Craft Crush: Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils

I have an awesome daughter who is really great at knowing just what her mother would love for gifts.  It was no surprise when I opened one of my Christmas presents and found not only a Harry Potter adult coloring book inside, but a Game of Thrones one as well.  Although she had included a set of fine point Sharpie markers, she later explained that she had wanted to pick up a set of Prismacolor pencils but the store had been out and it had been too late to try to  find them elsewhere.

Unbeknownst to my wonderful girl child, I already had my eye on a set of Prismacolor pencils, watercolor pencils in fact.  My two new stress relieving adult coloring books were just reason enough to take advantage of a great after Christmas deal on Amazon.  That’s right, I justified purchasing one of my Craft Crushes based on a Christmas gift.

Two days later (thank you Prime) my pencils arrived at the door and I finally got to see for myself just how great watercolor pencils could be. First of all, there is a tiger on the metal box lid, which is just bad ass and beautiful at the same time.  There are also 36 wonderful colors inside the box, all neatly lined up in three trays that fit neatly inside.

Of course I started out with a page in one of the coloring books, but then I decided it was time to incorporate them into my art journaling as well.  I just happened to be working on a page that was going to have tiny tags incorporated.  I saw this as my opportunity to use the pencils to get a great watercolor effect quickly and easily.

Laying down the color is simple, you just color the way you would with any colored pencil. The magic happens when you add water.  I used my ‘magic’ water brush, but you could use a regular brush and a cup of water just as easily.

I was pretty happy with the results, even though it didn’t mimic regular watercolors flawlessly.  I’ve seen other get the look, so I’m thinking it was probably due to being new to the medium.  Still, it worked great for my tags and I really loved the way they came out.

The real beauty I find in these pencils however is their dual purpose.  I have several trips planned for 2016 and I will be taking along a small art journal each time.  These pencils give me the option of using them as regular colored pencils or with just the addition of my very portable water brush, they transform into watercolors.  Multi-purpose is key when putting together a small, ultra-portable art kit, and the Prismacolor watercolor pencils are a perfect fit.