When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– The Pastelmat could take 3 layers, with the darkest corner becoming really intensely dark. It was easier to control the blend with the brush – with the paper stump the gradation got lost a little bit as colour spread into the lightest corner. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– When blending with the brush and Pencil Blend, very little happened. In fact this square looks pretty identical to the square that has not undergone any blending at all. When the paper stump is used, the lines are softened and the tonal range reduced. You can still see some of the heaviest drawn lines, but a lot are blended away in comparison to the square where a dry paper stump was used for blending. Pencil Blend is a solvent that would dilute any oil based media. I found it to have very little odour, just a feint solvent-y scent. Use in a well ventilated room if you are working for a long session, or are particularly sensitive to fumes. The solvent is completely clear and is available in 125ml and 250ml bottles with a plastic safety cap, in citrus and non-citrus varieties. When I burnished with a dry paper stump– The paper stump has able to soften the lightest drawn lines, but in the darker corner the lines would not soften.

The pastel pencil blended beautifully with a dry paper stump. Burnishing removed all the texture of the drawn lines to leave smooth colour.When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– The PB with a brush did not break down the drawn pencil lines as much as I would have expected – only very slightly. Using the paper stump was more effective but I think that was wholly because of the pressure I was applying with the paper stump. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– There is such a difference between the 2, 3-layer squares! The brush blended square has a much greater tonal range and you can see traces of the brush marks – it has taken on a painterly quality. The paper stump square looks completely smooth but is almost a completely different colour. It is much more yellow than red. The amount of pressure and the length of time on the sponge gives you more control over the amount you use.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– The pencil blend with a brush struggled to soften the drawn lines, which proves added pressure is more effective. Using the Pencil Blend increased the darkness and intensity of the graphite, but didn’t do much in terms of softening drawn lines. The paper stump softened the lines more than the brush.When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer) –The Pencil Blend broke down the colour a little when blended with a brush, but not all the drawn lines were softened by the Pencil Blend. When I burnished with a dry paper stump– This buffed up the shading and gave it a glossy surface, as well as softening the drawn lines in the lighter corner away completely. It was not possible to completely burnish away the lines in the darker corner. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– The ‘brush’ square looks a little rougher than the paper stump square, with traces of brush marks and drawn lines. The paper stump square appears completely smooth and deep in colour.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) Maintained the intensity of the darkest area and blended nicely through the gradation to the lightest area. However you can still see a trace of the drawn lines. Adding the pencil blend gave a warmth to the quality of the square. Whenever people tell us the product doesn't work, it is usually because too much fluid has been used. When I burnished with a dry paper stump– The paper stump is able to smudge some of the colour but the drawn lines are still very visible. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– When applying PB with a brush, drawn lines are still visible, there is not enough pressure to dissolve them. Working with the pencil blend was more effective with the paper stump. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) When I applied 3 layers of pencil with PB I found that I could start to manipulate the colour a bit and move it around on the surface of the paper, to make an even gradation. I could achieve a really dark intense area in the darkest corner.When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– The results were surprising in that I expected the Pencil Blend to have a much greater effect on the shaded squares than it did, even when applying it with a lot of pressure and a paper stump. Looking at these squares now it’s almost as if Pencil Blend wasn’t applied at all. When I burnished with a dry paper stump– Lifted a lot of the colour away again, leaving a very soft powdery/soft pastel like effect. Accumulated more dust than the other papers. Pencil Blend does not work on water soluble pencils. Pencil Blend works best with soft, oil based pencils such as Faber Castell Polychromos or Faber Castell Oil Base Pencils. It only works to a degree with wax based pencils such as Luminance or Derwent Studio pencils. Using Pencil Blend - with Tortillion. Paper stumps also work well for blending and are firmer then the Tortillion, more information on blending can be found under blending tools. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (3 layers) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers)– The colour appears markedly more vibrant and strong after 3 layers of application – the paper can hold a lot of colour. Again it was easier to maintain the gradation from dark – light when using the brush rather than the paper stump.

When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a brush (1 layer) vs blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (1 layer)– Using the PB brings out the intensity and darkness of the graphite in the darkest corner quite dramatically in comparison to the square that was burnished with a dry stump. More control with the brush than the stump dipped in PB.When I burnished with a dry paper stump – Worked pretty well -softened well with a dry paper stump although some drawn lines were still visible in the darker area. When blending with Pencil Blend (CF) and a paper stump (3 layers) Again, I felt the surface was smoother than when I worked with a brush, but I couldn’t get the dark corner to be as dark as the corner I made in the square using a brush to apply the pencil blend. The lightest corner appeared smoother than in the square with the brush + PB.