Coloured Pencil Solvents Explained: Techniques, Safety and Options

By Carol Leather

If you have explored blending coloured pencils, you might have heard about using solvents to achieve very smooth, almost painterly effects.

Solvents are liquids that dissolve the wax or oil binder in your coloured pencils, letting you move and manipulate the pigment on the paper in ways that dry blending cannot always achieve.

They can produce beautiful results and help blend large areas or heavy applications of pencil. They also ask for more understanding, care and safety awareness than most other coloured pencil techniques.

This guide covers what solvents are, which types artists actually use, and how to work with them effectively and safely. If you would rather blend without them, the dry blending methods guide covers every approach that needs no liquid at all.

An Important Note on Solvents and Coloured Pencils: Understanding the Interaction

Before we get to products and techniques, one key point. Apart from watercolour pencils, which are designed to be used with water, most traditional coloured pencils are not made with the intention of being dissolved by liquid after they have been applied to paper.

When you introduce a solvent you create a chemical interaction with the pencil's binder, the pigment, and your paper. That is not a bad thing in itself. It is how the blending effect happens. But it does mean:

• Reactions can vary. Different pencil brands, with different binder formulations, can react differently to the same solvent. If you are unsure which type you own, the wax versus oil guide explains how to tell.
• Paper plays a role. The type of paper you use, its sizing and its absorbency all influence how the solvent behaves.
• Care and knowledge are paramount. Unlike layering or dry blending, solvents introduce more variables and more risk if handled carelessly.

This is why the two golden rules for any solvent work are: proceed with caution, and always test first.

Paper choice matters more here than most people expect. My guide to the best paper for coloured pencils has a section on which surfaces to use if you work with solvents, based on my own testing.

Test First! (This is Non-Negotiable)

I cannot emphasise this enough. Before applying any solvent to a piece you care about, you must test it thoroughly. It is a step that saves you from disappointment and from changes you cannot undo.

Why test?

• Pencil compatibility. To see how your specific brands react. Does it dissolve the binder smoothly? Does it cause colour shifts or bleeding?
• Paper interaction. To watch how your paper handles it. Does it buckle, stain, or let the solvent soak straight through? Does it change the surface texture?
• Desired effect. To practise the application and see whether you can get the blend you are hoping for.
• Drying time and final appearance. To learn how long it takes to dry, and what the area looks like once it has. Any residue, sheen or unwanted halo?

How to test

• Use a scrap piece of the exact same paper you are using for your artwork.
• Apply your coloured pencils to the test paper as you would on the real piece. Try light layering, heavy layering, and areas where you have blended colours together.
• Apply the solvent to different test patches using the technique you intend to use.
• Label your tests clearly: which solvent, which pencils, which paper.
• Let the patches dry completely, which often takes longer than you think, before judging the results.

Taking the time for this gives you predictability and control when you come to your actual artwork. Your art deserves that care.

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Common Types of Solvents Used by Artists

Once you start researching, you will meet several types. Here are the ones readily available in the UK and Europe, and generally considered safer for studio use.

1. Citrus-Based Solvents (e.g., Zest-It Pencil Blend)

It is widely available from UK art suppliers, alongside a sponge impregnated with the Zest-It solution. The range for coloured pencil artists includes the Pencil Blend solvent in a bottle and a pre-loaded Blending Sponge in a tin.

2. Artist-Grade Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS)

Apply it with a tool such as a blending stump rather than wetting the paper directly, and always check the label for specific warnings.

3. Solvent Pens / Blender Markers

4. Other Solvents (To Use With Extreme Caution or Generally Avoid)

• Traditional mineral spirits or white spirit from a hardware store. Not recommended for fine artwork on paper. More harmful aromatic solvents, strong odours, and more likely to damage paper or affect archival quality.
• Turpentine and Turpenoid. Traditional painting solvents with strong odours, real respiratory warnings and high flammability. Best avoided for coloured pencil work unless you are experienced with hazardous studio materials and have professional ventilation.
• Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl). Some artists experiment with high-percentage isopropyl. It evaporates fast and is highly flammable, and its effectiveness on pencil binders is variable compared with purpose-made artist solvents. Extreme caution and testing needed.

5. Definitely AVOID

How to Apply Solvents for Blending

Applying solvents is about control and moderation. You want to dampen the pencil layers just enough for the pigment to move, not to soak the paper.

What to Expect After Using Solvents

Solvents change the nature of your pencil layers. Here is what you are likely to see.

• Blending effect. A noticeable smoothing of strokes and blending of colours, often more painterly than dry blending gives you.
• Colour appearance. Colours usually look darker and more saturated while wet. They may lighten a little as they dry, but often stay richer than before. Test, though, because some solvent and pigment combinations can cause permanent colour shifts.
• Surface texture. The treated area may feel different once dry, often smoother, with the paper's tooth slightly reduced. Depending on solvent and paper it can dry with a slightly matte finish.
• Drying time. Be patient. Trapped solvent under new layers causes problems.
• Staining and halos. Be extra cautious with OMS on absorbent papers. Too much can leave a faint oily stain or halo once dry. Zest-It is known for leaving no residue.
• Working over dried solvent. Once thoroughly dry you can usually layer more pencil on top. The texture may feel different, so adjust your touch. Some artists use a workable fixative to restore tooth, and you can burnish over a solvent-blended area once it is fully dry.

Safety First! Essential Precautions for Using Solvents

We have talked about what solvents can do. Before you open a bottle, we need to talk about safety properly. Any solvent, even an artist-grade one, needs careful handling and respect. Your health matters more than any blending effect.

Ventilation is Absolutely Vital

Solvents evaporate and release fumes. Breathing those in any concentration can harm your health, in the short term or the long term.

Ideally, work outdoors on a calm day, away from direct sun which speeds evaporation. Indoors, only work in a room with excellent air circulation. Open windows and doors fully to create a cross-draught. An extractor fan venting outside is well worth having if you work this way often.

Never use solvents in a small closed room with no fresh air.

Read the Manufacturer's Label, Always!

Before using any product, read the whole label: safety warnings, instructions, first aid advice. Different solvents carry different risks.

Protect Your Lungs

Even low-odour solvents release vapour. For anything beyond brief occasional use in excellent ventilation, consider a respirator rated for organic vapours. That goes double if you are sensitive to chemicals or working for long stretches.

Avoid Skin Contact

Solvents dry and irritate skin, and some are absorbed through it. Try to keep it off your hands, and consider nitrile gloves. If you do get solvent on your skin, wash thoroughly with soap and water as soon as you can.

Protect Your Eyes

Safety glasses are a sensible precaution against splashes.

Know About Flammability

Most artist solvents, including citrus-based, OMS and alcohols, are flammable. Keep them well away from ignition sources: open flames such as pilot lights, candles and gas stoves, sparks including static, heaters and cigarettes. Do not smoke while using them.

Store Solvents Safely

Keep them in their original, tightly sealed containers. Store cool and dry, out of direct sunlight, away from heat, and out of reach of children and pets.

Dispose of Materials Responsibly

Rags and paper towels. This is the critical one. Solvent-soaked rags, especially with oil or solvent mixtures, can spontaneously combust if crumpled or stored in a confined space such as a bin. Always let them dry completely flat in a safe, very well ventilated area, preferably outdoors and away from buildings, before disposing of them per your local council's hazardous waste guidance. Never leave soaked rags crumpled in a pile or in a closed bin.

Liquid solvent and empty containers. Never pour excess solvent down the drain or into the environment. Dispose of unwanted solvent and empty containers according to your council's hazardous waste rules.

Use Sparingly and Control Application

Pour only what you need for the session into a separate stable container, glass or ceramic for preference. Apply it with a tool rather than flooding the paper. That minimises both fumes and potential paper damage.

No Food or Drink

Avoid eating, drinking or smoking in your workspace while using solvents.

Know Basic First Aid

Check the product label for first aid instructions covering inhalation, eye contact, skin contact and ingestion. Seek medical advice promptly if you need it.

Take these steps seriously and you can explore what solvents offer while keeping the risks small.

Using Solvents Wisely

Solvents are a genuinely useful tool, offering ways to blend colours, create smooth transitions and reach painterly effects, particularly with wax or oil-based pencils.

They also demand respect, caution and a commitment to safety. And they are entirely optional. Beautiful coloured pencil work is absolutely achievable with dry blending methods or burnishing alone.

If you do choose to experiment:

• Prioritise safety. Excellent ventilation, every precaution followed.
• Test thoroughly. Never skip testing with your own pencils and paper.
• Start simple and safe. Begin with Zest-It or a solvent pen.
• Apply sparingly. A little goes a long way.

Whether solvents earn a place in your work depends on the effects you want, your comfort with the precautions, and your working environment. Understanding the types, the methods, the results and the safety steps lets you make that choice properly.

Happy, and safe, creating.

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