Preventing Colored Pencil Wax Buildup

Are there ways of preventing colored pencil wax buildup?

Yes, and I’d like to share some of the best ways I know.

The good news is that it’s not as difficult as you might think. Nor do you need expensive new tools. You can probably get started with the tools you already have.

Preventing Colored Pencil Wax Buildup

The Tools You Use

The Type of Pencils

Colored pencils that use a binding agent that’s mostly wax are a delight to use. They usually lay down color smoothly and quickly.

Most of you are probably thinking “Prismacolor” as you read these words and you would be right. But there are other top-grade pencils that are considered wax-based. Caran d’Ache Luminance for example, as well as some of the Derwent lines. The fact is that most colored pencils contain more wax than oil in the binding agent because wax is less expensive than oils.

But there is a downside.

Whenever you use any colored pencil, you put binding agent on the paper as well as color. There’s simply no way to avoid that because the color is held together by the binding agent. The binding agent is what makes the color usable and useful. Trying to put down color without also putting down binding agent is like trying to eat a pancake without eating the egg in the pancake.

So the pencils you use either add to waxy buildup or help you avoid it. Switching to oil-based pencils such as Lyra Rembrandt or using drier pencils like Caran d’Ache Pablos leaves less wax on your drawing, for example.

The Quality of Pencils

Using inexpensive pencils also can add to waxy buildup problems. Why? Because they contain a higher percentage of binding agent to color than higher quality pencils.

You can get good results with scholastic or student grade pencils, but you may end up with more waxy buildup for the same amount of color with those pencils.

Prang and Crayola are examples of a scholastic grade pencil.

Tossing all those scholastic pencils and replacing them with better pencils isn’t necessary. Whenever you need to buy a replacement color, replace that inexpensive pencil with a similar color of better quality.

You don’t have to go all the way to the top of the line, either. Derwent has some very good mid-grade pencils that might work for you and wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. The Derwent Coloursoft line is a good example, and they are about the same price as Prismacolors.

Blick Studio Artist’s Colored Pencils are another line of pencils that combine artist quality pencils with a good price.

The Type of Paper

You might not think paper has much to do with wax buildup. After all, wax builds up pretty much the same way on every type of paper, doesn’t it?

Yes, and no. You are layering color no matter what type of paper you use. Layering color contributes to wax buildup.

But rougher papers have more tooth. The surface of a rough paper doesn’t become slick as quickly as smooth paper. The rougher the paper, the less likely you are to have problems with wax buildup. I’ve been using Pastelmat for some time now, and have also used UArt Premium Sanded Pastel Paper. I have never experienced wax build up with any of them, no matter how much color I put on the paper.

I can also recommend Canson Mi-Teintes. It’s designed for pastels, though, so has a pretty obvious texture on the front. The back is better for colored pencils, but you can draw on both sides.

The Way You Draw

The way you draw also can add to waxy buildup or help you avoid it.

Drawing with light pressure reduces the amount of binding agent you put on the paper. Yes, you also put less color on the paper when you use light pressure, but even on smooth papers, you can add more layers before wax builds up too much.

If you use heavier pressure, you put more color AND wax on the paper. You’re more likely to get wax buildup sooner with this drawing method.

Burnishing is a method of blending in which you use extremely heavy pressure to blend layers of color. When you burnish with a color, you add color to the paper as well as blend previous layers. If you burnish with a colorless blender, then all you’re adding to the paper is the waxy binding agent.

There’s nothing wrong with burnishing. It’s a popular and often-used blending method.

But it does leave a lot of binding agent on your drawing and that contributes to waxy buildup. I usually recommend burnishing only a couple of times during the drawing process, and saving it until near the end.

The Bottom Line for Preventing Colored Pencil Wax Buildup

So how can you prevent colored pencil wax buildup on your artwork? Here, in a nutshell, are my best suggestions.

Try oil-based pencils instead of wax-based pencils if you can.

Use the best pencils you can afford.

Use light or medium pressure for as many layers as you can.

Don’t burnish until toward the end of your drawing process

The paper you use could also determine how quickly wax buildup happens. It’s quite easy to get wax buildup on smooth papers. That’s because there’s less tooth for the color and the wax to fill.

The rougher the paper, the less likely wax buildup becomes a problem.

So the bottom line in prevention is finding the best combination of paper and pencils for your drawing method and style.

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