Using Watercolor Pencils for Impressionism

Jerry’s LIVE Episode #JL342: In this Jerry’s LIVE episode one of Jerry’s Artarama’s Resident Artists, Michaela Westra, explains how to utilize watercolor pencils for the art of Impressionism. Learn more in this video with accompanying video and article.

Includes: Video, Article, Images, Materials Used plus Questions and Answers

Materials and Inspiration

“I wanted to look at previous artists that have done impressionistic watercolor paintings and I did struggle a little bit, but I found some really good ones. This one is by John Singer Sargent. He’s done quite a few impressionistic watercolors … I’m going to focus mostly on the John Singer Sargent painting to help me get that impressionistic look.”

“So, for our materials, like I said, we’re going to be using those Cezanne watercolor pencils, but I did want to tone my paper first so that I don’t have to worry about covering the entire page with just my watercolor pencils in an hour. So I also added in our Turner’s artist watercolor 12 set. 

“So, I’m going to start with a couple washes with just the watercolor and then we’ll jump in with those watercolor pencils.

I have the New York Central 9”x12” cold press 140lb watercolor block here . I really like the texture on the cold press, and I think that’s going to lean really well with the impressionistic style that we’re going for.”

First Steps

“We’re going to go ahead and start with a very simple wash because I want whatever peaks through the watercolor pencils to be something colorful; I don’t want the pure white. Starting at the top just brushing back and forth I’m going to fill the entirety of my page from edge to edge with color. The more brushy your background is, the more it’s going to lean to that impressionistic look. 

“If you are doing a wash and you are adding a colored pencil on top, you want to make sure that it is fully dry for a couple of reasons. Once you add the colored pencil onto something wet, that pigment is going to come off super strong and it’s going to stick to the paper, so it won’t become super blendable. It also just goes on so much nicer when the paper is dry.”

Layering Colors

Michaela explains some of the differences between layering colored pencils and layering watercolor pencils.

“The only difference is the blender pencil has a different use. When I was creating those really smooth combinations of color, I was layering and layering those colored pencils and then using that blender stick to kind of melt those colors together. With the watercolor pencils you don’t really have to layer and layer the same way. 

“So with [watercolor pencils] I would lay down a really smooth thin layer of colored pencil and then I would put water over it so it creates a really thin transparent layer. That’s how we’re layering, we’re not layering the colored pencil, colored pencil, colored pencil. You’re doing colored pencil, water, let it dry, colored pencil, water, let it dry and then you’re creating those layers that way.”

A blender pencil works a little bit differently when used with watercolor pencils. 

“… that colorless blender kind of saves that pigment where it is, it’s not going to move, it’s not going to be affected by that water quite as much.”

Questions From The Audience

We have a quick question: can you use these pencils on Aqua board?

“You can, I have not done it personally, but aquaboard is going to have a really nice grit to it. It

should work very similar to art papers, it’s just going to have a different texture on that hard surface.”

I was wondering, do you prefer the watercolor pencils to the tubed watercolor paints? 

“Oh, I don’t think I can answer that because they have their different uses. I think the paints are really nice for wide washes; really soft transitions. These are fantastic for detailed watercolors and kind of more textured watercolor because sometimes when you add that colored pencil on there you can retain that colored pencil texture once you add that water.”

Brushes And Color Charts

“The colored pencil set here is a set of 72 and it actually comes with its own little paint brush. This is a round [size] four. This is fantastic for those small details. Since I’m doing something a little bit more impressionistic, I want something loose so I’m going for slightly bigger brushes. That’s definitely going to help with being loose.”

“The set also comes with this beautiful color chart. This is going to be super fun and important because these pigments can kind of look different once the water is added. So, if you are choosing something based on the colored pencil and then you add water to it’s going to be too saturated. So seeing what it looks like when the water is added is definitely going to help you decide which colors you want to add where.”

Starting With Watercolor Pencils

“… I’m going to start off by drawing in that trunk. Just going back and forth constantly moving my eyeballs between where my hand is and where my reference photo is. That’s definitely going to help you do a quick sketch. And you don’t want to focus on one area for too long because again this is going to be an impressionistic painting, I want it to be very loose. 

“I don’t want to get bogged down in these branches, just the prominent ones, and keep in mind when you are choosing your colors that everything you add down will eventually be picked up when you add the water. When you’re doing something impressionistic, working fast is going to help.”

“When I’m adding these colored pencils in, I’m putting it in lighter, not like pressing down super super hard unless you want a defining line, but I’m kind of pressing down a little bit lightly. When you add the water there is a chance that the more water you add the lighter that color is going to get.” 

Avoiding Unwanted Texture

“If you are working on paper that is a little bit damp you might want to be careful with the direction that you are coloring in because, again, sometimes that texture of the colored pencil on the paper can remain.” 

 If you’re trying to avoid the texture of the paper would you suggest maybe using a different type of paper?

“Yeah, that can definitely help if you have a hot pressed paper. Very light pressure, you’ll get very little texture. I did want to retain some texture because I like the idea of seeing the texture in the final painting, especially with this John Singer Sargent, you can definitely see that nice cold press texture in there.”

“… I want to retain some of that texture and that saturation, and once you kind of remove that pigment from the surface and it’s floating in that water that you add, you can move it around quite a bit. you can also fully erase it. If you are using very light pressure and then you add quite a bit of water, you can almost fully erase this from your paper. So, I like to go from my lights into my darks.

“But you can kind of see the more water you add the less of that colored pencil texture you see and the less water you add the more you’re going to retain that texture.”

Working On Wet Paper

“… once you add it onto wet paper that pigment is going to become very stark and however you brush this on that texture is going to remain adhering to that surface of the paper. 

“You can see just how dark that gets when you add just the colored pencil to a wet paper. 

“Now let’s go ahead and add some water. You can see that it does blend out but that texture is going to remain sticking to those raised points on that cold press paper. And again, if that’s something you want to avoid, definitely using a hot pressed paper–something that’s smoother–and working dry onto dry.”

Questions From The Audience

Would you rather paint with just watercolors rather than using the watercolor pencils like wouldn’t that be a little faster?

“Yes, this is going to be typically really good for those really small details … so, typically I would see this as really helpful for getting those really tiny details when you’re working with watercolor. For example, with that portrait I did it’s going to be hard to get those eyelashes and those eye details and the eyebrows. You can get really nice saturated line work that’s really crispy when you’re doing something with these pencils.” 

Nola was wondering, once you wet the colors and they dry will they reactivate or are they permanent? 

“They do reactivate just a little bit, but not too much. It depends also on how much of that wash you have … let’s go ahead and try to erase something that we already did. Let’s see if this reactivates here. It does a little bit but it doesn’t shift all that much, so once you add that water I wouldn’t say it’s permanent but it’s going to be harder to remove.” 

Eric on YouTube was wondering, if you are not a patient person, is there a good way to speed up the drying process when you apply that water? 

“Absolutely, I like to use this handy dandy gadget. It is called a hair dryer! If you do not have that, let it sit in a warm area in the sun. But hair dryers are so useful when you’re working with something that you need to dry quickly, so for acrylic paint and watercolor it’s definitely super duper helpful.”

Paper For Watercolor Pencils

“If you have not worked with these New York Central watercolor blocks, they are so good for working on really wet paintings because watercolor paper will warp as you’re working and having something that’s already stretched on all sides is going to help keep that flat, especially once it dries. 

“And while we’re on that topic, once you are done with a painting like this you will use a palette knife to remove it from the block. You do want to make sure that your painting is completely dry so that it can dry in this flat shape. Again, there is a little tab down here at the bottom and you will take a palette knife, stick it in there, slide it across, and you’ll go all the way around to remove that paper from the block.”

Final Results

Michaela shows their finalized painting. 

If you enjoyed this blog, check out some of the Jerry’s LIVE videos available on both Facebook and Youtube. Each video offers free, live, virtual instruction from various topics all related to art techniques, supplies, and more. New shows premier live every Tuesday at 5:30 PM EST. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you paint like an impressionist?

A: Michaela recommends painting in clumps of color, using a larger brush, and keeping loose. Impressionism is meant to capture the impression of a scene, rather than small details. 

What Is the difference between Watercolor pencils and colored pencils? 

A: Watercolor pencils are water-soluble, while colored pencils are not. Their techniques for use are slightly different, but watercolor pencils can be utilized the same as any traditional colored pencil. 

What kind of paper should you use for watercolor pencils?

A: Michaela prefers the New York Central Cold pressed watercolor blocks. The cold pressed paper’s texture adds to the impressionist feel, and the glued sides keep the paper from warping when using large amounts of water. 

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More Resources

1. Transforming Drawings into Watercolor Paintings
2. Watercolor Tubes or Pans? The Pros and Cons
3. Innovation & The Technology Behind Oasis Synthetic Watercolor Brushes
4. Different Types of Watercolor Paper and Their Unique Qualities