I’m infatuated with colored pencils, especially my Prismacolor set of 48 colors. I made this video to show you why I love coloring mandalas with them. This video is like getting a FREE class on the basics of colored pencils.
This video covers:
- The types of colored pencils – student versus professional grades.
- How to store and sharpen colored pencils.
- Price
- Best paper to use with colored pencils.
- How to color with colored pencils (hint: think layers).
- Four blending techniques.
- Single color gradients.
- Two color gradients.
- Mixing your own colors.
If you love coloring, watch this video. It is a great introduction to colored pencils.
Enjoy!
Show Notes
Supplies Used
Please note these products are linked to Amazon using affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small percentage of the sale. I only link to products that I have used and recommend. Thank you for your support of my work on 100Mandalas.com. The commission is used to purchase art supplies and books.
- Student Grade Colored Pencils: Crayola, Prang, Rose Art
- Professional Grade Colored Pencils:
- Prismacolor Pencil Sharpener
- Prismacolor Colorless Blender Pencil
- Prismacolor Colorless Blender Marker
- Gamblin Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits Bottle, 4 oz
- Drawing Tools Set: Blending Stumps and Sandpaper Block
- Hammermill – Color Copy Digital Cover Stock
Terms
Open Stock – Many professional grades of colored pencils are sold individually.
Mountains and Valleys – Refers to the uneven surface of the paper. Watercolor paper is an example where there is more “tooth” and the distance between the mountains and valleys are greater.
Burnishing – Applying heavy layers of pencil until the “valleys” of the paper is completely filled in, and a smooth, shiny surface of solid color.
Wax Blooms – I don’t think I remembered to mention this in the video. It appears as a white, waxy haze that develops with a heavy layer of colored pencil. It can appear days after you finished coloring your mandala. To remove, lightly swab the surface with a q-tip or cotton swab.
Tips
Try Before You Buy – Colored pencils are not for everyone. Before you make an investment select a few of your favorite colors. Most professional brands offer open stock.
Choose 24 or 48 sets – The 12 color sets are repeated in the other sets. If you get hooked on colored pencils, you don’t want to end up with a lot of repeated colors, many of which you might not use.
Best Paper for Colored Pencils – Drawing or sketch paper, Bristol Board, or photocopier paper. Avoid papers with a big “tooth” like watercolor paper. Hammermill has a gorgeous white cover stock perfect for printing colored pages to use with colored pencil.
Inkjet versus Laser Printer/Photocopier – When printing coloring pages from the internet, you’ll want to consider what medium you plan on using to color. Inkjet printers “spray” the ink onto the page and it isn’t waterproof. This isn’t good for “wet” mediums as it will run the lines of the printed design.
Colors Used in this Video
All of the colored pencils in the demo are Prismacolors.
Single Color Gradient: True Blue PC903
Two Color Gradients: Pale Vermilion PC921 and Magenta PC930
Blending Colors: Pale Vermilion PC921 and Spanish Orange PC1003
Mandala designed by Alyson Hurst from Bristol, UK:
- True Blue PC903
- Orange PC918
- Rose PC929
- Mulberry PC995
- Blended with Gamsol
Hamsa designed by Pat Langley from Texas, USA:
- Crimson Red PC924
- Yellowed Orange PC1002
- Canary Yellow PC916
- Olive Green PC911
- Aquamarine PC905
- Tuscan Red PC937
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