I soaked my colored pencils in an attempt to make their colors more striking.
On the left, I used dry colored pencils. On the right, I used wet colored pencils.
Today, I did something crazy.
I did an experiment today... and it wasn't scientific.
I was browsing through Youtube when I came across this really interesting video, entitled "Does soaking colored pencils make them better?" Needless to say, I was very, very intrigued.
In the video, SuperRaeDizzle soaked her Crayola colored pencils in warm water for at least five minutes. The results definitely made my jaw drop. I mean, how the heck could that have happened? I thought that I had to try it out for myself.
It was still surprising.
I took a disposable plastic cup with a quarter of it filled with water. I added a few 70% isopropyl alcohol to make a solution, and perhaps make the pencils softer. After all, alcohol apparently makes a great blender for colored pencils.
In the video, SuperRaeDizzle noticed that the longer she soaked the pencils, the more pigmented they became. She suggested trying to soak the pencils for ten to fifteen minutes, which I eventually did.
I knew what to expect, but it was definitely still surprising.
The soaked colored pencils were definitely more pigmented and far smoother. I tried smudging it, and it hardly even smudged so bad! Which was great, if I think about it.
I tried to apply it in drawing.
I decided to recycle an old pencil drawing of mine and color it. It was my drawing of my then 5-year-old nephew (he's 8 now). It held a sentimental value to me; it was one of my very first portraits done. Ever.
A quick pencil sketch of my nephew, Roulan. Drawn February 2015.
So if I ended up ruining it (which I eventually did, good gods), it would forever haunt me (still does).
Dry colored pencils first.
I began by coloring the first layer using dry colored pencils. I think it is pretty noticeable that the colors of my dry colored pencils (at least, with one layer) were very dull.
Tried the soaked colored pencils.
Before trying the soaked colored pencils, I used a clean paper towel to remove their dampness and thus avoid any unwanted paper accident. I was so thrilled with the colors when they stuck so easily to the paper towel! Haha, moving on...
The moment I pressed the pencil on the paper, I immediately regretted what I was doing. LOL. It was, indeed, a very crazy thing.
Halfway through, I thought, "What did I get myself into?"
Regardless, I had to fight the temptation to stop what I was doing and see the end result for myself.
The colors were so pigmented!
I still couldn't quite get over that small fact. I questioned myself many times -- why? What was with this solution that makes the wax-based colored pencil so soft and thus, very pigmented?
Apparently, the alcohol as a solvent helps break down the wax present in the colored pencils and makes the blending easier and much smoother. (I will have to thoroughly review my Chemistry again.)
Now imagine if I didn't dilute this 70% isopropyl alcohol in water, and just instead used it full-on? I bet the pencils would be extra, extra soft.
Advantages and disadvantages of soaking the colored pencils.
Let's begin with the advantages.
First, the colors become very, very pigmented after soaking the pencils. This is really nice, because then, from dull, the colors become very vibrant.
Next, using these soaked pencils almost made your colors look like you used expensive oil-based colored pencils (like Faber Castell Polychromos).
Lastly, it's very smooth! It doesn't even smudge so bad.
Actually, the colors become pigmented so much that you can even use the pencils to write on your own skin! That definitely was the coolest part for me.
You can even use them on your skin. I literally dipped this pencil for a little more than 10 seconds
and look just how pigmented it is!
Finally, the disadvantages of utilizing such technique.
First, using the pencils after soaking them feels so undeniably stiff. (Yeah, it isn't always smooth-sailing.)
Second, if you take a look at the picture below, you'll notice that from sharp (when the pencil was dry), the pencil looked so soft after soaking it.
It almost looks like the colored pencil peeled off while being soaked... which it probably did, because I found some residuals left in the plastic cup.
Residuals from the pencils were left in the solution.
Which brings me to the last disadvantage of this technique -- the longevity of the pencils gets somewhat compromised. The pencils become so soft that just a few strokes could immediately half the pencils' cores... which will lead to me sharpening most of my pencils many times.
It was a fun experiment.
In the end, even when I felt like I ruined my drawing, it was a fun experiment. It was something I never knew of -- heck, it was something really new to me! -- and maybe, just maybe, I'll try it again someday. When I'm more confident with myself.
Materials used.
- 90 gsm paper
- Faber Castell classic colored pencils
- 70% isopropyl alcohol + more water