Today is the day I am sharing my video tutorial for using watercolor pencils! I LOVE watercolor- whether in the form of a tube or a pencil. Watercolor pencil is an easy way to get that beautiful watercolor effect! I love painting watercolor illustrations, I love the way the paint acts on the paper and how it interacts with the water.

You can really be an “artiste” by using watercolor pencils with the Everything Patterns! Don’t feel intimidated- my video will walk you through it, and at the end of this post, I’ve listed resources for supplies.

I’m working super-hard to get the Everything Patterns ebook done for next week…. my original plan was to release it October 4, but I may have to push it just a bit later. I’ll keep you up to date through my newsletter. Thanks so much for sticking with me!

For an introduction video to Everything Patterns, please click here.

For a few videos with embroidery tips and using Everything Patterns, please click here.

For a video about using coloring pencils with Everything Patterns, please click here.

I know that finding supplies when you are first starting out can be confusing, so here are the products that I use. These are affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. These are all products that I use and enjoy myself. Click the photo or product name to go to the product page for more information and to purchase. (And remember- you don’t have to buy all of the supplies at once! You probably already have some of these things at home anyway.)

Brushes– this is a good, inexpensive starter set. You will get 4 basic sizes, use the large flat one for filling in large areas like backgrounds, and the round ones for details.

Pens for transferring designs and doodling- Pigma Micron or Sharpie Ultra Fine:

I like the Pigma Micron pens in sizes 005 and 01, in black and sepia. This is a excellent all purpose, fine point permanent marker.

Sharpie Ultra Fine is another great all purpose permanent pen, though not as fine as the Pigma Micron, and you may find that the ink “bleeds” into the paper if you don’t move the marker across the paper fast enough.

Paper ranges in price from inexpensive to very expensive:

This is an inexpensive “student grade” paper, which means that it will give you good, but not professional results. It’s great for starting out. You can tear off individual sheets from the tablet and use a lightbox or window to trace your designs onto the paper.

This paper is much pricier, it is the professional grade paper that I use for my artwork. It gives excellent results, and it’s my favorite. I use the cold press, with the green cover. It is on a “block” or tablet, which means that you leave the individual sheet on the tablet while you are painting, then you tear it off after you are done (this really keeps your paper from “buckling”). However, this means that you won’t be able to trace with a lightbox, you can transfer your designs with Saral (see below.)

Watercolor pencils- these come in sets, or you can buy individual colors. I use several different brands, these are 2 that I like. Derwent and Derwent Inktense

This is the lightbox that I use for tracing. I use it constantly! I think it’s a great investment, either for tracing embroidery patterns, applique patterns, coloring sheets, etc.

If you would like to transfer designs onto paper without a lightbox or window, try using Saral transfer paper. Unlike old-fashioned “carbon” paper which has a waxy residue which cannot be removed, this allows you to erase stray marks and smudges (like a regular graphite pencil.) It comes in several different colors, I recommend the graphite color. This is useful if you want to transfer a design onto a surface which you cannot see through, such as a watercolor block, or a yard sale find such as a wooden chair seat, box, etc.

I hope you have found this information helpful! Next time, I will show you some sample designs from the Everything Patterns ebook, tell you when it will be available (soon!), the price…. plus some other exciting news!!!