Problem with my Parismacolors?

Question

I can't seem to shade smoothly. I can't color using too much pressure on the pencil because I'll get a greyed effect. I've tryed blending with my finger and using a little bit of water, what else can I try?

Answer 1

Which pencils are you using? Prismacolors come in hard lead (verithin) and soft lead, the soft lead ones are much easier to use as far as shading and blending go. I use the soft lead ones and to blend colors smoothly I use many layers to achieve a smooth blend. Another way to blend is to use a lighter color on top of the darker colors to blend and smooth. Using a lighter color such as white will soften edges and help with the blending of two colors where they meet. Prismacolor actually has a blending pencil that will do this and not add color if you'd rather not use white or a pale color, take a look at... http://www.prismacolor.com/sanford/consumer/prismacolor/product/subCategory.jhtml?subCat=SNPRCat100059

Answer 2

If you go to your local Michaels Arts and Craft store, they should sell a colourless blending pencil which is actually made by Prismacolor. It's basically a pencil crayon without any colour.

Answer 3

a blending stick may help...I have never had that problem with Prismacolors. If you don't have a blending stick or the ability to get one, I can tell you how to make one at home.(Not quite the same but works pretty well)

Answer 4

If you want better results, don't use Prismacolor pencils. They have a lot of wax in them. Can't think of the brand name but there are better pencil options out there. Your paper choice could be part of it too.

Answer 5

you can dip a q-tip (cotton swab) in denatured alcohol and blend with that. Water won't work because the pencils are wax-based.