• Colored-Pencil Basics
• Wax-Based Colored-Pencil Tips
• Watercolor-Pencil Tips

Colored-Pencil Basics

If you haven't noticed a theme in the last three CardMaker newsletters, we've been in a coloring mood. We've been working hard to cover all the great but different ways you can color in stamped images for card making. This last newsletter in this series will cover two different kinds of colored pencils -- wax-based and watercolor.

Wax-based pencils are brands like Prismacolor and Crayola. The biggest difference between the expensive and inexpensive brands is the amount of pigment each has in the lead. The Prismacolor pencil will give you a nice, strong and intense color on your paper. Pencils like Crayola are simply lighter in color in comparison to the Prismacolor pencils. Prismacolor also has a much wider variety of colors available, making it easier to find the perfect color for your project.

Watercolor pencils can make you look like an artist. These pencils look very similar to a wax-based pencil, but when you are finished coloring in your project, simply brush them with a bit of water for a soft and beautifully blended end result. They work wonderfully for nature-inspired stamped images such as flowers, the sky and foliage. The brand I used for this newsletter was Artist's Loft, which is available at most craft stores.

In my last newsletter, I discussed how alcohol-based markers give the best results when used in conjunction with specific supplies. Similarly when using colored pencils, you also need a few good items depending on which type of pencil you use. First, it's always good to have an ink pad that dries quickly, is permanent and isn't solvent-based. The Memento inkpad from Tsukineko works well when using the different colored-pencil techniques in this newsletter.

Next, what kind of paper should you stamp on? Stamping is always easiest on flat or smooth papers. When using wax-based pencils, any brand of card stock will work, so no need to go out and buy a different brand just for this technique. Any type of paper you have used before will work just fine. However, when using the watercolor pencils, I would recommend a paper that has a bit of a tooth or something that is not ultra smooth with a tight weave. When you brush the water on your colored image, the ultra-smooth papers will not allow the water to penetrate the fibers and blend the color. Using a basic all-purpose card stock with a bit of texture is better for watercolor pencils.

Finally, you will need a stamp image that has an open design. This means you want an image with a lot of white space that can be colored in with any array of colors your heart desires.