When I burnished with a dry paper stump – Worked pretty well -softened well with a dry paper stump although some drawn lines were still visible in the darker area. 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. 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 When I burnished with a dry paper stump– This buffed up the shading and gave it a glossy surface, as well as softening the drawn lines in the lighter corner away completely. It was not possible to completely burnish away the lines in the darker corner. The area can be left to dry or further Coloured Pencil can be added to the area whilst the paper is still damp, each will give a different look. One thing to avoid - using too much liquid!

Shading with the pencil without any blending –As expected, the texture of the paper accentuated the texture of the drawn lines and a good tonal range could be achieved in the shading. When I burnished with a dry paper stump– only had a little effect and the drawn lines were still quite visible. This stuff is truly magic, plus it smells like oranges. I absolutely love it! I would recommend to anyone who draws with prismacolor premier coloured pencils. I just dip a cotton bud into it dab most of the liquid off on a tissue and use the cotton bud to blend my colours. Honestly amazing stuff. I will definitely be getting some more in the future!2018When 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.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– Drawn lines are dissolved with the brush and the gradation is maintained. With the paper stump the gradation is harder to control, and gets a bit lost. But the square looks very blended and smooth.Shading with the pencil without any blending – As expected, visible drawn lines and a fair amount of texture as accentuated by the grain of the paper. 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. Blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– Very similar results, although because the paper stump was pushing the colour into the paper the darkest corner appeared darker and more even. In the brushed square you can see traces of the brush dipped in PB moving the colour around on the surface of the paper, so it is very slightly more uneven.

When I burnished with a dry paper stump– I needed to apply a lot of pressure with the dry paper stump to burnish the shading. The feint lines still show but I managed a bit of softening of the drawn lines. However the darker lines are more stubborn and cannot be softened with the stump. The gradation from dark – light became less subtle after working into the shading using the paper stump. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers) – Again, surprisingly the Pencil Blend failed to soften the lightest drawn lines although it did have a slight effect in the lighter corner of both squares. The square where I used a brush to work the Pencil Blend into the shading appeared slightly more blended than the square that I used the paper stump on. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers) –The colour does look significantly more saturated after 3 layers have been applied with the Lyra, so the paper is able to take more colour. The gradation is maintained more successfully in the square where the PB has been applied with a brush. However with the Pablo it was a struggle to even put the second layer of colour on – the paper didn’t seem to have any more capacity for holding colour. I did find that I needed to change my brush technique when blending to get the best result. If I move the brush in a circular motion on the surface it helps the solvent work into the drawn lines and soften them. I have learned that the build up of friction is necessary in dissolving the pencil, you can’t just expect one brush stroke to smooth the lines. With both the Lyra and Pablo pencils it was very difficult to maintain the gradation from dark – light when blending with a paper stump dipped in PB, but it was successful in softening out the drawn lines to make solid squares of colour.

The Results, Pencil by Pencil

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– With the brush, you have more freedom – it’s possible to lift the graphite and move it around, similar to a watercolour pencil and water. You have more control and so you can blend with quite painterly effects. Once the solvent has evaporated the pencil is still smudgeable and erasable. With the stump it is a little less easy to control but you can still achieve a really nice blend and control the gradation. Also smudgeable and erasable. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer) –The Pencil Blend broke down the colour a little when blended with a brush, but not all the drawn lines were softened by the Pencil Blend. The cover of Stonehenge states ‘This studio workhorse provides a supple surface that’s agreeable to myriad creative disciplines. Originally created for printmakers, this cotton paper soon spread across all drawing techniques, especially coloured pencil’. When I burnished with a dry paper stump– Lifted a lot of the colour away again, leaving a very soft powdery/soft pastel like effect. Accumulated more dust than the other papers.

It leaves no residue of itself once dry, it is economical in use as a small amount goes a long way. You can 'top-up' the Blending Sponge 10 times with a 50 ml bottle! Our Pencil Blend is non-toxic and non-flammable which many Pencil Artists value for use with their pencils and in the studio environment. Artists share their techniques for Blending Coloured Pencils The dampened brush was used to blend the coloured pencil. It was blended from dark to light, giving a soft transition of colour. It has very low VOC's which means little is lost to the atmosphere, many prefer the safer aspects of the solvent than odourless mineral spirit or similar solvents, most of which are flammable. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– The Pastelmat could take 3 layers, with the darkest corner becoming really intensely dark. It was easier to control the blend with the brush – with the paper stump the gradation got lost a little bit as colour spread into the lightest corner.

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When I burnished with a dry paper stump– The paper stump lifts the graphite away quite easily from the dark corner, and softens the drawn lines with ease.