Technique Tuesday – All a Flutter

Good Morning Stampers

I've been coloring with watercolor pencils a lot lately and thought I'd share a couple of tips on how to use them.

If you've always wanted watercolor pencils but have been holding off, now is the time to get them.  Our watercolor pencils are among the best on the market.  The pencils come in a sturdy tin, so they'll last for years.  It is so easy to get a professional watercolor look when you blend the colored images with an Aqua Painter or Blender Pen.

I created this card using the watercolor pencil and blender pen technique on the butterfly.Watercolor pencils allow for soft graduated shading and professional looking blending effects. Embossed designs look beautiful when shaded with colored pencils. Watercolor pencils are more versatile than regular colored pencils. You have the option of creating colored pencil effects of watercolor painting effects. Colored pencils can be used only for coloring in an already stamped design. They cannot be used directly on your stamps.

T E C H N I Q U E S

APPLYING/BLENDING WATERCOLOR PENCILS:
When using colored pencils start with lighter colors first and work to the darker. Let the colors overlap and blend for interesting shades It is more effective to apply several light 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.

CREATING WATERCOLOR EFFECTS: (OPTIONAL)
Once the coloring is completed, you can stop here, or achieve different effects by adding water.

• Color your image with dry pencils, blending and shading as desired. Dampen a paintbrush with water and paint over colored areas. A barely damp brush gives brighter color, with pencil lines 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 the paper to buckle.

• Blend the colors instead by stroking with a blender pen, eliminating the need for brush or water.You will find that this is a great use of the blender pen!

WATERCOLOR TECHNIQUES:
Watercolor pencils give you professional looking results with the benefits of ease in use, lots of pigment, reasonable price, and the use of a fine point for coloring small areas.

• Use with a palette: rub a pencil tip on a piece of paper, building up pigment. Use a damp brush or blender pen to pick up pigment and add 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 to the tip of the pencil. This will give you undiluted pigment for strong colors.

• A thick opaque look can be achieved by dipping the pencil tip in water and applying the color wet.

• Dry use of watercolor pencils to color stamped images on dark paper gives beautiful results.  Click here to see a couple of recent cards I made for my Techniques Class.

Thanks for stopping by today