Monday 28 April 2008

Prismacolor Pencils

I get lots of questions with regards to colouring with Prismacolour pencils and thought this information may help you. I am no expert as I have only been colouring with my Prisma's for about 8 weeks (article written 28/04/08) but hope this may answer some of your questions.

I use Prismacolour Premier Pencils as these are the highest pigmented pencil Prisma sell. Sansodor is a low odour solvent. The make I buy is Winsor and Newton and I get it from Hobby Craft for about £3.50 a bottle.
You can also buy the paper stumps there which look like pencils and are compressed paper (You may also here people call them tortillions). The ones I use are double ended. They are about £1.50 each in hobby craft but your local art store will sell them much cheaper. Mine sell them for £1.25 for 3. There are different qualities of paper stumps and am afraid it will be trial and error until you find the ones you like..The colouring part is just so simple but can be time consuming as I do like to make sure all the lines are blended well - that's the perfectionist part of me!

I bought my set of 120 Premium Prismascolor pencils from Ebay. They came from the US and took about 10 days to arrive. Always ask the seller if they can mark the package low to avoid customs - though some will not. When I need to buy them individually I buy them from 1buy1pencils.

With the prisma's you just put the colour around the outside of the object, so say for example a dress. You can put a little more under the arms as this is where the natural shadow would occur. You dip the paper stump in the sansodor and pull the colour inwards in circular movements. This gives a great effect leaving the inside paler. Be sure to go over the outline with your stump in circular movements to get rid of any pencil lines. Go easy on the sansodor and be sure it has soaked well into the stump before putting to paper. Sometimes I dab it on a bit of scrap first. You can then pick a darker shade if you wish to add more shading but I find I can shade very well just using the one colour. When you have used the paper stump leave to dry then just file the end with sandpaper or an emery board and then you can use again for another colour.

The best paper I have found (you will think this is strange but I got this top tip from a friend AngelJakki) is Concord Plain Record Cards (pack of 100). This card is just great and blends a treat. It is also so cheap as I was buying Artist pads for about £6 ago. Here is where I buy mine. I know the delivery is a pain but if you order about 6 packs it will only come to just over £10 with delivery. You may be able to get them in Staples (£2.09 per pack) but I know they are fazing them out and using their own brand which aren't as good (only my opinion).

Update - October '08: I now use Momento Tuxedo Black ink. This is such a super ink and the only one I will use now. I warn you though as it's hard to get hold of. It works a treat with Prisma and Copics/ProMarkers... also so perfect for using when you might want to combine mediums. Another great thing is that you can easily wipe the ink off with a damp cloth as I would need Stazon remover with the Memories. So saving pennies too! You can find this ink over in my store.

Update - Febuary '09
I was asked recently what colours I recommend. These are my personal favourites but hope this helps if you are just starting out.

Skin – PC928 Blush pink
Cheeks – PC929 Pink or for a rosier glow PC925 Crimson lake
Wood, earth or to give a distressed or dirty look - PC1082 Chocolate with PC946 Dark Brown for shading
Jean clothing – PC901 Indigo Blue
Blonde hair – PC1012 Jasmine with PC1034 Goldenrod for Shading
Brunette’s – PC945 Sienna Brown and/or PC943 Burnt Ochre – PC946 Dark Brown for shading
Red heads – PC944 – Terra Cotta and PC946 Dark Brown for shading
Metal – PC949 Metallic Silver
Sky – PC1086 Sky Blue Light
Grass, leaves – colour used dependent on matching with dp - PC1005 Limepeel, PC988 Marine Green, PC911 Olive Green, PC1090 Kelp Green, PC908 Dark Green
My favourite colours – PC994 Process Red, PC925 Crimson lake (used lots at Christmas) , PC992 Light Aqua and PC905 Aquamarine

If you have any great Prisma tips to share or any questions.. please do email me and I will update this post.

Hugs

65 comments:

Anonymous said...

tres jolie carte .. très colorée
bizz Mu

Anonymous said...

your card is adorable Nikki !! great job on the sketch
I have a step by step on my blog for the prisma if you want it ...
hugs,
isa xxx

Suzanne said...

Great card love this stamp. Hope you have a great holiday. Thanks for the info on the card just bought 10 packs. Sue :o)

Heidi said...

Nikki your card is so cute - i love the colors and the coloring. And the flowers is so pretty with the fibres on. And the stamp is so sweet.
And thank you for telling about the prismacolors-I love this colors. And I will really like a tutorial when you are back from your holiday :o)

big hugs from
Heidi

Kristine said...

Nikki---this is super cute :D Love the way you colored Stephanie!! I don't have prisma pencils or gamsol solvent, I just ahve SU!'s watercolor pencils and aqua painter, so my colors are limited. You did an excellent job. :D

Bon Voyage to YOU!!

Tova said...

beautiful card

kraftykizzy said...

Have a lovely holiday Nikki .Thank you so much for all your help and support since I started blogging . I have now treated myself to the 120 tin of prismacolors and would love a tutorial when you return from Florida.
Hugs
Karen xxx

Line said...

adorable!I love the colours!

Katharina Frei said...

A great card Nikki! Love the motive, your colouring and the flowers. Great tipps too!

Anonymous said...

tres tres jolie ,j'aime beaucoup

My Paper World said...

Awwwww! so cute Nikki! and the colours are gorgeous!
Have a fantastic holiday! xx

vavo said...

Hello... Your card is so cute... and your stamp... Waouhhhhhhhhh...
My card is more simple lol...
Scrap Bizzzzzzz
Vavovir

Caroline60 said...

vraiment belle ta carte
bisou

Claudia Rosa ~ Pretty Pressings said...

wow.. awesome card nikki.
i would love to see your tutorial on the prisma pencils.
i do have them but i probably do not get enough use out of them

when will you be back?
hugs

Lim said...

Hi Nikki,this is a beautiful card. Love the layout. I'm glad that you like the image.I will stamped more for you when you are back. :)
Hugs,
Lim.

Linda M said...

This is such a cheerful card. I would love to receive it.

Sandy said...

Oh Nikki this is awesome. Really lovely card. Fabulous.

Anonymous said...

Great card and thank you for all you explain about sansodor and Prisma colors ! I'll try it !

Barbara Hagerty said...

I LOVE your card!! Everything about it is fabulous! And thank you for the information on the Prismacolors and sansodor. Very helpful!

Anonymous said...

So nice, so cute, so...beautiful. I love your card, great job!

Karin said...

a great card again. Enjoy your holliday.

Sandra said...

Love your card! The whipper snapper stamp is so cute.
Have lots of fun in Florida.

Anonymous said...

VERY VERY BEAUTIFUL !!!!! funny card !!!!

Anonymous said...

what a wonderful card

Anonymous said...

très jolie et vraiment pleine de couleurs ta carte.

Anonymous said...

This card is very very beautiful.
I love it.

Jolanda said...

Such a beautiful card!

Have fun in Florida!

Nixe-Moni said...

Wow, what a great fun card. Love the colours and the stamp. Enjoy your holiday :))
Hugs, Moni

Gunilla/Nilla said...

This is such a cute card with lovely colours. Great work!
I´m also going to buy thoose pencils.
Have a great day
/Gunilla

Brocéliane said...

love your card and beautiful colours

Anonymous said...

wowwwww so cute

Unknown said...

wow it´s a so lovely and cute card, it looks so funny ... GREAT

Anonymous said...

Wow..... was für eine tolle Karte!
Super schön gestaltet! Bravo

Ila said...

This is Wonderful! your coloring is Fantastic!!
I hope you have a Super Fabulous holiday!!...Take Care!!

simplyfairies said...

Very cute indeed...

Monique said...

Hi Nikki,

I love your card !!!!
Have fun in Florida !!!

Hugs Monique

Anonymous said...

magnifique carte, j'aime beaucoup l'idée des tige de fleurs

ella bella said...

beautiful card Nikki, thanks for all the info on the Prismacolour etc it was very helpful i am def going to get some and have already ordered the card etc, would love a tutorial when you get back.
have a great holiday :) x

Callie said...

Des couleurs gaies et dynamiques pour cette jolie carte. Belle idée d'avoir retourné le schéma créatif pour faire pousser des fleurs.

Jacqueline van der Sar - Crejakaarten said...

Great card, beautiful colors!! Love those flowers. Beautiful colored with the prismas!! And love that text (I have the girl also) it fitts so great with the image!!

Anonymous said...

Superb card Nikki, love the flowers and the colours are fab!

Enjoy your holls!!

Marlene x

Anonymous said...

waouh!!! your card is so pretty!!!

Anonymous said...

So beautiful !! I love the colors and the stamp ! Very great work !

Anonymous said...

A tutorial would be just great as I have just ordered some prismas from over the pond.

Annie said...

what a fab card you have created! A group of friends who use this technique have been experimenting and the best ink pad we found was Memories together with Creative Smooth cardstock - you might like to give it a go. It's the technique I use all the time now for my colouring!

Mona said...

fab card. Great colors, cute stamp.

Saphira said...

Klasse Karte so richtig schön sommerlich!!!

MichelleO said...

Love your take on the sketch! those flowers are wonderful and the orange is great! Just so bright and pretty!

Anonymous said...

que c'est gai!! J'adore...

Murielle said...

Fantastic card and good idea!

Cardmaking Galore said...

Lovely card, thanks for your tips

Andrea said...

Beautiful card ! I love the flowers

Deb Wood said...

This is sooo adorable and precious! Love all your cards!! I love prismacolors and copics, but I need more Prismacolor pencils, I only have 48 right now! TFS!

Marte said...

Thank you so much for this useful help, I HAVE to buy the prismacolors now ;)

Good night, hugs from Norway :)

Marcea said...

Thanks Nikki, this was really useful - especially about the card and ink. I have been using card from the PaperMill Shop which is ok but will deffo give these a try. ALso thanks for the link for single pencils :o)
-x-

Susie Sugar said...

Hi Nikki your cards are stunning , and thanks for all the info about colouring these tips are really useful.
I love your blog
Thanks
Love Susie xx

Marcea said...

hi Nikki, thanks for the update - will be trying the colours for hair to see how I get on with them .... will let you know :o)
-x-

Nikki said...

Hi I love prism pencil crayons only one's I'll use actually
you can always Burnish your pencil drawings with rubbing over white or get prism colorless blender (PC1077) It's Great for those images when you want it really bold but softer looking
Gamsol is just as nice to any oderless solvent works great
Also recomment getting a gummy eraser as you can just roll it over taking one layer of pencil off at a time :) Hope this helps

Nikki

Kelly Schelske said...

Fabulous tips Nikki!! I need all the help I can get, so I will be referring back to this post often I'm sure!!

Hugs, K

Sue said...

Brill thank you for that, been debating about gettin tin Prisma to try, have my polys at the mo. will pop back soon, sue.x

Mar G said...

Thank You for all this information Nikki :-) It has helped me out greatly!
TC - Mar x

Nicola said...

Thank you so much for this info Nikki, I have just started stamping and appreciate your help. -x-

glograbear said...

I luv my Prisms c/pencils. I use Qtips ,for blending. I luv using my Prisms Water color pencils w/them. I use the color pencils for outlines, solid areas. I use the w/color pencils for areas for blending. I use q- tips for blending the colors w/water or for shading.A fine brush for little tiny spots. I luv that the 2 pencils colors match. the colors on top blend in w/ the pencils. I can't use the Gamsol because fumes & asthma
My botanicals c/art from dover turnes out such nice cards I coloring some more this summer for more cards later this fall.
I prefer Prism over Copics.

Val said...

Nikki - this is a great article. I have just bought some of these pencils - the full 120 set, and am trying to get to grips with them, so have found this really useful. Thank you.
Valxx

Irisha said...

Nikki! Thanks huge for article! Has bought stamps of Tildochki and I do not know from what to begin, and this article will be interesting and useful to all!!!! You in the shop plan sale of pencils of firm Premium Prismascolor?