How To Use Watercolor Pencils Faber-castell

Watercolor pencil tips and techniques with professional grade Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils.

"What beauty is, I know not,though it adheres to many things"

– Albrecht Durer, 1471–1528

Watercolor corn on the cob

Harvest

Inspired by the passion and artistry of the great German Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer, Faber Castell offers its line of professional artist grade products of the utmost quality– the Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils.

Albrecht Durer Watercolor pencils are a versatile medium, offering an
aesthetic unparalleled by others; a combination of the trusted dependability and control of high quality colored pencils, along with the exciting creativity of watercolors. Embracing the playful behavior of these pencils with their ability to create unexpected artistic marks and effects, is what results in truly unique and beautiful artwork.

Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils come in an extraordinary range of vibrant, lightfast pigments, offered both in sets and open stock. Such a generous range of hues gives unlimited color mixing possibilities. They are also color-matched to all other Faber Castell Art & Graphic Products, enabling reliable mixing techniques of artists' materials. These premium quality pigments dissolve smoothly with water, producing brilliant washes and fine detail, and handle color gradations and transitions with ease. This is what professional artists can depend on with Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils; such performance and artful results is nothing less than pure poetry.

Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils.

Experience the pleasure of what pure quality has to offer

3 Basic Watercolor Pencil Methods

Draw and color first, then add water

Draw and color your image as you would with regular colored pencils, then activate the paint with water. You can use a paint brush or a water brush.

A soft, round #8 brush is a good general choice to use, as it is large enough to spread color yet can still be formed to a point for handling more detailed work. Use a larger, soft flat brush for covering larger areas and backgrounds.

Faber Castell's Deluxe Water Brush is an alternative to the traditional paint brush, designed with a plastic chamber for holding water that is consistently and evenly released through the brush tip as you paint.

Create a paper palette

Heavily apply small areas of color onto scrap watercolor paper, then activate the color with water. You can then pick up the paint with a wet brush. You can also mix colors by coloring them side by side and adding water. This method is very effective for creating soft washes.

Pick up color directly from the pencil tip

Paint by simply applying a wet brush to the pencil tips. This method offers a control convenient for small detail.

Basic Tips

Always work with scrap paper (same as artwork paper) at hand for experimenting with colors and techniques before using them on the final artwork.

Use a good sharpener. Faber Castell's Double Hole Metal Sharpener will keep your pencil tips sharp without breaking their soft leads.

Use a watercolor paper for its strength and ability to absorb water. Experience the difference between the smooth qualities of hot press and the rough, textured qualities of cold press paper. A 140lb cold press watercolor paper is most commonly used, as it encourages even color distribution and softer edges.

Watecolor corn on the cob

How to:

Creating the texture of the corn husk

Begin by mixing Burnt ochre and Cadmium yellow on your paper paint palette to create an overall thin wash on the husk. Be sure to leave a small area of white paper to serve as a highlight. When semi dry, add light, watery areas of Burnt ochre and Magenta. Let dry.

Add linework by using the sharpened watercolor pencils dry.

Mask out corn cob and background with scraps of paper. Add final texture by making a watery pool of Walnut brown and spattering the husks with color using a toothbrush. Add larger splotches by flicking color with a wet paint brush.

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