- Katie Smith
5 Tips for Using Colored Pencils on Wood
*This post is sponsored by Walnut Hollow and Tombow USA and includes affiliate links. By purchasing through these links, I may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. With that in mind, I only ever promote products I love and use.*
Hey y’all, today’s blog post combines two of my favorite brands: Tombow and Walnut Hollow!
I’m no colored pencil expert, but I’ve been trying to learn them more, and lately I’ve been liking the look of colored pencils on wood, so for this project, I’m using Tombow’s Irojiten colored pencils on a Framed Sign by Walnut Hollow and I’ll be sharing with you 5 of my best tips for working with colored pencils on wood:
Supplies:
Wood surface. I’m using a Framed Sign by Walnut Hollow.
Colored Pencils. I’m using Vol 9, & Vol 1. of Irojiten Colored Pencils.
Tips for using Colored Pencils on Wood:
Tip #1: Start sharp. I prefer to work with a sharp pencil, I find it gets into the woodgrain easier, so I sharpen mine vigorously and don’t let them get dull. The good news? Tombow’s Irojiten Colored Pencils are specially made to allow them to obtain a super sharp point that lasts a long time, so you won’t have to sharpen very often during the project!
Tip #2: Sketch it out. I do a practice sketch onto paper, and then sketch it lightly onto the wood before going over it darker with a black Irojiten Colored Pencil (from Vol 2). If you don’t like freehanding, you can also use transfer paper to draw a design on.
Tip #3 Make a mistake? Use the MONO Sand Eraser. This eraser acts like sand paper on the wood, so you can quickly sand off the mistake!
Tip #4: For an easy abstract background, Go with the woodgrain. Just follow the lines in the wood and color them in different colors, like I did on this project. I love that every wood piece is different, so your backgrounds will never end up the same with this technique.
Tip #5: Blend the colors by using the Colorless Blending Pen over top of the colored pencil. This marker will burnish the lead and make the colors shine a little bit more. The Irojiten’s are artist quality pencils and have such a lovely creamy texture.
A post shared by Tombow USA (@tombowusa) on Jun 26, 2018 at 2:09pm PDT
If you have any questions about this technique, leave them below!