ZEST - IT Pencil Blend 125 ml, TZP125

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The Pencil Blend works best on the Pastelmat paper with Derwent Studio pencils, and only really has a good effect using the greatest amount of pressure with a paper stump dipped in Pencil Blend on all the other papers I tried it with. When I burnished with a dry paper stump – Dry paper stump does a good job of blending as it is. Lines are softened and the burnishing brings out a warmth in the colour. Pencil Blend is a solvent that would dilute any oil based media. I found it to have very little odour, just a feint solvent-y scent. Use in a well ventilated room if you are working for a long session, or are particularly sensitive to fumes. The solvent is completely clear and is available in 125ml and 250ml bottles with a plastic safety cap, in citrus and non-citrus varieties.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer) – The intensity isn’t lost as much, but some of the drawn lines are still visible when using a brush. With a stump the drawn lines disappear but the darks are lost a bit.More pencil can be added whilst the paper is still damp, because the paper is now softer, work with very gentlepressureand then blend again. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– The ‘brush’ square looks a little rougher than the paper stump square, with traces of brush marks and drawn lines. The paper stump square appears completely smooth and deep in colour. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– The results were surprising in that I expected the Pencil Blend to have a much greater effect on the shaded squares than it did, even when applying it with a lot of pressure and a paper stump. Looking at these squares now it’s almost as if Pencil Blend wasn’t applied at all. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– Drawn lines are dissolved with the brush and the gradation is maintained. With the paper stump the gradation is harder to control, and gets a bit lost. But the square looks very blended and smooth.

After leaving the squares overnight to fully dry I noticed marks where I had perhaps used too much Pencil Blend – most apparent in the square where I applied 3 layers with a brush. The strokes appear slightly milky on the surface, possibly the binder from the pencil re-solidifying on the surface of the paper having been wetted by the Pencil Blend. Shading with the pencil without any blending – As to be expected, it doesn’t feel as oily as the oil pencil, it has a more brittle feel than the oil pencil. The amount of pressure and the length of time on the sponge gives you more control over the amount you use.When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– Paper stump was better – the drawn lines were smoothed out, didn’t need as much Pencil Blend. Gradation was kept easily even with the paper stump.

The smoothest of all the surfaces I used – no texture at all. Also the brightest white yet still 100% archival. A paper stump allows you to apply more pressure and so the colour is better burnished, but it can be hard to control a gradation of tone. When I burnished with a dry paper stump – There is a slight softening of the drawn lines where blending with a dry paper stump. This is most apparent in the dark corner of the square.

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The pastel pencil blended beautifully with a dry paper stump. Burnishing removed all the texture of the drawn lines to leave smooth colour. When I burnished with a dry paper stump– It was easy to soften a lot of the shading, save for some of the heaviest drawn lines in the darker corner of the shaded square. When I burnished with a dry paper stump– Lifted a lot of the colour away again, leaving a very soft powdery/soft pastel like effect. Accumulated more dust than the other papers. When I burnished with a dry paper stump – Worked pretty well -softened well with a dry paper stump although some drawn lines were still visible in the darker area.