| Prismacolor watercolor pencils are made up of | | | | tape your paper down to a board is because once |
| water-soluble materials, which enable an artist to | | | | paper is moistened, it will curl. Even if you are only |
| create watercolor like effects within a drawing. By | | | | using a dampened paintbrush for highlighting purposes, |
| applying a damp paintbrush to a composition drawn | | | | those areas will bubble. Therefore, make sure to tape |
| with water-soluble colored pencils, rough areas can be | | | | down your drawing. |
| gently smoothed away. Rather than use an eraser to | | | | Drafting tape comes in a variety of widths, so |
| try to remove or lighten areas of a drawing, applying | | | | depending upon the size of your drawing will |
| a damp brush to these so-called mistakes, can | | | | determine the tape width you will want to use. |
| actually enhance a drawing. | | | | Larger papers will need wider tape to secure it to the |
| Here is an example, suppose you are drawing a | | | | Masonite board. Additionally, once the tape is |
| landscape. Rather than worry about having to cover | | | | removed, the unpainted area will be the border of |
| a large area, such as the foreground, simply color the | | | | the drawing. To make sure that you have an even |
| area gently with pencil, and then apply your brush to | | | | border, use a T-square and ruler to mark off the |
| smooth out the spaces. You can also draw on top of | | | | area. You can adjust the border as it pleases your |
| the water brushed area, but make sure that your | | | | eye and the dimensions of your paper. A slightly |
| paper is not too wet, or the paper will tear. An | | | | wider border on the bottom is preferable. Most |
| alternative would be to wait until the paper is dry, | | | | artists sign their drawings on the bottom of their |
| and then apply a second layer of pencil to the | | | | drawing, so leave enough room for the signature. |
| drawing. This may only be a few pencil accents made | | | | Also, keep in mind, that you will also want to mat |
| with yellows, violets, or reds to indicate flowers. | | | | and frame your drawing after it is finished, so leave |
| Once you have drawn in your flowers, use the damp | | | | enough room around all the paper for this as well. |
| brush again to blur and smooth the area. You will find | | | | Use one strip of drafting tape to mark off the |
| that brushes will pick-up some of the Prismacolor | | | | border. Longer is better; you can always cut the |
| watercolor pencil pigment, so you can use that color | | | | excess away. Make sure to smooth out any bubbles |
| to add additional color and texture to your drawing | | | | in the tape once it is laid down. |
| without having to put your pencil to the paper. | | | | To make sure that you have a nicely even border, |
| Remember always to keep a cup of clean water | | | | be sure to first measure and mark your paper using |
| near your drawing area, in order to rinse accumulated | | | | a pencil - preferably a 2H, non-water soluble pencil, i.e. |
| pigment from your brush. Dry it gently using a soft | | | | not a Prismacolor watercolor pencil. A 2H pencil is |
| rag; paper towels will come apart and leave pieces in | | | | hard enough not to smudge your paper, and if you |
| your brush. | | | | do not press down very hard, it is hardly noticeable. |
| Before you begin a watercolor pencil drawing, make | | | | You also do not want to use watercolor pencils when |
| sure to tape the paper to a smooth surface, such as | | | | drawing the border, because the pigment can run into |
| a piece of Masonite. It is advisable to use drafting | | | | the drawing area. The pigment can also run onto the |
| tape, because it is easy to remove from your | | | | tape, or into bubbles in the tape, and smear your |
| finished drawing. The reason why you will want to | | | | border. |