DIY Colored Pencil

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Grand Duchess Titiana Nikolaevna Romanova, 1908

Faber-Castel, a German company founded in 1761, manufactured the first colored pencil--the polychromos--in 1908. Caran d' Ache began production in 1924 and Berol Prismacolor began theirs in 1938.

Pencil Clay is a non-elastic type of clay that is chlorite based. It occurs naturally in various shades of green and leaves a pale green to grey streak. It is related to talc and mica and is soft enough to scratch with a fingernail. It's available from Kramer Pigments for $7.80/100 grams.

White Beeswax You need this for oil sticks, oil pastel, colored pencils and wax crayons. TKB sells 8 oz for $5.25.

Sunflower Wax has a high melt point which improves the consistency by giving added hardness, texture, and strength. TKB sells 8 oz for $3.75.

Tung Oil made from the tung nut is a fast drying oil. It was used in China for 2500 years for making oil paint and for waterproofing wood and paper parasols. A rag soaked in tung oil will spontaneously combust, so be careful with it. Use only 100% tung oil, not polymerized or boiled.

Plaster of Paris Hobby and Craft can be found at Walmart.

Aluminum oxide (1200 grit) is used in the final stage of tumble polishing stones. Colored pencil artists use it to help blend colored pencil without a wax based blender pencil or solvent. Get it on eBay for $7.99/4 oz.

Refer to my posts: Make Your Own Art Supplies, Makeup, Pigment, Paint and Dye, and Media Molds and Containers for a list of things you will need to complete this tutorial.

Colorless Blender

1/3 C. Plaster of Paris

1/2 C. Warm Water

2 Tbsp. Aluminum oxide

Paper cup

Plastic straws

Modeling clay

Plastic cup

Prepare plaster in the paper cup. Mix in aluminum oxide. Suck the plaster into straws, being careful not to get it into your mouth. Plug one end of the straw with a bean size piece of modeling clay. Place straws in the plastic cup, clay end down. Allow to cure for one week. Cut straw away from the plaster with a craft knife. 

Colorless Burnisher

7 Tads Sunflower Wax

1 Tad Beeswax

Melt wax and pour into a pencil mold.

Soft Core Colored Pencil (Prismacolor Premier and Verithin)

Colorless Pencil Base

3 Tads Sunflower Wax

1 Tad Beeswax 4 Tads Clay

Colored Lead, 2 mm x 3-1/2"

1 scoop Base, melted
1 Drop Pigment

Colored Lead, 4 mm x 3-1/2"

2 scoops Base, melted
2 Drops Pigment

Colored Pencil, 6 mm x 4"

12 L Scoops Base, melted

2 L Scoops Pigment

Glass beaker

Candle warmer

Oral syringe

4mm die

6mm die

Clay extruder

Corrugated paper, either size

Newspaper

Protect work surface with newspaper. Melt waxes together. Add kaolin and beat. It should be a thick waxy paste. Add pigment and mix. Let it cool until firm. Pack paste into syringe or clay extruder. Extrude into the grooves of corrugated paper and let cure.

Oil Based Colored Pencil (Lyra Rembrandt Polychromos)

Colorless Pencil Base/Blender

3 Tads Sunflower Wax

1 Tad Beeswax

1 Dash Tung Oil
4 Tads Clay

Colored Lead, 2 mm x 3-1/2"

1 scoop Base, melted
1 Drop Pigment

Colored Lead, 4 mm x 3-1/2"

2 scoops Base, melted
2 Drops Pigment

Colored Pencil, 6 mm x 4"

12 L Scoops Base, melted

2 L Scoops Pigment

Equipment

Palette knife (#61)

2 glass beakers

Oral syringe

Corrugated paper

Wax paper

Wooden dowel

Newspaper

Protect work surface with newspaper. Melt waxes together. Remove from heat and add oil. Stir vigorously. Add kaolin and beat. It should be a thick waxy paste. Add pigment and mix. Let it cool until firm. Pack paste into syringe or clay extruder. Extrude into the grooves of corrugated paper and let cure.

Hard Core Colored Pencil (Crayola)

Base

1 Tad Pencil clay

4 Tads Water

Colored Lead, 2 mm x 3-1/2"

1 scoop Base
1 Drop Pigment

Colored Lead, 4 mm x 3-1/2"

2 scoops Base
2 Drops Pigment

Colored Pencil, 6 mm x 4"

12 L Scoops Base

2 L Scoops Pigment

Glass beaker

Catheter tip syringe

4mm die

6mm die

Clay extruder

Corrugated paper, either size

Newspaper

Protect work surface with newspaper. Mix wax with kaolin. It should be a thick paste. Add pigment and mix. Pack paste into syringe or clay extruder. Extrude into the grooves of corrugated paper and let cure. Remove from paper and bake at 350 to harden.