JustTricia
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,829 
Location: Indianapolis
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Post by JustTricia on Nov 20, 2014 11:33:29 GMT
I have a basic set of Prismacolors and have been watching YouTube to learn how to blend with just the pencils, no gamsol or blending pencil. I'm finding it hard to tell how much pressure is being used just by watching. Do you have to press pretty hard when you get to the blending stage to make sure to flatten the fibers? It seems like your hand would hurt after a while.
The main reason I'm asking is I watched Kristina Werner's holiday card video from yesterday. She sped up the coloring, but it seems like she laid down a pretty light, scribbily layer of the base color, then pressed pretty hard when she added the darker color, and then pressed really hard when she used the base color again to blend the darker color in. Is that how everyone does it?
I'm not having much luck yet and I'm wondering if I'm not pressing hard enough. I don't want to break the lead.
Thanks!
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
Posts: 3,829
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Post by CeeScraps on Nov 20, 2014 17:39:11 GMT
I use gamsol when I'm blending with pencils. I love the look it gives.
My only suggestion is to practice. See what works for you.
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skippet
Junior Member
Pea #417158 - Member since 2009 & only managed 17 posts
Posts: 97
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Post by skippet on Nov 20, 2014 19:39:17 GMT
I use Gamsol too and absolutely love the fact it is so easy and gives such beautiful results. I have done some using just the pencils, but it requires so much time and pressure, I don't enjoy it or the results. When I didn't use a medium, I would go layer by layer to try to build up a blending or shading effect, but it looked so uneven, I decided it must require some basic artistic talent which I don't have. Are you able to tolerate gamsol or some other blending medium? It does make all the difference in the world as it really brightens the color and you can easily get so many blended tones from the same color. Here's a card I did using gamsol & 4 purple pencils, 2 green, 2 yellow and 1 brown. The difference in shading is done by laying down color with heavier pressure where I wanted the shading darker or a very light pressure for the lighter areas, but all the blending is done with just a few strokes of gamsol on a tortillon or a stump: www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2477807?&cat=500&ppuser=122120 |
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
Posts: 3,829
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Post by CeeScraps on Nov 20, 2014 22:23:38 GMT
Skippet I like your card! You did a great job!!
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JustTricia
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,829
Location: Indianapolis
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Post by JustTricia on Nov 20, 2014 23:25:27 GMT
I was hoping not to invest in anything else before Christmas, but maybe I will go the gamsol route. Thanks!
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skippet
Junior Member
Pea #417158 - Member since 2009 & only managed 17 posts
Posts: 97
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Post by skippet on Nov 21, 2014 0:02:16 GMT
Thank you Ginger!
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skippet
Junior Member
Pea #417158 - Member since 2009 & only managed 17 posts
Posts: 97
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Post by skippet on Nov 21, 2014 0:26:04 GMT
I was hoping not to invest in anything else before Christmas, but maybe I will go the gamsol route. Thanks! I wish you were closer, I'd set you up with some of my supplies. I just bought a 32 oz bottle of Mona Lisa Odorless Mineral Spirits which will probably last me the rest of my life. You can get a smaller bottle at Micheal's for about $6.00, and cheaper if you have a coupon. I use only Loew Cornell Tortillons because they seem to me to blend more smoothly. The prices on these for a package of 6 is all over the place from about $2.00 up to $12.00. I have found them at Joann's reasonably priced. I just bought some on-line at OfficeSupply.com for $1.81 a package. You can usually find stumps & tortillons at art supply stores if you have one nearby. If you do decide to try them, look up Gina K's tutorial as it is helpful. I learned how to color with them from her stamping CD. Sue Nelson at Heartprints also has a good non-video tutorial which was very helpful when I was learning and definitely worth reviewing. Sue is know for inventing the Magic Colored Pencil Technique: www.heartprints.net/items.php?TagGuid=8A1EB306-28FE-48F1-BD84-927AA9F4E6AB |
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JustTricia
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,829
Location: Indianapolis
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Post by JustTricia on Nov 21, 2014 3:04:17 GMT
I was hoping not to invest in anything else before Christmas, but maybe I will go the gamsol route. Thanks! I wish you were closer, I'd set you up with some of my supplies. I just bought a 32 oz bottle of Mona Lisa Odorless Mineral Spirits which will probably last me the rest of my life. You can get a smaller bottle at Micheal's for about $6.00, and cheaper if you have a coupon. I use only Loew Cornell Tortillons because they seem to me to blend more smoothly. The prices on these for a package of 6 is all over the place from about $2.00 up to $12.00. I have found them at Joann's reasonably priced. I just bought some on-line at OfficeSupply.com for $1.81 a package. You can usually find stumps & tortillons at art supply stores if you have one nearby. If you do decide to try them, look up Gina K's tutorial as it is helpful. I learned how to color with them from her stamping CD. Sue Nelson at Heartprints also has a good non-video tutorial which was very helpful when I was learning and definitely worth reviewing. Sue is know for inventing the Magic Colored Pencil Technique: www.heartprints.net/items.php?TagGuid=8A1EB306-28FE-48F1-BD84-927AA9F4E6ABThanks for all the info! |
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Post by kikitwo on Nov 21, 2014 3:31:59 GMT
Your card is lovely. I have the Prismas, but haven't figured out to do it yet. I guess I need to practice more.
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Nov 22, 2014 3:40:41 GMT
I was hoping not to invest in anything else before Christmas, but maybe I will go the gamsol route. Thanks! A bottle of baby oil will do the same thing as gamsol. I bought a travel size. |
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JustTricia
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,829
Location: Indianapolis
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Post by JustTricia on Nov 22, 2014 13:03:48 GMT
I was hoping not to invest in anything else before Christmas, but maybe I will go the gamsol route. Thanks! A bottle of baby oil will do the same thing as gamsol. I bought a travel size. I've tried that and just get a greasy mess. Maybe I'm using too much or not the right paper. |
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Nov 22, 2014 16:07:52 GMT
A bottle of baby oil will do the same thing as gamsol. I bought a travel size. I've tried that and just get a greasy mess. Maybe I'm using too much or not the right paper. What are you using to blend with, and what paper? |
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JustTricia
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,829
Location: Indianapolis
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Post by JustTricia on Nov 22, 2014 18:59:16 GMT
Crap paper from Wal-Mart, which is probably the issue, but I am using stumps.
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Nov 23, 2014 1:39:34 GMT
Crap paper from Wal-Mart, which is probably the issue, but I am using stumps. Well, I used the Georgia Pacific 110 weight cardstock from there, and had no problem with that. You only need a very, very small amount of the fluid to blend with. I have an empty travel qtip box and some cotton squares. When I color, I put a few drops on the cotton, then touch the stump to that.  You can barely see oil on the stump at all, then blend in small circles. In the photo below, the picture on the left is blended pencils, and the one on the right is copic markers.  |
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JustTricia
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,829
Location: Indianapolis
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Post by JustTricia on Nov 23, 2014 2:39:51 GMT
So pretty! Thanks for all the help!
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scrapaddie
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,090
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Post by scrapaddie on Nov 24, 2014 16:30:56 GMT
I've used odorless mineral spirits from a hardware and it worked fine.... And was cheap!
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painterchic
Junior Member
Posts: 90
Jun 26, 2014 0:41:22 GMT
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Post by painterchic on Nov 25, 2014 2:48:22 GMT
I have never blended with pencils only because I like how vibrant the colors are once blended with OMS. Have you tried you tube for tips on blending w/o it? I might start there if I didn't want to buy anything else.
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tsabhira
Full Member
Posts: 250
Jun 26, 2014 3:38:01 GMT
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Post by tsabhira on Nov 27, 2014 0:01:43 GMT
I have tried several times with gamsol and found it bothers my throat too much. It might be odorless, but the chemical just gets into the air and into my throat and it's awful. Just my luck. The blending kit I bought had a prismacolor colorless blender marker in it, which works OK, but it has that cheap alcohol marker smell and no brush tip. I gave it a spin with a copic colorless blender (not as bad a smell, with a brush tip) and that worked surprisingly well. The burnisher/blending pencil actually works pretty well too, but it just blends the colors and whitespace out. It still looks like rich pencils; it doesn't give that gleaming 'marker' look that you can get with the wet media. I've got baby oil on my desk waiting for an attempt. Thanks for the tips above on how to set that up in a little box so it's not be a mess.  |
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painterchic
Junior Member
Posts: 90
Jun 26, 2014 0:41:22 GMT
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Post by painterchic on Nov 28, 2014 0:33:52 GMT
I have tried several times with gamsol and found it bothers my throat too much. It might be odorless, but the chemical just gets into the air and into my throat and it's awful. Just my luck. The blending kit I bought had a prismacolor colorless blender marker in it, which works OK, but it has that cheap alcohol marker smell and no brush tip. I gave it a spin with a copic colorless blender (not as bad a smell, with a brush tip) and that worked surprisingly well. The burnisher/blending pencil actually works pretty well too, but it just blends the colors and whitespace out. It still looks like rich pencils; it doesn't give that gleaming 'marker' look that you can get with the wet media. I've got baby oil on my desk waiting for an attempt. Thanks for the tips above on how to set that up in a little box so it's not be a mess. there is an "organic" version of OMS..I can't remember the name right now but it uses citrus oil in it. I have some ( I think, unless I gave it away ) but the smell of that one bothers me and it leaves a scent on your paper too. I will see if I can dig it out and get you the name of it. I am almost positive I ordered it from blicks as that is where I buy 99.9% of my supplies. |
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Nov 28, 2014 4:47:49 GMT
I've got baby oil on my desk waiting for an attempt. Thanks for the tips above on how to set that up in a little box so it's not be a mess. Oh, also-- when I opened the bottle, it had a metal seal on it. I took a pin and poked a hole in it, rather than removing the whole seal, so I could control how much oil comes out. |
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PaperAngel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,365
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Dec 4, 2014 14:36:43 GMT
Since I only incorporate stamping into scrapping (not a cardmaker, stamper, or mixed media crafter), I only use colored pencils on occasion. I find the Prismacolor Colorless Blender Pencils readily available & easy to use with my (discontinued) Prismacolor Lightfast set. Best wishes learning the no-assistance blending technique!
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Post by lazytown on Dec 8, 2014 19:26:23 GMT
I like the colorless blender pencil too, but I do a lot of coloring with just pencils. Yes, the trick is layering, the more layers you put down, the more blended the result. I usually do an undertone with medium pressure, then the primary color with some shading, then go over it with a light color that doesn't add much color, just a tint, and works as a blender.
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djc
Shy Member
Posts: 16
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Post by djc on Jan 1, 2015 18:38:39 GMT
When I first shopped for odorless mineral spirits, the clerk at the store told me that just because it was odorless didn't mean it was safe. He warned me to take all the usual precautions when using it; he was actually reluctant to sell it to me. I used it with the window open, but it still gave me a headache. I bought Zest It! online. It's a citrus-based blender that works great and is safe. Check out the Manufacturers Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to compare products. You can Google whichever ones you want to see. I bought a big bottle of the Pencil Blend and a small bottle of the Parchment Blend directly from England. Both work great. Sometimes I use Zest It, and sometimes I just use the pencils themselves to blend. It depends upon the look I'm trying to achieve. There were a few Peas who did stunning colored-pencil art blending with just the pencils. It takes longer, building up the layers, blending with the lighter pencils, but it is so worth it. Dina Kowal has a tutorial showing how to blend with different media. She doesn't use the Zest It, but you blend it the same way you use odorless mineral spirits. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufgdg8bwexIGood luck. Daria |
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