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Coloured Pencils at Jackson’s

Last updated: January 30, 2020
Words by
Julie Caves
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As artist and teacher Ann Swan says:

“Coloured pencil is an ideal medium… It is immediate, portable, easily manipulated and very forgiving, making it useful for both the beginner and the more accomplished artist.”

Some people believe that coloured pencil artwork always has a light, grainy appearance and is not lightfast. This is only true of the inexpensive, hard pencils for children you might find at the paper shop. Artists-quality coloured pencils are lovely to work with and can produce rich, beautiful drawings. A softer pencil lets you get more colour down and a bit harder (but still softer than a cheap pencil) lets you keep a finer point for creating intricate detail. Artists-quality coloured pencils will state the lightfast rating, either on the pencil or on a colour chart, as each pigment will be different.

There are many advantages to using coloured pencil as your art material. They are less toxic to use than many materials and don’t generally present a dust-breathing hazard (still be careful with pastel pencils). You don’t have to wait for them to dry. They take up little space and are not messy or smelly. They are easily portable. Using a variety of techniques: dry, wet, with solvent, burnished, embossing the paper, and more, you can find a method that works for what you are trying to create.

Coloured pencils are generally divided into three groups based on the core of the pencil: oil/wax, water-soluble, and pastel. The types can be combined with each other and with other media. Water-soluble pencils can be used dry or only partially wetted. Pastel artists might use soft pastel for the majority of a painting but then use pastel pencil for intricate areas where they need more control.

Surfaces and accessories: There are papers that many coloured pencil artists prefer, sharpeners that are cut at an angle designed to reduce breakage for fragile pastel pencils, a variety of blenders for wax pencils and different types of cases for storing and protecting pencils from being dropped, which can break the lead core inside). Blender pencils and pens, and burnishers allow you to increase the range of marks you make. All of these are covered in more detail below.

Two great sources of in-depth Coloured Pencil information are:
penciltopics.co.uk
makingamark.blogspot.co.uk

In the UK the body for coloured pencil artists is the UK Coloured Pencil Society (UKCPS)

The paper was embossed with lines with the dull side of a stanley knife before being drawn over.
The paper was embossed with lines with the dull side of a stanley knife before being drawn over.

Coloured pencils that are available at Jackson’s Art:

Jacksons-Coloured-pencils

Jackson’s Art stock over 30 ranges of coloured pencils in the Drawing Materials Department.

Oil/Wax-based Coloured Pencils

blending-and-layering

All except the bottom two have lightfastness ratings.

Watersoluble Coloured Pencils

Water-soluble pencils Blue and red are Museum Aquarelle, the black and yellow are Lyra Aquarelle. Note how the Museum dissolves more easily and completely.
Water-soluble pencils
Left side is dry, right side is wetted in parts
Blue and red are Museum Aquarelle, the black and yellow are Lyra Aquarelle. Note how the Museum dissolves more easily and completely.

Can be used dry or wetted.
All except the bottom one have lightfastness ratings.

Pastel Pencils

pastel pencils coloured pencils

Dry ‘chalky’ pencils. Harder versions of soft pastels.
All have lightfastness ratings.

Coloured Pencil Blenders

For wax/oil pencils.

Coloured Pencil Blenders
Some of the available Coloured Pencil Blenders

Comparison conclusions:
The blenders perform differently on each brand of pencil and on thin or thick applications of colour.

  • I found that the Caran Dache Full Blender adds a waxy layer that can be difficult because it is hard and drags colour around in a clumpy way and it adds so much wax it is hard to work on top of.
  • The blender pens and markers dissolve the wax, and it is easy to go too far, very quickly and they also take up a lot of the colour into their felt nibs and so colour is removed from the drawing and left on the pen to contaminate the next colour. The colour becomes matte and you can easily work on top.
  • The Derwent Blender pencil is drier than the full blender and doesn’t build up a layer of wax, it leaves a matte finish.
  • I like the dry paper stump, it blends and burnishes in a controlled way. It works best when lots of colour has been laid down.
  • I like the paper stump with the end dipped in Zest-it better than the blender pens and markers because it is dissolves the wax more gently so I have more control. As with the dry stump it still burnishes.
Wax pencil blenders 1
Comparing Coloured Pencil Blenders
Wax pencil blenders 4
Notice how the Full Blender drags clumps around and the blender pen completely dissolves the colour.
Wax pencil blenders 2
The bottom 3 are comparisons of the solvents.
Wax pencil blenders 5
You can see the burnishing here.

Papers recommended for Coloured Pencil Drawing

coloured pencil papers

The durable surface of these two papers stands up to repeated erasures and reworking. The heavy weight combined with the vellum surface allows for the application of multiple layers.

Pencil Cases

Coloured pencil carry case

Pencil Sharpeners

pastel pencil sharpener coloured pencils

If your coloured pencil keeps breaking when you try to sharpen it is may have been dropped and the core has broken inside. There is not much you can do at that point. You can sometimes sharpen these difficult pencils with a knife, but the frustration of the bits of lead falling out every few minutes might not be worth it.

Read our comprehensive post about pencil sharpeners.

Click on the underlined link to go to the current offers in the Drawing Materials department on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39.

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Julie Caves

Julie Caves is a long-standing contributor to Jackson’s Art Blog and previously served as its Editor for ten years. With an encyclopaedic knowledge of art materials, she writes in-depth articles, particularly about oil and acrylic painting, bringing an extensive research background to each piece. Julie studied journalism in California, fine art at the University of Texas at Austin, and completed both an MA at Camberwell College of Art and the Turps Studio Painting Programme in London. She exhibits her work regularly and continues to write part-time for the blog.

6 COMMENTS

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6 thoughts on “Coloured Pencils at Jackson’s”

  1. Maria

    What a great article! I love using pencils (water soluble) in my sketches and paintings, combined with water paint. It’s the most easiest medium to carry along, great to mix and super for sketching and quick impressions.
    Thanks for sharing!

  2. maureen goddard

    Thank for the in depth info. I am looking for good quality wax pencils,holder and pad to use on our Artclub outings during the Summer break and this blog has helped tremendously.
    Thank you.

  3. Pamela Davidson LeBar

    Great article,thank you for sharing. I
    didn’t know Derwent made a blender
    pen.

Comments are closed.

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