How to Paint With Watercolor Pencils
Watercolor pencils offer the versatility of colored pencils and the painting option of watercolor paints. Draw, outline and shade directly onto your paper with the watercolor pencils, then use a wet brush to blend colors or turn the pencil marks to pools of wet paint. You can mix effects, leaving pencil marks visible as outlines beside painted areas. You can also wet the paper and apply the watercolor pencil marks directly onto the damp areas and disperse the color that way.
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Things You'll Need
- Watercolor pencils
- Can with water
- Watercolor paint brushes, various sizes, inexpensive are fine
- Watercolor paper or heavy paper, 140 lb. minimum recommended
- Pencil
Instructions
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Sketch out your image lightly on the paper using the pencil or watercolor pencil. A regular pencil will leave a slightly darker mark that will show through the watercolor and help define edges. The watercolor pencils will blend in better, but it will be more difficult to make edges and contours distinct. Use the method appropriate to your desired outcome.
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Select watercolor pencils that apply to the colors of your subject, and fill in areas of color on the paper. You can use a crosshatching technique—using lines that go in opposite directions—or turn the pencil on its side to shade larger areas. Keep in mind that you will liquefy some of the marks into paint, but you can leave others as pencil marks to add crispness to the painting.
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3
Dip the watercolor brush in the can of water, and begin to blot and wipe it across the watercolor pencil marks, turning them to paint. The pools of paint will sink into the paper and dry.
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Wet areas of the paper with the watercolor brush, and then draw into them with the watercolor pencils for a drawing and painting hybrid that exhibits softer edges.
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