How to use Zest-it Pencil Blend - with a brush. The Coloured Pencil was applied to watercolour paper in the normal way, graduated as can be seen in the image left. When I burnished with a dry paper stump the colour lightened and saturation was reduced, but it softened the pencil marks well, although you could still see a trace of the drawn lines. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– Pencil Blend has more of an effect on this surface, with the majority of the drawn lines softened completely when it is applied with a brush and the shading taking on a more painterly quality. When applying the Pencil Blend with a paper stump the shading kept more of its pastel like texture. Top left: pure pencil; bottom left: pencil blended with a dry paper stump; top right: blended with Pencil Blend and a brush; bottom right: blended with water and a brush Using lots of fluid is just a waste and swamps the pencil that has been laid, this 'washes' the pigment into the paper surface.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer) – A slight softening of both squares occurred, but no more than the results found on Stonehenge. Consequently the tonal range of the squares from dark – light narrowed slightly. In the square burnished with the wet paper stump it was difficult to control and so the tonal range of the whole square became almost uniform. For each pencil, I shaded 6 squares, each with a gradation from dark in the bottom left corner to light in the top right corner. Shading with the pencil without any blending –the vellum texure of the paper accentuates the texture offered by the pencil when shading dry and unblended. Bottom left: I burnished the colour with a dry paper stump, to see how much softening I could achieve without Pencil Blend. Top left: pure pencil; bottom left: blended with a dry paper stump; top centre: 1 layer of pencil blended with Pencil Blend and a brush; bottom centre: blended with Pencil Blend and a paper stump; top right: 3 layers of pencil blended with Pencil Blend and a brush between each layer; bottom right: 3 layers of pencil blended between each layer with Pencil Blend and a paper stump.

What is Pencil Blend?

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) Maintained the intensity of the darkest area and blended nicely through the gradation to the lightest area. However you can still see a trace of the drawn lines. Adding the pencil blend gave a warmth to the quality of the square. Whenever people tell us the product doesn't work, it is usually because too much fluid has been used.

The amount of pressure and the length of time on the sponge gives you more control over the amount you use. After leaving the squares overnight to fully dry I noticed marks where I had perhaps used too much Pencil Blend – most apparent in the square where I applied 3 layers with a brush. The strokes appear slightly milky on the surface, possibly the binder from the pencil re-solidifying on the surface of the paper having been wetted by the Pencil Blend. When I burnished with a dry paper stump – Burnishes well with a dry paper stump, the paper stump fills the gaps between the drawn lines and the result is a solid and intense application of graphite. Using Pencil Blend - with Tortillion. Paper stumps also work well for blending and are firmer then the Tortillion, more information on blending can be found under blending tools.

The Results, Pencil by Pencil

When I burnished with a dry paper stump– The darkest area becomes slightly lighter after burnishing, but more solid, as to be expected. Burnishing with a dry stump creates a smoky soft blend and the pencil lines are softened away completely. Although Pitt Pastel pencils are also watersoluble I tested them with the Pencil Blend (CF) as well as I thought they might behave a bit differently to a conventional wax based watersoluble pencil. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers) Again, I felt the surface was smoother than when I worked with a brush, but I couldn’t get the dark corner to be as dark as the corner I made in the square using a brush to apply the pencil blend. The lightest corner appeared smoother than in the square with the brush + PB. More pencil can be added whilst the paper is still damp, because the paper is now softer, work with very gentlepressureand then blend again.

These findings were sufficient proof that Pencil Blend doesn’t work with watersoluble pencils, so at this point I stopped testing the Supracolor, Albrecht Durer and Pitt Pastel pencils.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer) –With the brush, the shading looks almost untouched and very similar with the unblended square. The greater pressure that you can apply with a paper stump softens the lines in the square below. Over-wetting the Tortillion can cause the colour to spread too far. The Tortillion is a softer tool than the stump and therefore soaks up more liquid, this can cause 'flooding' of the pencil surface and slows the drying. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– The paper struggled to take 3 layers of shading, as result the 3-layer squares are only marginally darker than the 1 layer squares.