Which Pencil is Best for Watercolor Sketching

Best Pencil For Watercolor Sketching?

Knowing which pencil is best for watercolor sketching is a matter of deciding on quality over what your budget can afford. You may also have a preference for pencil brands likewise, and however the slight differences among them, you might like to know what they include.

Which Pencil is Best For Sketching Before Painting?

Using watercolor over your sketches always starts with a pencil that sets up your scene so you can separate the lines between all of these details. Since not every pencil is created equally, ground rules make it easier to use on your paper. The first rule is to choose a pencil that will do the job intended for and not interfere with the watercolor you're adding on top of the lines you draw.

This ultimately means that you should stick to a pencil that doesn't clash with water in general. Some pencils are meant for watercolor over other brands, while some will have oil bases or additives that separate your sketch line and could stand out like a sore thumb. You also want to have a pencil that won't become saturated with watercolor and bleed or carry excess color onto or over your sketch while you're painting.

Unless your brand of pencils says that it's recommended for watercolor, how do you know if you're buying the right brand? I'll provide a list of better-known pencil brands that give you a good understanding of why they work and what to know before using them.

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BEST WATERCOLOR PENCILS?

Listed below are four brands that have built a name for themselves as quality pencils for artists. Not every brand will have the same exact qualities depending on your application, although the most essential part of watercolor drawing involves compatibility. You might learn some secrets about these brands that most artists are willing to share, so I'll do my best to give you more than enough reason to consider why they fit best on this list.

Derwent pencil

Although Derwent already has a line of drawing pencils, let's focus on their line of watercolor pencils. It's worth noting that Derwent drawing pencils have been around since 1832, and they're specifically meant for artists. They offer two individual sets of color pencils that come in various sets. The first is called the Derwent Studio color pencils, and the second is their Artist color pencil line.

These two sets are nearly identical with subtle differences but primarily dry color blends with a touch of oil in them. 

To blend these further, you need a solvent to spread the color around on your paper. Either of these would be fine for watercolor. Except for the part that watercolor may separate over these lines due to the waxiness of the pencil itself. This leaves us with their watercolor pencil lines that are specifically for watercolor.

These pencils can us used as a dry pencil or given a dip into water and used slightly wet on your paper. The advantage of these pencils is that they can be further blended with ordinary water and an artist brush of your choice. If you want to use only graphite to lay down lines, Derwent also offers graphite pencils that are excellent for sketching lines that can be covered with watercolors and won't smudge or become saturated when they get wet.

Caran DâAche Supracolors

These color pencils are Swiss-made with a rich history dating back to 1915 and are still considered the premier brand for serious artists in Geneva. They aren't your typical bargain basement brand of watercolor pencils either and will be pricy on the high end. Click here to view on Amazon. Use this link.

They offer box sets of watercolor pencils ranging from 30 to 120 pencils per individual Supracolor set. These can be used to draw or sketch lines onto your watercolor paper very quickly.

Because they are water activated, you may choose to use the dry or wet, but my experience has the best results with dry to keep your tip a bit sharper for finer details. You have to stick to the Supracolor line if you want watercolor blending. Otherwise, you'll find they also offer the Luminance line, which is their wax pencils. Wax pencils don't work so well with watercolor for this reason.

The upside to their Supracolor line is they are all museum-quality pigments and are best suited for gallery display. This means that the color saturation is much higher where you get the top-shelf pigment level that lasts decades. Despite their asking price Cara D'Ache Supracolors are an investment into any serious art piece, you use them for.

Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils

This is one of my favorite mid-range brands that won’t leave you high and dry for quality over subtle nit-picking issues. While I don’t like their wax pencil line sometimes has blending and crumbling problems, this can also be due to improper storage and how old they are. When it comes to their Albrecht Durer watercolor pencil line, they're honestly your best choice for color selections.

Not only are there several different kits that you can buy anywhere for 12 to 120 colors per set, and they are all water-activated. These colors blend well with each other and can be reduced to light tints without leaving residual residue on your paper. The pigments are also high-quality German-made colors that do not fade. They also have an advantage over Caran D'Ache Supracolors with blending while they are still wet.

You're still going to pay a premium price for these watercolor pencils but not nearly as much as the Karan brand costs. But for your overall quality, you can't beat Faber-Castell with a stick. My advice is to watch out for student discounts, special clearance sales, or great offers on Amazon Click Here.

Castle Watercolor Pencils

At the bottom of the list is Castle watercolor pencils, easily considered affordable for beginner artists. Click here to view details on Amazon. Use this link.

Despite the price difference between the top-shelf and mid-range brands, you'll find this brand offered at standard and high-end artist supply shops. It's honestly not a wrong brand despite some isolated talking points that are simple issues that can be controlled if you're careful using selected shades.

The first issue is that their color sets don't offer muted colors, so getting the right shade for landscapes and portraits is a matter of grading. Don't shoot for a color that you can blend easily if you add a very light touch. These colors are very bold and will show if you use a heavy hand while shading. It's better to use light shades in smaller portions if you want muted color since your paper texture can deposit too much color than you expected.

The second issue concerns buying a set that only carries a limited range of colors. If you aren't big on mixing and matching colors to get the desired shade, opt for buying their 72 color set, which is still limited compared to the other brands but worth the price otherwise.

Watercolor Paper

There are three categories for watercolor paper, and these all have to do with how thick and absorbent each weight will be. There are 90lb, 140lb, and 300lb that apply for watercolor painting. 90lb is the thinnest weight what will be great for general purpose painting with a little bit of retouching and minimal water usage. If you like to blend colors a lot, you'll want to skip this thickness of paper and go for 140lb or 300lb papers.

There are grades of paper that also reach as high as 400 to 850 GSM (grams per square meter), which determines how much wood and cotton is within the paper itself. There is also an issue with hot press and cold press paper. Hotpress paper will be flatter and smoother than the cold press, which has visible texture. There is also a rough paper with a raised texture that some artists like since it will pick up attractive surface detail for landscape washes.

Choose a paper that gives you working ability and can take more aggressive scrubbing if you like to mix and blend colors for more extended periods. Thinner paper stock weights will easily buckle if there is too much water. Although I found the easiest solution was to place this paper under a flat book with silicone parchment paper on top of it to keep it flat while it dries. On the backside of this paper, just lay some paper towels to soak up excess water.

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CAN YOU USE PENCIL MARKS WITH WATERCOLOR?

You can use nearly any kind of pencil for watercolor sketches and drawings on the paper of your choice. The best and perhaps the most common is using a graphite pencil since this doesn't lift away or fade so quickly once you start painting. It won't be as visible if you use a light line which works exceptionally well if you plan to make portraits or landscapes that include highlights on them.

This also lends well for other techniques that artists like to employ that I'll present in their own category. Since these are big questions that many have asked in the past, it's worth mentioning how these work and why they can be essential for you too.

Line and wash technique

One of the easiest ways to make a watercolor drawing look clean, practical, and still highly artistic. If you've ever looked at the classic Winnie the Pooh books by E.H. Shepard were drawn and painted this way and are a simple fill in the premise of the line. No matter how thick or thin you make your lines, the colors that are filled inside these borders help them stand out just like the Sunday comics used to look.

The line and wash technique is often a simple fill and color, while other methods include partial coloring and then grading it to get a lighter effect on one side. Even if there is no visible line present, watercolor detail can represent smaller dabs here and there. This works great for cobblestones, bricks, and many spots and elements separated from each other.

Why should you now draw before painting with watercolor?

This ongoing battle could be the modern equivalent to the east coast/west coast rap wars. Just don't tell Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. that they shouldn't have been arguing about laying down lines before serious water painting happens. But seriously, this is a matter of choice over what you prefer is the best method to start adding washes onto your watercolor paper.

Even if you have a preference, there isn't any rule [https://improvedrawing.com/should-you-sketch-before-watercolor/] against putting lines before or after. The only rule that applies to putting color on your paper before adding lines is to wait until the paper dries! Aside from that, if you want to add details into a landscape, you'll be wise to leave an open space where these elements will be placed. If you don't, over-painting is going to be a real pain in the neck to manage.

Benefits of underdrawing before painting

If you give yourself an open window to frame your picture, then underdrawing is the core value of starting any watercolor picture. This lets you lay the foundation of a landscape and items seen within that field of view. For portraits, you can create your image beforehand and then add subtle background details with watercolor after that. You might decide at the last minute to change your background once you begin to finalize your portrait.

This is why underdrawing is beneficial rather than trying to make a correction that happens later. Planning a sketch is never going to be set in stone, so you have the time to correct your shading as you like. Most underdrawings will appear black and [https://www.debhoeffner.com/work-in-progress-underdrawing-technique/] white image but not limited to colors that work well with watercolor. This can include chalk, pastel, and any kind of color pencil that isn't so waxy.

You can also use a simple graphite pencil to get the proper shading you like and then fill this in with watercolor washes to get the shading right. It takes a little practice, but it can enhance the underdraw image that you want colorizing.

CAN YOU USE WATERCOLOR PAINTING FOR SKETCHING?

Some artists like to paint exactly what they see and won't bother getting a pencil to sketch the item they want to paint. Of course, this is spur-of-the-moment watercolor and is fun to make freehand creations. Then there are watercolor images that will sit around and have details added later using pencil drawings added on top of them. Both of these methods are always a matter of choice, so there is no wrongdoing either.

Do you sketch before watercolor?

You can relax about which pencil is best for watercolor sketching using a freehand technique. These are reserved for those moments when you see a flower or image that catches your eye. You can quickly add colors seen at that exact time and use them later as a reference. This is what many artists like to do when catching a really incredible sunset or sunrise.

Some artists might be traveling or hiking and like to make spot reference paintings using watercolors only. Not only does this allow your drawing to appear more translucent than it really is, but you can also capture thinly-veiled flower petals or backlit trees where the sun is shining through. Because of this style, these images evoke more raw emotion because they aren't planned using a pencil because of this style.

Can I use a pencil with watercolor?

Let's figure that you'll make a few dozen watercolor drawings that end up in your flipbook and stay there for months at a time. It pays to go back and look at these projects to see what can be improved using a few smartly placed props in your picture. Unlike inking after a watercolor painting, this technique really doesn't have a name. What you decide to add is more akin to overpainting than anything else.

But to be honest, overpainting is when you use a base color as a stepping stone for more dominant colors placed on top. This is why some monotone paintings are done in only reddish hues when opposite colors are placed on top. What you're doing here is adding additions to a watercolor that you feel will enhance the mood or moment of what you already have on paper.

This type of added detail shouldn't be too aggressive or imposing; merely, this added item should exist without being a spoiler. On the opposite end of this thought, you can add pencil detail that helps to give your drawing more depth. Different hardness graphite can appear blacker creating a shadow on plants and objects you've already painted. You can also use a white pencil to add highlights to give just the fitting highlight or glint off selected spots.

Let's figure that you'll make a few dozen watercolor drawings that end up in your flipbook and stay there for months at a time. It pays to go back and look at these projects to see what can be improved using a few smartly placed props in your picture. Unlike inking after a watercolor painting, this technique really doesn't have a name. What you decide to add is more akin to overpainting than anything else.

But to be honest, overpainting is when you use a base color as a stepping stone for more dominant colors placed on top. This is why some monotone paintings are done in only reddish hues when opposite colors are placed on top. What you're doing here is adding additions to a watercolor that you feel will enhance the mood or moment of what you already have on paper.

This type of added detail shouldn't be too aggressive or imposing; merely, this added item should exist without being a spoiler. On the opposite end of this thought, you can add pencil detail that helps to give your drawing more depth. Different hardness graphite can appear blacker creating a shadow on plants and objects you've already painted. You can also use a white pencil to add highlights to give just the right highlight or glint off of selected spots.