Mediapedia Colored Pencil

There’s a lot to like about colored pencils. They’re utterly convenient—a handful of colored pencils and a pad of paper are all you really need.

Prep time and cleanup are practically non-issues; the materials are light and portable, and you don’t need messy or toxic solvents. At the same time, col-ored pencils lend themselves to highly refi ned and exquisite works of art that rival those created with any other medium.

Colored pencils are relatively inexpensive, and the palette is extensive. The color is pure, clean and bright. The medium is permanent, and colored pencil drawings do not require elaborate care or storage. Along with hard and soft colored pencils, watercolor pencils and oil-based colored pencils offer more options.

Aside from their convenience and versatility, much of the appeal of col-ored pencils is the control they offer. You can do loose work, tight work or anything in between. You can use colored pencil to tint a drawing with light strokes that let the color of the paper show through, or you can use colored pencil to create a solid deposit of many layers of color. Because colored pen-cil is primarily a dry medium, there’s no drying time to worry about. You can walk away from the work and come back and pick up right where you left off. You can start and stop at any time.

Colored pencil offers the pleasures and rewards of both drawing and painting. Whatever other medium you enjoy, you’ll fi nd colored pencil a worthwhile addition to your repertoire.

Mediapedia ■ By Greg Albert

What is Mediapedia?Mediapedia is an encyclopedia of art media. Th e Artist’s Magazine will pro-fi le a diff erent medium in each issue for the rest of 2009. Next up: inks and markers.

■ Greg Albert, author of Th e Simple Secret to Better Painting (North Light Books), lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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ChemistryColored pencils are stable and permanent. Their cores are made of very fi nely ground pigment bound with hard wax. Watercolor pencils are made with water-soluble cores; oil-based colored pencils have soft cores that are soluble in solvents such as mineral spirits. Some colored pencils are made without wood casing.

How do watercolor pencils diff er from other colored pencils?Watercolor pencils look and feel like wax-based colored pencils, but the binder in the core is water-soluble. Th is allows the artist to use a wet brush to blend the colors and make colorful washes, soft edges and many other eff ects. Watercolor pencils are an exciting medium because they enable the artist to switch from drawing to painting instantly.

Are diff erent brands of colored pencil compatible?Yes, but the hardness of colored pencils’ cores varies by brand. Layering softer pencils over hard is easier than the reverse. Wax-based colored pencils can be used with watercolor pencils but won’t react to water in the same way.

How can I correct and prevent wax bloom? Wax bloom is a whitish buildup of wax that comes from a heavy deposit of wax-based colored pencil. To remove wax bloom, wipe the surface of the paper with a soft tissue. Th en to prevent wax bloom from reoccur-ring, lightly spray the drawing with two to four layers of workable fi xative. Keep the surface of the paper clean by using a soft brush to sweep away stray particles of color and dust, especially after employing a technique such as sgraffi to (scraping away a layer of color).

How should I store and display colored pencil art?Spray fi nished colored pencil drawings with a fi nal, non-workable fi xative to protect them from smearing. Drawings are best stored fl at in boxes or a fl at fi le with sheets of glassine or white drawing paper between the drawings. For better protection of your best draw-ings, consider matting. Colored pencil art should be displayed under glass to protect it from damage and pollutants.

Are colored pencils permanent?Colored pencils are very stable but are only as per-manent as the surface they’re on. Creating your art on acid-free paper will ensure that it lasts a long time. Protect your colored pencil art from rapid changes in humidity or temperature, and take special care to store it away from heat.

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Tips and techniques■ Shading: produced with an even side-to-side stroke that creates a smooth even layer of color. A light touch will deposit a faint amount of color for graduated shading. ■ Hatching: a series of evenly spaced, parallel lines that leave a little white or color of the underlying surface visible.■ Cross-hatching: hatching overlaid at an angle to build up layers of color or value. Keep the pencil tips sharp to create fi ne, even lines.■ Burnishing: layers of colored pencil applied with strong, even pressure so the colors blend or intermix, completely covering the paper with a smooth solid color. A stump or tortillion or a smooth metal tool applied with even, heavy pressure in a circular motion will also burnish a deposit of color. Burnish light-colored areas fi rst.■ Blending: produced by applying heavy, even pressure with a pigmentless blending pencil or a white or light-colored pencil (such as cream or light gray), creating slick, evenly blended color. A stiff bristle brush can be used to blend col-ors as well.

Burnishing or blending with pale ochre creates an aged or antique look for metallic surfaces, or use cloud blue to suggest atmospheric perspective. A colorless marker can also be used to blend layers of color together. Permanent markers are good for making washes or underpaintings in colored pencil drawings. ■ Scumbling: an irregular or broken deposit of one color over another allowing the underlying color to be visible through the top layer.■ Sgraffi to: produced by scratching through a thick upper layer of color with a sharp instrument to expose underly-ing color or paper. Th is is a useful technique to create whis-kers, wisps of hair or other fi ne linear details. Be careful not to damage the surface of your paper.■ Solvent eff ects: using a solvent such as mineral spirits—applied with a cotton swab or brush—softens the colored pencil deposit and creates interesting eff ects.

cross-hatching burnishing

blending scumbling

sgraffi to solvent eff ects

shading hatching

Safety and cleanupColored pencils are probably the safest pro-fessional art materials available. Th ere’s almost no risk of ingestion of pigments. If you use solvents, ensure that your work-space has proper ventilation. Observe nor-mal safe studio practices, and take care to dispose of pencil shavings neatly.





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bristol board, plate

bristol board, vellum

charcoal paper

Must-Have ToolsGood sharpener: A good quality hand-held sharpener is a must; an electric sharp-ener saves time and energy.Colorless blender: A colored pencil with a core made of pigmentless wax can be used to blend colors or soften edges without adding more color. Erasers: White plastic erasers will remove or manipulate colored pencil marks; eraser pencils and sticks are useful for concise erasure.Eraser shields: Th is small, fl at metal tool with openings of various shapes can be used for precise, controlled erasure.Cotton swabs: Th ese can be used for burnishing or for applying solvents.Knives: Use these or other sharp instruments for sgraffi to.Spray workable fi xative: Use fi xative to protect a fi nished drawing and prevent wax blooms.Sturdy storage box: Keep your pencils orderly and protected.

PapersAny good drawing paper is accept-able for colored pencil, but a fi ne-toothed, fi rm, durable paper or illustration board is best for exten-sive layering and burnishing. Not all papers can stand up to the pressure of the pencil, especially if you’re layering multiple colors, burnishing and blending. Paper with a rough surface can produce interesting textures, but it makes it diffi cult to apply completely even deposits of color. Experiment with different papers until you fi nd the ones best for your work. Here are some good surfaces to begin with:■ Hot-pressed watercolor paper, which has a smooth surface, is suitable to work on because it will take many layers of color and give good results when the deposit of colored pencil is blended.■ Bristol board is a good, lightweight board with two types of surfaces: plate, which is very smooth and is excellent for layering and blending; and vellum, which has a more textured surface and is less amenable to blending and burnishing.■ Charcoal paper, which comes in a variety of colors with smooth and textured sides, is suitable for various techniques.





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Mediapedia Colored Pencil