How to Use Watercolor Pencils

Watercolor pencils can help you create beautiful watercolor artworks without using watercolors. You will use a pencil to draw on watercolor paper or thick water-resistant paper, then brush with water or spray water on the drawing. You can also alternate layers of pencil and water colors to enhance the watercolor effect. Feel free to experiment to see which effect you like best!

Table of Contents

Sketch the figure and color the background

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Use watercolor paper or cardboard. Watercolor pencils need to be watered after coloring, so you need to draw on material thick enough to not tear. Watercolor paper or cardboard are great choices. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If you prefer a smoother surface than watercolor paper, you can draw on a painting cover. This paper is thick enough to withstand water but is much smoother than watercolor paper.

Draw outlines with a regular pencil. Before you start coloring, you will need to sketch the drawing. You don’t have to draw too precisely or add a lot of detail – that’s what you’ll do after coloring. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Paint the background color on the drawing. After you have sketched the drawing, you will color the background. Do not use watercolor pencils in the same way as regular colored pencils, i.e. fill in the drawing. Instead, paint according to the general shape and direction of the pencil stroke you just drew; Remember to leave some space in between. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Although you don’t need to draw a lot of detail in this step, be careful with the direction of the pencil strokes when painting the background. After adding water, the direction of the pencil strokes is still clearly visible. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Don’t color in the areas where you want the lightest shade. Since you’ll then be blending with water, the areas left white will end up with the lightest shade that the nearby colors spread out. Leave the spaces where you want it to be the lightest color when filling the background. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Blend the painting with a wet brush

Paint the sketch with water and color the background. The brush size will depend on the size of the canvas and the areas where you want to create the watercolor effect. Thinner brushes will suit precise and detailed works. Thicker brushes will suit the abstract style. Dip the brush in a small bowl of water, then gently brush it over the rim of the bowl. ^{[6] X Research Source}

Gently brush the water over the pencil drawing. Apply smooth brush strokes over watercolor pens. When painting with water, follow the shape and direction of the pencil strokes. So the drawing will be very similar to watercolor, except that instead of dipping the brush into the watercolor, you will use water to paint on the colors already on the paper. Dip more water if you find the brush to appear dry when sweeping on the paper. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Wait for the first coat to dry before applying a second coat. You can add an extra layer of water to create a stronger watercolor effect. Wait for the first coat to dry completely before applying the second coat. Touch the paper with your fingertips – you should feel it completely dry when you gently press down. About 5 minutes try once. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

How long it takes for the water layers to dry will depend on the amount of water you use and the size of the areas being watered.

Add depth and detail with pencil and water layers

Add another layer of pencil. This is an opportunity for you to add depth to the colors of the painting. Once the first layer of water has dried, you can add another layer of the same color or a different color to create a layer effect. ^{[9] X Research Source}

For example, if you want to darken your drawing, you can overlap with blue and brown watercolor pencils. When added with water and mixed together, these colors will create a natural black color.

Apply another layer of water. The type of brush you use to apply the second coat will depend on the area you are layering. Use a small brush if you want to add depth to the color in small spots. Larger parts will require a larger brush. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Moisten the tip of the pencil before drawing the detail. Moisten the tip of a watercolor pencil to make the colors stand out more on the paper. Dip the tip of the pencil in the bowl of water, then paint over the strokes to add detail and contour. You can also use this method to add details on top of colored areas. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Use watercolor pencils with water spray

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Draw the complete picture. This technique will only spray a layer of water on the painting, so you need to complete the drawing with watercolor pencils first. You can color layers as you like and add as much detail as you like. ^{[12] X Research Source}

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Fill with clean water and spray bottle. You don’t need to fill the whole jar, just about 100 ml is enough, unless you’re doing a large composition. Then you may need to use a spray bottle full of water! ^{[13] X Research Source}

Spray water on the picture. You should use enough water to see the colors begin to blend. Spray slowly and gently, because if you spray too quickly and with too much water, the paint will completely mix on the paper. ^{[14] X Research Source}

How far away from the paper is the spray bottle is up to you. Close distance will cause the color to spread a lot and blur many strokes; Longer distances will make the color less slick and sharper.

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Wait about 1 hour for the painting to dry. If your drawing is larger than 22cm x 28cm, it may take longer than 1 hour to dry. You can try gently pressing down with your fingertips; If it doesn’t feel wet anymore, that’s fine. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Add details with watercolor pencils. If desired, you can add details after the painting has dried. You can fill in contours, add text, and do anything that requires stroke or detail. Or you can just leave it as is! ^{[16] X Research Source}

If you want very bold details, dip the tip of the pencil in water before drawing.

Advice

The water will cause the colors to blend together. Note this if you start from a dark area moving to a lighter color area.
To remove the color, dip a cotton swab or cotton ball in water and gently wipe the color off.
Try creating a color palette. Fill each color in a small area and use a brush to paint half of the space with water. That way you can see how the colors will change after adding water.

Warning

Mistakes in drawing will be very difficult to correct.

Things you need

Pencil
Set of watercolor pencils
Cup of water or bowl of water
Watercolor brush
Watercolor drawing paper

Steps