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How to Fix Coloured Pencil Mistakes -  Troubleshooting Guide

Welcome to the troubleshooting zone! As you explore the wonderful world of coloured pencils and practice the core techniques, it's perfectly normal to encounter a few challenges along the way.

In fact, every artist I know has faced these same hiccups when learning!

This page is designed to help you identify and fix coloured pencil mistakes and frustrations, understand why they might be happening, and most importantly, learn how to prevent them.

Think of these as learning opportunities that will ultimately make you a more skilled and confident artist. So, let's jump in and solve some pencil puzzles!

1. Muddy colours

Problem: Your colours look dull, greyish, dirty, or lose their vibrancy when layered or blended.

Likely Causes:

  • Layering too many different colours in one small area.
  • Accidentally overmixing complementary colours (opposites on the colour wheel, like red and green) too heavily. 
  • Over-blending, which can sometimes lift pigment or make colours look flat. 
  • Using dirty blending tools (stumps or tortillions) that transfer old, unwanted pigments. 

Solutions and Prevention:

  • Simplify layers: Try to use fewer, more deliberate layers of colour to achieve your desired hue.
  • Use complements with care: Use complementary colours sparingly if you WANT to dull a colour or create a neutral shadow. Too much, however, can lead to mud. Refer back to our colour basics page in the foundation hub).
  • Gentle blending: Don't overwork your blends. Sometimes less is more. See the blending methods page. 
  • Keep tools clean: Regularly clean your blending stumps or tortillions on scrap paper or sandpaper to prevent colour contamination.
  • Pencil choice: Extremely soft, waxy pencils can sometimes get muddy more easily if over-layered. Ensure you're using light pressure with these. 

2. Patchy or Streaky Blending

Problem: Your blended areas look uneven, with visible pencil lines, splotches, or streaks instead of a smooth transition.

Likely Causes

  • Not enough layers of pigment on the paper before attempting to blend. Blending tools need material to work with.
  • Inconsistent pencil pressure during layering, creating uneven pigment density. 
  • Using a blending method or tool that isn't well-suited to your paper type, pencil brand, or the amount of pigment applied.

Solutions and Prevention

  • Layer Adequately First: Ensure you have several light, even layers of colour down before you try to blend. Visit the layering guide for a refresher. 
  • Practice Pressure Control: Aim for consistent, light pressure when layering. Our Basic Strokes and Control Page has tips.
  • Experiment with Blending Tools: Try different methods discussed on the Blending Methods page. A colourless blender pencil might work where a stump doesn't, or vice-versa.
  • Paper Matters: Very smooth paper might show streaks more easily, while paper with more tooth can handle more blending.

3. Visible Pencil Strokes (When Smoothness is Desired)

Problem: You can still see individual pencil lines in your finished piece, and you were hoping for a smoother, more 'painterly' look.

Likely Causes

  • Applying pencil layers with too much pressure too early on.
  • Not varying the direction of your pencil strokes between layers.
  • Insufficient layering to cover the paper tooth.
  • Not using a final blending or burnishing step if a very smooth finish is desired.

Solutions and Prevention

  • Light Pressure is Important: Always start with light pressure, as detailed on the Basic Strokes and Control Page and Layering Guide (links in section above).
  • Vary Stroke Direction: Apply subsequent layers using slightly different stroke directions (e.g., diagonal strokes over vertical ones).
  • Build More Layers: Often, simply adding more light layers will help to obscure earlier strokes.
  • Blend or Burnish: For the smoothest finish, employ techniques from the Blending Methods age or the Burnishing Explained page as a final step.

4. Hazy Film on Drawing (Wax Bloom)

Problem: You notice a cloudy, whitish, or greyish haze appearing on the surface of your coloured pencil drawing, often most visible on dark or heavily worked areas.

What it is? This is commonly known as "Wax Bloom".

Likely Causes: Wax bloom is essentially excess wax binder rising to the surface of the drawing. It's more likely to occur when:

  • Using coloured pencils with a higher wax content (e.g., Prismacolor Premier, Derwent Artist, Derwent Coloursoft are often cited examples).
  • Applying many heavy layers of pencil.
  • Using heavy pressure or burnishing techniques.
  • (Note: Oil-based pencils, like Faber-Castell Polychromos, are much less prone to wax bloom due to their different binder).

Solutions and Prevention

  • Simple Fix: Gently wipe the haze away with a soft, clean cloth (like a microfibre cloth) or a cotton bud. This often removes the bloom effectively. However, be aware that on heavily saturated areas, it might gradually reappear over time.
  • Prevention (Layering): The best prevention is often building up your colour using multiple light layers rather than fewer heavy ones.
  • Prevention (Fixatives): Applying a light coat of workable fixative between some layer sets may help prevent bloom in areas you know will be heavily worked.

    Using a final spray fixative designed for coloured pencil work once the piece is completely finished can seal the surface and usually prevents bloom from occurring or returning. (Always use fixatives according to manufacturer instructions and with good ventilation).
  • Prevention (Pencil Choice): If wax bloom is a consistent issue for your style, you might consider trying oil-based pencils for those pieces.

Want to know more?

Wax bloom can be concerning the first time you see it, but it's a well-known characteristic of some pencils and is quite manageable!

For a much more detailed look at why it happens, specific fixative considerations, and more in-depth prevention strategies, please see our comprehensive guide dedicated to wax bloom

5. Paper Won't Take More Colour (Flattened Tooth)

Problem: You're trying to add another layer of pencil, but the colour seems to slide off, look shiny, or won't adhere properly to the paper.

Likely Causes

The paper's "tooth" (its texture) has been filled and flattened. This usually happens from:

  • Applying heavy pressure with your pencil layers too early in the process.
  • Burnishing an area too soon or too aggressively.

Solutions and Prevention

  • Prevention is Key! This is difficult to fix once it happens, so prevention is your best strategy. Always build up colours with multiple light layers first, as emphasised in the Layering Guide.
  • Delay Burnishing: Only burnish as one of the final steps when you're sure you won't need to add much more colour, as explained on the Burnishing Explained page.
  • Limited Fixes: If the tooth is truly gone, options are limited. Sometimes, oil-based pencils might adhere slightly better than wax-based ones to a slick surface. A light spray of workable fixative might create a new surface with a little tooth, but test this on scrap paper first as results can vary.

6. Difficulty Lifting / Erasing Colour

Problem: You want to lighten an area, remove a small mistake, or create a highlight, but the coloured pencil doesn't seem to lift easily.

Likely Causes

  • Coloured pencil pigment (especially from softer, waxier pencils) binds strongly with paper fibres.
  • Heavily applied or burnished layers are very difficult to remove.

Solutions and Techniques

  • Set Realistic Expectations: Complete erasure of coloured pencil is often impossible. Aim to lighten or lift pigment instead.
  • Kneaded Eraser: Use a soft, pliable kneaded eraser. Warm it in your hand and then press and lift (dab) the pigment rather than rubbing aggressively, which can damage the paper.
  • Blu-Tack or Poster Putty: Similar to a kneaded eraser, this can gently lift surface pigment. Press on and peel off.
  • Precision Erasers: Pen-style erasers (like the Tombow Mono Zero) are excellent for creating fine, controlled highlights by carefully lifting colour from small areas.
  • Electric Eraser: Can be effective for lifting more pigment, but use with a very light touch to avoid damaging the paper surface. Test on scrap first.
  • Prevention: Work lightly in areas you anticipate needing highlights, or plan to leave the paper white.

Summing Up

Encountering these little hurdles is all part of the journey of learning coloured pencils.

Don't be disheartened! Each challenge you overcome teaches you more about your materials and techniques.

The important thing is to understand why an issue is happening so you can adjust your approach. Keep practicing, keep experimenting, and don't be afraid to make mistakes – they are often our best teachers!

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