Watercolor pencils are special drawing tools that can help make an illustration or painting vivid in color. Working with watercolor pencils is quite simple if you understand how they work.
Features of watercolor pencils
Watercolor pencils are ideal for drawing colorful or translucent, airy sketches. They are suitable for professional illustrations and children's art. However, it is not recommended to purchase very cheap watercolor pencils, since they are usually quite tough, the lead in them easily crumbles, in general, the quality of such products is not the highest. Water-washable pencils can be purchased individually, so it is recommended to select several basic colors for review and sample. If you like the material, you can later buy a semi-professional or professional set of watercolor pencils.
Although these pencils are easily washed out with water, working with them is slightly different from working with regular watercolor. What are the rules for drawing with watercolor pencils? What should be considered? And what do you need to be prepared for in the process of interacting with these artistic instruments?
How to paint with watercolor pencils: basic rules
First, you can draw with watercolor pencils using different techniques. However, each technique has its own nuances that should not be forgotten. For example, using this material as ordinary colored pencils, you can get a very rich in shades and juicy picture. In this case, it is recommended not to forget to go over the color with a white pencil, it smooths the lines, evens out the tone. And if you draw with watercolor pencils on very wet paper, then you cannot press too hard on the lead. The pencil itself should not be sharp, otherwise it will damage the surface of the sheet.
Secondly, you need to find the right paper. Watercolor pencils work well on graphic paper, which has a very smooth finish. They are suitable for pastel and watercolor paper. The choice in this case depends on the technique and approach to drawing. It must be remembered that you should not wash out watercolor pencils applied to thin paper - less than 150 grams. Otherwise, the sheet will go in waves, the colors will be distorted.
Thirdly, to blur the tones, it is recommended to use either a waterbrush with synthetic bristles, where there is the possibility of a drip of water, or a very soft brush. Hard brushes should not be combined with watercolor pencils. Their bristles do not hold water well, very easily injure the surface of the leaf and are not well able to dilute the pigment. Because of this, the drawing can turn out to be dirty and hackneyed.
Fourth, do not mix more than two colors. It is believed that watercolor pencils are a kind of analogue of dry pressed watercolors. However, this is not quite true. Pencils have a richer pigment, so drawings with them look bright enough even after blurring the colors. The lead itself for quality instruments is soft, but still not as loose and pliable as dry watercolor. If you try to mix more than two colors at once, you can get an ugly and messy shade. It is necessary to apply colors for subsequent washing not in layers, but immediately, so that in the process of contact with water they mix.
Fifthly, do not forget that when working with watercolor pencils, the nap of the brush must either be blotted to get rid of pigment residues, or thoroughly rinsed every time a new color is to be washed.
Sixth, most watercolor pencils can only be blurred once. Therefore, we must act carefully, quickly and decisively. Dithering the color again is usually not possible. Trying to do this could damage the surface of the paper.
Seventh, when wondering how to draw with watercolor pencils, you need to remember the process of working with ordinary paints. It is necessary to blur the pigment with light, gentle movements, without trying to rub it into the paper. The work should be based on the principle: first, the light areas of the picture are worked out, then the dark ones.
Eighth, it is necessary to saturate the tone with watercolor pencils only after the sheet of paper is dry. Otherwise, you may get unexpected results. The paint will not flow, but there is a high probability of getting a dirty stain, which cannot be removed afterwards.
Ninth, before drawing directly, it is imperative to paint the available colors. Try to blur the watercolor pencils on a separate sheet to see what shade they give after contact with water. In general, the color tends to appear darker than dry. However, in some cases, especially if watercolor pencils are cheap, the shades after blurring can be highly distorted.
