colouring in · creativity cave · DIY · pencils · Apr 28, 2022

Using Pencils in your Blueberry Co Books

Using pencils in my books

If you’re feeling nervous about colouring your books, or just want a softer look, pencils are a fabulous way to colour your books. The paper is smooth with a slight grain texture so all pencils will work, but the higher quality pencils will work best (they’re generally softer).

I’ve used Fabre Castel, Derwent, Jasart, Staedtler and Crayola pencils and all have worked really well! One of the best tips I can share about colouring in with pencils is to colour in the same direction for the whole page. This may mean you have to rotate your book to find a comfortable position, but it makes a huge difference in finished page (especially for large areas of colouring).

A few other things I’ve discovered over the years:

✏️Keep your pencil sharp (keep a pencil sharpener by you so you can touch up the pencil whenever you want).

✏️Have a spare bit of paper next to you. You can use this to test blending, colour options and work off any sharp edges of your newly sharped pencil.

✏️Always have an eraser with you. You can use this to soften colouring or remove any mistakes.

Another great way to use pencils is to combine them with makers. Do the outline of your shape in a marker (use the same colour as your pencil) and then fill in the shape with your pencil! It looks lovely and adds detail to any page!