any case, you never dip the pencils in liquid if you wish to keep them in a good state. Just use the CP dry and use a brush with water or solvent on it, always a small amount of liquid, after getting rid of the excess on a piece of paper towel.

This has been actually my only experience with water-solubles, used as a first step, and complemented with dry applications along the way. Some artists start with a watercolour wash and do the same. There are many ways to combine healthier products…

I have just come across a tortillon being used for blending in small spaces. They come in small sizes. Put just the tip into the OMS and blend. If you change colours, you would have to wait for the tortillon to dry and then sand the colour off on very fine sandpaper. They are very cheap so it is not going to break the bank to have quite a few. In the demonstration, a very small container with a screw top lid with a sponge in it and a small amount of OMS was used for portability. I haven’t tried it yet but it sounds and looked interesting.
Vena