Melt Your Colored Pencils Into...Watercolors?!!

   If you follow my YouTube channel, you know that in the past year I had the joy of trying the Holbein Artists' Colored Pencils for the first time. Along with the pencils I was also given the Holbein Meltz Colored Pencil Blender (thanks Holbein!)

   I usually use Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) to blend my colored pencils. However, OMS is poisonous, so I was really intrigued to find out that Holbein Meltz is a water-based formula that does not give off any harmful fumes!

   While using the Meltz, I also discovered a trick that I could not do previously with OMS! I could make my pencils act like watercolor! That is, I could scrape pigment off my colored pencil onto a different surface, dip a brush into my Meltz, then pick up the pigment and paint it onto my surface! This is something that is not as easy to do with OMS because of the way it stains the paper. Typically speaking, you need a lot of layers of colored pencil down on your paper before blending with OMS because it will sink into the paper and cause some blotchiness. I did not have this issue with the Meltz! Only smooth and light color coverage, perfect for an under-painting to help speed the colored pencil process along a bit.


 

   I tried this technique sparingly in a few pieces just to get a feel before I decided it was time to do an exercise dedicated to this technique and to share it with the world!! 


 

 If you would like to see my full process watch the video below!! 


 Please note: Product links used in this blog are often affiliate links, this means I earn a small profit when someone uses my link to purchase a product. However, there is no additional charge to the person who is purchasing the product. This blog post is not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned.

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