2. •A colored pencil or pencil crayon is an art medium
constructed of a narrow, pigmented core encased
in a wooden cylindrical case.
•Unlike graphite and charcoal pencils, colored
pencils’ cores are wax- or oil-based and contain
varying proportions of pigments, additives, and
binding agents.
3.
4. •The history of the colored pencil is not entirely clear. The use of wax-
based mediums in crayons is well-documented, however, and can be
traced back to the Greek Golden Age, and was later documented by
Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder.
•Wax-based materials have appealed to artists for centuries due to
their resistance to decay, the vividness and brilliance of their colors,
and their unique rendering qualities.
• Although colored pencils had been used for “checking and marking”
for decades prior, it was not until the early 20th century that artist-
quality colored pencils were produced.
•Manufacturers that began producing artist-grade colored pencils
included Faber-Castell in 1908 and Caran d’Ache in 1924, followed by
Berol Prismacolor in 1938.
5. •Rising popularity of colored pencils as an art
medium sparked the beginning of the Colored
Pencil Society of America (CPSA). According to its
website, “[CPSA] was founded in 1990 as a
nonprofit organization dedicated to artists over 18
years of age working with colored pencil”.
•The CPSA not only promotes colored pencil art as
fine art, but also strives to set lightfastness
standards for colored pencil manufacturers.
6. Artist Grade Vs. Student/Scholar Grade
• Colored pencils are graded by a few factors:
1. Wax to Pigment Ratio
2. Lightfastness (the response to UVA)
3. Number of Colors available
• Artist Grade Colored Pencils: High Pigments ratio compared to
wax makes the “lead” soft and rich in color. They last longer in
terms of fading because of UVA.
• Student/Scholar: Though they are close to the same recipe as
the artist grade pencils there tends to be more wax and they
lightfast rated (making them susceptible to fading over time)
7. •Verithins: Colored pencils that
have a higher wax ratio and a
thinner core. Used for precise
details and mark making.
•Watercolor Colored Pencils:
Water Soluble colored pencils
that can still fully render values
but can then be washed over
with water to produce a
watercolor effect.
15. In drawing, scumbling is
sometimes used to describe a
random, scribbled texture, with
figure-eight and concave shapes
used to create a spiky texture,
rather than the common
circular scribble ON TOP OF
SOLID COLOR…
