Watercolour pencils are a fascinating and versatile medium for artists, offering the best of both worlds – the precision of coloured pencils and the fluidity of watercolours. If you’re a beginner artist looking to embark on a creative journey with watercolour pencils, you’re in the right place. These goodies offer several advantages and creative possibilities that can enhance your artwork.
Why Watercolour Pencils Matter When Watercolouring
Watercolor pencil art pieces allow for precise and controlled application of pigment. You can use them to create fine lines, intricate details, and sharp edges, which can be challenging to achieve with traditional watercolour brushes alone.
They are excellent for layering colours, enabling you to build up depth and intensity in your artwork. This layering technique can add richness and complexity to your paintings. What’s more, watercolor pencil art pieces are compact and easy to carry, making them ideal for outdoor or on-the-go painting. You don’t need to carry water containers, palettes, or multiple brushes, making them a convenient choice for air painting.
Unlike traditional watercolours, watercolour pencils are more forgiving. If you make a mistake, you can lift or adjust the pigment with a damp brush or paper towel, allowing for corrections and fine-tuning. Watercolour pencils can be used in conjunction with other art mediums, such as regular coloured pencils, ink, or acrylics. This versatility opens up a wide range of mixed-media possibilities, allowing you to experiment and create unique effects.
Factors to Consider When Buying Watercolours
- Quality – Invest in high-quality watercolour pencils from reputable brands. Quality pencils typically have better pigments that are more vibrant and lightfast, meaning they won’t fade over time.
- Colour Range – Look for a set of watercolour pencils with a broad range of colours. A set with 24 or more colours will provide you with versatility and the ability to create a wide spectrum of hues.
- Lightfastness – Check the lightfastness rating of the pencils. Lightfast pencils are less likely to fade when exposed to light over time. Ratings are typically indicated on the packaging or in product descriptions.
- Blendability – Test the blendability of the pencils. High-quality watercolour pencils should blend easily when you apply water. This is a crucial aspect of achieving smooth transitions and gradients in your artwork.
- Texture of Paper – Consider the texture and weight of the paper you plan to use with your watercolour pencils. Different papers react differently to water. Heavier, textured watercolour paper is recommended for best results.
- Individual vs. Sets – Watercolour pencils are available for purchase individually or in sets. If you’re just starting, a set is a good option as it provides a variety of colours. As you become more experienced, you can purchase individual colours to supplement your collection.
- Price – While quality is essential, it’s also important to consider your budget. High-quality watercolour pencils can be an investment, but they often yield better results and last longer, making them a worthwhile purchase for serious artists.
- Reviews and Recommendations – Read reviews and seek recommendations from experienced artists or online communities. Hearing about others’ experiences with specific brands and sets can help you make an informed decision.
The Different Techniques in Watercolour Painting
Watercolour painting offers a wide range of techniques that artists use to create various effects and achieve different textures and styles in their artworks.
Washes
Flat Washes involve applying an even layer of diluted paint over a large area, usually using a large brush. This technique is often used for background or base layers. Graded Washes are a variation of the flat wash where the intensity of the colour gradually changes across the area, creating a smooth transition from light to dark.
Wet-on-Wet
In this technique, wet paint is applied onto a wet paper surface. The wet paper allows the colours to blend and flow together, creating soft and diffused edges. This technique is ideal for creating smooth gradients and atmospheric effects.
Wet-on-Dry
Here, wet paint is applied to dry paper. This technique offers more control and is suitable for precise details and sharp edges. It’s commonly used for adding fine lines and intricate elements to a painting.
Glazing
Glazing involves applying transparent layers of paint over dry layers that have already been painted. Each new layer modifies the colour and adds depth to the previous layers. Artists can build up intensity and complexity through multiple glazes.
Dry Brush
Using a nearly dry brush with minimal water and paint, artists can create textured and scratchy effects. This technique is often employed to depict rough surfaces, foliage, or the details of textures like fur or wood.
Masking
Masking is the process of preserving specific areas of the paper by covering them with masking fluid or tape before applying paint. Once the paint is dry, the masking is removed, revealing untouched white paper underneath. This technique is useful for preserving highlights and achieving crisp edges.
Lifting
Artists can remove or lighten paint by using a clean, damp brush or paper towel. This technique allows for corrections or the creation of highlights by selectively lifting pigment from the paper.
Salt Texture
Sprinkling salt (table salt or sea salt) onto wet paint creates interesting textures as the salt absorbs the water and pigment. The resulting patterns resemble stars or crystals and add an organic, granulated texture to the artwork.
Wet-in-Wet and Dry-in-Wet Combinations
Artists can combine wet-in-wet and dry-in-wet techniques in a single painting. For instance, they may apply a wet wash to part of the paper and then add dry pigments or details into the still-wet areas for controlled blending and soft transitions.
Splattering
Splattering paint onto the paper using a brush or toothbrush can create a spontaneous and lively effect, resembling textures like rain or the splatter of leaves. This technique is often used for background textures or adding energy to a painting.
Sgraffito
Sgraffito involves scratching or scraping the surface of the dried paint with a sharp tool to reveal the paper underneath. This technique can be used to add fine details or create textured effects.
Negative Painting
Negative painting involves painting around the subject rather than painting the subject itself. This technique creates shapes and forms by defining them through the negative space around them, resulting in intricate and layered compositions.
These are just some of the many techniques that artists use in watercolour painting. The choice of technique depends on the desired effect and the artist’s creative vision. Experimenting with these techniques and mastering their nuances is part of the joy and exploration of watercolour painting.
