Watercolor Pencils

I've used normal "Gallery" coloured pencils, but never on dolls. My art teacher has a big stock of them, I could try if you would like. I wouldn't see why they'd be bad for them.

I use crayola because I'm cheap and it's easy to get off and comes on very easy! You can use normal Crayola coloured pencils and tip the crayola pencil tips in water and they act like ink!! I use it for eyelashes and eyebrows, for it's really easy to go on or over stuff.

 

Really? :O I tried a crayola pencil one time and I ended up having to sand it off.. I thought they had wax in them.

 

Normal Crayola pencils have wax in them (LOTS as evidenced by the massive amounts of "wax bloom" i seem to get in my drawings). I was wondering if the watercolor pencils were safe--i was more curious about the faber-castells and some others rather than Crayola in particular.

I'm really not sure how to test this...hmm...
I may be sticking with the conte crayons and using these others for drawing!

 

Faber-Castells seem to be a brand of pencil that hits fsace-ups often. Lack of oils and artist quality leads make it a worthwhile choice.

 

Only a newbie to BJD heaven, but used to design porcelain dolls, an inexpensive but really lovely watercolour pencil to work with are Derwent brand, they have a creamy waxy feel to them when damp but when used dry go on like a chalk pastel and when you wash them down with a wet brush I've never had discrenpancies in the pigment (tiny colour differences like blue specks in a purple pencil) like crayola occasionaly do (usually means an inconsistent mix in the pencil pigment) Hope it helps
Oh and Violetta (Avatar pic) was done with Liquitex so not an example I'd use, but did a Gretel Head (sealed) In Derwents and the brown pencil did leave a very light stain but the red washed off??

 

i use just basic watercolor pencils, not a real expensive brand at all...though i think that ill have to save up for prismacolor eventually. n.n;;

 

I'm trying my first faceup on my new Na-nu-ri head. I have Caran D'ache brand watersoluble crayons, and I am too afraid to mess up to just try them out blindly. Has anyone had any luck with watercolor crayons? Do they have potential to ruin a head?

 

Check the ingredient list. Is there any oil, or oil-based product, in them? Actually, can you post the list? Someone might be able to tell you yes or no dependent upon the posting of the ingredients.

 

If they're watercolor pencils, then they're designed to be water-soluble, so they should be safe to use.

 

I work in an art store and I've always been under the impression that the "leads" of Caran D'ache watercolor pencils is the same material as the watersoluble crayons. So it's like the same thing, only in different formats (because crayons are better for filling large areas, and pencils are better for detail, but you can use them together since they're the same).

Uh, anyway, yes do go for it :0

 

I have a Question on the Watercolor Pencils. Most of the tutorials I have seen in the last few days Mention Using Acrylic Paints & Pastel Chalks.
Are the Pencils Mainly used on Lashes only? Or where else do they work good. I went to Micheals this afternoon to buy some PrismaColor Pencils- as I saw they were 25% off... It took me so long to find the Testors-about 20 minutes (I even had the District Manager looking with me & He couldnt find it- He was not happy) Anyway- I then forgot all about my Pencils!

This Michaels also did not carry Liquitex Paints. I went to Joanns & They carried them. But their Color Selection was not good at All. I came home with one color from my List of about 4-8 that wanted. I did get the Paint Brushes I wanted at Joanns.

Also - Does anyone have a Recommendation for a Pearl Finish for lips?

 

Would anyone happen to know if Derwent watercolor pencils are wax or oil based? (and if they work well for face-uping purposes ^^)

and alternately, can anyone suggest a brand I can get a nice sized set of without having to sell my organs or blood plasma?


Thanks a bunch, your help is very much appreciated

 

Watercolor pencils by definition are not wax OR oil-based.

Derwent is a nice brand. They're a British-based company, I believe. I've used their pencils for years, yes, including the watercolor ones for the face-ups I've recently tried doing!

Have you tried going online? Pearl Paint does mail order. Dick Blick does mail order. And for stores, Michaels usually sells pencils at a discount, and watch for either a flyer or find out what day they put their coupons in, and you can probably get a 50% off coupon. You could also check on ebay. There are one or two good art supplies dealers on there. I'd find a Michaels or AC Moore and go with that 50% off coupon, myself, though!

re: brands of watercolor pencils - as long as you check to see if they say artist-grade, not student-grade. You should also see mention of things like light-fastness noted. Derwent is usually sold in the craft shops, so is Grumbacher, Windsor and Newton.

 

I got a nice set of Derwent pencils from Michaels ^_^ They also sell them individually (I wanted the set, however, because I can also use them for drawing and whatnot :3).

They weren't too bad price-wise. I think my set was about $12 or so. Now I just need my boy to get here so I can test them out

 

I have to say, I bought a pair of Derwent watercolour pencils from Michael's, and I was disappointed by the quality. They had hardly any pigment in them! True, the colours I bought were light ( #16 Flesh Pink, #18 Rose pink), but the set of 12 Staedtler Karat Aquarell's I have, have FAR more pigment in them.

I guess that for super-soft face-ups, they might be okay, but I'd almost think you'd have to layer them in order for them to show up!
I'm tempted to buy a darker colour as well, however, I'm not sure I want to possibly waste money.

 

i was wondering what brands of watercolour pencils would be good for faceups as i'm not very keen on going into paints straightaway(it's kinda, my first time doing a faceup) i have a set of faber castel ones at home. oh, and the doll i'm planning to do a faceup on is an Abio angel yi. since i can't seem to get hold of any faceup artists in the vicinity.

 

Im planning on using faber castel ones for my first faceup. I think a lot of people use them. All i need now is my doll to arrive for me to do the faceup.

 

basically, i'm just worried it might leave staining. cause i don't use mr super clear. i use mr colour clear flat. cause the dude at the hobby shop said that it was the same.

 

Ive not heard of that stuff, as long as its removable you will be ok just makes sure you give your bjd one or 2 coats before doing the faceup. Im having to use testors on my first faceup as my msc wont be here on time.

 

Remember to always explain very carefuly that you plan to use the sealant to coat a Polyeutherane resin, which you don't want to be damaged by the sealant, when asking Hoby shop people about what to use instead ^_^ Although I suspect Mr. Colour should be okay - I've not used it myself, but it's a fairly basic hoby brand.

As for the Watercolour Pencils - if you put a few coats of sealant down first, pencils are unlikely to stain. I use them a lot - I use the Stadler brand aquareles mostly, but Faber Castels will work almost exactly the same.

 

i'd reckon i'll just be using watercolours since i don't have any pastels as of now. meaning no blushing.>.<
i think it would be better to use msc, but if there's no difference then anything goes i guess. i got mr colour leveling thinner to remove his original faceup. io hope it works well, cause his original faceup isn't symmetrical at all.

 

i wasing a tutorial from a live journal for my doll's faceup and i got to the part where i was putting on the bottom lashes, but it's not working. when i draw to draw with the water colored pencils, it seems like the pencil is pulling of what i used to coat the resin.

am i supposed to do something with the pencil before i draw with it? or is it not working because of what i coated the resin with?

by the way i coated the resin with a clear matte varnish that has UV protection.

 

What brand of sealer did you use? You sprayed to much and its not drying or it may be the wrong sealer for the job.

 

Krylon UV-Resistant clear acrylic coating, matte. it worked really well when i was adding light colors for the lips and eyes with the pastel. i accidentally added black pastel for the eyebrows and it got everywhere and then wouldn't erase with out having to take everything off.

i ended up having to start over again, but i was able to get the water color pencil to work after i dipped the tip in water.

 

if i'm not mistaken, you shouldn't use krylon on the resin.

Try to do a search on krylon* in this subforum.

 

You should not be using krylon on your doll. If i remember correctly about 2 years ago Krylon ruined someones doll I think it ate the resin.

You should not have to dip your watercolor pencils in water to use them.

Quote from an old thread:

 

always soften the tip of your water color pencil by gently rubbing it on paper before putting it to your doll to avoid scratches. n.-

Also : Testors Dullcote or Mr.Super Clear work *much* better ( and don't react poorly with resins!) Dullcote will attract dirt too x.o a bit but.. MSC is good.

 

I'm not sure if anyone answered this already, but prismacolor are VERY prone to breaking. I don't know if it's a quality issue, but just about everyone I know who uses prisma has complained about their pencils breaking after every few minutes of use.

 

Agreed on the Prismacolour breakage D8 it's kinda disappointing because they're not exactly cheap.... I think it's not because of their quality issue, but just because they're made to have softer lead/ more pigments with less bonding agent (so it is actually really a better quality pencil, but it's designed to be used on paper xD; )

I'm sticking to my cheap Faber Castell watercolour pencils xD the red ones... like, for children LOL they work just fine for me. And because I tend to keep mine constantly sharpen, they finish off REAL fast.... no heartache because they're easy on the pocket ^^

 

I didn't read through the thread, so I may just be repeating what has already been suggested. Anyway, I recomend using both pastels and watercolor pencils, other wise the eyebrows look too severe and unrealistic. First what you would do is get a brush, qtip or other aplicator with a small point and rub it into a pile of chalk pastel powder, then draw on your eyebrows. The great thing is that you can then shape the eyebrows using a kneaded eraser. Then coat w/ MSC. After that you can darken the brows even more with pastels or you can use the water color pencil and begin to draw the hair lines on.

 

Title pretty much says it all. I wanna do a little drawing on my girls but really don't feel like unstringing and spraying, especially since I'll be taking it off after tomorrow night. So is it safe to put prismacolor water color pencil on dolly skin for just two days or will it stain their resin?

 

it should be fine, but go easy on the dark colours, mr magic sponge should take it all away.

 

Actually no.

Thank goodness I tried it on the headcap first but red, orange and yellow STAIN STAIN STAIN.

 

Who says you have to unstring to coat? What body part are you looking to draw on?

 

You SHOULD unstring to coat if you're doing any body parts. This ensures even coating in the joints. If you're just doing the head, you need only remove the head, which does not require unstringing the entire doll.

As for watercolor pencils, I've found that red, orange, yellow, black and blue all have a tendancy to stain. I stay away from watercolor pencils all together.

 

I made the mistake of not sealing my doll the very first time I did a watercolor faceup, and I agree on the red (havne't used the other colors) It does stain. So now my girl has permanently pinkish tinted lips, which I don't mind so much, but I'm glad she has pink lips and not some crazy remains of a failed tattoo attempt on her somewhere

 

Quick question: a few people are saying that darker watercolours stain. Do you mean staining the MSC or the resin? And is it possible to wipe off the staining with normal acetone/isopropyl alcohol?

 

May I know what brand of watercolour pencils that I should use and avoid? I don't have a doll yet but I'm planning to make my own face-ups. I prefer non-toxic watercolour pencils. Is it safe to use watercolour pencils that don't have those "non-toxic" label on 'em?

Thanks.

 

I have them- I got them as a gift from a friend who currently resides in Switzerland.

Are they good to use on a faceup?

 

I'd like to hear this question answered as well.. I'm thinking about trying my own faceup, but if I were using colors such as dark brown and black, would they stain my doll's face permanently?

 

Reading through the custo threads I often came across the advice to use water colors or water color pencils for face-ups since these colors are supposed to be easily removable and non-oily and thus safe to use on a doll.

However, as someone who has painted with these colors, I know that some water color paints contain pigments that are pretty much staining. After mixing my water colors in plastic palettes and lids I often had a few colors that could not be removed completely afterwards when I cleaned the palettes. The same goes for the pencils. (Alcohol would sometimes help to get rid of these stains, but unfortunately not always.)

So I'm actually wondering what about your experiences with water color (pencils) on dolls? Haven't you ever encountered a problem when trying to wipe off a face-up that was made with WCPs

 

Actually, yes, I had one brand of pensils (I forget what it was called, there wasn't even a brand on the side of each pencil) but although the packaging said 'water colour', once removed, the browns and oranges would leave odd pinkish stains that sometimes even needed sand paper removal. Of course, the offending pencils are gone. I think the cheaper brands tend to be just softer leaded regular coloured pencils =/

Brands I can recommend that are in the UK at least, are the Derwent Water Colours and the Staedtler (Which of course I assume would be in Germany!). They have never once left marks while I have used them ^_^

 

A doll's face should be sprayed with a few coats of sealant before a faceup to prevent any staining.

I've never had a problem, but I only use pencils to do tiny things like lip lines, brows, and sometimes lower eyelashes.

 

Oh thanks, then I'm going to try these ones , because as far as I know the Faber-Castells Durer pencils that I own stain like hell. Especially the dark browns . Not sure whether three layers of MSC might prevent that staining, so I'll rather take no risk here .

 

I second Wolfe Claw. Though I haven't had hands on experience with this but I do know from my art that Staedtler and Derwent are both really, really good quality. I love water color pencils. Here is Canada you can get decent ones from a Staples/Business depot so I believe they would be avaible in the U.S. (I didn't look where you're from ) espcially at a craft store.

 

It isn't necessarily a brand thing or a quality thing but a pigment thing. Some watercolor pigments - such as pthalo blue are "staining pigments", no matter what brand you get they do not 'lift' easily and will stain the paper, fingers, and likely therefore resin as well.

 

I've looked threw so many threads and posts about water colors pencils.

Yet I haven't found the right answers to my questions.

Problem is I like to see samples of each brand. I like to buy a lot of variations of colors and shades, that will get pricey.
So I want to know a lot before I buy. I don't feel like buying a bunch of pencils and then needing to replace all the colors with another brand.

When someone states a brand there's no pictures of how it looks and when someone shows a picture there's no brand name.

I'd like to know which water color pencil brand has the best quality, especially for thin detailed strokes.

How you sharpen or technique to get a very pointed tip.
(if you use a sharpener, please tell me which one)

I'd appreciate an example of how that brand looks on a resin doll.


- Thank You

 

Sounds like the things that stain in real life, blue food coloring, anything black, purple is terrible. Ugh so many clothes ruined in the name of art.

 

I can also recommend Faber-Castell watercolour pencils
I use them all the time with no staining issues, including on my commission works.

 

I don't use anything BUT water colour pencils when I do faceups, 'cause the idea of paint scares me. xD

My first few face ups I forgot to put a base coat under everything, and I CAKED on the black, as you can see. His tattoo's were very dark too.




I've used blues, reds, browns... and when I decided that I was changing his character, I managed to get everything off. It took a copuple of soapy soaks, scrubbing with magic sponge, and the darkest, thickest parts I used nail polish remover and it came right off. It looked like it stained for a bit but I jsut let it dry and did another run with nail polish remover. He got clean as new and I completely changed his face and body up (this time rememebring to put a layer of spray down first).


So if it has stained, just nail polish it a few more times. It'll come off. ^ ^b And when doing it yourself, remember to put a base coat! XD

 

I feel like such a noob, but what keeps the watercolor from rubbing off? Do you coat it with something? Do you really have to coat it at all?

I can get the Kimberly brand very easily so that makes me happy!

 

@Mortifox I'm kind of new to the whole faceup thing too - but you need to seal your faceups in order to stop them from wiping off. A couple of different sealants that people tend to use are MSC and Testors Dullcoat... I've not used either - I use Mr Hobby Top Coat ^^; There are a stack of threads around if you search for MSC I don't have the link, but I do know there's a thread that lists different sealants and ones that you shouldn't use... I hope that helps you out!

Now for a question of my own - is the red brand of faber castel watercolour pencils (like the ones you can get pretty much anywhere okay to use? I already had my darned acrylic paint stain the inside bevel of my boys eyes... I don't want to risk it with water colour pencils too =p Just want to make sure that the 'cheaper' Faber Castels are okay to use.

~ Thanks!

 

Thank you Mahou-Koneko, I appreciate the advise.

Now, would someone that uses the Kimberly brand watercolor pencils please post a picture of what there faceup turned out like or possibly the sealant that you personally used that worked best for that brand of pencil.

Its taking everything inside me not to run to the art shop and start buying supplies. I must know what will work first

 

Hell, yeah, I used watercolors for my doll's lips and eyebrows, and other fine details.

 

sorry for my ignorance, but I can apply watercolor directly to the resin?? I have a box of watercolor in tube and I was wondering if that pigment doesnt harm the resin or if it could be used for aestethic purposes?

 

Um, I have a few questions on this... I am looking to do the face-up of a new little boy I am planning to get, but I have never done one before. I was wondering, if I do the face-up in Prisma colored pencils, what kind of sealer should I use? And can I wash it off if I don't like it, withut having to worry about it staining? =/

 

You can use watercolour pencils to elbellish your faceups, especially blushed areas that require alot of high detail. Lips, for one. And yes, you can use them on eyelashes but it is difficult to get the thinness in line you need to do them. They may laso be handy blending in the brow, or other parts of the face up.

Alot of people use them to embellish thier dolls' tattoos!

Hope this helps!

edit: As for doing face ups and fas for staining:

You should always coat a doll with sealant (MSC, Dullcoate, Zokeimura Spray) before doing a faceup. To remove your sealants, you just use rubbing alchohol or Newton's Brush Cleaner.

As for little mess ups along the way, I use a little corner of a Mister Clean sponge (with the 'original' chemical mix) and then I lightly dab away the chemicals with water. it works of you accidentally blot your lines in your faceup or soemthing. Use many layers of sealant to 'save' progress you don't wnat messed up by cleaning an area!

 

I have seen lots of tutorials were they have watercolor pencils in the list but haven't really explained what they use them on?

Also I finally got my msc in the mail and I tried doing a face up and the pastels got darker and uneven in one stop and ruined the whole thing. How can I get rid of that? Is there something I did wrong when I sprayed msc?

I also over sprayed msc on another head and u can't get it off with the mr clean magic eraser or the brush cleaner nor the nail polish ( non acitone) remover. How can I take it out?

 

People use watercolor pencils before they feel comfortable with paint.... Personally though, you will never get results as good with pencils.

However, the one thing that I've found watercolor pencils the best for is freckles.

Spraying MSC simply takes practice... I don't really know how to help you with that.. you can have all the helpful hints but nothing can take the place of practicing yourself.

As for removing the load of MSC, try wetting the magic eraser with isopropyl 90%+ and rinse the head frequently in the process... after that, make sure you wash the head with soap and water.

 

For removing the MSC, I'd agree to wet the magic eraser with alcohol or with Winsor & Newton brush cleaner and keep scrubbing.

I personally use watercolor pencils for very, very thin eyeliner right on the very edge of the eyelid like for boy dolls (just run the side of the pencil against the rim) and also the same way if I'll be doing heavier eyeliner just to make sure I get the very edge covered, then I go over it with acrylics. I also sometimes use a very sharp watercolor pencil for the vertical lip lines. I did eyebrows with them once but they came out grainy and I wasn't happy with them.