ZEST - IT Pencil Blend 125 ml, TZP125

Product Information

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. 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 – There is a slight softening of the drawn lines where blending with a dry paper stump. This is most apparent in the dark corner of the square.When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– Very little difference when using the Pencil Blend with a brush. The paper stump seemed to just remove the colour from the surface but did not smooth out the drawn lines. 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. The first 4 pencils I tested were all watersoluble: Caran d’Ache Luminance, Supracolor, Stabilo All Surface Pencils and Faber Castell Pitt Pastel pencils. I wanted to see if these pencils could also be dissolved with Pencil Blend, as if this was the case it would be possible to blend watersoluble pencils with regular coloured pencils. The Zest It Pencil Blend (CF) did not dissolve these watersoluble pencils as well as water does and so blending both watersoluble and non-watersoluble pencils combined would not be possible. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers) – Both squares were softened out completely, although the gradation of tone was maintained more with the brush. The paper stump made most of the square tonally uniform, and also lightened the value of the colour overall because a lot of the colour was lifted from the paper by the stump. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– When I first applied Pencil Blend to the shaded square with a brush, the drawn lines did not instantly dissolve. I worked the liquid into the shading with the brush and although some of the colour clearly broke down to soften the shading, it was far from the extent of dissolving you would expect when applying a wet brush over a watercolour pencil. If anything these was less effect using a paper stump dipped in Pencil Blend, which is surprising as in the past the greater degree of pressure you can apply with the paper stump meant that drawn lines had a tendency to break down further than when PB is applied with a brush,

When I burnished with a dry paper stump– The paper stump has able to soften the lightest drawn lines, but in the darker corner the lines would not soften. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) Maintained the intensity of the darkest area and blended nicely through the gradation to the lightest area. However you can still see a trace of the drawn lines. Adding the pencil blend gave a warmth to the quality of the square. Shading with the pencil without any blending– The pencil shows its drawn lines crisply and sharply, with a good tonal range. These findings were sufficient proof that Pencil Blend doesn’t work with watersoluble pencils, so at this point I stopped testing the Supracolor, Albrecht Durer and Pitt Pastel pencils.When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– Fairly comparable, graphite dissolves nicely and the gradation is maintained, although the blend is easier to control with the brush. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– Paper stump was better – the drawn lines were smoothed out, didn’t need as much Pencil Blend. Gradation was kept easily even with the paper stump.