Do you love to color? I sure do! And I’m excited to share my favorite tips for how to use watercolor pencils with you. Watercolor pencils are a great way to add extra color and life to your coloring pages. In this post, I’ll teach you how to use them like a pro!
I have been using watercolor pencils for some time and absolutely love them! I believe it is the easiest way to do any watercolor art.
While many commonly use watercolor paints and brushes to paint, I find that using this kind of pencil is a great way to start. The pigment is already in the pencil, so you can draw and add color to your work.
I think anyone can make watercolor art with these tools!
How To Use Watercolor Pencils Video Tutorial
I needed to show you how to use watercolor pencils to really teach you! So, I made a brief video explaining my techniques. You can watch the video below.
Can’t watch the video or missed some of the steps? I have the details for how to use watercolor pencils below as well.
How To Use Watercolor Pencils
The key to using watercolor pencils is to layer the colors. Add light layers of color first, building up the intensity as needed. You can also add water to the color to create a wash effect!
Supplies Needed For Watercoloring
- Watercolor pencils (I think any brand will work)
- Water
- Coloring book (or white paper)
My friend Dawn Nicole asked me to review her book Words to Live By, and this was the perfect opportunity to give it a test drive!
I used one of the pages in the book as my example.
My Most Used Techniques When Using Watercolor Pencils
I’ve played with my watercolor pencils for a while now, and I think I’ve finally nailed down 3 techniques I love the most:
Technique 1
Apply the pencil to the outside edges of a shape, then fill it in with a wet paintbrush.
Technique 2
Gently add water to an area, then color in with a pencil. This results in darker colors.
Technique 3
Apply the watercolor pencil lightly over very large areas and use the wet paintbrush to fill it in.
Overall, using watercolor pencils is extremely easy. Play around with the techniques mentioned above, and you will be an expert in no time!
The Best Tips For Using Watercolor Pencils
A few more important notes about using these colorful pencils…
- Take this opportunity to experiment with different colors. I love making my own color palette using a few watercolor pencils.
- If you make a mistake, don’t worry! You can use a wet paintbrush to erase any mistakes (or color over it).
- Make sure that you have a really thick piece of paper to start. Regular paper will not work as it will get too wet. Using textured paper makes a HUGE difference!
- Also, if you use a page printed from your printer, you have to be extremely careful that the ink does not bleed when you get it wet.
The pages in the Words to Live By book are perfect for practicing your watercolor pencil skills. They are thick, and the ink will not bleed when wet!
Cricut Machine Hack For Watercoloring
Now as much as I love sitting down and watercoloring, I also love using my Cricut any chance I get!
Recently, I discovered The Best Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore Pen Hack! This hack shows you how to use ANY pen in your Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore. Plus, the best part is that it only costs one dollar.
Yes. You read that right!
This hack is perfect for watercoloring if you want to use your favorite brand of watercolor markers (that are not Cricut’s Watercolor Markers) in your machine. Once you have your watercolor marker in the machine, you can draw a design as usual (on watercolor paper), take it out of the machine, and then use your water brush to give it a watercolor effect.
This hack is a fun way to create your own design and is perfect for making custom coloring pages, cards, or artwork more quickly.
Note: As I mentioned above, Cricut has its own watercolor markers and supplies. If you are interested in learning more about those products, check out my video called How to Use Cricut Watercolor Markers And Cards where I demonstrate how to use them!
FAQs About How To Use Watercolor Pencils
Here are a few common questions that readers often ask about learning how to use watercolor pencils. If you have a question, please check if I’ve already addressed it below. If you don’t see your question listed, please leave it in the comments!
What Is The Difference Between Watercolor Pencils And Colored Pencils?
The main difference between watercolor pencils and colored pencils is that you add water to the watercolor pencil to create a wash effect. This makes the color lighter and more transparent. With colored pencils, you would add more layers of color to achieve a similar result.
Can You Use Watercolor Pencils Dry?
Yes, you can use watercolor pencils dry. However, they work best when you add a little bit of water to them.
Are Watercolor Pencils Good For Beginners?
Watercolor pencils are great for beginners because they are easy to use, and the pigment is already in the pencil. You don’t have to worry about mixing colors or anything like that.
Just start coloring, and you will be able to create beautiful artwork!
What Else Will You Find In The Coloring Book, Words To Live By?
Words To Live By combines inspirational quotes, hand-lettering tips and techniques, and fun coloring pages. You can learn to hand letter and get 24 coloring pages all in the same book!
It really is a gorgeous book, perfect for those who want to hand-letter or love the adult coloring trend.
Grab Your Freebie!
You can click here to download this camper coloring page for free and print it at home. Alternatively, you can click here to buy the entire book from Amazon.
I hope you enjoyed learning how to use watercolor pencils. I know they will be on your “must-have” list of craft supplies soon!
You should also pick up Dawn Nicole’s book Words to Live By. The quality of this book alone, for the price, will make you smile! Bonus: You get 24 pages of cuteness to practice your watercolor pencil skills!
5 More Watercoloring Crafts
Did you love learning to use watercolor pencils and want more watercolor crafts? Then check out the projects below!
- Watercolor Projects: Die Cut Watercolor Art
- Easy Watercolor Mason Jar Vases
- Watercolor Photo Postcards
- Easy Watercolor Art Banner Decor
- Watercolor Hoop Art
Beautiful tutorial! I would love to win the book so I can practice this with my 14 year old daughter who loves being creative. We are always looking for new ways to be creative.
You are the sweetest, Angie! Thank you SO much for doing this for me!! xo, Dawn
Great tutorial and timely for me too. I just purchased some Anna Griffin watercolor pencils and didn’t have a clue on how to properly use them. And I love the idea behind your friends book. But I do have another question about the watercolor pencils. Is there any special care you should use to get the most use and /or quality out of them? Also how much control do you have over the water to keep your colors from bleeding into another area? I noticed in your video you dabbed at your sheet with your finger, I’m assuming something smudged. Do you let one area dry before moving on to the next to keep the colors from bleeding over? I’m a scrapbooker so I wanted to incorporate this in using stamps. So I’m totally new to watercolor pencils….p.s. I really enjoy your blog and have been subscribed for awhile now. I can’t remember who’s project or blog led me to you to give them credit. But I’m glad they did! Mary
I usually do one area then move to the next and come back so they do not bleed over. And yes if you have some bleed over or an oops moment taking your finger and getting rid of it really quick usually works! If you are doing small areas, wring most of the water out of your brush with your fingers before starting. Large areas will be okay without the extra step. I am unaware of anything special you need to do for care. Hope that helps!
I’m so glad I gave colored pencils a try. I’m so hooked on them now!
Thank you for the opportunity to win this inspiring book.
They’re great for travelling with, and work well with one of those brushes with a water reservoir that you fill.
How fun! My boys had I have just started using watercolor pencils and we’re having fun playing around with them. They offer so much more control than regular watercolors. I had not thought of travelling with them though: what a great idea, Kid Can Doodle!
So much fun! I have some watercolor pencils, but have never used them like this. I’m going to try it! 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Dishing It & Digging It!