The BEST way to blend colored pencils?!
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- What is the best way to blend colored pencil? Today I will be testing 8 different blending products on 5 brands of colored pencil and Neocolor 1 wax pastels (linked below.) This is a long video because it's so thorough! See pinned comment for updates!
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:55 Materials
11:45 Paper
12:39 Colorless Blender Pencils
21:04 Colorless Blender Marker
24:26 Rubbing Alcohol
27:53 Odorless Mineral Spirits
30:52 Lavender Spike Oil
33:45 Holbein Meltz
37:10 Zest-it
39:31 Blending Stumps
39:57 A closer look at the results
40:07 Staining Update
41:31 Inktense?
45:28 Pros and Cons
52:27 Conclusion
Products (affiliate:)
Blenders-
Colorless blending pencils: Prismacolor- Single pencil- shrsl.com/3sftk Set of two-shrsl.com/3sftn Caran d'Ache- shrsl.com/3sfti
Colorless blender marker: Prismacolor- shrsl.com/3sftx
Rubbing Alcohol: amzn.to/3G8U7MH
Odorless Mineral Spirits: shrsl.com/3sfu3
Lavendar Spike Oil: amzn.to/3TBX1wI
Holbein Meltz: shrsl.com/3sfu6
Zest-it Pencil Blend: www.jacksonsart.com/en-us/zes...
Blending Stump: shrsl.com/3sfu9
Pencils/ Pastels-
Derwent Lightfast: shrsl.com/3sfug
Caran d'Ache Luminance: shrsl.com/3sfui
Prismacolor Premier: shrsl.com/3sfuo
Faber-Castell Polychromos: shrsl.com/3sfup
Holbein Artists' Colored Pencils: shrsl.com/3sfus
Caran d'Ache Neocolor 1 wax pastels: shrsl.com/3sfux
Derwent Inktense: shrsl.com/3sfuf
Paper:
Arches Hot Pressed 140 lb Watercolor Paper- shrsl.com/3sgfs
Canson Mi-Teintes 98 lb Paper- shrsl.com/3sgfo
This video is not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned.
Please note: Product links used in description 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.
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Music:
Piano sound in the beginning is my own.
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UPDATES: First, I want to say, (because I am sure it will come up in the comments,) I realize this isn’t my best edited video. I experienced some technical difficulties while filming that I didn’t see until editing, but I thought the information was important so I decided to move forward with it. I couldn’t refilm because I wanted my genuine real-time reactions to be in the video and I had a severe lack of time. So, please excuse any out of focus shots, jump cuts or weird audio. This was one was a lot of work and I did the best I could with what I had! LOL
Now for some updates:
*After filming this I realized that I had one other Caran d’ Ache product that I could try blending with Holbein Meltz; the Neocolor 2 wax pastels. They are the water-soluble version of the Neocolor l that I showed in the video. The Meltz WILL blend the Neocolor 2 water-soluble wax pastels!
*Rubbing alcohol also blends the Neocolor 2’s and Derwent Inktense.
*I tested Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils with Rubbing Alcohol, the Colorless Blender Marker, and Meltz, and they also blend out just like the Inktense did.
This is all stuff to keep in mind if you like to use water-soluble media with your colored pencils.
**Also, it’s been a over a week since I filmed this and there is very little to no staining left on the back side of the Mi-Teintes or Arches paper from any of the blenders.
Thank you for watching!! I hope this information helps!
As a begginer using blending liquids for prismacolor I really apreciatiate the in deep and detailed review\testing on this video.
I'll go with the rubbing alcohol 'cause the odor is not a problem for me and is cheap and easy to find in a place with limited art supplys options as where I live.
So to start I would not need to invest in it since I'm still in a learning journey. Thank you for your hardwork
You are very welcome, glad I could help! Best of luck on your colored pencil adventures!
What a GREAT video. I appreciate the time you put into this. A lot of people are not aware that odorless does NOT mean vaporless!!!! I'm looking into Zest-It for sure. However, some alcohol markers are refillable. Copic and Ohuhu for example, and they have colorless blenders too. You could ditch the throwaway Prismacolor blenders for something more landfill-friendly, and replacement nibs are also available.
Great tip on the refillable alcohol markers!! I knew those brand were refillable, but I didn't even think of it for their colorless blending markers! Thank you for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! 💖
Looks like Jackson's no longer has Zest-it pencil blender for shipment to US! 😱😢
You have got to be kidding me! How annoying! Ugh. I wish they would start selling it at Blick or something. It's so hard to get it here in the states!
Fantastic video! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
You're welcome! Thank you so much for watching and supporting my content! 💖
Great video. So nice of you to do all this work for us. I for one greatly appreciate it. Thank you!
You are very welcome! Thank you so much for watching!
This was an amazing video, very thorough and very helpful - thank you! I’m mainly blending with colour pencils themselves or a colourless blender, as I find that gives me most control over the blending process. But I can feel it in my shoulder after a long art session! I have only used Zest-it once for a tutorial, but I want to try it again on some larger pieces for my underpainting (currently I’m using pastels which I blend with a blending stump). I’m not a fan of smelly products so that’s always a barrier 😅 Gamsol is not easily available in the UK, but I might look into the Meltz. How funny that Holbein and Caran d‘Ache products don’t like each other!
Thank you Brigitte! I do love my Meltz, such an interesting product! I did find out after filming that they will blend the Caran d'Ache Neocolor 2 water-soluble wax pastels, which I found interesting! So there is at least one Caran d'Ache product that the Meltz liked! Lol I haven't tried it on the Caran d' Ache Pablo's, I don't think have any Pablos's anymore, but now I'm curious if it would work on those! Lol
I loved this! I have OMS and alcohol marker. Plus the blending pencils. I am gonna have to look in to the zest it and Melts!!! Thank you so much!
Thank you Christine! I'm glad you found it helpful! 🥰
A great experiment and review! I've tried using colorless blending pencil, alcohol, and paper blending stumps ( I don't care for the paper blending stumps ). The Zest - it seems interesting. Thanks for experimenting with all of them and sharing it!
No problem Nina! Thank you for watching!! 😊
Soo much valuable information!
Thanks for doing the heavy lifting!!
New subscriber because of this video!!
Thank you so much, EB!! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Welcome aboard and thank you for subscribing! 😊
I have Zest-It sponges that I got from Jackson’s and use them in conjunction with different sizes of blending stumps. Works well for me.
Ooh! I haven't heard of the sponges! I will have to check that out!! Thanks for the tip!
Was looking for an alternative for spirit minerals as well..Your video was exactly what I was looking for..😎😎!
I'm so glad I could help! Thank you for watching! 💖
This is such an informative and helpful video!
Thank you for watching! I'm so glad to hear that you found it helpful! 😊
Thanks for sharing. I tried regular oil painting medium, an alciloid for mixing oils that helps them dry faster. It will dissolve color pencil. Also water soluble linseed oil for water soluble oil paint works also. Or any fast drying oil like linseed works well. PS, Lavender Spike Oil is not the same species of Lavender used as an essential oil.
Thanks for the suggestions Renee! Good to know!!
Very good review thanks 😊 But I Canada we don’t have the mineral spirit nor Zest it or Holbein for couloured pencils, but I am using alcohol maker blender or Tombow N00 for aquerellable pencils and OMS using for diluating paints in construction which it is the same of our Taltine orderless for coloured pencil selling on DeSerres art supplies in Canada Quebec 😊
Thank you for watching and for telling us what you use! That will be really helpful for others who are in Canada!
Very interesting! I do wonder; what if' you use a Derwent 'blender' pencil on all colors beforehand and then for example used 99% isopropyl alcohol instead of 70%.. I do like the idea of alcohol being colorless, scentless and has quick evaporation to keep the workflow inline with the idea of delivering pure lightfast artworks.. Would you prefer solvent over pencil blending and or like I mentioned maybe use both?!.. And what do you think about burnishing color/paper with the 'burnisher' Derwent pencil? I believe it destroys the surface and creates some kind of unwanted waxy shine, trying to mimic oil pencil.. So burning might not be the way, when you already have premium oil pencils to begin with, that are able to just keep the surface intact and offer enough color..
Using the blending pencil with alcohol works, but it depends on how burnished it is ahead of time. I haven't tried it with the 99% alcohol, but I am curious to see if it would make much of a difference. I tend to prefer using solvents instead of burnishing because burninishing does fill the paper quickly and is hard on the hands. But often times in a piece, I go back and forth between the two. I will use the blending pencil a lot for small detailed areas, but for larger areas, I like using a solvent because it saves time. Thank you for watching!
Very thorough video. I do prefer the Derwent blender. Derwent makes a pack of two blender pens which are awesome ❤❤❤
Thank you! That is good to know! I will have to look into that!! 😁
Have you tried the Caran Dash blender please? Most people say that it is the best. Can you help me please decide, which of the 2 to order,(for use with Polychromos)?
I have the C'Aran D'Arche full blender but don't use it very often as I use Derwent blender with polychromos. It's my fave
Thank you very much!!! I'm broke,so this helps a lot! @@clairewalters8238
Shana, thank you so much for this video. It is definitely full of valuable information. I've had Gamsol for a couple of years, but I haven't used it because of the odor and warnings. I do have 2 bottles of Meltz and I like it, but not on thin paper. Do you know if the Prismacolor colorless alcohol blender, can be refilled with isopropyl alcohol?
Thank you so much Cheryl! I'm glad you like the video! I have heard people say online that they can be refilled with alcohol, but I haven't tried it myself yet. I think after this one dries out, I may give it a try!
@@CautionArtistatPlay I was curious, because mine is just about dried up and I was wondering if it was worth trying, or not. Thanks again!
It night be worth a try! It couldn't hurt if you planned on getting rid of it anyway!
This may be a weird question, but if you are going to use a solvent to blend, how would the blended colored pencil compare to marker or watercolor? It just seems like an extra step on the blending part, but maybe this is due to my lack of skill or understanding. Thanks for the informative video!!
Hi Stacy, thank you for watching! Colored pencil, in general, even when using solvents tends to be a very precise medium. So its great for fine details, which is why many people choose it over markers or watecolors. However, it is a time consuming process, so that's why many people like to blend with solvents because it definitely speeds up the process. But it all really comes down to personal preference, each medium has its own unique working properties. Personally, I love all three and what I decide to work with really just depends on my mood.
Do you have the ingredients for Meltz? It's not sold in UK and can't find a site that lists the ingredients. Amazon UK describes it as a solvent and been 'currently unavailable' for a long time.
I'm sorry, I should have mentioned the ingredients in the video! On the back of the bottle it lists "Surfactant" and "Glycol ether" as the ingredients. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Derwent or Catran Dash blender, which is better for Polychromos please?? Can anybody help decide which to order? I don't have the money, to order both, because I have to get them from a far away country and from different stores. please anybody?
I personally prefer the Derwent, but I'm not sure if others feel the same way, though.
Welp! I've already checked out the Meltz...I'm a little nervous to watch that I've made a wrong decision 😅
I love the Meltz, though. I still use them often, just not with my Luminance, lol. Since this video has been finished, honestly, I think I find myself reaching for the Meltz the most. They feel less oily to me and feel like a cleaner experience. But if you do use primarily Luminance pencils, it could be an issue.
I wonder if Meltz works with CD Pablo & Lyra tho... I always thought that basic colorless pencil blender are the same, now when I see the differences here, you've made me think what about staedtler, or derwent blender, or maybe lyra would works best with 'oily' pencil...hmmmm. so many choices!
I didn't have the chance to try them with the Pablo's because I got rid of the few colors I had because they weren't lightfast. But I am curious to see if it would work. So far, the only Caran D' Ache product that I own that it works on are the Neocolor II wax pastels because they are water-soluble, lol. The Neocolor l's nor so much. It's very interesting to say the least. I think I have a few Lyra's laying around somewhere. I will have to try it and get back to you!
@@CautionArtistatPlay Great! and thanks for the amazing public service you've done for the community! BTW can you add Derwent Drawing to the list as well!
You're welcome! The Meltz do work with the Derwent Drawing! I actually used them together in a recent piece I did! I will do a few tests with the Lyra when I get home from work and let you know!
@hazimmusa2448 so, I just checked, and I thought I still had some Lyra pencils, but it looks like I donated them, because I don't have them anymore. I'm sorry!
@@CautionArtistatPlay No worries! you've done way more than most of us capable of, keep up the good work!!
I just tried to use aloe vera gel, useless, what did I do wrong
I have never tried to use Aloe Vera gel for blending colored pencils, so I have no advice for you there other than to say that it may not be archival. I personally wouldn't use something that is not specifically intended for use with art, other than rubbing alcohol and that's because alcohol is used in art materials all the time. If you are on a budget, try using rubbing alcohol instead of the Aloe Vera gel and see if that works better for you. It will blend things, and it's not likely to damage your art over time.
@@CautionArtistatPlay i have 2 strengths of rubbing alcohol, 100% & 75% which 1 would you suggest.
I think the kind I have is only 70%. I don't know how much of a difference it makes, I haven't tried all the different strengths. I suggest trying to blend with each of them on a scrap piece of paper and see what works best for you. It would be interesting to know if there is a difference!
I used windsor & newton gasmol, I didnt realise it had toxic vapor
I haven't tried the one by Winsor & Newton, so I don't know much about it. It should have any warnings about vapor and proper ventilation on the back. Sadly, low odor or odorless doesn't always mean vapor free. ☹️ I learned that the hard way myself.
@@CautionArtistatPlay turns out its sansodor low odor solvent unless Ive miss placed my bottle cos im sure it was gasmol
Gamsol is made by Gamblin, it's a type of odorless mineral spirits, and supposedly has its own formulation. Other brands also put out odorless mineral spirits, but Gamsol is specifically a Gamblin product. Gamsol is the kind of odorless mineral spirits that I am using in this video. It is supposed to be safer than other odorless mineral spirits on the market, according to the Gamblin website. However, it does still warn of toxic vapors and the need for proper ventilation. As you mentioned, it looks like Winsor & Newton's version is called Sansodor, I have not tried that kind, so I have no idea how their formulation differs from Gamsol. Do you still have the Sansodor bottle, or is that the one you think you have misplaced? If you have the bottle, check the back for warnings about harmful vapor or needing ventilation. Most odorless mineral spirits tend to have some hidden vapors. As I said, Gamsol is touted to be one of the safest on the market and even that one gives off some harmful vapor, which is why I went on the search for safer options and did this video. You can also find the Safety Data Sheets for each product online. Keep in mind that many SDS documents state that a product is not harmful when "common sense practices" are used. However, ventilation is often seen as common sense practices a lot of times, even though many artists may never think of such things unless told to. So, when you read an SDC sheet, you need to read the whole thing to get a sense of the real warnings. Always head the warning label on your products, store them in the original container so you know what you are working with, label things if you do have them in a different container, and make sure the product has the seal of approval which shows that they are disclosing all the necessary information. This seal usually is a circle with the letters AP or CL in it. Or there will be a note on the product states that it conforms to ASTM D4236 guidelines. Something a long those lines. I hope this helps!
@@CautionArtistatPlay its sansodor, the writing on it is tiny also doesn't list any ingredients.
Okay, so you should look up the SDS online, and that should have what you need to know about it. If you go to this link and scroll down, it has a red button where you can download the Safety Data Sheet, which has all the warnings on it. Looks like there are some warnings you should probably know about. www.winsornewton.com/na/mediums/oil-mediums/?attribute_pa_range_name=winsor-newton-oil-colour-solvent&attribute_pa_additive_type=sansodor-low-odour-solvent&attribute_pa_additive_size=75ml&filter_key=ATR_ECOMMERCE_RANGE_NAME&filter_value=Solvents&sku=884955017128