by Katie White
Are you like me and feel intimidated by watercolors? Does the idea of learning how to use them seem overwhelming and scary? Well fear no more, for you can come to Ignite and explore a medium that looks like watercolors, but is much easier to use!
Watercolor pencils are made from hardened paint encased in wood. The paint is water soluble. When water is added to a drawing made with the pencils, the paint begins to dissolve. Because of this, watercolor pencils can be used to create effects similar to watercolor paints.
It’s common for artists to feel more used to drawing with a pencil over the daunting task of rendering accurate details and shapes with a brush. For many people, watercolor pencils can feel easier to use to get their desired results, as they provide better control. They bridge the gap between drawing and painting, so if you’ve only ever had experience with drawing, water soluble pencils will be a brilliant introduction to the watercolor medium as a whole.
Getting Started with Watercolor Colored Pencils
A great way to get comfortable with this medium is to start by practicing gradients. To do this, pick two or three colors that go well together, such as different shades of one color, or colors that are close on the color wheel. Draw the gradient first with the pencils by coloring your two chosen shades on either end of a rectangle. Then add a little water to a watercolor brush and apply it to the drawing. Use the wet brush to carefully blend the colors together, so you get something that looks like this:
Practice color gradients like this.
Once you have gradients down and are comfortable with using the pencils your possibilities are endless! Something I like to use watercolor pencils for is making cute little cards. These are great for every occasion and add a nice little personal touch. They also save you money! (I mean, have y’all seen the price of cards these days?)
Tulip Greeting Card
To make the tulips, start by picking out two or three colors like you did for the gradients. I chose red, orange, and yellow for my first tulip since they are all warm colors that will blend well together.
Red, orange and yellow are from the same color family.
Then, use the pencils to color a loose kind of tulip shape. This is easy to do by drawing an oval with a “w” on the top side. The darkest color should be at the bottom and the lightest at the top. You should blend the colors together a bit with the pencils. Next, use a wet brush to blend the colors together. The best way I found to do this was to paint along the outline of the tulip first, then use small, circular strokes with the wet brush to blend the colors until you achieve the desired effect. Repeat this process for five different tulips (or as many as you want!), spacing the flowers out so there’s still space to add stems and leaves.
Color the shape of the tulip.
Then use a wet brush to blend.
When your tulip petals are completed, you’ll give each flower one or two leaves. I usually make these just one color, as they are pretty small. This step requires some planning as you will have to leave some room to add stems and other details later. Use the wet brush over the drawn leaves to add the “watercolor” look.
Add leaves and blend with a wet brush.
Finally, use a calligraphy pen to add the stems as well as outlines, words, and any other details. Then you’re done!
A finished card!
Birthday Candle Greeting Card
Another easy card idea is this birthday candle one, which is just simple gradients in a thin rectangle and little festive flame at the top. Proceed like you are making gradients as described above, but be deliberate about making these in thin rectangles in a neat row. Use the wet brush to blend together your gradients. Then add a teardrop of yellow and/or orange “flame” above the candles and use the wet brush to blend it out.
Blend together gradients with a wet brush and add a teardrop shape of yellow above.
Finally, use a calligraphy pen to add details to the candles and flames, and a birthday greeting to your handmade card!
A finished card.
For even more watercolor pencil ideas, check out our Watercolor Colored Pencil Kit when you visit Ignite! Share your watercolor pencil art with us on the Ignite Community Discussion board on Facebook. Check out our other kit tutorials here. Happy Making!
