Nuvo Watercolor Pencils with Bibi Cameron
Hi everyone, This is Bibi Cameron and I’m glad to be in the Tonic Class Room today to talk about Nuvo Watercolor Pencils.
I have been working with and for Tonic for over 3 years and during this time I’ve had the chance to experiment with all the products in the Nuvo range almost on a daily basis.
The Nuvo Watercolor Pencils are not the exception!
Key Features
- Water-soluble.
- Highly pigmented.
- Translucent.
- Blendable.
- Semistaining.
- Non Permanent.
- Allows Control and details.
- Fun to work with other coloring mediums.
- 5 different sets available.
- Sets of 12 colors.
What are Nuvo Watercolor Pencils?
These are super versatile water-soluble translucent pigments in the shape of a pencil.
In spite of looking similar than any other pencils you might have, the main plus of Nuvo watercolor pencils is that they easily blend with water.
- Apply them on dry or wet watercolor paper.
- For more control when applying colors.
- Achieve soft to vibrant compositions.
- Use the sharp tip to add details to your artwork.
- No need to repeatedly apply water after coloring.
You can blend pigments already applied on paper by simply adding water or you can blend the pigments before application by extracting the pigments from the pencil by implementing a couple of techniques I’ll be sharing with you today.
The Color Range
There are five different watercolor pencils sets available in the Nuvo range:
The pencils come in sets of 12 and are in metal tins that also allows you to keep them organized.
Color and Card Samples
For the card samples below I mixed different watercolor pencils sets to give you an idea about the color range.
These first 2 cards have been 100% colored in using watercolor pencils including the backgrounds. Left card: Hair & Skin Tones - 521n + Brilliantly Vibrant - 520n + Dark Shadows - 524n. Right card: Hair & Skin Tones - 521n + Brilliantly Vibrant - 520n + Elementary Midtones.
For this card I used Pastel Highlights - 522n
The background was made using "African Violet" from Brilliantly Vibrant - 520n
For this card, I applied detail using Dark Shadows - 524n on top of coloring that I did previously with Nuvo Alcohol Markers.
How to Get Started
Nuvo watercolor pencils are affordable. However, for those who are just starting out and might have a limited budget, I would recommend getting primary colors.
I find myself using a lot Brilliantly Vibrant and Hair & Skin Tones sets.
Brilliantly Vibrant color pallet includes primary and secondary colors together with white and black pencils.
You can create any color by blending primary colors so this is in my opinion a very clever color choice, considering how you use the colors you can achieve totally different looks.
Adventurous crafters can get the whole Nuvo watercolor pencils collection.
What Paper Should I Use?
Depending on what you want to do you can use a wide variety of papers
For coloring
- To get the best results from your pencils watercolor paper is the best.
- Avoid printer paper, smooth cardstock or extra textured paper to work with these pencils.
For Stenciled Backgrounds or Smooth Transitions
- Any paper that allows ink blending.
- Smooth Bristol paper or any watercolor paper will work nicely.
Color Applicators
To blend watercolor pencils pigments you might need :
- Soft brushes.
- Watercolor brushes.
- Water brushes.
- Makeup brushes.
- Nuvo Sponges.
There are different Watercolor brush types and sizes.
For card making, I mainly use Nuvo Water brushes and watercolor brushes round tip from 00 to 10.
Avoid using hard synthetic brushes that do not hold water and the color application might be hard if not impossible.
Top Tips
We are all different and we do have different ways to do things. However here are some tips that might help you to have a better experience.
- To work with watercolor pencils the key is to use very little water always.
- Apply gentle pressure when applying the pencils onto the paper.
- Be gentle when using pencil sharpeners and use a good, if possible, professional pencil sharpener.
- Build up the colors by applying washes of color and allowing to dry each wash before applying the next one.
- Apply colors from light to dark. Although this might not always be the case, just bear in mind that it is easier to cover a light wash of color than a dark one.
- Avoid getting the pencil wood wet.
How to Hold the Pencils?
There is no rule regarding how to hold a pencil “correctly”.
However, depending on the way you might be holding the pencils you can get tired hands, cause pencil breakages, flatten the paper and get patches of colors, so here are some tips for you:
- The most important tip is to rest the side of your hand on the table for support, control, and precision.
- Hold the pencils as you would hold a pen to write.
- Apply from light to medium pressure on the pencil.
If your hand is very close to the tip :
- It might give you tired hands.
- This can indent, mark or flatten the paper.
- This might not allow you to layer colors over.
- This also causes pencils to break.
So the right place to grab a pencil is a little bit further up and away from the tip.
Coloring
Getting creative with watercolor pencils is easier than you might think.
- Apply the watercolor pencils on dry watercolor paper.
- You can apply one or various shades of color at a time.
- If you laid down various colors at the same time you can blend them in one go.
- To spread the color, you need a damp soft brush or a watercolor brush pen - without pressing the water brush barrel.
- Allow color washes to dry between application.
- Build up the color until you are happy with the result.
Two Incredible Watercolor Pencil Techniques for Backgrounds
I adapted techniques used by those who watercolor professionally to be used on card making, but anyone can use them to achieve super fun smooth and soft transitions.
These are easy, fun and require minimal skills and supplies.
Stenciled Watercolor Pencil Backgrounds
To apply this technique, you will need:
- Nuvo watercolor pencils.
- Smooth Bristol Paper.
- Nuvo blending sponges.
- Pencil Sharpener.
- Stencils.
Step by Step:
- Place the watercolor pencils on a non-porous surface such as the Tonic Glass Mat, a color palette or a ceramic plate.
- Apply only a few drops of water over the pencil shavings and allow them to melt for a few seconds.
- Place your stencil over smooth Bristol paper.
- Use a Nuvo sponge to mash the wet pencil shaving already soaked.
- Apply the inked sponge over the stencil.
Top Tips:
- Make sure the sponge is slightly damp
- Make sure there are not chunks of pencil shaving on the sponges as they will create unwanted strokes.
Smooth Watercolor Pencils Transitions
To apply this technique you will need:
- Nuvo watercolor pencils.
- Any Watercolor Paper should work for this.
- Make-Up brush
- Pencil Sharpener.
- Stencils.
Step by Step
- Chose the color(s) you will use for the background.
- Apply the pencil(s) on a scrap piece of watercolor paper.
- Use a slightly damp makeup brush over the colored area to lift the pigment and transfer it to the final piece.
Top Tips:
- Apply the brush first where you want the pigment to be more intense and work towards the opposite side, as the brush discharges the pigment the color will get softer and softer.
- You don't need to re-ink the brush, but you can clean it to get a soft degradation of color.
- Clean the brush when changing colors.
- Avoid at all cost excess of water.
That’s all for today, I hope I could inspire you to get creative using Nuvo watercolor pencils and this is just to get you started.
There is a lot more you can do with these pencils so stay tuned to the Tonic Class Room.
Happy Crafting!
Bibi Cameron.
