Hi everyone, This is Bibi Cameron and I’m glad to be in the Tonic Class Room today to talk about Nuvo Watercolour 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 Watercolour Pencils are not the exception!

• Water-soluble.
• Highly pigmented.
• Translucent.
• Blendable.
• Semistaining.
• Non Permanent.
• Allows Control and details.
• Fun to work with other colouring mediums.
• 5 different sets available.
• Sets of 12 colours.

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 watercolour pencils is that they easily blend with water.

• Apply them on dry or wet watercolour paper.
• For more control when applying colours.
• Achieve soft to vibrant compositions.
• Use the sharp tip to add details to your artwork.
• No need to repeatedly apply water after colouring.

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.  

There are five different watercolour pencils sets available in the Nuvo range:

• Brilliantly Vibrant - 520n.
• Hair & Skin Tones - 521n.
• Pastel Highlights - 522n .
• Elementary Midtones - 523n.
• Dark Shadows - 524n.

The pencils come in sets of 12 and are in metal tins that also allows you to keep them organised.

For the card samples below I mixed different watercolour pencils sets to give you an idea about the colour range.

Nuvo watercolour pencils are affordable. However, for those who are just starting out and might have a limited budget, I would recommend getting primary colours.

I find myself using a lot Brilliantly Vibrant and Hair & Skin Tones sets.

Brilliantly Vibrant colour pallet includes primary and secondary colours together with white and black pencils.

You can create any colour by blending primary colours so this is in my opinion a very clever colour choice, considering how you use the colours you can achieve totally different looks.

Adventurous crafters can get the whole Nuvo watercolour pencils collection. 

There are 60 pencils in total.

Depending on what you want to do you can use a wide variety of papers

To blend watercolour pencils pigments you might need :

• Soft brushes.
• Watercolour brushes.
• Water brushes.
• Makeup brushes.
• Nuvo Sponges.

There are different Watercolour brushes types and sizes.

For card making, I mainly use Nuvo Water brushes and watercolour brushes round tip from 00 to 10.

Avoid using hard synthetic brushes that do not hold water and the colour application might be hard if not impossible.

Nuvo brushes and sponges collection

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 watercolour 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 colours by applying washes of colour and allowing to dry each wash before applying the next one.
• Apply colours 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 colour than a dark one.
• Avoid getting the pencil wood wet.

Getting creative with watercolour pencils is easier than you might think.

• Apply the watercolour pencils on dry watercolour paper.
• You can apply one or various shades of colour at a time.
• If you laid down various colours at the same time you can blend them in one go.
• To spread the colour you need a damp soft brush or a watercolour brush pen - without pressing the water brush barrel.
• Allow colour washes to dry between application.
• Build up the colour until you are happy with the result.

I adapted techniques used by those who watercolour 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.

To apply this technique you will need:

• Nuvo watercolour pencils.
• Smooth Bristol Paper.
• Nuvo sponges.
• Pencil Sharpener.
• Stencils. 

That’s all for today, I hope I could inspire you to get creative using Nuvo watercolour 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.