To use Prismacolor pencils, I start with light pressure, establish the largest shapes and colors first, then gradually build additional layers before adding darker values, sharper edges, and final details. Their soft, blendable cores make them useful for layering color, but they are much easier to control if I resist pressing hard at the beginning.
I draw primarily from observation, so I don’t begin by outlining everything and filling it in. I look at the subject, identify the major light and dark shapes, and let the colored pencil gradually define the form.
How I Use Prismacolor Pencils at a Glance
| Stage | What I Do |
|---|---|
| 1. Initial drawing | Establish the largest shapes with very light pressure |
| 2. Base color | Apply thin, even layers rather than trying to reach full saturation |
| 3. Color variation | Layer related warm, cool, light and dark colors together |
| 4. Shadows | Gradually deepen selected areas instead of immediately reaching for the darkest pencil |
| 5. Blending | Use additional layers, increased pressure or burnishing where needed |
| 6. Details | Sharpen the pencil and strengthen only the edges and textures that matter |
1. Start With Light Pressure
The most important thing I’ve learned when using Prismacolor pencils is not to rush the first layer.
I want the early marks to remain adjustable, so I hold the pencil relatively loosely and use light pressure. The paper should still be visible through the first application.
Starting lightly gives me room to:
- Change the color later
- Deepen shadows gradually
- Correct shapes
- Add several more layers
- Decide which areas actually need a smoother finish
If I apply heavy pressure immediately, I lose much of that flexibility.
2. Look for the Big Shapes Before the Details
When I’m drawing from life or a photo, I squint at the reference and look for the largest areas of light, middle value, and shadow.
I might begin with a muted blue, brown, gray, or another color already present in the subject and loosely indicate those larger divisions.
I don’t worry about eyelashes, individual hairs, leaf veins, feathers, or tiny textures yet.
The goal is to give the drawing a structure that I can develop with color.
3. Establish the Main Prismacolor Colors
Once the basic shapes make sense, I begin laying in the main colors of the subject.
I still keep the pressure fairly light. Rather than trying to make a red object completely red in one pass, I tint the area and leave enough paper texture for later layers.
At this point, I’m thinking more about relationships than exact pencil names:
- Is this area warmer or cooler than the one beside it?
- Is it lighter or darker?
- Is the color intense or subdued?
- Does it move gradually into another hue?
Those relationships usually matter more to me than finding one pencil that perfectly matches an object.
4. Build Color With Multiple Layers
Prismacolor pencils become much more interesting when I stop treating each area as one color.
I build the drawing by overlapping several lighter applications. A green leaf, for example, might contain yellow, blue, dull red, darker green, and lighter warm colors depending on the light.
The layers optically and physically mix on the paper, giving me more variation than I would get from simply pressing harder with one green pencil.
For a wider range of approaches, see my guide to colored pencil techniques.
5. Change the Direction of Your Pencil Strokes
I don’t necessarily make every layer with marks moving in exactly the same direction.
Changing the direction of my strokes can help fill the paper more evenly and prevent obvious gaps from repeatedly appearing in the same places.
It can also help describe form. I may curve strokes around a rounded object, follow the direction of fur or feathers, or make more broken marks across a textured surface.
I like letting some of those marks remain visible instead of trying to blend every passage into a perfectly smooth surface.
How to Blend Prismacolor Colored Pencils
I use several levels of blending depending on how finished I want an area to look.
Blend by layering colors
This is the method I use most often. I place one color lightly over another and continue adjusting the relationship with additional layers.
Because I haven’t compressed the paper heavily yet, I can keep introducing new colors.
Blend by gradually increasing pressure
As the drawing develops, I can increase pressure in areas that need stronger saturation.
I still don’t jump immediately from light pressure to the heaviest pressure I can apply. The transition is gradual.
Burnish selected areas
Near the end, I can use firmer pressure with a colored pencil, lighter pencil, white pencil, or colorless blender to create a smoother surface.
I normally reserve that for places where I actually want the drawing to look more polished.
My guide to burnishing colored pencils explains that process in more detail.
How to Keep Prismacolor Colors From Becoming Muddy
If the colors begin looking dull or muddy, I usually look at how many colors I’m layering and how quickly I’m increasing pressure.
I get better results when each additional color has a reason for being there.
Instead of continually adding new pencils, I ask whether the area actually needs to become:
- Warmer
- Cooler
- Darker
- Lighter
- More saturated
- More neutral
That keeps the color decisions connected to what I’m observing instead of simply adding more pigment because the surface isn’t finished yet.
Don’t Press Hard Too Early
Heavy pressure can produce rich color, but I treat it as a later decision.
Once the paper texture becomes compressed and heavily filled with pigment, it becomes harder for me to make meaningful changes.
Building the drawing gradually gives me much more time to adjust color and value before committing to the final surface.
How to Avoid White Spots With Prismacolor Pencils
If small white specks of paper are showing through, I don’t immediately solve the problem by pressing harder.
I first try:
- Adding another light layer
- Changing the direction of my strokes
- Sharpening the pencil
- Adding pigment from a slightly different angle
- Burnishing later if I want a completely smooth passage
The surface of the paper makes a major difference too. I go deeper into this particular problem in how to color with colored pencils without white spots.
What Paper Should You Use With Prismacolor Pencils?
I want enough paper texture to hold several layers, but not so much texture that creating smooth coverage becomes unnecessarily difficult.
A smoother drawing surface can make it easier to achieve solid coverage, while a more textured paper may accept more visible layers and marks.
There isn’t one surface I use for every drawing. The finish I’m trying to achieve influences the paper I choose.
For specific options, see my guide to the best paper for colored pencils.
Keep Prismacolor Pencils Sharp for Detail
I don’t need every pencil razor sharp while blocking large areas, but a useful point becomes important when I start refining smaller edges and textures.
I sharpen before working on details such as:
- Feathers
- Fur
- Hair
- Small branches
- Eyes
- Fine edges
If you’re having problems with sharpening or core breakage, see my guide to the best pencil sharpener for colored pencils.
How I Use Prismacolor White
I use white differently depending on the stage of the drawing.
Over lighter layers, it can soften transitions. Over darker colors, it can lighten and mute the color underneath. With more pressure, it can also help burnish existing layers.
I don’t expect white Prismacolor to behave like opaque white paint. It interacts with the pigment already on the paper, so the underlying colors still affect the result.
Do You Need a Colorless Blender?
No. A colorless blender is useful, but it isn’t necessary for learning how to use Prismacolor pencils.
I can blend simply by layering my actual colors and adjusting pressure.
A colorless blender becomes useful when I already like the colors underneath and mainly want to smooth or compress the surface without deliberately adding another hue.
Simple Prismacolor Techniques to Practice
If you’re getting used to the pencils, these are more useful to me than trying to complete an elaborate finished drawing immediately:
- Pressure scale: make one band move from very light pressure to much heavier pressure.
- Two-color gradient: overlap two colors gradually until the transition feels natural.
- Layering test: build the same color with several light passes rather than one heavy pass.
- Warm and cool study: draw one simple object while exaggerating warmer light and cooler shadows.
- Texture study: use different marks to suggest bark, feathers, stone, or fabric.
- Burnishing test: compare an area left layered with one that receives a heavier final burnish.
A Simple Prismacolor Practice Drawing
An apple, leaf, mug, or other simple object under directional light is enough to practice the entire process.
- Identify the largest light and shadow shapes.
- Establish them with very light colored-pencil marks.
- Add the main local colors.
- Layer warmer and cooler variations where you see them.
- Deepen the shadows gradually.
- Sharpen the pencil for selected edges and textures.
- Burnish only the areas that benefit from a smoother finish.
That small exercise gives you practice with pressure, layering, color mixing, edges, and blending without requiring a complicated subject.
Prismacolor Pencils vs. Other Colored Pencils
I think of Prismacolor as one option within the larger colored-pencil medium rather than a completely different drawing process.
The fundamentals still matter: pressure, paper, layering, color relationships, edge control, and observation.
What changes from pencil to pencil is how the core feels, how readily it lays down pigment, how well it holds a point, and how the colors behave as layers accumulate.
If you’re comparing sets more broadly, see my guide to the best colored pencils for artists or my overview of colored pencil sets.
The Main Thing I Would Avoid
The biggest mistake I would avoid is trying to make the drawing look finished in the first few layers.
Prismacolor pencils can produce strong color quickly, but I get more control when I let the image develop gradually.
I start loose, build the color relationships, adjust the values, and save the strongest pressure and finest detail until I know where I actually need them.
If you’re new to the medium altogether, my broader how to use colored pencils guide covers the fundamentals. You can also browse the main colored pencils hub for techniques, paper, sets, and other tutorials.