Coloring b&w prints

pstake · May 4, 2012

I'd like to experiment a bit with coloring parts of certain prints, using colored pencils. I've been doing a series of postcard prints of animals from our local zoo, which I send to my niece, who's 3 years old. And I was thinking it would be fun to color the animals against the black and white background.

Anyway, can anyone recommend a brand or set of colored pencils used for this purpose?

I believe they are oil pencils of some kind.

As far as this goes, if anyone has some for sale, let me know ... tips for application are also appreciated.

eddie · May 4, 2012

You can use any colored pencils, as long as you print on matte finished fiber paper. I use Marshall's, Prismacolor, Walnut Hollow, Crayola, etc.
They all work just fine. Any art supply place will have inexpensive sets.
*Another thing I did for my niece, and nephews, was to print a cheap scan (on cheap computer paper). I gave them crayons, colored pencils, watercolor paint, and let them have some fun... *

tkamiya · May 4, 2012

I use PrismaColor set of colored pencils. Then, I have a 50/50 mixture of odorless turpentine and vegetable oil that I use SPARINGLY to create wash and even out the color. Applied in very small amount to Q-tips, and cotton pads, I can smooth out areas. If I make a mistake, the same solution can take most of it off. You can also use water to wipe off mistakes. VERY small portion can be cleaned with drafting erasers.

These method don't work well unless you have a matte surface FB paper. It won't adhere to RC or glossy of any kind.

One thing that might NOT work well for your intended application is that the surface is pretty delicate. It will not stand up to 3 year old's hands or that of postal services.... If you are going to let him/her color, PrismaColor pencils are way too expensive for that.... 120 color set will run you $150ish.

eddie · May 4, 2012

I know a lot of people use turpentine, or oil, to smooth out the finish, but I never do. Adding anything to the surface will attract pollen, dust, etc. (as well as lengthening the drying time. Instead, I use erasers to smooth out the texture from the pencil lead. Find some of these, with the pink eraser, for smoothing:

pentaxuser · May 5, 2012

Why with a matt surface such as Ilford's Satin or possibly better a totally matt RC surface such as Silverprint in London is selling won't RC paper work?

Thanks

pentaxuser

eddie · May 5, 2012

My experience is the coating of RC paper makes the paint slide off, as on glossy paper. I can't speak with any certainty, as I only use RC for proofs. My rather limited experimentation with hand-coloring RC was unsuccessful. Marshall's made a pre-coat spray for RC, and glossy prints, but I've never used it.

Ian Grant · May 5, 2012

You can use retouching dyes on any surface, see this article, A combination of toning and hand colouring works well.

Vana (the backing singer for Aphrodites Child).

Ian

winger · May 5, 2012

I've used Ilford's pearl in RC with Marshall's oils and it's fine. It will take awhile to dry and you're best off trying for subtle color so it's a very thin layer. But it's worked for me. I wouldn't try rubbing it with a tissue, but I wouldn't have a reason to do that anyway.
The pencils will likely only work on fiber or Art300 (or the new one from Freestyle - haven't tried that one, yet). The Art300 is fantastic, btw.

bsdunek · May 5, 2012

I use Prismacolor pencils and ordinary crayons. A touch of turpentine on a Q-Tip to smooth things out or touch up. If the paper surface is too glossy or if you use RC paper, it won't take the color very well if at all. Try spraying with Krylon clear matt finish. Let it dry well. It gives a nice 'tooth' for the color.

batwister · May 5, 2012

You could get a lab to scan and print them on card and along with some colour reference images, let her do the colouring herself? Much more fun for a three year old than contemplating your artisty. No offense.
Children of that age don't have the intellectual capacity to derive much satisfaction from images, well crafted or not. They learn and have better fun by interacting with their world.

pstake · May 5, 2012

batwister said:
You could get a lab to scan and print them on card and along with some colour reference images, let her do the colouring herself? Much more fun for a three year old than contemplating your artisty. No offense.
Children of that age don't have the intellectual capacity to derive much satisfaction from images, well crafted or not. They learn and have better fun by interacting with their world.

Batwister, I wouldn't expect my niece to contemplate my artisty, nor my artistry. I travel a lot for work, and my brother and sister-in-law keep a book of the postcards I send her, which they think she will appreciate later in life. She also gets pretty excited about having mail sent just to her. These postcards also go in the book.

Thanks, everyone who responded with good advice about this technique.

batwister · May 5, 2012

Ah, ok. Again, didn't mean to offend. Hope you get the results.

pentaxuser · May 5, 2012

Thanks for replies. I hope I haven't highjacked the OP's thread. It was just that I was curious as to why all RC surfaces were unsuitable for pencils and thought that the info might be useful to others contemplating hand colouring with pencils. Presumably there is something in the RC surface irrespective of what the surface description is. I had always assumed that anything other than glossy such as Ilford pearl also called fine lustre or semi matt in other makes and satin in Ilford which is very matt would work as they appear to have a "tooth".

Looks like the spray mentioned to provide tooth is the only answer for pencils users who want to stick to RC

pentaxuser

pstake · May 5, 2012

pentaxuser said:
Thanks for replies. I hope I haven't highjacked the OP's thread. It was just that I was curious as to why all RC surfaces were unsuitable for pencils and thought that the info might be useful to others contemplating hand colouring with pencils. Presumably there is something in the RC surface irrespective of what the surface description is. I had always assumed that anything other than glossy such as Ilford pearl also called fine lustre or semi matt in other makes and satin in Ilford which is very matt would work as they appear to have a "tooth".

Looks like the spray mentioned to provide tooth is the only answer for pencils users who want to stick to RC

pentaxuser

I'm glad you pointed out the need for fiber and non-glossy surfaces. All these suggestions/methods are making me finally glad that I make many bad prints that go in a box in a corner. I've got lots of them on which to practice!

eddie · May 5, 2012

Saving bad prints is a good idea. Not only for practice, but to see how a color lays down over different tones.

Coloring b&w prints

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