Core Principles of Oil-Based Colored Pencils vs. Water-Soluble Colored Pencils

• Admin
• 2025-03

The core difference between the two comes from their lead formulations and binding media, which fundamentally determine their painting performance, application techniques, and final visual effects. Below is a detailed breakdown from three perspectives: working principles, film-forming/dissolution mechanisms, and practical logic.

I. Basic Composition Principles: Core Media Determine Properties

1. Oil-Based Colored Pencils

Core Components: Color pigment + water-insoluble wax or oil (mineral wax, vegetable wax, synthetic oil) + a small amount of binder

Key Principle: Wax or oil acts as the pigment carrier and binding agent. Being fully hydrophobic, they do not react or mix with water physically or chemically. The wax in the lead coats pigment particles to form a stable water-repellent structure, which defines its "oil-based" nature.

2. Water-Soluble Colored Pencils

Core Components: Color pigment + water-soluble binder (gum arabic, polyvinyl alcohol, or other hydrophilic adhesives) + a small amount of auxiliary wax

Key Principle: Water-soluble adhesives serve as the main binding medium for pigments. Their hydrophilic groups dissolve and disperse quickly in water, allowing pigment particles to spread and blend on paper. Only a trace amount of wax is added to increase lead rigidity, without impairing overall water solubility.

II. Film-Forming, Dissolution and Color Development Principles

1. Oil-Based Colored Pencils: Wax Film Formation, Layering via Physical Coverage

Film-Forming Principle in Drawing: During drawing, wax-coated pigment is deposited onto paper fibers through physical friction. As the wax cools, it forms a continuous, hydrophobic wax film that locks pigment in place.

Layering and Color Logic: New layers of wax film cover previous ones, achieving color blending through physical pigment opacity without chemical fusion. The wax creates a matte or semi-gloss finish with crisp, non-blending strokes, ideal for detailed rendering.    
   Water Resistance: The cured wax film repels water; pigments do not dissolve or bleed when exposed to moisture, ensuring high color stability.

2. Water-Soluble Colored Pencils: Adhesive Bonding, Dissolution and Blending with Water

Dry Drawing Principle: Without water, water-soluble adhesives bond pigment to paper, similar to standard colored pencils—suitable for line work and base coloring, with sharp strokes held by adhesive adhesion alone.

Water-Activated Dissolution Principle: When touched with clean water (a wet brush or water pen), the water-soluble binder dissolves rapidly. Pigment particles detach from the paper and diffuse freely with water, creating watercolor-like washes, gradients, and blends. As water evaporates, residual adhesive rebinds the pigment to the paper.

Core Feature: Combines the line control of dry colored pencils with the blending ability of watercolors. Water volume directly controls blend range and color intensity.

III. Application Differences Derived from Core Principles

Relying on hydrophobic wax film formation and physical layering, oil-based colored pencils are ideal for works demanding crisp strokes, saturated color, and a distinct wax finish. Their core techniques include layering, hatching, and fine detailing, making them suitable for realistic drawings, detailed illustrations, and anime line art coloring that require precise detail. They are fully waterproof and require no fixative after completion, offering excellent long-term stability.

Thanks to water-soluble binders that dissolve and allow pigment dispersion in water, water-soluble colored pencils offer dual dry-wet functionality. In dry use, they produce sharp pencil-like strokes for line work and base coloring. When activated with water, they create watercolor washes, gradients, and seamless blends. Their typical technique combines dry line work with wet blending, suiting landscape washes, freehand illustrations, and watercolor-style colored pencil art. While dry drawings have limited water resistance, stability improves after wet application and drying. A final fixative spray is recommended for completed works.