Colored Pencil Blending Method #1: Burnishing

My first and favourite method of blending is the burnish blend. This is where I use only the pencils and pressure to blend. As you can see in the picture below, I start off by using hard pressure at the edge of the oval to fill all the tooth, so I have a nice smooth Crimson Red to begin. As I move further into the oval, I ease up on the pressure gradually until I’m barely touching pencil to paper at all. The area that is still speckled is unfilled tooth, so we know that we have ‘room’ to add more pigment.

On the second picture above, I used Orange as my next color, but instead of applying it *after* the red, I begin just at the point speckles started to appear when I lessened pressure on the red. Essentially, you’re filling in the rest of the tooth that the red only skimmed the top of. Layering the orange over the light-pressure-crimson area is what blends the two colors together. I then do exactly the same as I did with the red: hard pressure at first to fill in the tooth completely, then gradually get lighter to set the foundation for the next color to blend in.

On the third picture you can see I’ve come in with Yellowed Orange, the same as I did before, and finally on the fourth picture I finished off with Canary Yellow.

Pros to this blending method: Quick, doesn’t require extra blending tools, retains vibrancy of color.

Cons to this blending method: Can be taxing on the hand as you’re using a lot of hard pressure, not much layering can be done as you’re  filling all the tooth right off the bat, wax bloom can occur when you burnish (a milky film that appears over your work but can be wiped off).

Colored Pencil Blending Method #2: Blending Solution

The second blending method I use is applying odorless mineral spirits, otherwise known as blending solution or Gamsol. This can be applied with a tortillon (paper stump) or a paintbrush. You don’t need to use heavy pressure, just lightly apply the colors (overlapping each one slightly), then brush over with OMS (I have applied it on the top half of the oval only). The solution instantly breaks down the wax binder, leaving only the pigment, so the colors merge together easily. It does tend to dull the colors a bit, but it doesn’t matter because you can continue layering pencil between applying the solution. You may notice what looks like a grease mark on the underside of your paper but don’t worry, this disappears within minutes when the solution evaporates. This brand is my favourite.

Pros to this blending method: No hard pressure needed, easy to apply, instant results with little effort, leaves a good surface to keep coloring onto.

Cons to this blending method: Desaturates the vibrancy of color, can look streaky, isn’t very portable.

Colored Pencil Blending Method #3: White Pencil

The third blending method I use is the white pencil blend. As you can see on the picture I did exactly the same layering of color as with the Odourless Mineral Spirits (no pressure, overlap the colors) then applied a hard pressure layer of white to the top of the oval to burnish out the tooth and blend the color.

Pros to this blending method: Blends colors really well without streaking, leaves a soft, muted finish.

Cons to this blending method: Massively desaturates the color, looks very milky and light.

Colored Pencil Blending Method #4: Blender Pencil

My final method of wax pencil blending is using a colorless blender pencil. Prismacolor make one, as do Derwent and other brands. This pencil is totally devoid of pigment- it is filled only with colorless wax binder. Using medium pressure you can scumble (small circles) over the pencil layer you’ve put down, smushing the color together.

Pros to this blending method:Colorless so doesn’t affect the colors you’ve put down, quick, leaves a textured look.

Cons to this blending method: Doesn’t look smooth, is difficult to keep a consistent texture across larger areas, can sometimes look/feel scratchy.

Blending Oil-Based Colored Pencils

Oil-based pencils are less common and as you’ve probably guessed, contain oil as the binder rather than wax. (Actually, all colored pencils have some mixture of wax and oil in them, but if they have more of one type they’re put in that category.)

You can get colorless blender pencils with oil binders (Lyra Splender Blender being one) and odourless mineral spirits work with oil based pencils too, but my favourite method of blending oil based pencils is to LAYER, LAYER, LAYER.

Prismacolor users who find they ‘can’t get on’ with oil based pencils like Faber Castell Polychromos are likely using the wrong method of application. You cannot apply oil-based pencils in the same manner as you would wax-based. For a start, oil-based pencils have a much harder lead, so trying to burnish them with hard pressure straight away will leave you frustrated with their seemingly inability to blend. They require patient layering to get to the smooth, vibrant look that wax-based pencils can to achieve faster and easier. Many artists prefer oil-based pencils as they are known for being superior in their finish and blending capabilites. It just takes longer to get there!

In the series of pictures below you can see how I’ve built up the color by applying layers of pigment (this particular paper took 5 layers to burnish). You must keep your pencils sharp to better fill in the tooth, seeing as we can’t do it with heavy pressure. Light layers, one on top of the other, has the color slowly building into a bold, saturated, smooth finish. And you don’t get wax bloom!