Today’s post is a followup to a post listing 4 drawing methods tips from a few weeks back. I thought I’d continue the series with 3 more drawing methods tips.
Let’s get started.
3 More Drawing Methods Tips
Tip #1: When to Burnish
I have described in detail the basics of burnishing in another post, so I will say only that burnishing is a blending method. But it’s a method that can limit the number of layers you can apply, especially on smooth paper. That’s because when you burnish, you use such heavy pressure that you flatten the tooth of the paper. That makes it difficult to add more color.
You also apply a lot of wax if you use a wax-based burnishing pencil like Prismacolor’s Colorless Blender. Wax buildup makes paper slick, and that also makes it difficult to add more color.
So the first tip is to save burnishing until your artwork is finished or nearly finished.
Tip #2: Tools for Burnishing
I’ve already mentioned Prismacolor Colorless Blenders. They are essentially a colored pencil without any pigment added.
Other manufacturers also make burnishing pencils. I have a set of Derwent burnisher and blender pencils. The blender pencil is a soft, colorless pencil that allows you to blend two or more layers of color. The burnisher pencil is harder and produces a glossier finish. You can use one or the other or both on artwork, depending on the look you want to achieve.
Lyra’s version is the Splender Colorless Blender. It’s a hard-ish blending pencil. It’s not as soft as the Prismacolor Colorless blender, but it is effective.
Caran d’Ache also offers a set of blending pencils under the name Caran d’Ache Blender Bright Pencil Set. It’s a set of two pencils. The Full Blender does not have a wood casing, while the Blender pencil does have a wood casing. Both versions are made with the same oil-wax medium.
All of these blending pencils work on different surfaces and with different types of pencils, and they all blend color nicely. However, the final results can differ depending on the way you use them and the paper you’re using.
These blending and burnishing pencils are all available at Dick Blick (my favorite online store) and other websites.
Tip #2 is to find the one that works best for you, or mix and match for different applications if you want to burnish or blend without adding color.
Tip #3: Burnish with Regular Pencils
I don’t burnish very often because I like the look of color that hasn’t been burnished.
But I do blend with colored pencils to smooth out color and soften strokes. The colors I use most often are a very light cool gray for cool colors or very light warm gray for warm colors. Using light grays not only softens the colors and blends them, but tones down color that might be a bit too bold.
For colors that are very warm, I sometimes choose Polychromos Ivory or Cream. Cream can be a bit too yellow, so test it first.
My third drawing methods tip for today is take a look at your collection of colored pencils when you’re ready to burnish. Look for very light colors that work with the colors you want to blend. This is especially effective when you need to tint an area as well as blend it.
There are 3 more Drawing Methods Tips
I focused on burnishing in this post, because so many artists have questions about it. The most basic question is this: Should you burnish or shouldn’t you?
I hope I’ve answered that question.
I also hope that if you choose to burnish your artwork, you find the remaining tips useful.
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