Start by drawing lightly with a pencil labeled water-soluble, then use a damp brush to activate a small area. Let it dry before deciding whether to add more drawing. Watercolor pencils let you combine dry marks and washes; the useful first exercise is learning what your own pencil does at each stage.
Check the pencil before adding water
Look for a water-soluble or watercolor description on the product. Derwent’s Watercolour range, for example, is intended for both dry use and use with water. A colored pencil’s shape or painted barrel alone does not tell you whether its marks will activate.
Use paper intended for watercolor if you plan to add washes, a clean brush and a small container of water. A smoother surface is a sensible sample for close line work; compare it with the surface you already own using the paper-surface guide. You do not need a new full set of pencils to run this exercise.
You may also see the name aquarelle pencils. Check for water solubility rather than relying on that name alone. Our watercolor vs colored pencils comparison explains the practical difference. If you have a mixed media sketchbook, use the paper comparison to decide whether it suits a light wash or a wetter exercise.
Try three small areas
Choose one color. Label three small rectangles A, B and C, leaving space below each for notes. This is our suggested layout for learning the sequence, not a standardized product comparison.
- A: keep a dry reference. Shade lightly with visible, closely spaced marks. Leave this area dry so you can compare the original drawing with the later stages.
- B: activate the drawing. Repeat the light shading. Wet the brush, remove excess water and pass it gently across a small section. Watch the marks rather than repeatedly scrubbing the same spot.
- C: combine stages. Repeat the activated area, allow it to dry, then add a few dry lines where you want detail. Compare the deliberately dry marks with the wash underneath.
Canson’s pencil guide shows how wetting selected marks can combine line and wash, and how colors can be mixed. The three-area layout makes that choice explicit: you do not have to dissolve every line.
Four ways to use watercolor pencils
| Method | Sequence | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Dry drawing, then water | Shade lightly on dry paper; activate selected areas with a damp brush | Placing color before turning it into a wash |
| Brush color from the tip | Pick up pigment from the exposed core with a damp brush; apply it to paper | Starting with a wash without drawing lines first |
| Dry pencil on damp paper | Dampen a small area, then add gentle pencil marks | Exploring softer, spreading marks and texture |
| Dry detail over a dried wash | Allow the wash to dry, then draw selected details | Keeping deliberate line work visible |
Canson illustrates wash-making and drawing into wet surfaces. The tip-to-brush method is also demonstrated in Louise De Masi’s tutorial below. Try each sequence on spare watercolor paper; a damp surface and a dry surface will not respond identically. Keep the wooden pencil out of the water container.
Turn the exercise into a small leaf drawing
Use one green watercolor pencil, your brush and a small piece of watercolor paper. This is a suggested practice sequence, not a photographically demonstrated product test.
- Place the shape. Draw a light leaf outline with the green pencil. Leave a narrow strip of uncolored paper for a central vein.
- Add color. Shade lightly inside the shape. Put a little more color along one edge where you want the darker side.
- Activate one half. Wet the brush and remove excess water. Begin in the lightly shaded area and work toward the darker edge. Stop before repeated brushing wears the same area.
- Compare the halves. Leave the other half dry for now. Decide which drawn marks you want to keep, then activate only those you want to soften.
- Finish after drying. Add a few dry veins or a darker edge. Keep some marks visible so the page combines drawing and wash.
If you prefer a graphite planning sketch, see the guide to H, HB and B pencil grades. Graphite is a separate material choice; it is not needed for this one-color exercise.
Why are some pencil marks still visible?
Visible marks are not automatically a failure. They may be part of the image you want. If you want a less linear result, compare a lighter application rather than trying to force an already worked surface to change.
In her watercolor-pencil tutorial, artist Louise De Masi uses light pressure and also picks up color from the exposed pencil tip with a damp brush. That second approach is an option to try on a separate sample when you want to start with a wash instead of a drawn texture. It is not an instruction to soak the wooden pencil.
Will the color reactivate after it dries?
Check the exact range. Derwent says Inktense becomes permanent after the pigment has been fully dissolved with water and allowed to dry. Undissolved marks are an important exception. Do not assume every water-soluble pencil has the same behavior as every other range, or label all of them simply “ink” because of the effect they produce.
Keep the first page as a reference
Write down the pencil range, color name, paper and which marks you left dry. Add a short note after the sample dries: what stayed visible, what you liked, and what you want to change next time. Leave claims about exact color, fading or permanence to the relevant product information and a suitable test.
Rinse the brush after the exercise and follow our watercolor brush-care guide. Keep the labeled sample for your next drawing session.
Technique sources checked September 21, 2026; product-specific reactivation guidance checked September 9, 2026. Research-based beginner guide with an original exercise layout. No brand swatches or physical pencil tests are presented.