Colored pencils are common school supplies for students. They come in a wide range of types and styles. Many people cannot fully distinguish between water-soluble and oil-based colored pencils. Students should learn more knowledge about stationery so that they can use colored pencils proficiently.

Water-Soluble Colored Pencils

As a popular drawing tool, water-soluble colored pencils can create rich and varied color effects when brushed with water after sketching. The pigment dissolves in water, featuring bright hues, easy color laydown and relatively low transparency. You can perform secondary painting by blending colors with water to achieve watercolor-style effects. Compared with pure watercolor painting which is difficult to master, water-soluble colored pencils are much easier for beginners. Papers with rough textures are ideal for this medium. The colors of water-soluble pencils are clear and transparent with strong adhesion. You can easily control light and dark shades by adjusting drawing pressure to create either deep dark tones or faint light hues, and the pigment can be blended and spread evenly with a water brush.

Oil-Based Colored Pencils

The lead core of oil-based colored pencils is similar to crayons, featuring a smooth, waxy yet brittle texture. Its colors appear soft and light, while the transparency is high. It performs excellently when rendering special color tones, allows easy multi-layer color stacking and is budget-friendly. Oil-based pigment cannot dissolve in water, delivering effects akin to crayons or oil pastels. It is student-friendly and its marks can be erased with rubber erasers. Drawings made with oil-based pencils carry a subtle sheen, yet the pigment adheres weakly to paper and may fade or rub off over time. Though glossy, oil-based pencils cannot produce color layers as deep and rich as water-soluble ones.

Applicable Scenarios

Oil-based colored pencils are suitable for: hand-drawn line art, character portraits, anime illustrations, journal detail decoration;works without water blending, with crisp distinct strokes;simple coloring practice for beginners and classroom drawing for students;long-term preservation, free from smudging caused by moisture.

Water-soluble colored pencils are suitable for: landscapes, floral paintings, light-color illustrations, watercolor-style hand drawing;paintings requiring gradients, blurred soft edges and large soft background washes;creation combining both dry colored pencil and watercolor techniques;art training and original illustration creation.