Experiments with Watercolor Pencils

I've always really loved the idea of watercolor pencils because they seem like they would give the ability for control but also the look of watercolor. I haven't ever had much success using them, but I've had these Cretacolor pencils for some time and thought I should give them a try. I'm not sure where I got them from but I found them in a drawer and wanting to try something new, I tested them out. I was really impressed with how easy they were to use and how really vibrant the color was! The colors in this set look to be dark and a little more neutral but once you add a little water, they come to life! I'm going to keep experimenting with them because of how fun they turned out to be and I can't wait to share more! Here is a LINK if you'd like to check them out too!

The colors included in this set are green, teal, red, brown, blue, and white. They come in this lovely tin case which holds them nicely and provides a sturdy way to pack them around. I do think that the red and brown pencils themselves look very similar - so before you use them, be sure you have the color you want.

Here is a short video of how the colors look when you add water to the dry graphite. They really come to life and the color they produce is very vibrant on the page - especially the green!

I sketched some gem stones on the page with the pencils dry, just adding some crosshatching to areas for shading. I then added water with a fillable watercolor brush. I really liked using this brush because it allowed me to be more mobile while experimenting (I was sketching on the couch while watching Project Runway :)) The paper I used is a really fantastic 4x6 inch Arnhem rag paper pad. It is great for all sorts of media and worked really well with these watercolor pencils. You can get yours HERE for 10% off!

Overall, I would highly recommend the Cretacolor AquaGraph pencils and I'm looking forward to continued experiments. I really want to try them for illustrating more sheer fabrics like organza and tulle. If you try them out, I'd love to hear what you think!