How to Use Water-Soluble Graphite

Water-soluble graphite pencils and crayons are a fun and versatile medium to use in drawings and illustrations. They are used like regular graphite pencils but will spread when water is added. They are available in varying degrees of hardness and tone. The hardest and lightest shade is the HB pencil. The darkest value and softest is the 12B crayon.

I recommend using #140 or higher watercolor paper to achieve the best results. In the video below, I sketched the subject using Faber-Castell Aquarelle Graphite pencils. The first layer is created using the HB pencil, then midtone shadows were added using the 2B, 4B, and 6B pencils. I used a wet, soft-bristled watercolor brush to activate the water-soluble graphite. I let the first layer completely dry before creating darker shadows using the 8B pencil.

When water is added over the 8B pencil, it creates deeper shadows throughout the illustration. The darkest shadows were achieved using 10B and 12B water-soluble crayons, which were applied while the paper was still wet. This is the dry-on-wet painting technique.

Watch the short video below to see how much fun these pencils and crayons can be.

Below are pictures of water-soluble graphite on a colored background.

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Until next time,

Tamara