Looking for a new medium to try? Watercolor pencils great fun to try and can be used to produce a variety of stunning effects. They combine the best qualities of watercolor paints and drawing pencils and are very handy if you want to create artwork on the go.
Watercolor pencils are a great addition to your art supplies and can be used either by themselves or alongside other mediums.
There are times when watercolor pencils are more convenient to use than other mediums. If you're heading out to do some sketching and painting, you can leave your watercolor paints at home and bring these instead. You'll just need a sketchpad, some water and a paintbrush (or a water brush).
The best way to try them out is to invest in a set of watercolour pencils and experiment them. There are lots of affordable sets of watercolour pencils to buy if you want to test them out – and if you like them you can invest in a more expensive set at a later date. You might prefer them to your watercolor paints or enjoy using them alongside other mediums.
In this guide, we'll be exploring some simple watercolor pencil drawing techniques and looking at some of the best watercolor pencils to buy. Read on to discover everything you need to get started.
Featured image by Unsplash/Zany Jadraque.
What are watercolor pencils?
So what are watercolor pencils? Watercolor pencils are coloring pencils that can be blended using water to create effects that resemble watercolor paints. They can be used as normal colouring pencils too!
Unlike watercolor paints, you may still be able to see pencil marks once you've added a wash of water over the top, but that's just part of their charm! Watercolor pencils can sometimes appear muted, if you're looking for vivid colours then you might prefer to use water soluble ink pencils.
As the pencils are water soluble, you can wet them again to reactivate them and move the paint around using your paintbrush. You can't do that with water soluble ink pencils, which are permanent.
Looking for more art supplies to buy? Stock up on the best watercolour paints and the best acrylic paints, or discover the best drawing tablet for beginners.
If you're looking for drawing tutorials, you can learn how to draw a dog, how to draw a cat and how to draw a tree.
How to use watercolor pencils
Here are some watercolor pencil techniques you can try at home – experiment and see what works for you!
Dry shading
Watercolor pencils can be used by themselves. Try keeping a section of your drawing dry to create contrasting textures.
Dry on wet
Wet the paper you're using, then draw over the top using your watercolor pencils. You'll find that the lines soften and may appear more muted in colour.
Wet the pencil
Instead of wetting the paper, try dipping the watercolour pencil in water then draw directly onto your paper. This can be an interesting way to create a gradient effect. You'll notice that the color has become more intense.
Blend using a wet brush
Draw onto your page using the watercolor pencils, then wet a paintbrush and brush it over the top to activate the pigment.
Dry pencil gradients
Use two colours (or more!) to create a dry pencil gradient. Start shading lightly and build it up gradually for more intense shades.
Blended gradients
Create a dry gradient using different watercolor pencils, then blend them together using a wet paintbrush.
Layered colours
Mix colours by layering one on top of the other, then blending with a wet paintbrush.
Take colour from the pencil
Take a wet brush and apply it to the tip of your watercolor pencil. Paint onto your paper just as you would using normal watercolors. This is a great way to get a more traditional watercolor effect without the lines you often see when you use watercolor pencils. This is ideal for areas where you don't want too much texture.
Lifting the paint
You can use a bit of tissue paper or kitchen towel to soak up excess paint and create lighter areas.
Looking for more painting projects to try? Explore our watercolour painting for beginners guide, discover easy watercolor painting ideas, learn how to paint a self-portrait, explore our favourite watercolor leaves tutorials, or try painting easy watercolor flowers.
