Since it’s “Magical Monday” when I don’t explain my technique in the video, I still filmed it for you! I colored this on Neenah Cardstock with Prismacolors, though softer papers are a bit preferable for me; I use an extremely sharp pencil and fill in all the little spots between pencil lines in layers – to create a smooth blend. One layer of the flower went from dark colors outside to light inside, and the other layer was in the reverse.
Read more below about my technique and some colored pencil flowers tips…but first, watch the video below.
I sharpen with an electric sharpener; sometimes to get a SUPER sharp tip, I will do a quick turn by hand on a handheld sharpener just to really point it well.
And guess what? I discovered you can buy pencils one-at-a-time at Dick Blick instead of sets that have colors you’ll never use. Or replacements for that one that you wore down to a nub! Cool beans eh? (Did you notice how small some of mine got?! I need a new Raspberry!) What I used on today’s flower: Spanish Orange, Orange, Raspberry, Violet and Violet Blue.
I wanted my card to be CAS to show off all the labor of love on the flower – so I simply popped it with dimensional adhesive added a sentiment from the same stamp set in a red ink..and added tone on tone Glossy Accents hearts and dots around the sentiment, along with on the dark flower centers bits.
Interested in getting started with colored pencils? There’s a class I teach on my other website HERE!
Supplies
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- Mondo Magnolia
- Neenah Cardstock, Solar White, Classic Crest: 25pk – 250pk
- VersaFine Ink Pad, Onyx Black
- Scotch Foam Mounting Tape
- Glossy Accents
- Prismacolor pencils:
- Prismacolor pencils EH – BLICK
- Quietsharp Pencil Sharpener AMZ – BLICK
Beautiful tutorial Sandy, Thk u! . How do you know what colors to pick that will work well. Do you have a tutorial on that?
Always beautiful work. Thanks for all the work on your end to give us help and inspiration!
ThAnk you for sharing this I have been wanting to learn how to use my colored pencils.
Awesome use of colored pencils looks like chalk! Thanks for showing us that pencils also be blended;)
I really enjoy the variety in your videos. The fabulous Hex chart is a hard act to follow but this video inspired me to get out my very old colored pencils and give them a new try. A good sharpening and learning from your video and I made a card I like a lot. Last time I tried pencils I used dull points, couldn’t blend, got ugly results and hence the pencils got put in the back of a deep drawer. The pencils felt new without spending any money!
P.S. I wonder why that Panasonic KP-310 is currently listed on Amazon for $250?? I thought it looked a lot like the one I have so I just looked to see what mine was, and I’ve had it for at least a decade, and sure enough, that’s the same model. There’s no way I paid that much for it, even if I was a lot more well off a decade ago! LOL! What’s up with that?
I wondered the same thing – it was around $50 the last time I looked, so I’m suddenly feeling like I got a “deal” – Hahaha!
Enjoyed this! Helpful because I’m taking my colored pencils on an upcoming camping trip/vacation and bought a new mandala coloring book to practice with. Thanks also for the super-helpful “how to properly sharpen colored pencils video.” Just love how your finished flower looked like a nebula or galaxy, too. Neat!
I enjoy using colored pencils but have always struggled with keeping them sharp, especially the white ones. I have the Primsacolor bullet sharpener shown in the Dick Blick video, but have not used it as the demonstrator shows. I’ll have to try that and see if it helps with the breakage I experience with the white leads. I’ve also used electric sharpeners in the past in an attempt to keep the white pencils from breaking but have not been successful.
Thanks, as always for bringing us such great content!
Donna
Sometimes the pencil lead inside the wood is broken – so be careful not to drop them. I’ve had pencils break repeatedly and I’m pretty sure they’d been brutalized and were no longer intact inside.
Wow, wow, wow! You really got a lot from those pencils. This turned out beautifully.
Great color choices. I always wondered how you got your pencils so sharp and the video on how to sharpen the pencils is so helpful. Who knew…I certainly didn’t. Thanks for the beautiful video and for sharing your wealth of knowledge. I am learning so much. I just have to get busy now.
wow, i really love this. I am learning so much from you and your videos, thanks
Enjoyed your card and video. Like how you were able to blend the colors. You have the right touch. TFS
Thanks for this video, Sandy! I’m always reluctant to use plain, colored pencils for fear of not being able to blend them. I’m gonna give it another try soon. Gorgeous card! ♥
i really enjoy seeing these videos on Monday (well and all the other days too LOL) and especially seeing you use colored pencils in a traditional way (no mineral spirits etc – although I love using that technique). What I found.find interesting is that I see a lot on using pencil sharpeners lately (as you mention in your post here) – and when i was in school this was frowned upon with colored pencils – instead being schooled on using a blade to chisel a new point. Thinking was you wasted a lot of the lead in the sharpener. I’m going to have to break down and try a sharpener LOL Thanks for all your wonderful videos Sandy – and that lovely hex chart from the other day
It does go through more pencil lead but….I find it’s worth it 🙂
You made it look like a chalk technique. So cool since we all know it was really colored pencils.