Watercolor pencils look like ordinary colored pencils — until you add water. Then something magical happens: the pigment softens, spreads, and blends like a watercolor painting. They give you the precision of a pencil for detailed areas and the fluidity of paint for backgrounds and large washes. Below are five techniques that will completely change how you use them.
Watch: Watercolor Pencil Techniques
Follow along with this video as you work through the five techniques below.
What You’ll Need
- Watercolor pencils (Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer, Derwent, or Prismacolor Water-Soluble are all excellent choices)
- A water brush or a fine watercolor brush and a small cup of water
- A natural sea sponge (for the sponge technique)
- Table salt (for the salt technique)
- A white or clear wax crayon (for wax resist)
- Heavier paper — at least 90gsm, ideally mixed media or watercolor paper. See our paper guide for full recommendations.
Technique 1: Dry on Dry
This is the most accessible technique and the best starting point for beginners. Color a section of your page with the watercolor pencil as you normally would — but only fill it halfway. Then take a wet brush and drag the color from the filled area into the unfilled area. The result is a reverse ombre: rich and saturated where the pencil was applied, fading to almost nothing at the edge.
This technique is particularly beautiful for flower petals, skies, and backgrounds where you want a soft gradient without visible pencil strokes.
Technique 2: Sponge Texture
On a separate scrap of paper, color a solid patch about one inch square with your watercolor pencil and press firmly. Wet a brush and paint over this patch to create a small pool of liquid pigment — essentially a mini watercolor palette. Dip a natural sponge into the wet pigment and dab it onto your coloring page.
The sponge creates a beautiful, organic texture that looks like stippled foliage, rough stone, or clouds. For the best effect, let the first layer dry completely before applying a second layer on top. The overlapping texture builds up into something genuinely interesting and unique.
Technique 3: Dry on Wet
The opposite of dry on dry — here you wet the paper first, then apply the pencil. Rinse your brush clean, load it with plain water, and paint a section of your page. Before the water dries, draw over it with a dry watercolor pencil. You can feel the difference immediately: the pencil melts into the wet surface and deposits far more pigment than it would on dry paper.
The result varies depending on how wet the paper is. More water means softer, more diffuse color. Less water means a more controlled, intense line. Experiment with both and you’ll develop a feel for the sweet spot.
Technique 4: Wax Resist
This one feels like a magic trick. Take a white or clear wax crayon and draw a pattern on your page — crisscross lines, dots, a simple shape. Then create a pool of liquid watercolor pencil pigment on scrap paper (same as the sponge technique), pick it up with a brush, and paint over the waxed area. Watch your pattern appear as the watercolor pigment rolls off the waxy surface.
This is a wonderful way to add background texture or hidden patterns to a finished piece. A white wax candle works just as well as a crayon if you have one on hand.
Technique 5: Salt Texture
This technique surprises artists every time they try it. Paint an area of your coloring page with wet watercolor pencil pigment — make it fairly saturated with water. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle table salt over the surface. Then do nothing. Don’t touch it, blow on it, or try to move the salt.
As the water evaporates, the salt crystals absorb moisture and pigment, leaving a starburst or snowflake-like texture behind. The effect takes 10 to 30 minutes to fully develop depending on humidity. Once the surface is bone dry, brush away the salt with your fingers or a soft cloth. The texture left behind is like nothing else in the colored pencil world — perfect for water, night skies, and abstract backgrounds.
Tips for All Five Techniques
- Always let each layer dry fully before adding the next — even a slightly damp surface can smear your previous work
- Use a water brush (a brush with a water reservoir in the handle) for maximum control and convenience
- Keep a piece of scrap paper nearby to test water load before touching your main piece
- Watercolor pencils can also be used dry, exactly like regular colored pencils — you don’t have to use water every time
Love working with pencils and want to go deeper? Our guide to blending colored pencils covers the layering techniques that work beautifully alongside watercolor pencil work. And if you want to explore using a white pencil for blending and highlights, that guide covers one of the most useful tricks in the colored pencil toolkit.