ZEST - IT Pencil Blend 125 ml, TZP125

Product Information

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. 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 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. 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. 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.

Conclusion with Luminance – by far most effective on Pastelmat, didn’t really work on the other papers, which implied it may not be suited to use with wax pencils. Testing its efficacy with a harder wax pencil – the Derwent Studio – will offer a useful comparison. Top left: pure pencil; bottom left: pencil blended with a dry paper stump; top right: blended with Pencil Blend and a brush; bottom right: blended with water and a brush When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer) – blending with the brush dipped in Pencil Blend did very little apart from saturate the paper and leave a grease mark. The lines werent really softened at all. By comparison the paper stump dipped in Pencil Blend was much more effective, the lines were softened and gave a nice blend. The area can be left to dry or further Coloured Pencil can be added to the area whilst the paper is still damp, each will give a different look.When I burnished with a dry paper stump – Burnishes well with a dry paper stump, the paper stump fills the gaps between the drawn lines and the result is a solid and intense application of graphite. Top right: 3 layers of shading on top of one another, using the pencil blend with a brush to burnish between layers. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– Pencil Blend has more of an effect on this surface, with the majority of the drawn lines softened completely when it is applied with a brush and the shading taking on a more painterly quality. When applying the Pencil Blend with a paper stump the shading kept more of its pastel like texture. Shading with the pencil without any blending– The intensity of the colour is helped by the vellum texture of the Stonehenge. The colour glides on, it’s a very creamy texture pencil with the ability for a wide tonal range.

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. This stuff is truly magic, plus it smells like oranges. I absolutely love it! I would recommend to anyone who draws with prismacolor premier coloured pencils. I just dip a cotton bud into it dab most of the liquid off on a tissue and use the cotton bud to blend my colours. Honestly amazing stuff. I will definitely be getting some more in the future!2018

It's better to work small area's at a time, have a cloth or kitchen towel handy to wipe the tip of the brush, this also keeps the work smooth and the brush clean, which in turn keeps the sponge cleaner. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– The paper struggled to take 3 layers of shading, as result the 3-layer squares are only marginally darker than the 1 layer squares. 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, the two squares look equally smooth to one another, but the brush has lifted less of the colour away in the darker corner and so has a greater tonal range. 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. Shading with the pencil without any blending –The texture of the Pastelmat brings out the tonal depth of the pencil