Watercolor Pencils - My SECRETS to Better, Smoother Results 

It works really well!

I'm so glad!

You are so welcome!

No problem, glad you are getting better results!

Love!

You are very welcome!

Glad it was helpful! I don't have markers, but I have used them in the past, thanks for the suggestion!

I am also interested in the better use of watercolor markers. I have a set from "Eberhard Faber", which I really enjoy when using the pointy sort of brush side. But I also got a huge set of cheaper "Einhorn" watercolor markers with a broad range of beautiful colors, but their tips are of quite tough felty type, which I really dislike. Until now I only used those from Faber for rather graphic designs and sketches. It would be nice to see what else can be done with them. And I would really want to use the beautiful colors of the cheap watercolor markers in some way.

Thanks Sue!

Wonderful!

Thank you so much! You are very welcome 🤗

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks Rus!

"mostly due to their quality and lightfast ability! " Be aware, though, that watercolour lightfast ratings *only apply to the dry state.* The big brands acknowledge this, and obviously, the more water we add, the less lightfast the colour becomes. It varies between colours, though, just as watercolour does, and the best way to discover how well your particular favourites fare is to paint graduated swatches, labelling them clearly (you won't remember which was what a few months down the line !), cut them in half and put one set in a sunny window, and the other in an thick envelope in a drawer for comparison. Protect them from wee beasties which might get under the tape / between window and paper by taping the samples thoroughly all round. Check regularly that the tape hasn't lifted, make sure that the window is clean in and out before putting them in, and check that the outside is cleaned regularly - otherwise strange little shapes and changes will appear on your swatches. 😄

Yes the bumps help spread pigment and water allowing even drying and preventing puddles.

I have the Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils that I have only really used for under painting with colored pencil and mostly as watercolor reconstituted on the plastic palate applied with a brush. I would like to see a demo of how to get good results in a field sketch by applying wc pencil directly to paper and activating with a water brush. It seems like they would be great for this application.

I purchased a set of Staedtler double-ended watercolour brush pens and I'm curious if you have ever tried or used these. I am a beginner and I'm enjoying your videos and learning from each. Only have 1 painting done, but of course I'm learning and not very happy with it! (warm smile)

Wonderful!

Oh, great tip!

Wonderful!

You are so welcome!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Any time!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thanks so much 😊

Thank you! Cheers!

You are welcome!

Thanks for watching Alicia!

I'm so glad!

Glad it was helpful!

You are welcome!

You are so welcome!

Any time!

Glad it was helpful!

You are so welcome!

I'm so glad!

No problem!

Thanks for the shopping tip!

Any time!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you!

Thanks!

Thanks for watching!

Glad it was helpful!

I guess with paints is the main way I use them!

Glad it was helpful!

Thank you so much 😀

No problem!

Glad to hear that!

You're welcome

Very true!

It can be tricky for sure!

Thanks so much Susan!

My pleasure 😊

Remember they combine well with actual tube or pan paints so that can be a solution too.

I want to buy the Graphitint!

Thank you! Cheers!

I don't have any content on the crystal colours but my brusho video will show you similar techniques. I haven't used the brands of pencils you mention, there are literally hundreds of brands unfortunately!

I just use a helix barrel sharpener, being too lazy to use a knife or sand paper, both of which might save a bit of pencil lead.

Glad to hear that the WHS set is still as good as those I bought in the 1990's, Anni! 💃 I heard from others that they are good, but it's always good to have more folk saying so. I still have about six , but they won't last much longer, and I'm still trying to get matches for them from other brands! Consequently, I try not to use them very often. If ever I go back the the UK, I would head for WHS to buy another set, just for 'playtime'. They aren't a patch on Abrecht Durer, Caran d'Ache Supracolour or Museum (but then, for me, neither are Derwent watercolour pencils, though as Michelle has said, they do have their uses) but the WHS are a truly joyful change for playtime! *Just one thing to remember* - they are absolutely *not* lightfast, especially after wetting. Dry, some of them will do well, but the lighter colours will fade within weeks. (I have seen recent testing, so I know tis is still the case). Once wet, there are serious issues. All brands have lightfast issues after wetting, and it will depend on the colour, rather then the brand itself. The top brands actually tell us that their lightfast ratings only apply to the dry product, but obviously, the higher the lightfastness dry, the longer they will retain some colour over time. So... it's important that any you give away / sell need to be hung away from bright sunlight - a room which doesn't get sun is best, or a window-wall where the sun never reaches (watch out for sunlight from windows in the room / hallway opposite, though). BTW, I learned all this the hard way, as back in the day, and until very recently, there was very little information available on this medium! 🤔I've been very thankful for recent videos actually covering these pencils to confirm that it wasn't 'just me'!!! 😄 And just to end: Adding two drops of vegetable glycerine to about 100mls of water will make a very big difference to the result of activating them. Don't be tempted to add more - it will make the thing look shiny! Also, I use my sable watercolour brushes (but any decent synthetic watercolour brush will work, too, so long as it's soft, but holds its shape well). to active the pigment, as they lift off far less pigment and give a better flow when activating the colours. Hope something in this is is helpful? 😊

Interestingly people who used to come to my art classes with those big sets of WH Smith watercolours in the wooden box, of course they didn't compare to artist's brands but of the cheaper stuff they weren't terrible!

@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber 🥰

@@MrsBarnabas Thank you for the heads up , maybe they will come in useful for Bookmarks or Birthday cards , all the best

@@anni50ful Far too good to languish in a drawer. 😄How about using them in your sketchbook, for 'just playing'? Colour-wise, they'll be fine as they aren't exposed to light, and they _are_ fun to play with - doodles, overlapping shapes, reversing colours (eg making green trees purple, the grass, red, the dog, orange and so on... ) - or just laying out ideas and plans for a drawing - using colour instead of graphite for sketching is fun, too. And who knows - you may discover a completely new side to your art as you play! I did!!! And I still do! It's fun to ask oneself, "What if I do this, or that, or something else?" in a sketchbook, where the results are kept safe to enjoy or to use later.... 😊

Thanks and welcome

Great idea, thank you!

You can actually have a great deal of fun trying this for yourself!😄A ball? If you don't actually have a ball of any sort, it's not a problem - learning by looking around the house for round objects (tomatoes, apples, oranges for example) is far more interesting and far more useful. A tube? Igf it must be a tube, save a tube the next time you finish a roll of kitchen paper, or simply use a tin - which is simply a tube with the ends covered - when it's full, and then when it's empty with the lid off to get your internal shadows. Or use a mug, or a glass, or a jam jar... A cone? Make one! If you don't know how, google - there are videos on how to make a paper or cardboard tube. A cube? Any box will give you the basic shapes you need, The only other thing you need, apart from your art stuff is a table lamp, or preferably, one of those inexpensive little desk lamps where you can alter the angle of the light to change the highlights and shadows. You can make a light from below by raising your subject off the table with some books, or from above, or from the side by putting the light on a pile of books,. You can alter the angle of light from a table lamp, too, by putting it up higher on the pile of books, for example, or on its side. Set up your stuff, close the curtains, and using the lamp , draw and shade (by layering, not one heavy layer), and look closely to see the variation in the depth of the shadows, moving the lamp around to make the shadows change. Keep looking at what is in front of you - *not* drawing what you think is there! Look properly, and draw that! Keep looking at what is in front of you - *not* what you think is there - look properly, and draw that! (yes I have deliberately repeated tihs!) Check what you've done by looking at it in a mirror, right way up and upside down. You'll spot the mistakes easily that way! Nest, when you've got the hang of this, use watercolour, and use your eyes to see where the shadow are, and how the colours change where the light changes. Keep looking at what is in front of you - *not* what you think is there - look properly, and paint that! It isn't going to come out right every time, so just keep on practicing till it comes right more often, Even after 27 years as a watercolourist, for me, it still doesn't come right every time - just most of the time - _because every artist has her/his off days when even the basics aren't working for them. And every artist needs to go on and on having fun with practising their art._ And every artist needs to remember that art is *not* about perfection Take a photo if that's what you want, but art is an expression of what we see, how it makes us feel, and each one of us sees it differently, responds to it differently, and *that is what makes art unique to each one of us!!!* I can assure you that you will learn far more by doing this than watching a hundred art videos!!!! And by doing this now, you are giving yourself the best possible grounding, example and encouragement for going on with it in the future with other shapes, sizes, colour schemes ... whatever. *Art is an on-going , never-ending learning process, experimenting to see "what happens if I do ..." and accepting that we will make mistakes and messes, and that making mistakes and messes is good, because we can have the joy of learning from those mistakes and messes to grow in our art.* 😄💃

Not so far, sorry, the easiest thing is to by one or two single pencils of a better brand and compare to see if it makes a difference.

Great suggestion! I love drawing birds so will definitely think about that one!

I am sure there are lots of alternatives in the kitchen, just remember to keep them separate from your food prep!

Maybe just singing you a song!

Working light to dark is always good, but how dark your pencils go may also depend on their quality :-)

I haven't tried them yet sorry!

It's an idea, I need to buy more, I don't have a full set. A friend gifted me the ones I have when he moved to France.

I don't recall, I have so many but it certainly looks like it!

😁

Great idea!