One of the most unique ways and most fun ways to get started in visual art is by using watercolor pencils. Here are some fun tips and interesting info about how to get started.
When using watercolor pencils with water, use watercolor paper as regular drawing paper will buckle when it’s dampened. The most common approach to watercolor pencil is to loosely color an area then brush water over it to create a wash effect. When applying color in this manner, remember that the wash will look a few shades lighter than the pencils you’re using once they’re diluted by the water.
When it comes to blending watercolor pencils, start with lighter colors first and work towards darker colors. Let the colors overlap and blend for interesting shades. It is more effective to apply several like coats of pencil shadings, adding more until the desired intensity is reached rather than one very heavy application. Stray marks can be erased with an art eraser.
Here are some ideas about creating watercolor effects.
Once your coloring is completed, you can stop right there or you can try to use different effects by adding water. Color your image with dry pencils, blending and shading is desired. Dampen a paint brush with water and paint over the colored areas.
A barely damp brush gives a brighter color with pencil line showing. Adding more water will blend the colors more smoothly. The more water you add, the less intense your colors will be. But adding excessive amounts of water will cause the colors to run together and cause the paper to buckle. Blend the colors instead by stroking with a blender pen. That way, you can eliminate the need for brush or water. Now, this is a great use of a blender pen.
Here are some thoughts about some different watercolor techniques.
Watercolor pencils can give you professional looking results with the benefits of ease, lots of pigment or reasonable price and the use of a fine point for coloring small areas.
You can try to use them with the pallet. To do this, you rub a pencil tip in a piece of paper and you build a pigment. Then use a damp brush or a blender pen to pick up the pigment and add it to your art. This is a great way to mix colors. For bright bold colors, take the pigment directly from your pencil tip. Dip your brush in water and press it to the top of the pencil. This will give you undiluted pigment for really strong colors.
You can get a thick opaque look by dipping the pencil tip in water and applying the color wet or you can use the watercolor pencils dry to color in stamps and press them on dark paper or on valor paper. This gives beautiful results.
Here are some ideas about some other techniques.
There’s something called underpainting. Now you can underpaint broad spaces with washes of color, then you add detail and bring your artwork to life by defining shapes and areas using the point of your watercolor pencil. You can use different types of texture. You can create a thick texture with watercolor pencils by layering colors then using the edge of your pencil. Press heavily for a dark grainy texture or lightly for a subtle shading effect.
You can use a gradation technique by increasing or decreasing the intensity of any pencil just by varying the pressure you exert on the drying surface. You can bring out highlights by creating shadows with your watercolor pencils. To darken, use a pencil of the same color with a greater value or use cool greater black for a bolder effect.
There are lots of different things you can do and the more you play with your watercolor pencils, the better you will get at using them. So have a good time and make some pretty pictures.
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