Currently, crayoning with coloured pencils is a very popular hobby. There are many colouring books now available for the use of adults as well as children. In the past, pencil crayons were mostly used by young children, especially in schools. Older pupils who retained an interest in art tended to progress to watercolour or gouache paint. But professional artists may frequently use pencil crayons, particularly in sketches. The author/illustrator, Jane Hissey, has shown what wonderful effects can be achieved with coloured pencils in her ‘Old Bear’ books.
Flower Fountain and Tangerine
In the Goldcrest Gallery greeting card collection there are several designs which were created using coloured pencils. ‘Flower Fountain‘ was first drawn out in blue ink. Then the flowers were filled in with peach, pink, blue and purple coloured crayons. Pencil crayons are particularly suitable for blending colours and tones. The background of ‘Flower Fountain’ has pale blue, pink and purple colours blended together which gives a soft, tranquil look to the design.
A similar effect has been achieved for ‘Tangerine‘. Here, the ink lines are orange and green. The pencil crayons used have yellow, peach and rusty brown shades, together with greens for the foliage. The background has blended green and orange shading. These two designs make good use of the large range of colours and effects available with pencil crayons. From gentle and subtle graded blending to more intense and precise infilling, the artist has produced two vivid and lively designs.
Flower Basket and Peg Dolls
Our beautiful greeting card, ‘Flower Basket‘ is a vintage design in oranges and purples. Ink has not been used this time. Instead, the artist has outlined the flower motifs in crayon. There is subtle blending in each motif, and the background has been left white. This has created contrast and a delicate effect over the whole design.
Many of our attractive Little Notes designs have been produced using pencil crayon techniques. For example, the ‘Cosy Corner Set‘ includes an image of three peg dolls drawn in pencil. Each doll has crayon shading which gives a three-dimensional effect. The dress material for the dolls has the appearance of satin, created by the blending of subtle crayon colours.
Crayoning with Coloured Pencils
Crayons are very versatile, straightforward to manage, and errors can often be erased using an India rubber. They can be successfully combined with watercolour, ink or fine marker pens to produce many varied textural effects (see a selection of our designs where this technique has been used). And crayons are available in an extensive range of colours. So why not take inspiration from our greeting card designs, and have a go at crayoning with coloured pencils!