How to Use Watercolour Pencils
(and Why Every Artist Should Try Them)
When I first picked up a set of watercolour pencils, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Were they just fancy coloured pencils? Could they really create the same luminous washes as my paints? It didn’t take long for me to discover how wonderfully versatile they are. Watercolour pencils are not only fun to use, but they also open up new possibilities for painting, especially if you enjoy sketching on the go.
I don’t often reach for my watercolour pencils, but every now and then curiosity (and requests from you!) push me to dust them off. Recently I decided to experiment with them properly. I painted a Bird of Paradise flower using only watercolour pencils, and for comparison, I painted the same subject in traditional watercolour paints as well.
Bird of Paradise painted with watercolour pencils.
Bird of Paradise painted with watercolour paint.
It turned out to be a fun and insightful project. Along the way, I discovered different ways of working with watercolour pencils that I’d love to share with you.
In this post, I’ll answer some of the most common questions I get about watercolour pencils and show you how you can make the most of them in your own art practice.
What are Watercolour pencils?
At first glance, a watercolour pencil looks just like an ordinary coloured pencil. The magic happens when water touches the pigment. Suddenly, the dry strokes transform into fluid, paint-like washes. You can use them dry for detailed line work, or you can activate them with a damp brush for soft, flowing colour. They’re a wonderful bridge between drawing and painting.
They’re portable, clean, and versatile which makes them perfect for sketchbooks, travel, or quick studies when you don’t want to set up a full watercolour palette.
They’re also a gentle way for beginners to explore watercolour, since you can start by drawing and add water later at your own pace.
Best watercolour pencils
I like using Albrecht Durer, Prismacolor and Derwent watercolour pencils but if I could only choose one brand I'd choose Caran d’Ache Supracolor soft watercolour pencils because their soft, richly pigmented cores make it easy to get beautiful colour on the paper. I can use them dry for fine details or add a little water to turn them into luminous washes. They have vibrant colours that dissolve smoothly and stay bright. They feel reliable and versatile, which makes them a pleasure to use alongside my paints.
I love the quality of Caran d’Ache Supracolor soft watercolour pencils.
How do you use Watercolour Pencils?
There are two main approaches:
Draw first, paint later: You can sketch directly onto your paper with the pencils and then activate the colour with a wet brush. This gives you precise control, making them great for details like veins on a leaf or feathers on a bird.
Paint with dissolved pigment: You can also take pigment straight from the tip of the pencil with a wet brush and paint as you would with regular watercolours. This avoids pencil marks and produces smooth washes.
Often, I use a combination of both methods, depending on the subject. More about this further down the page.
What Paper and Brushes Should You Use?
When I use watercolour pencils, I prefer hot-pressed watercolour paper. Its smooth surface is perfect for pencil marks. For this project, I used mostly Derwent pencils.
Here I'm using a Number 2 Da Vinci Maestro to activate the coloured pencil. These brushes have a fine point.
To activate the pigment, some artists use water brushes, but I find their bristles too stiff. Instead, I prefer my regular watercolour brushes, most often a Da Vinci Maestro round brush. For this painting, I used a size 2, which gave me precision and control.
How Do You Apply the First Layer of Colour?
The most straightforward way to use watercolour pencils is to draw directly onto dry paper. I started with a yellow pencil on the petals, then added orange, always keeping my strokes light and in the same direction as the petal.
The secret is light pressure, you can always make it darker later, but you can’t make it lighter again.
Here’s my golden rule: apply light pressure. If you press too hard, those pencil lines will stay visible even after adding water which is the main reason people ask me how to avoid harsh marks with watercolour pencils. With a gentle touch, the strokes melt away once activated. If you prefer an even smoother look, you can skip drawing directly on the paper and instead pick up pigment with a wet brush, just like traditional watercolour.
When activating the pigment with water, I painted over the yellow areas first and then the orange. That kept my yellows clean and prevented the orange from overtaking them.
I wet the penciled paper with a watercolour brush.
How Can You Avoid Harsh Watercolour Pencil Lines?
If you don’t like the linear look watercolour pencils can sometimes leave behind, there’s an easy fix: pick up pigment directly from the pencil with a wet brush. This lets you paint just as you would with watercolours, creating smooth, painterly areas of colour without visible lines.
Wiping a wet brush over the pencil allows you to use pigment that is completely dissolved.
Picking up pigment from a violet watercolour pencil to add details to the flower.
Simply wipe your brush across the pencil tip and use that colour to paint, just like watercolour paint from a palette.
I found this particularly useful for adding detail and building up depth in my petals without the risk of harsh lines.
Can You Use Wet-on-Wet with Watercolour Pencils?
Absolutely! One of my favourite watercolour techniques is wet-on-wet painting. It creates those beautiful, soft edges I love. To my delight, it works just as well with pencils.
I simply wet the paper with clean water, lifted pigment from the pencil with my brush, and painted into the damp surface. The result? Soft, blended edges with pure pigment and when I dropped one colour into another, the pigments mingled beautifully. This way, watercolour pencils have a unique power, that lets you enjoy the many colourful pigments you can choose from.
Picking up pink pigment from a watercolour pencil with a wet brush.
Picking up blue pigment from a watercolour pencil with a wet brush.
Applying the pink pigment to the wet paper with the brush.
Blending the colours on the paper wet-on-wet.
Is There a Way to Make a Palette from Watercolour Pencils?
Yes, and it’s very handy! You can rub pigment heavily onto a scrap piece of watercolour paper and then lift it with a wet brush. This gives you plenty of colour to work with and control over intensity which is perfect for layering or mixing shades.
Use a damp brush to lift colour from a pencil swatch on scrap paper, then apply it directly to your painting.
Can You Draw on Wet Paper with Watercolour Pencils?
You can, and it creates a completely different look. When you draw with a dry pencil onto wet paper, the marks soften immediately. I like this effect for textures such as water reflections, which I used in a boat painting.
Here I'm using a white watercolour pencil on wet paper to add some lighter areas in the reflections.
The finished paining of a boat on water.
How Do You Build Depth and Layer Colours with Watercolour Pencils?
Just like with watercolours, depth comes from layering. I gradually deepened my Bird of Paradise painting by adding more pigment, sometimes drawn lightly onto the paper, sometimes brushed on from the pencil tip, and sometimes wet on wet.
It’s a slower, more controlled process compared to working with paint, but very satisfying.
What Are Watercolour Pencils Best For?
After experimenting, I ended up with two finished paintings, one created with watercolour pencils and the other with traditional paints.
While I’ll probably always lean toward my paints, watercolour pencils have a unique place in my toolkit. They’re compact, clean, and wonderfully practical for travel. If you enjoy sketching outdoors or painting on the go, they’re ideal because there's no palettes, no tubes and no mess.
The two paintings.
And here’s a little tip: when you pick up pigment from the tip of a pencil with a damp brush, do it away from your painting. It’s far too easy to slip and flick colour where you don’t want it (yes, I’ve learned that lesson the hard way!).
Do Watercolour pencils replace Watercolour Paints?
Not at all. Think of watercolour pencils as a companion to your paints rather than a substitute. Traditional paints are still your go-to for those big, flowing washes of colour. Watercolour pencils, on the other hand, really shine when you want to add fine details, build up layers, or sketch on location. Many artists keep both close at hand and often use them together in the same painting.
Can you mix Watercolour Pencils with traditional Watercolours?
Absolutely! The two mediums work beautifully side by side. You might begin with a light watercolour wash and then use pencils to sharpen the details. Or, start with a pencil sketch and wash over it with paint to soften the lines and add depth. They complement each other so well, opening up endless creative possibilities.
Final Thoughts
Watercolour pencils are versatile, playful, and practical. Whether you’re layering softly, painting wet-on-wet, or sketching on holiday, they offer unique effects and plenty of creative potential.
Why not try them out on your next project? You might be surprised at how much they can add to your artistic toolkit.
I hope this gives you the confidence to pick up your pencils and see where they take you. Happy painting!
If you are interested in learning to paint in watercolour, I have hundreds of online, voiced over watercolour tutorials for all skill levels.
