How to blend coloured pencils

​" ​A blender pencil is a soft colourless pencil made from either wax or oil. It allows you to blend two or more colours together to create a new colour. At the same time it physically mixes and smooths the colours so individual strokes and hard edges are softened. "

How to blend coloured pencils with a pencil blender.

We show you how to use a blender to soften edges in your pencil work and create smooth, transitional colour changes. Before introducing the blender into your work, you need to spend time building up your tonal layers. We recommend that you begin with the lighter colours and work up to the darker ones. When applying your pencil strokes, follow the natural shape of the circle which will help to create depth a 3-dimensional appearance. Textured paper grabs pigment far easier than smooth paper and you will not need to apply the colour too heavily if you are using abrasive paper too, but do ensure that you spend time building up your colours until you are ready to undertake the blending process. You do not need to apply heavy lines between colours as you may not struggle to soften them. Applications should be light enough to soften with a rubber should you apply too much pencil. Remember, you should lay colours loosely, do not be so heavy-handed that you oversaturate the paper. Before you use your pencil blender, you may need to wipe the nib across a spare sheet of paper to remove any excess colour off from the last area you blended or you may end up muddying your colours.

Brands of blenders & burnishers

A loose application of coloured pencil

Always clean the tip of your blender before use

Apply in circular motions to push the pencil into any peaks in the paper

Left: Blended side - Right: Unblended

Blender (Left) v's Burnisher (Right)

​When working on a textured paper, there are peaks and dips that need to be filled with the pigment to create a smooth finish. All your colours should be applied before you blend, as further layers will become stubborn as the tooth becomes saturated. To achieve this, blend the colours together using circular motions. blending will always look smoother on papers with little texture, but the grain will always be notable on abrasive papers. The finish is down to preference.  If you want to create a polished appearance to your drawing, this is what the burnisher is for. The pencil blender creates a slight sheen when viewed at a certain angle but it is far more muted than the Derwent burnisher application.
Any new product that you buy, first practice on spare pieces of paper of varying textures before using it on your drawings, this will avoid mistakes. 

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Tips for Using Pencil Blenders

* Apply gentle and gradual applications of colour before blending - Apply colours light to dark
* Apply colours & blender using gentle, circular motions - this will avoid harsh lines which can make it harder to smooth out with the blender. 
* Apply the blender once you have placed all your colours as it may be harder to apply additional colours as the blender acts as a sealant, however you can get around this by applying a spray fixative over the top if you do wish to add further layers.
* Blend your colours using the Derwent Blender then apply the Derwent Burnisher over the top if you want to provide a polished finish.
* Ensure you clean the tip of the blender between colour changes to avoid muddying other areas.

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Pencil blender brands

We try five different pencil blenders in this article. Many companies have their own blender which compliments their own pencil range but they do the same job as those covered here, so it is not important to cover every single one. They are not expensive and it is worthwhile buying the matching blender wherever you buy a new set of pencils to ensure they compliment each other. if you  are other brands such as Staedtler and Koh-I-Noor. The examples shown in this article are the Derwent, Prismacolor, Caran d'Ache & Lyra brands. Apart from the Caran d'Ache Full blender which is coverless, each one is encased in wood with a 3.5mm colourless nib. The We explore each brand below, providing examples of how well each blend and our thoughts on each. Further down the page we provide examples of other blending products including solvents. 

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Derwent Pencil Blender
Wax based

This is sold in a blister pack alongside the Derwent Burnisher pencil. These pencils are colourless and made with the same binder used in coloured pencils which allows you to blend two or more colours together. It can also be used for wax-resist techniques. Here we discuss the blender but we also discuss the burnisher pencil below this section.

This blended section above shows how lines appear much smoother. Dependant on how you apply your pencils before blending, lines may be eliminated altogether. Applying your layers gently will minimise harsh lines that you may struggle to soften.

The Derwent blender is very effective. Next to the other blenders covered on this page, it does feel quite dry and can produce small amounts of dust on your paper as you blend, but it appears to be more effective than the other pencil blenders. This will vary dependent on the type of paper you use and the pencils.

Derwent Pencil Blender & Burnisher
Wax based

The burnisher creates a polished finish and is particularly good for adding a sheen to drawings that include glass, metal and light reflections. Like the blender, it does not change your colours, but creates a sheen which can be seen at an angle or when a light source hits the burnished area. Although the burnisher can help to blend a little, it does not soften hard edges as well as a blender.

The Derwent burnisher is not a blending tool. It does soften pencil lines a little, but you can see from the image above that it is not really notable, especially next to the blender. These two pencils should be used in conjunction with the other.

The burnisher creates a polished finish to your paper. Apply over any areas that require a glaze such as glass, metallics, water etc. It is only notable when viewing your work at an angle. Ensure you apply the blender before the burnisher.

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Prismacolor Pencil Blender
Wax based

Prismacolor colourless blender pencils are ideal for artists looking to enhance their colored pencil artwork. They blend in the same way color pencils do, as they contain the same wax and binder, but no pigment is added. The result is a multi-faceted tool that allows artists to accomplish several effects, like merging neighboring colors, softening edges, and creating unique color blends. A colourless wax based medium which creates a matt finish. The barrel is thinner than the other blenders (apart from the Lyra), but the core is still the same thickness. It is sold in packs of two or purchased individually.

These two examples show the application of blending using the Prismacolor blender pencil. The first image shows how well the colours blend on smooth paper and the second image shows the effectiveness of blending on textured paper. We used Prismacolor Premier pencils for this trial. These pencils are very soft, with bold pigments and this is the reason why blending is so effective in this instance. The Prismacolor blender may indent the paper slightly, depending how much pressure you apply and it may feel 'scratchy' when using other brands of pencil. Over saturation can create 'clumping' and scratch away top layers of colour, leaving behind dust that need to be brushed from the paper. It can even spoil your work if you do not build up your layers evenly before blending. You can see these effects we speak of in the first image, to the left of the 'Blended' wording.

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Caran d'Ache Pencil Blender
Wax based

This Caran d'Ache Pencil Blender has a high-quality colourless oil, wax-based lead. It is perfect for blending coloured pencils such as Luminance pencils or Polychromos pencils. Use it over the top of coloured pencils to add a gloss finish that intensifies colours and enhances your drawing. It also protects colours from UV light and water. Sharpen to a point for precision blending.

Wax-based pencils - A highly effective blender when used over wax-based pencils like the Caran d'Ache Luminance coloured pencil range. It is ideal for blending fine detail but if working on larger areas, use the Full blender by Caran d'Ache as it covers faster.

Oil-based pencils - This blender is highly effective when used with oil-based coloured pencils too. The pencils used for this example are the Faber Castell Polychromos range. If you apply your colours smoothly before applying the blender, it softens the edges just as well as it does for the wax-based pencils.

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Caran d'Ache Full Blender
Wax and oil based

The Caran d'Ache Full Blender is extremely flexible and versatile as it can be sharpened to a point for fine detail work or used as a chunk for covering larger areas. There is no wastage as the whole stick can be used. It is hexagonal in shape which makes it easy and comfortable to use. This blender is ideal for blending and glaze techniques. The Full Blender Stick is a colourless oil and wax based medium that is used to enhance drawings and intensify colours by creating a gloss effect whilst protecting the colours from UV light and water. It is ideal for blending, dry mixing and creating glazes. Perfect for use with coloured pencils, wax pastels and graphite. They can also be used on other supports such as fabric, wood, pottery and stone.

This blender is the best option out of all the others when working on larger drawings as you can blend large areas much quicker. This blender is smoother in application to the others and leaves little dust behind. The distinction between blended v's non-blended is very notable in the image above. Seamless blending is essential when working on skin tones.

The blender can also be used as a wax-resist tool. Particularly important for outline sections of your drawing before you apply pigment to your paper. It can work with coloured pencils as long as you indent the paper and apply your colour by gently building it up, careful not to push it into the outline. You can also use it on paintings too, particularly good for watercolour work and ideal for use on paper, fabrics and other areas.

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Lyra Splender Blender

The LYRA Rembrandt Splender is a colourless oil-based pencil that enables artists to gently smooth and soften colour lines and edges, and seamlessly blend and merge colour joins. The Rembrandt Splender pencil adds brightness and luminance to your colours. Designed for use with Polycolor pencils, suitable for all wax and oil colour pencils. Apply with light pressure to avoid heavy wax build up or torn paper.

The Lyra Rembrandt Splender is designed for use with their Polycolor pencils which are oil-based, so it comes as no surprise that it does not blend very well when used with wax-based pencils. It does boost the colour pigment but we just wasn't able to smooth out the notable grains and lines.

Here we used the Rembrandt Polycolor profi-plus collection, a monochromatic color palette. They blended together far easier and with less effort than the wax-based example before and we would recommend that you use this blender with other oil-based pencils.

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White pencil
& other light tones

Have you ever used the white pencil for blending? It may be that you have been using it to blend colours together for years. We certainly have! It is not 'only' the white pencil that can be used for this purpose, any pale colour in your pencil collection will suffice. Apply the same way as you would with a colourless pencil blender. Of course, any pigmented pencil will change the tone of colours that are laid down but with practice, this is incorporated into your layering process. Applying all the dark tones before blending them together with a lighter coloured pencil such as the white option will create the very colour you were hoping to achieve. Far more effective than using one colour and it will look more realistic too. Still too dark? Re-apply! The Derwent Lightfast pencil range has six pale tones in their collection. These are ideal for blending and extending the colour palette. 

Some coloured pencil ranges only have a certain amount of colours and you may opt to mix and match with other brands. This is where the white pencil can also come in useful as it allows you to create new colours by applying white over the top. This will also blend the pigments together and depending how light you want your tint to become, the more pressure you will apply.

The pencils used in this portrait are the Caran d'Ache Luminance range. When creating light skin, favourite colours include Burnt Sienna 10% & 50%, Burnt Ochre 10% and Herculanum Red to name a few. Gently build up each colour tone so that they can be 'sealed' or blended with the white or the Pink White. Highly effective.

Related articles that may be of interest
​

Find out more about the Derwent Blender Pen

A solvent perfect for coloured pencils - Zest-it pencil blend

New to coloured pencils? This article is for you.

Comparing coloured pencils

Other blending products

There are many other products that aid blending other than the pencil format. Powders, pens and solvents are also available. Here we show you what each can achieve and there are also links to the corresponding article so you can find out a lot more about the product.

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Colored pencil powder blender
Brush and Pencil by Alyona Nickelson

Brush and pencil powder blender - The powder blender is a non-toxic, archival dry lubricant which is applied beneath any pigment and allows artists to blend colours without the use of solvents. When applied it becomes transparent. It works best on rigid toothy surfaces, such as sanded papers or toothy gessoes. If used according to the special method it will yield surprising results and it can make coloured pencil look as blended and saturated as an oil painting. Performs best with oil-based colored pencils but it can be used with wax-based pencils as well, when pretreating the surface for subsequent pencil application. Apply with sponges or short bristle brushes. Powder Blender makes the coloured pencil medium completely adjustable, correctible and erasable. A 14g pot should last you a long time unless you use it on large areas.

First we applied a small amount of powder to the paper using a paintbrush. You should only need a little as any more will push the dust around the paper as you mix the colours. The paper used here is Fisher 400. It has a fine grit but it is toothy enough to grab pigment easily. Apply the pencil gently and use circular applications so the pigment covers as much of the paper as possible.

This example was created without the use of the blender powder. Using the same four colours and layered using the same techniques as the first one. Although a toothy paper can help the blending process better than a smooth paper, it simply was not possible to achieve the same smooth transitions that was possible with the powder and the patchiness of blending is notable.

An article covering the Powder blender in more detail will follow soon

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Derwent blender pens

Derwent Blender pens - The Derwent Blender pens are alcohol-based blenders designed for use with coloured and graphite pencils. They allow the artist to blend away hard lines and create smooth and even colour. They come in a pack of two with a 2mm and 4mm nibs. The 2mm nib is ideal for blending small areas of fine detail and the 4mm for general blending. They work best on absorbent papers such as watercolour ones but being alcohol based, they can cause colour bleed if used on lightweight papers. 

Bockingford
A watercolour paper is absorbant and the best type of paper to use with an alcohol-based blender pen. The difference between blended and non-blended areas are obvious and the slight grain of the paper provides space to smooth out the pigment. 

Ursus Black paper
When using a solvent on dark paper, it melts a little of the pigment and this can make the area look dark until it dries.  Although it smooths hard pencil lines, there can be negatives when using this pen. Click the link below to find out more about the blender pen.
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Learn more about the Derwent Blender pens in our article.
Follow this link to view.

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Zest it is a non toxic environmentally friendly solvent made with the zest of citrus fruits. It is non-toxic, non-flammable and inherently biodegradable - a safer solution for use in the studio and home. It is a blending fluid that when applied to the layers of laid coloured pencil or pastel or oil pastel, softens the pigment/binder relationship and allows blending of the pigment. It leaves no residue of itself in or on the paper or surface once dry. As it evaporates, it has no detrimental effect on the lightfastness of the pigments used in the pencils. Citrus scented or Citrus free, it is recyclable and safer than turpentine.
Available in 50ml, 125ml, 250ml and a sponge saturated option (15ml).

Clairfontaine Flamboyant Watercolour paper
This 50/50 cotton/cellulose paper is an ideal choice for effective blending with pencil and solvent. A fascinating paper provides an extra rough surface and works perfectly with the Zest-it pencil blend and coloured pencils. A soft application of pigment build up is required before using a clean paintbrush absorbed with a small amount of pencil blend. Gently brush across the colours, starting from the dark point first into the lighter tones. You may need to push the bristles into the craters of the irregular surface to achieve a more consistent blend of pigmentation. 

Ampersand Pastelbord
Care should be taken when blending coloured pencils and Zest-it together on fine grit boards like the Ampersand Pastelbord. We recommend that you only use a small amount of Zest-it, applying with a suitable sized paintbrush. Use different paintbrushes for larger and smaller areas but wipe off excess pigment before moving on to the next colour and wash your brushes thoroughly after use. The out of focus background was achieved using Derwent Lightfast pencils and Zest-it. It is not as easy to manipulate pigments on a hardboard such as the Pastelbord so a watercolour paper will provide best results.
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Learn more about the Zest-it pencil blend in our article.
Follow this link to view.

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Written: April 2016
Updated - August 2021