Colored pencil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Colored pencil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A colored pencil, coloured pencil (see spelling differences) or pencil

crayon is an art medium constructed of a narrow, pigmented core
encased in a wooden cylindrical case. Unlike graphite and charcoal
pencils, colored pencils cores are wax- or oil-based and contain varying
proportions of pigments, additives, and binding agents.[1] Water-soluble
(watercolor) pencils and pastel pencils are also manufactured as well as
colored leads for mechanical pencils.
Some colored pencils.

Colored pencils vary greatly in terms of quality and usability;

concentration of pigments in the core, lightfastness of the pigments,
durability of the colored pencil, and softness of the lead are some indicators of a brands quality and,
consequently, its market price. There is no general quality difference between wax/oil-based and water-soluble
colored pencils, although some manufacturers rate their water-soluble pencils as less lightfast than their similar
wax/oil-based pencils. Rising popularity of colored pencils as an art medium sparked the beginning of the
Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA). According to its website, [CPSA] was founded in 1990 as a
nonprofit organization dedicated to artists over 18 years of age working with colored pencil.[2] The CPSA not
only promotes colored pencil art as fine art, but also strives to set lightfastness standards for colored pencil
manufacturers.[3] Other countries such as United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and Mexico
among many others have formed their own organizations and societies for colored pencil artists.[4][5][6] In
Canada, colored pencils are known as pencil crayons.

Contents
1 History
2 Types
2.1 Artist grade
2.2 Student and scholastic grade
2.3 Mechanical colored pencils
2.4 Watercolor pencils
2.5 Pastel pencils
3 Techniques
4 References

History
The history of the colored pencil is not entirely clear. The use of wax-based mediums in crayons is
well-documented, however, and can be traced back to the Greek Golden Age, and was later documented by
Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder.[7] Wax-based materials have appealed to artists for centuries due to their
resistance to decay, the vividness and brilliance of their colors, and their unique rendering qualities.[7] Although
colored pencils had been used for checking and marking for decades prior, it was not until the early 20th
century that artist-quality colored pencils were produced. Manufacturers that began producing artist-grade
colored pencils included Faber-Castell in 1908 and Caran dAche in 1924, followed by Berol Prismacolor in

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1938.[8] Other notable manufacturers include Blick Studio, Cretacolor, Derwent, Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth, Lyra,
Schwan-Stabilo, and Staedtler.

Types
Several types of colored pencils are manufactured for both artistic and practical uses.

Artist grade
Artist-grade pencils are filled with higher concentrations of high-quality pigments than student-grade colored
pencils. Their lightfastness resistance to UV rays in sunlight is also measured and documented. Core
durability, break and water resistance, and brand popularity are also notable features of artist-grade colored
pencils.[9] Artist-grade pencils have the largest color ranges; 72 color sets are very common and there are
several brands of 120 colors or more. They are also typically available as individual pencils.

Student and scholastic grade

Many of the same companies that produce artist-grade colored pencils also offer student-grade materials and
scholastic-level colored pencils. Lightfastness rating is usually not included in student- and scholastic-grade
colored pencils. Core composition and pigment-binder ratio vary among artist- and student-grade colored pencils
even when the same company produces them. As they are intended for different users, student- and
scholastic-grade colored pencils lack the high quality pigments and lightfastness standards that hold artist-grade
products true to their name. Also their color range is smaller, most often limited to 24 or 36 colors.
Using lower grade colored pencils does have its advantages, however. Some companies offer erasable colored
pencils for beginning artists to experiment with.[10] Also, due to their significantly lower prices, student-grade
colored pencils are ideal for elementary and middle school students. Colored pencil manufactures tailor their
products and prices to different age and skill groups.

Mechanical colored pencils

Although not as common as graphite mechanical pencils, some companies also offer colored refill leads.
Currently, a very limited color range exists for colored refill leads.

Watercolor pencils
Watercolor pencils, otherwise known as water-soluble pencils, are a versatile art medium. The pencils can be
used drylike normal colored pencilsor they can be applied "wet" to get the desired watercolor effect. In wet
application, the artist first lays down the dry pigment and then follows up with a damp paintbrush to intensify
and spread the colors. This technique can also be used to blend colors together, and many artists will apply both
techniques in one art piece.[11] Artist-grade watercolor pencils typically come in 60 or 72 colors with a few 120
color assortments.

Pastel pencils
Pastel pencils are similar to hard pastels. Their advantage is that they can be sharpened to a fine point and so
they are useful for adding details on pastel drawings.

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Techniques
Colored pencils can be used in combination with several other drawing mediums. When used by themselves,
there are two main rendering techniques colored pencil artists use.
Layering is usually used in the beginning stages of a colored
pencil drawing, but can also be used for entire pieces. In layering,
tones are gradually built up using several layers of primary colors.
Layered drawings usually expose the tooth of the paper and are
characterized by a grainy, fuzzy finish.[12]
Burnishing is a blending technique in which a colorless blender or
a light-colored pencil is applied firmly to an already layered
drawing. This produces a shiny surface of blended colors that gets
deep into the grain of the paper.[13]

References
1. "How It's Made: Colored
Pencils". HowStuffWorks, Inc.
Retrieved 13 September 2013.
2. "About CPSA". Colored Pencil
Society of America. Retrieved
12 September 2013.
3. "D6901 - The Standard
Specifications for Artists'
Colored Pencils". Colored
Pencil Society of America.
Retrieved 12 September 2013.
4. "UK Coloured Pencil Society".
UKCPS, Artist 2013. Retrieved
13 September 2013.
5. "Coloured Pencil Society of
Canada". Coloured Pencil
Society of Canada. Retrieved
13 September 2013.
6. Lindhardt, Belinda. "Australian
Coloured Pencils Network".
Australian Coloured Pencils
Network. Retrieved
13 September 2013.

7. Girdler, Jr., Reynolds (1967).

Crayons in the History of the
Arts. National Art Education
Association. p. 31.
8. Ellis, Margaret. "Categories of
Wax-Based Drawing Media".
waac newsletter. Retrieved
13 September 2013.
9. Gildow, Janie. Colored Pencil
Explorations: How to Mix
Media for Creative Results.
North Light Books. pp. 1415.
10. "Scholar Erasable Colored
Pencils". Prismacolor.
Retrieved 15 September 2013.
11. Poulin, Bernard. The Complete
Colored Pencil Book. North
Light Books Inc. pp. 1314.
12. Hammond, Lee (2008). Lifelike
Drawing In Colored Pencil
With Lee Hammond. North
Light Books.
13. Gildow, Janie. Colored Pencil
Explorations: How to Mix
Media for Creative Results.
pp. 1920.

Colored pencil drawing that displays

layering technique on the mug and
burnishing technique on the spoon

Wikimedia Commons has

media related to Colored
pencils.

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