You’ve seen those coloring pages done in colored pencil that look so beautiful and vibrant. Metal objects appear shiny. Birds and animals look realistic. But how do you get your pictures to look like that? The answer is simple. It’s a technique called burnishing.
Burnishing is a technique used with colored pencils to create a smooth finishing touch to your picture. By applying hard pressure when coloring, burnishing works to break down the tooth of the paper creating a smooth, vibrant finish. This technique can be done using a colorless blending pencil, colored pencils, or rubbing alcohol.
What makes burnishing different from blending?
If you’re not familiar with burnishing, the two would seem to be similar. However, the difference is with the amount of pressure being applied to the paper and whether or not you see your picture as finished. Let’s compare the two. Blending is a technique done over and over while you work the colors in your picture to the way you want them to look. This technique can be done from the start to the finish of your picture.
For example, when using various shades of blue with some white mixed, or blended, in to create a sky. Or various shades of green blended with shades of brown to create a grassy area. The amount of pressure applied when blending is variable. Light pressure may be used when applying a subtle highlight to your picture. A harder pressure may be applied to darken an area.
Burnishing is different because a consistent very hard pressure is applied when coloring. Think of it like sanding a piece of wood. When wood is sanded down, you can no longer feel any rough or grooved edges and paint sits more on top of the wood.
With the burnishing technique, the colored pencil acts like a wood sander against the paper, breaking down the tooth, and creating a smooth surface. The reason this technique is done as a finishing touch is that, once the tooth has broken down, it is difficult to go back and add or blend colors.
How’s it done?
After creating the picture the way you like, it is time for burnishing. If you’re new to this technique, work slowly to bring about a smooth finish. Focus on the amount of pressure you are applying and what is changing with the color you initially laid down to get the feel of how this technique works.
When you begin to burnish the picture, it’s best, to begin with, the lighter-colored areas. These areas are more forgiving to the burnishing process and are easier to tell how much darker to make the dark areas of your picture. Let’s look at an example of a flower colored with shades of purple.
First, choose the colored pencil of the lightest shade of purple in the flower. To burnish this area of the flower, apply hard pressure to the colored area and color in a circular motion. The circular motion helps to apply the color more evenly and prevents any streaking.
After burnishing that section of the flower, move on to the next darker shade of purple and repeat the technique. You can move back and forth between the light and dark shades until you get the richness in colors you want, even blending the colors a little more.
When you’re done burnishing the light colors, move on to the darker areas. Keep in mind these areas will only become darker and are less workable than the lighter areas. It is better to slowly burnish the darker areas so that you don’t overwork the area or create a darker look than you wanted. So, burnishing is that simple. But before we put it into practice, let’s look at the tools used for this technique.
Right Tools for the Job
Colored Pencil
Many people start practicing burnishing with the same colored pencils used for their pictures, primarily out of convenience. However, the wax content of the colored pencils you use is important to the success of the burnishing technique. Colored pencils with a higher wax content spread color more smoothly, to begin with, improving the look of the burnished area. Prismacolor is a good example of the higher wax content colored pencils.
It is easy to tell the wax content of your colored pencils by the feel of how the pencil moves across the paper. Brands, like Crayola, can feel like they are dragging across the paper because of the low wax content.
Colorless Blender Pencil
A colorless blender pencil works just like a wax-based colored pencil, but without the color, pigment added. Burnishing with this tool is done in the same way as burnishing with a colored pencil, apply hard pressure and color in a circular motion. Since this pencil lacks color, there isn’t as much risk to altering the shades of the colors already laid down in the picture. But, it is still possible to drag the adjacent colors in your picture across one another, so be mindful of the pencil placement while burnishing.
There are three common brands to look for when purchasing a colorless blender pencil: Caron d’achute, Prismacolor, and Derwent. These brands offer great quality and are easy to find at arts and crafts stores or online. Derwent does produce a colorless pencil specifically labeled as a burnisher pencil. This is a good tool to have in addition to the colorless blender pencil, especially if you color objects designed to be shiny or made of metal.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is used for burnishing because it breaks down the wax of the colored pencil creating a smooth finish. The effect you’ll see with rubbing alcohol is similar to using watercolor paints. You will need a cotton swab, cotton ball, or a paintbrush to apply the rubbing alcohol to the colored area in your picture. Regardless of which option you choose, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
Since rubbing alcohol is a liquid, you’ll need to be careful not to over-saturate the cotton swab, ball, or paintbrush. Too much liquid can damage the paper or cause colors to run where you may not want them. As you wipe the rubbing alcohol across the colored area, use even strokes to prevent streaking or pulling up some of the paper. Let’s look at an example using this method to burnish the stem of a flower.
Assuming the flower stem is a small area, we will dip a cotton swab into the rubbing alcohol. Remember to be careful not to oversaturate the cotton swab. Next, lightly wipe the cotton swab across the flower stem with even strokes. As the colored area appears more smooth, that is the breaking down of the wax by the rubbing alcohol. If you accidentally get some streaking or want to add color back into the picture, wait until the paper fully dries, and then you can reapply the color.
As we’ve seen, when burnishing with colored pencils or a colorless blender pencil, you can achieve a smooth finish similar to a photograph. When burnishing with rubbing alcohol you can achieve a watercolor finish. But there is one common effect that you won’t want to keep on your picture.
Check out more blending tips HERE.
Why is there a foggy film in my picture?
When using colored pencils or the colorless blender pencil for burnishing, an effect called “wax bloom” can occur. This is when there is so much wax on the paper that it becomes visible on the surface of the colored area. Think of it this way, the colored pencils you used for initially coloring your picture already put down a layer of wax. When you burnish with colored pencils or a colorless blender pencil, you are adding more wax to the picture.
This increase of wax brings it to the surface of the colored area as an opaque or foggy film. This is the wax bloom. This effect is common, especially with high wax content colored pencils. But fret not, there is also a solution! Using a dry soft rag, cotton ball, or cotton swab, chosen by the size of the area with wax bloom, gently wipe over the area to remove the wax. Make sure not to apply too much pressure when doing this or you risk smudging colors into one another.
Practice, practice, practice!
Now you know the secret to creating coloring pages that are beautiful and vibrant! As you practice this easy technique, your coloring pages will look crisp, smooth, and maybe even realistic, bringing another level of joy to your coloring experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use expensive colored pencils?
Yes, it is better to spend a little more in this case. The artist-grade colored pencils and colorless blender pencils from brands like Prismacolor or Derwent have the higher wax content increasing the success of the burnished technique.
Can I use any type of paintbrush with rubbing alcohol?
The best kind of paintbrush to use with rubbing alcohol are those designed for acrylic or oil paints. The bristles of these brushes are sturdier, giving you more control over the placement of the rubbing alcohol, especially in smaller areas.
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