Pros and cons drawing on wood in colored pencil

Posted on by veronica

In this article, I’d like to share my experience doing colorful pencil drawing on wood. I list both advantages and disadvantages working on wood.

The advantages of colored pencil drawing on wood

  • The panels are very durable and stable. They resist warping.
  • The panel has a 1-inch depth, which is good for wall display.
  • Wood panels prevent warping.
  • The panels look like paintings that aid professional presentation and make people more excited to purchase art. Drawings on wood don’t need a mat.
  • Because the wood surface is so stable it accepts many materials and techniques in addition to the colored pencils. For example, I tested it adding acrylic inks to its surface. I also added Fine Tec iridescent colors with a tiny bit of water, various markers, acrylics, resin, glass, diamond dust, glitter. The possibilities are endless!
  • The wood panels accept layers of color when primed with the right primer for drawing that I list below.
  • You can play with the negative space of the wood panel by not coloring the entire surface, rather allowing it to show in art because it has it’s own pattern and color.

veronica winters colored pencil-portrait painters
“Celestial Day“, 16x20in, colored pencil on wood panel

Drawbacks in colored pencil drawing on wood

  • It’s much harder to draw on wood panels in comparison to drawing on bristol vellum paper! It can be frustrating to fill in the surface.
  • The surface tends to “eat” the colored pencils.
  • Hard colored pencils may slide off of the surface.

I highly recommend buying a very small panel to test all the materials and techniques on it first.

veronica winters colored pencil
Let it be, 12x16in, mixed media on wood panel. This colored pencil drawing has colored glass, glitter and resin to produce unique look.

colored pencil manual veronica wintershow to color like an artist_coloring book_veronica winters
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Art supplies list for colored pencil drawing on wood

how to draw on wood art blog by veronica winters

Wood Panels

Obviously, we can find many brands of wood panels suitable for colored pencil drawing. I happen to use Da Vinci Pro panels because they are sturdy and have a 1-inch depth that makes them look like paintings. I usually buy my art supplies at JerrysArtarama although some of them are available on Amazon.

Da Vinci pro panels come in different sizes and surface preparation. If you plan to draw on those, buy the panels that are NOT primed. You’ll prime them with one of the primers listed below. These panels come in primed for oil and acrylic painting and I find that even the smoothest, primed surface isn’t good enough for drawing. They’re made of birch wood and are available on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3OUEGw4

Art Primers for colored pencil drawing on wood

I did some colored pencil drawing on wood with and without a primer. I prefer using the primer to have that extra tooth in the surface to grab the colored pencils. Primers seal the surface to prepare it for drawing in colored pencil.

There are several primers that you can test to use to cover wood panels, panels and paper. All of them are quite similar but give a slightly different grip or tooth to the surface to apply the colored pencil to.

  • I like Colourfix Primer because it comes in several colors!! You can tint the surface with this primer and draw like you draw on toned paper. https://amzn.to/3WKbwjm Colourfix Primer Clear 250Ml, Brand: Art Spectrum.
  • Golden Acrylic Primer for Pastels has more texture than the Colourfix but is also used for surface prep. You can find it here: https://amzn.to/43DNbzC.
  • Finally, there’s another ground with superfine texture for drawing –Golden Silverpoint/Drawing Ground. You can buy it here: https://amzn.to/3MSqbq1
Golden Silverpoint/Drawing Ground, how to draw on wood
Golden Silverpoint/Drawing Ground is a liquid acrylic used for the preparation of supports for drawing media. The ground is designed for the achievement of fine detailed lines on a permanent, lightfast, flexible ground. Developed for easy application, the ground has a very fluid consistency that will level as it dries. A single coat of Silverpoint provides a smooth, durable surface, ideal for use with a silverpoint stylus or other metals, such as brass, gold, copper, or even a steel paperclip.

You need to test them first to see which one will work for your colored pencil drawing. You might not like all of them.

Primer: https://amzn.to/3WKbwjm Colourfix Primer Clear 250Ml, Brand: Art Spectrum

Art Fixatives for colored pencil drawing

There’re numerous brands of fixatives for drawing. I recommend listening to the video with a technical cosnultant Ed Brickler to understand the differences and to figure out which ones will work for you. I’m including some of the best ones below.

Grumbacher Final Fixative is an excellent spray to protect colored pencil drawing. Don’t buy Krylon fixatives as they can present problems.
https://amzn.to/3MT4WUO

Sennelier Delacroix Fixative https://amzn.to/3MT4WUO is also an excellent spray for pencils that has a super fine mist. Both sprays are hazardous and must be sprayed in a very well ventilated space or outdoors with low humidity levels.

One of safe fixatives is Spectrafix.

SpectraFix is a safe fixative for drawings. https://amzn.to/3OSNZfS Personally, I haven’t tried it yet but it was recommended to me by a technical consultant (watch the video below on that).
To read about fixatives and varnishes, go here: https://veronicasart.com/fixatives-varnishes-what-you-need-to-know-to-preserve-your-art/

How to frame colored pencil drawings on wood

This is a tough one! The panel has a 1-inch depth, which is good to prevent warping and it also aids professional presentation but it makes it quite difficult to find a proper frame for it. So you have to search for “canvas-depth frames” that would compliment your drawings. Regular frames won’t have enough depth to cover the panel’s sides.

You still must use a non-glare plexiglass to protect the drawing from UV-light and moisture.

veronica winters colored pencil, how to frame art
This is a colored pencil drawing done on a 1-inch, Da Vinci Pro wood panel. It’s framed with a canvas depth wood frame (rabbit width is 1 inch to accommodate the wood’s depth), UV, non-glare plexiglass. The result is that it looks like a painting, not a colored pencil drawing. There’s no glare and the colored pencil drawing looks vibrant and clear of reflections.

“Celestial Night” is a 16×20″ colored pencil drawing on wood. It’s framed with a non-glare plexiglass and solid wood, canvas frame. This colored pencil drawing has high-quality plexiglass with a much greater depth than glass, which offers superior protection from light. However, the wider the depth of plexi the less colorful it becomes because it absorbs some of the color in the original colored pencil drawing.

artist drawing for sale, veronica winters colored pencil
“Celestial Day” is a colored pencil drawing is framed with the UV-protective plexiglass with custom-cut real wood frame. The weight is over 10lb.

To read about framing of colored pencil drawings, go here: https://veronicasart.com/how-to-frame-art-on-paper-and-on-canvas/

veronica winters colored pencil drawing
Canvas float frame completes the look of this beautiful, colored pencil drawing titled “Alignment”. It doesn’t have glass or plexiglass.
veronica winters colored pencil
Summer Solstice is framed with real wood, black-gold canvas float frame and is ready for wall display! It has a coat of resin with glitter over the colored pencil drawing!

If you’d like to learn more about colored pencil drawing, take one of my video classes here: https://veronica-winters-art-school.teachable.com/

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