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  • #989131
    Brenda Y
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        The Introduction to Watercolor Pencil thread Linda started has really shown a lot of interest. As I was reading the most recent posts, it occurred to me that rather than letting that thread expand to the point of unwieldiness (not sure that’s a word :) ) — it might be interesting to open up a new thread where we can all post HOW we use these incredible little gems.

        Here’s some of the basic techniques I learned in a watercolor pencil class I took several years ago:
        1) Dry pencil on dry paper, then brush and blend with a wet brush
        2) Dry pencil on wet paper, blend more with a wet brush
        3) Wet pencil on dry paper, blend. . .
        4) Wet pencil on wet paper, blend . . .
        5) Apply wet brush to pencil tip and paint as you would with pans or tubes

        Here’s some texturing techniques:
        Tools needed: med or fine grit sandpaper squares that you can hold in curved shape in the palm of your hand, craft knife or pocket knife, pencil sharpener
        Effects or textures: Sand, rock, weathered wood, burnished metal, etc
        How to do it:
        1) After an area is painted and dried, wet only the area you want the texture, cup sand paper in your non dominant hand, using your dominant hand rub the tip of the w/c pencil over the sand paper while holding both hands over the wet area of the paper and holding the sandpaper at an angle so the “sandings” fall onto the wet paper. Let dry and then blow of tap off the “sandings” that fell on dry paper.
        2) Same as #1 except you use a craft knife or pocket knife blade and lightly “whittle,” using short taps, the tip of the w/c pencil over the wet area of the paper. Let dry and then blow or tap off any excess shavings.
        3) Save your shavings from using a pencil sharpener on your w/c pencils, carefully break off the wood parts and dispose of them (I use tweezers for this). Apply the uneven pieces of “color” to wet paper.
        4) ALL of these can be used on DRY paper and then misted with water for an unexpected texture and explosion of color. This technique is great for a background or undercoat for an ink drawing.

        I can’t wait to hear what everyone else can add to this thread!

        Brenda
        http://www.amberridgedesert.blogspot.com
        When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me". Erma Bombeck

        #1151023
        gotobemac
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            I would add to the list creating a ‘palette’ by scribbling colored pencil on a piece of paper (not your artwork) and dipping a wet brush into it then applying it to your artwork. I find I use this when I want to glaze a color that I have wet and let dry.

            Thanks for starting this thread Brenda. It will be educational to find out how others are using watercolor pencils.

            "If you hear a voice within you say, 'you cannot paint,' by all means paint and that voice will be silenced." ~ Vincent Van Gogh

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            #1151021
            ourcassidy!
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                Brenda, I pretty much use Them in the same ways you listed. I haven’t tried putting the color down then using spray for color explosion though. I sure will now!

                One of the things that help make these a favorite of mine is to use them in under paintings for my color pencil pieces and sometimes the pastels as well.

                Good thread.

                Pam

                #1151024
                Elliria
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                    It looks like this thread could use some love. If you want to add a layer of white or light-colored watercolor pencil over a layer of darker-colored watercolor pencil, try one of these methods:

                      [*]Create a fresh surface that watercolor pencils can draw on by applying a small amount of watercolor ground to the area and letting it dry.
                      [*]Create a fresh surface that watercolor pencils can draw on by applying a small amount of white gouache to the area and letting it dry.
                      [*]Create a fresh surface that watercolor pencils can draw on by applying a small amount of white gesso to the area and letting it dry.
                      [*]Dab at the area with a damp brush and then blot it with a dry cloth to lift the pigment from the previous layer.
                      [*]Erase the area with an eraser (this works on some brands of pencils).
                      [*]Erase the area with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
                      [*]Gently use fine sandpaper to sand away the current layer of watercolor pencil (you run the risk of damaging the paper beneath it, though).
                      [*]Gently use the edge of a craft knife to scrape away the current layer of watercolor pencil (you run the risk of damaging the paper beneath it, though).
                    #1151025
                    Elliria
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                        When going for a realistic look in your drawings, if you have white areas that you’ve left untouched so the white paper shows through, you’ll get a more natural or real look if you use white pencil in that area than if you leave it as plain paper, because the eye will pick up on the subtle difference between the two textures. If your pencil set doesn’t come with an opaque enough white pencil to get the job done, you can order an open stock white watercolor pencil from a company that makes them and use it with your set.

                        #1151019

                        Great tips and welcome Elliria!

                        Kay

                        Moderator: Watermedia, Mixed Media, Abstract/Contemporary

                        #1151026
                        Elliria
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                            Thanks! I’ve got over 200 more I’ve been collecting all over the place that I’ll be dropping in here one day at a time. Today’s tip:

                            A white pencil can be used as a blender pencil since it won’t really add color when used over any other color, but will smooth out the previous layer of color and spread it around into the tooth of the paper and filling in some of the gaps in the valleys of the tooth. It will lighten it just a bit and it won’t blend it as smoothly as the blends you can get from other methods, but it’s something you’ll may want to try and may want to use in some of your paintings/drawings. Adding additional layers of the previous color and the white can enhance this effect and finishing off with the previous color instead of white should overcome the lightening effect while still allowing the smoothing to have taken place.

                            #1151027
                            Elliria
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                                If you accidentally use too much water in a spot and lift off or push away pigment that you didn’t want to lift, don’t try to fix it while it’s wet. Let it dry completely and then layer more of the same color over that area with a watercolor pencil. If you try to fix it while it’s wet, you will usually either lift more pigment or continue to push the pigment away from the area rather than adding pigment to it.

                                #1151028
                                Elliria
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                                    You can side-load a clean paintbrush, either with paint that you’ve created on a palette from the pencils or with scribbled pencil on paper or another surface or by touching the pigment in a pencil with the side of a damp brush. Then lay the brush down flat and use it to just provide color along one side (to add shading to a flower petal, for example), giving you good control over where the paint goes. Lindsay Weirich demonstrated this technique in a YouTube video.

                                    #1151029
                                    Elliria
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                                        If you break a tip, try one of these:

                                          [*]Glue the tip back on with a tiny amount of Gorilla glue or super glue, applied with a toothpick or pin if the glue doesn’t have a needle-tipped applicator.
                                          [*]If the core broke inside of the pencil, press the broken tip back into the pencil, wrap the pencil in two layers of towel, and wrap a heating pad around it for a minute or so to melt the core together again. Do not leave this unsupervised and do not do it for very long.

                                          [*]Grind the broken tip in a mortar and pestle, put the resulting pigment in a palette, and combine it with water to make watercolor paint.
                                          [*]Soak the broken tip in a small amount of water in a palette, stirring occasionally to fully dissolve the tip and make watercolor paint.
                                        #1151030
                                        Elliria
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                                            Create a scored design in a blank area of the surface:

                                              [*]Stick a piece of Scotch magic tape onto your hand several times to remove some of its stickiness.
                                              [*]Stick the tape onto a blank area of your paper that you haven’t colored in yet.
                                              [*]Draw something on the Scotch tape with a ballpoint pen, pressing hard.
                                              [*]Remove the tape.
                                              [*]Choose one of these:

                                              [*]Color over the area. The pigment won’t go into the design.
                                              [*]Color over the area. The pigment won’t go into the design. Activate the area with a brush or blender pen. The scored area will be darker because more pigment will flow into it. [/LIST]Create a scored design in an already-colored area of the surface:

                                                [*]Stick a piece of Scotch magic tape onto your hand several times to remove some of its stickiness.
                                                [*]Stick the tape onto a colored-in (not activated) area of your illustration.
                                                [*]Draw something on the Scotch tape with a ballpoint pen, pressing hard to score the watercolor paper beneath it.
                                                [*]Remove the tape.
                                                [*]Choose one of these:

                                                [*]Activate the area with a brush or blender pen to see your design.
                                                [*]Color over the area again, either in the same color or another color. The pigment won’t go into the design. The design should show in the original shade or color.
                                                [*]Color over the area again, either in the same color or another color. The pigment won’t go into the design. Activate the area with a brush or blender pen. The scored area will be darker and will mix with the layer beneath it because more pigment will flow into it. [/LIST]

                                                #1151031
                                                Elliria
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                                                    When adding water to the pigment on the paper, try to always work from the lightest areas to the darkest areas so that you can control the movement of the paint that you’re creating and preserve the lighter and darker areas. An exception to this is when you deliberately want to spread the pigment to the surrounding area with less control the way you would when spreading paint in a flat wash or in abstract painting or just to see what kind of effect you can create.

                                                    #1151032
                                                    Elliria
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                                                        The type of brush you use for activating your watercolor pencils matters. Firm brushes will blend more aggressively and smooth out the pencil marks more quickly, but may push the pigment around and lift it accidentally. Fiber-tipped water brushes or blender pens will do the same thing, but are also capable of very subtle and gentle movements of pigment. Softer brushes will blend less aggressively, smooth out the pencil marks more slowly, and will give you control over where and how you push the pigment around, but can also lift the paint.

                                                        #1151033
                                                        Elliria
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                                                            If your illustration has any deep shadows or hard lines that you would like to keep defined, you might want to activate those first when coming into an area with a brush. Then let them dry completely before adding water to the surrounding areas. That way they won’t fade or bleed and lose their strength like they might if you activated the surrounding area first.

                                                            #1151034
                                                            Elliria
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                                                                You can use a light-colored pencil over a darker-colored layer to smooth out the pigment in the lower layer and lighten it slightly. As with the white pencil mentioned previously, you can do multiple layers of the light-colored pencil and the darker-colored pencil from the previous layer to enhance the effect, finishing off with the darker color instead of the light-colored one to overcome the lightening effect while still allowing the smoothing to have taken place.

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