Colored-Pencil Techniques

The craving for color is a natural necessity just as for water and fire. Color is a raw material indispensable to life. At every era of his existence and his history, the human being has associated color with his joys, his actions and his pleasures."

— Frenand Leger

If the idea of trying to blend color using a brush and water makes you skittish, perhaps a better medium to start with would be colored pencil. A quick look at the difference in pencil qualities as well as how the quality of the colored pencils used will affect the outcome of the finished piece, will help you decide which type of colored pencil is best suited for this technique.

The "lead" or core of a colored pencil is comprised of a mixture of pigment, wax and fillers. The ratio of color pigment to wax and filler depends heavily on the quality of colored pencil used. Typically, artist-quality colored pencils have a higher pigment to wax and filler ratio. The "leads" tend to be softer, and you can control the amount of color you apply to your image simply by how much pressure you apply when coloring with them. While the technique demonstrated, and many of the samples shown, will be utilizing artist-quality colored pencils, use what you have on hand for learning these techniques. If you only have "craft quality" colored pencils, the biggest difference you will notice is that the pigment to wax and filler ratio is much lower, causing the leads to be harder. When coloring with craft-quality colored pencils you will find that they do not leave as much pigment and often need additional layers and applications of color to achieve the depth of color you are looking for.

The wax-based "leads" of colored pencils can be broken down using a blending agent called artistgrade odorless mineral spirits (OMS). The color can then be blended or moved along the surface of the paper using a tool called an artist blending stump. A blending stump is a tool formed of compressed paper pulp. The pulp is pressed into a dense tube and sharpened at both ends. It can be sharpened and cleaned using a sanding block or sandpaper pad. When looking for artist blending stumps, do not be fooled into purchasing tortillions. Tortillions are also used for blending, but they are tightly wrapped, hollow, paper blending instruments. And while they are created for blending, they will not soak up the blending agent the way a blending stump will; therefore, they will not produce the same outcome.

When working with colored pencils it doesn't really matter what type of ink you use to stamp your image, but you will need a good smooth-surfaced card stock for ease of blending. A good smooth-surfaced card stock with tightly woven fibers allows the pigment to be broken down and blended across the surface, whereas a lesser quality, rougher-surfaced card stock can be difficult to work with because the pigment tends to stay where you put it and will not blend out as nicely.

1. Begin by stamping your image and choosing which colors you plan on working with. It will be helpful to have multiple blending stumps to work with so that you do not have to sand as much between color changes and color applications.

2. Apply a heavy line of color to the left side of the areas you choose to color with your first color.

3. Roll or dip the tip of your blending stump into the odorless mineral spirits (OMS) until it is fully saturated, but not dripping. Note: If you are wary of working with odorless mineral spirits, are pregnant or have an allergy to it, pure baby oil can be used instead for this technique. It must be used sparingly so as to not stain the image you are working on, so a bit of experimentation should be done to find out just how much oil is needed to break down the wax and fillers in the colored pencil leads.

4. Using small circular motions, blend the color into the open white area of the image.

5. Using a sanding block or sandpaper pad, clean the first color off the tip of your blending stump before applying and blending the next color.

6. Apply and blend additional colors as shown, repeating steps 2-5 for each color.

7. Once you have colored your image, reapply a second layer of color to deepen the saturation until the desired color level is reached. Again, blend just as before using blending stumps and OMS.

8. Apply a thick line of color all the way around the inner edge of the frame image.

9. As a finishing touch, use a larger, fatter stump and OMS to blend the color inward toward the fish image. Be sure to stop just before reaching the fish to allow for a small halo of white to remain. This will cause the fish image to really "pop" and stand out.

Use your colored image to create your finished project.

Happy Birthday Fishes

Design by Keri Lee Sereika

Materials

• Card stock: green, light green, dark blue, white, cream

• Summer Soiree Beach House double-sided printed paper

• Stamp sets: Just Keep Swimming, Tag, You're It!, Lovely Labels

• Chalk ink pads: blue, black

• Colored pencils: chartreuse, aquamarine, indigo blue, true blue

• Odorless mineral spirits

• Blending stumps

• Sandpaper pad

• Brads: 4 silver round, 2 blue rhinestone decorative

• 22 inches 5/8-inch-wide green/white dot ribbon

• Die templates: Labels One (#S4-161), Labels Four (#S4-190), Classic Scalloped Squares SM (#S4-129)

• Die-cutting machine

• Piercing tool

• Adhesive foam squares

• Paper adhesive

Form a 6 x 6-inch top-folded card from green card stock. Cut a 5 5/8 × 5 5/8-inch square of printed paper. Adhere argyle side faceup to dark blue card stock; trim a small border. Adhere centered to card front.

Cut a 5 1/8 × 5 1/8-inch square of printed paper. Adhere floral side faceup to dark blue card stock; trim a border. Wrap ribbon around square as shown; tie a bow; trim ends. Pierce two holes in upper...