Yes, you can use water with pastel pencils.
Pastel pencils offer artists a versatile tool, combining the blendability of pastels with the control of a pencil. They are often preferred over traditional pastel blocks for detailed work and sketching due to their ease of handling and reduced mess. A key characteristic highlighted in the provided reference is their dual functionality: "These pencils can be used dry or with water to create light washes."
How to Use Pastel Pencils with Water
Using pastel pencils with water unlocks different creative possibilities, similar to watercolor techniques.
- Dry Application: Apply the pastel pencil color directly to your paper.
- Wet Application:
- Dip the tip of the pastel pencil into water before applying it to the paper. This creates a more intense color laydown that is easier to blend with a brush.
- Apply color dry and then use a wet brush (or water brush) to spread and dissolve the pigment on the paper. This method is excellent for creating washes, softening edges, and blending large areas.
Using water transforms the opaque, powdery nature of dry pastel into a more transparent, fluid medium, allowing for effects like light washes and smooth gradients.
Benefits of Using Water
- Creating Washes: As the reference states, water helps in creating light washes, ideal for backgrounds or laying down base layers.
- Blending: Water significantly aids in blending colors smoothly on the paper surface.
- Increased Intensity: Wetting the pigment often results in a more vibrant and intense color application.
- Layering: Once a wet layer dries, you can apply additional dry or wet layers on top.
While pastel pencils can be used effectively for portraiture and life studies in their dry form, incorporating water adds another dimension, allowing artists to explore softer edges and varied textures. Experimenting on different types of paper (those designed for watercolor or mixed media work well with water) will also impact the results.
