Tutorial - Watercolour Pencils

Watercolour pencils are a versatile medium that can be used on just about any paper surface. Although you'll get the best results from watercolour paper, you can achieve interesting effects from other types of surfaces as well. Today I've used plain cardstock as my base, which results in a more textured effect since the water and pigment doesn't move as much before soaking in to the fibres.

I started by colouring some "sand" at the bottom of my image with a light brown pencil, adding a little more pigment to the areas closest to the coral.

In the shadowy areas, I added a layer of dark blue, followed by a small amount of black. Although the pigment will be a lot lighter once water is added, you still want to be a little reserved with the black. It's a lot easier to add more later than to try removing it if it's too dark.

Add water to activate the pigment. Since I'm not using watercolour paper I have to take care not to overwork the image or I'll end up with tearing and pilling on the surface. I also have to keep in mind that it dries a lot faster and will "grab" the paper quicker resulting in a more textured look.

Next, I added a layer of light blue over the remainder of the image, including the coral, the turtles and the little fish. Make sure you extend the colour beyond the border of your image so you end up with nice smooth edges once you've trimmed away the excess.

I added some dark blue to the areas around the coral and under the fish and turtles, followed by a little bit of black in the darkest areas. I also added some bright green into the water around the animals. It adds a bit of light to the image as well as a nice contrast to all the blue.

I used a variety of different colours for the corals and plant life, tending toward the cooler spectrum.

I added shading with the dark blue and black pencils. Using the same colour on different parts of the image helps to bring everything together, while also helping to shape and contrast the different areas of each item. For example, without a little shading the purple coral would just be a large purple blob with little shape. The blue pencil adds contrast, or difference, to help shape the image. Using the same blue on the other plants and corals not only shapes each individual item, it also connects all the items resulting in a more cohesive image.

I coloured the turtles with three different browns, keeping the bottom of their shells fairly light. More blue and black pencil was added for the shadows.

Once the image was completely coloured and dry, I decided which areas needed more shading. For more intense colour, you can pick up the pigment directly from the pencil with your water brush, which is how I added the darkest of the shadows beneath the coral.

The final step was to add some Wink of Stella to each of the little fish so they "flash" when they catch the light.

Stamps:

Both sets are available in either digital or clear stamp format.