When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– Using the PB brings out the intensity and darkness of the graphite in the darkest corner quite dramatically in comparison to the square that was burnished with a dry stump. More control with the brush than the stump dipped in PB. Shading with the pencil without any blending –the vellum texure of the paper accentuates the texture offered by the pencil when shading dry and unblended. Shading with the pencil without any blending – The pencil itself has a soft creamy consistency and so it’s easy to lay colour on in a blended way without the aid of Pencil Blend but it will be interesting to see what happens when I use it anyway. In the first square you could see a slight trace of the drawn lines. Pencil Blend does not work on water soluble pencils. Pencil Blend works best with soft, oil based pencils such as Faber Castell Polychromos or Faber Castell Oil Base Pencils. It only works to a degree with wax based pencils such as Luminance or Derwent Studio pencils. Press the Tortillion, paper-stump or cotton bud gently on to the surface of the damp sponge, test the amount on a scrap piece, also test with the different pencils.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– Very little difference when using the Pencil Blend with a brush. The paper stump seemed to just remove the colour from the surface but did not smooth out the drawn lines.These findings were sufficient proof that Pencil Blend doesn’t work with watersoluble pencils, so at this point I stopped testing the Supracolor, Albrecht Durer and Pitt Pastel pencils. Shading with the pencil without any blending– The smoothest of the papers, the Luminance glides on. The tonal range is narrower as a result, as there is no texture to grab the colour and hold it on its surface. But the shading appears smooth. When I burnished with a dry paper stump– Didn’t blend as easily with a dry stump, the texture of the paper started to chew up the paper stump, but it did soften the drawn lines, which were more noticeable in the green shading of the Pablo pencil. For each pencil, I shaded 6 squares, each with a gradation from dark in the bottom left corner to light in the top right corner. It has very low VOC's which means little is lost to the atmosphere, many prefer the safer aspects of the solvent than odourless mineral spirit or similar solvents, most of which are flammable.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– The brush blended square still has traces of drawn lines in it. The tonal range is still as wide as the completely dry unblended square. There has been some blending and softening but it hasn’t been entirely successful. There’s a much smoother result in the paper stump blended square, although again the tonal range has been reduced where the stump has lifted some of the darkest shading.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– After 3 layers there is very little different between the brush applied square and the paper stump square. They appear very even and matt and solid in their colour. Shading with the pencil without any blending– As expected. Good tonal range, drawn lines are visibile on the slightly textured paper.

When I burnished with a dry paper stump– The paper stump has able to soften the lightest drawn lines, but in the darker corner the lines would not soften. When I burnished with a dry paper stump the colour lightened and saturation was reduced, but it softened the pencil marks well, although you could still see a trace of the drawn lines.When I burnished with a dry paper stump– The dry paper stump was effective particularly in the lighter corner of the shading. In the darker corner it was not possible to burnish away the darkest lines. The Blending Sponge (Zest-it Pencil Blend in a sponge in a pot) was used to dampen a soft 1/4" flat brush by pressing the brush to the sponge surface. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– Again, the tonal range is greatest in the square that is blended with a brush, however only by a fraction. You can see traces of drawn lines in the square blended with a brush as well. In comparison the square blended with a paper stump is much smoother. A Blending Sponge was used to dampen a soft 1/4" flat brush by pressing the brush to the sponge surface. The cover of Stonehenge states ‘This studio workhorse provides a supple surface that’s agreeable to myriad creative disciplines. Originally created for printmakers, this cotton paper soon spread across all drawing techniques, especially coloured pencil’.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– The pencil blend with a brush struggled to soften the drawn lines, which proves added pressure is more effective. Using the Pencil Blend increased the darkness and intensity of the graphite, but didn’t do much in terms of softening drawn lines. The paper stump softened the lines more than the brush. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers) –The colour does look significantly more saturated after 3 layers have been applied with the Lyra, so the paper is able to take more colour. The gradation is maintained more successfully in the square where the PB has been applied with a brush. However with the Pablo it was a struggle to even put the second layer of colour on – the paper didn’t seem to have any more capacity for holding colour. I did find that I needed to change my brush technique when blending to get the best result. If I move the brush in a circular motion on the surface it helps the solvent work into the drawn lines and soften them. I have learned that the build up of friction is necessary in dissolving the pencil, you can’t just expect one brush stroke to smooth the lines. With both the Lyra and Pablo pencils it was very difficult to maintain the gradation from dark – light when blending with a paper stump dipped in PB, but it was successful in softening out the drawn lines to make solid squares of colour. Over-wetting the Tortillion can cause the colour to spread too far. The Tortillion is a softer tool than the stump and therefore soaks up more liquid, this can cause 'flooding' of the pencil surface and slows the drying.The dampened brush was used to blend the coloured pencil. It was blended from dark to light, giving a soft transition of colour. 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.