Clearly iStamp: Lets Talk Watercolor Pencils

Hi everyone! Its Katie here again for Technique Tuesday. I feel like the month has flown by already - its just about 1/2 over - ack!!!

Well, if you remember from last week, I mentioned that I would walk into the realm of watercolor pencils. First and foremost, I want you all to know that I am definitely no expert and would really consider myself a novice here. For today's info share, I am sharing what I know and one method of using watercolor pencils. It may be more than you know and it is just as likely less than you know. I like to learn just as much as I like to share so please feel free to comment and share from your own experience.

So lets get started. The pencils I used for this first part are Prisma watercolor pencils that I purchased at Michaels. From what I have read, these are quite popular but there are other brands out there that are just as or more popular such as Derwent and Durer.

I decided to use the same image that I used last week with my Copics for an easy compare, although we are talking about 2 totally different mediums with completely different looks which is the point - a different look to our stamped images.

And one final note before we get started. The method that I'm showing you today is generally considered backwards from what I can tell. I normally put all my color down first and then use some sort of blending method to color in my images. For me, this is faster and easier to control. Next week, we'll take a look at a different way of coloring with these tools with an addition of ink too.

So, first I gathered the pencils that I thought I might use because the lead on the pencils look completely different than the colors they become after adding the blending medium. I also used different papers too.
The top one is Georgia Pacific from Walmart, the middle one is a random piece of watercolor paper that I borrowed. All I know is that its some sort of paper specifically for water coloring. And the bottom paper is Papertrey ink cardstock. The blank pieces are there so I can sample my colors first before I start coloring on my final images. I stamped all three with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

Now I tested my colors on all three pieces. Always do a sample before starting!!! You can see the difference in the color and look of the pencils after adding your liquid medium. In this particular case I used a Blending Pen instead of water. I generally use a blending pen versus a water brush and that is just personal preference.

For those of you who aren't familiar with a blending pen, it is generally found with one end housing a larger tip and the other housing a fine tip. I don't know what the solution is made of, but there is definitely a solution in the pen and when it runs out you will need to purchase a new one. The pen that I used here is manufactured by Marvy and is available at Clear Dollar. Just click on the link above and it will take you right to it.

Cleaning is simple. Just brush onto a clean piece of paper until there is no color showing on the paper. The tip of your pen will more than likely stay stained depending on the colors you use. I will often make sure that there is no residue on the tip of my pen before I start blending in between using different colors.

I used the Dark Umber and essentially outlined my wagon and anywhere there are lines. The paper I'm working on here is the Papertrey ink cardstock.

When I use a blending pen, I brush from the outside inward. You are moving the color to cover the white spaces. If you are using an outline technique what you're doing is allowing for a darker look towards the outer edges of your image and a lighter look towards the inside and you are basically creating a shaded look at the same time. You can see that I've already "smoothed" out the color in the center of the top division of the wagon image.

Here is the wagon all done and filled in.

At this point, I outlined my wheels the exact same way. The one on the right is what it looks like after I used my blending pen. I not only move my brush in straight motions to move the color, but I also like to use a circular pattern. It really depends on what angle I'm coloring or the shape of the image.

Now to the heart image. I outlined all the hearts and am showing you what the one heart looks like after I've used my blending brush to color it in.

Here is a picture of all the hearts colored in and the in between spots getting ready to be blended. If you notice here, I didn't do all the edges because the space is too small. All I need is some color on one side or the other and that will still give me enough color to spread over the entire space.

I used a slightly darker pink for the inside and you can see the slight contrast.

For the next example I wanted to show you what I use if I am using water. I tend to use a water brush called an aqua painter. The top unscrews and then you can just suction or carefully fill the bottom of the brush with water. If you need more water at the tip of the brush all you have to do is squeeze the water holder section. This brush can get tricky though and you don't want too much water on your brush. If I've pushed too hard and have too much water at the tip, I just dab it onto a paper towel or cloth.

And one more note. You will often see that I refer to the same thing as water brush, aqua brush, or even an aqua painter. They all refer to the same item and again you can find one at Clear Dollar.

You can also simply use a paintbrush and a cup of water too. The aqua brush is handy just because its contained, but some people have more control using paint brush and an external water source.

I did the same example as above with my colors, but this time used the aqua brush to show you how the colors changed with the addition of the water.

In this example, I was using my unknown watercolor paper sample. I have to be honest here and say that this just didn't work for me and this could be just because I'm not familiar with using watercolor paper. I do know that I would like to purchase some and play some more. The texture of this paper seemed just that, too textured.

I must have had too much water because my ink ran on the top part of the wagon. Either way, I didn't like this sample and will have to work on different paper.

Here is another example using different paper - Papertrey ink cardstock.

Here you can see that I colored all the hearts in except for the darker pink on the right hand side. Remember this time with the water brush (aquapainter)

Now take note: The top half of the wagon was outlined and then colored in with the aqua painter. The bottom 1/2 of the wagon was colored in completely with the watercolor pencil and then "smoothed"/"evened" out with the aqua painter. The same goes for the wheels. The left was fully colored and then had the aqua painter used on it and the right wheel was just outlined with the watercolor pencil and then had the aqua painter used on it. There is definitely a distinct difference. Is one better than the other? No, it is a matter of preference.

Now, for this next picture I decided that I was going to add an additional layer of hearts onto my final project with pop dots so I decided to go back to my blending pen and compare the two. As you can see there is a difference. I used the same watercolor pencils just a different liquid medium.

And here is my final stamped image colored, cut, and placed on a card. I left the wagon two toned and offset my cut out hearts just a tad, but I did add more color to my wheel because I liked the look of a deeper color. Again, my personal preference. The background white was run through my cuttlebug using an embossing folder and my sentiment was made by combining two Clear Dollar sentiment stamps - Card Categories and Card Categories Too. I do have to interject and say that I love the combination of the two fonts.

Recipe: Cardstock: Berry Sorbet, Blush, White (Papertrey ink), Wagon Wishes, Card Categories, Card Categories Too, Prisma watercolor pencils, aqua painter and blending pen, Oval Punch, piercing tool, Embossing Folder, Cuttlebug

And one more card to share. I did want to show another type of image using the watercolor pencils. This image is from a stamp set called Country Bridges and it is essentially an image that can lend itself to watercoloring. With this particular card I combined my Close to my Heart watercoloring pencils as well as some of the Prismas I have. I also used both the aqua painter (mostly for the sky and green on the trees) and the blending pen too.

Recipe: Cardstock: Twilight, Cocoa (Close to my Heart), Designer Paper: Simple Pleasures Level 2 (Close to my Heart), Stamps: Country Bridges, Other: Nesties, Piercing Tool, Brads

In conclusion, I consider myself a novice when it comes to watercolor pencils and I readily admit that if I need a specific color I just might grab my son's Crayola watercolor pencils too. I have my Copics and love them, but as you might realize, I haven't thrown away my pencils yet. I enjoy using them because they offer me versatility when it comes to a different look and feel to my stamped images. This will also even extend out to the types of images you color. Clearly, larger, more open images would have quite a different look if using this coloring medium and is definitely more suited to an aqua painter versus a blending pen.

One more note too. Remember that depending on the type of cardstock you are using be gentle. Non watercolor paper will pill or shred if worked on too much.

Please feel free to share tips and/or links that you know in regards to the wonderful medium of watercolor pencils. And the same adage fits this as does the Copic marker. Practice makes perfect... or just better/comfortable. Either way, just have fun coloring :)

Next week, I was thinking we would continue with the watercolors focusing even more on the aqua brush... water to watercolor pencil as well as aqua brush to ink pads.

If you have any requests please leave a comment! Thanks for coming to visit Lori's blog and have a wonderful day and week.

This is Katie signing off for Clearly iStamp.

Comments

I'm gonna share this link with the rest of contacts. Good info! Thanks!

Posted by: College Term Papers | March 11, 2010 at 12:00 AM

Introducing Natural Hair Water Brush Pen with adjustable knob: http://www.blueheronarts.com/product_info.php?products_id=44
Watch this demo video on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKPegDsOBpM

Posted by: Henry | July 26, 2009 at 03:21 AM

Oooo, very nice comparison! Lovely watercoloring!

Posted by: laurie wilson | January 17, 2009 at 11:52 AM

Great information here, thank you!

Posted by: Gina | January 16, 2009 at 09:50 AM

I'm so glad that you did the tutorial on watercoloring pencils as I am just learning how to use mine. I've been using a regular brush but the more I see the aqua-painters the more I want one!

Posted by: karen L | January 14, 2009 at 12:58 PM