Colorless Blender Pencil vs Burnisher vs Solvent
A colorless blender pencil is a pencil with no pigment, made from the binder used in colored pencils. Rubbed over two layered colors, it mixes them and softens the strokes. A burnisher is a harder colorless pencil, pressed firmly as the final step for a polished finish. A solvent is a liquid, such as odorless mineral spirits, brushed over the layers to blend them. On printed coloring pages, start with the blender pencil: it is dry and needs nothing but pressure.
Blender, burnisher, and solvent compared
| Colorless blender pencil | Burnisher | Solvent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A soft colorless pencil made from the binder used for colored pencils (Derwent) | A hard colorless pencil (Derwent) | A liquid such as odorless mineral spirits; Gamblin lists blending colored pencil among Gamsol’s uses |
| What it does | Mixes two or more colors and softens individual strokes and hard edges | Pushes the pigment into the paper for a rich, polished finish | Blends the pencil layers with a liquid instead of pressure |
| When to use it | Over two or more light-to-medium layers, in the overlap between colors | Last, on an area you have finished | Over several layers, on paper that tolerates a damp brush |
| Applied with | Light to firm pressure, small circles or strokes | Firm pressure | A brush or cotton swab |
| Watch for | A waxy sheen on heavily blended areas | Firm pressure on thin copy paper; test on a spare print | Liquid on thin paper, fumes, and safe storage |
Using a colorless blender pencil
- Lay down the light color, then the darker one, with light pressure, so the paper still has some tooth.
- Go over the overlap with the blender in small circles or short strokes in the same direction as the shape.
- Add another light layer of color if needed, and blend again. Derwent describes the blender as mixing the colors and smoothing them so individual strokes and hard edges are softened.
Caran d’Ache describes its Pencil Blender and Full Blender Bright the same way: a colorless wax-oil lead that adds brilliance and gloss without changing the shades. If you blend without a blender, how to blend colored pencils on printable coloring pages uses only the two colors themselves.
Burnishing: the finishing step
Derwent says burnishing pushes the pigment into the paper and leaves a well blended, photo-like finish, by sealing the image with a heavy layer of colorless wax. Because the surface ends up sealed and waxy, treat burnishing as the last thing you do to an area.
Solvents on printed pages
A solvent blends without pressure, but it is the most cautious choice on a home-printed page:
- Test on a spare print first. We have not tested how every printer’s ink or toner line reacts to a solvent, and copy paper is thinner than drawing paper.
- Use very little, on a brush or swab, and let it dry before adding more pencil.
- Store it safely. Gamblin advises keeping solvents out of reach of children, labeling every container, and never pouring solvent into a drink container such as a jar, cup, or bottle.
- Read the product’s safety information for ventilation and disposal before you open it.
If you plan to use a solvent or heavy pressure, a heavier paper your printer accepts helps; the cardstock printing guide explains how to check. For the order of layers on a whole page, see using crayons and colored pencils on one page and adding cast shadows without covering line art. To try a blender on real pages, print a sample from the free coloring page library.
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