Question: Watercolor Pencils Are The Same As Colored Pencils?
The straightforward response to the question, "Are watercolor and colored pencils the same?" is NO. Watercolor and regular colored pencils are not the same thing, and I'll explain the distinctions and applications in this post. Continue reading!
Colored Pencils
Regular colored pencils are less expensive coloring tools that are used by the majority of us in a normal routine. Many people who enjoy drawing or work in fields such as architecture, design, and fashion use these regularly. These pencils are wax or oil based and cannot be diluted with water. In fact, these are a completely dry medium. Because of their composition and binder qualities, they can be simply layered and combined right on the drawing surface. Colored pencils may be used on several types of paper, although regular drawing paper works nicely. Additionally, to draw with these pencils, no specific technique is needed.
Pros
- Available in a variety of colorful hues;
- Blend very well;
- Work on any type of paper;
- Allow you to apply many layers.
Cons
- Can not be used as watercolor pencils;
- Can't lighten their colors easily;
- Difficult to cover large areas;
- The more layers you apply, the harder it becomes to remove.
Watercolor Colored Pencils
In terms of appearance, colored watercolor pencils are very similar to regular pencils. The main distinction is that watercolor pencils contain a pigment that, when exposed to water, turns into watercolor. This characteristic guarantees the drawing a much more translucent tone and offers practically the same effect as an ink.
The technique to use this type of colored pencil is to make your painting as usual and then, after finished, apply a wet brush to the places where you have used watercolors. The strength of the brush strokes will cause the paint's pigment to release. It's an excellent method for coloring huge areas. With this, it is critical to remember not to immerse the colored pencil in water, since this will significantly impair its durability.
Pros
- Can be used as regular color pencils without water application;
- Create a look comparable to watercolor painting;
- Capable of covering larger surface areas;
- They make it easy to lighten up the colors if needed;
- Work well together with other medium.
Cons
- Colors become less intense when they are dry;
- Available in limited color range compared to regular colored pencils;
- Special heavier watercolor paper is needed to work with these colors.
