Working with Wax-based Colored Pencils
Not all coloured pencils are alike but there's nothing wrong with combining several types and brands. Oil-based pencils are hard, making them suitable for fine detail. Pencils like Colorsoft and Prismacolor Pencils are wax-based, making them softer and easily blended. Colorsoft and Prismacolor also make a solvent in a pencil form but you can also blend them using a liquid solvent like Winsor & Newton Sansodor or Art Spectrum Odourless Solvent. This method allows the blending of several colors, quickly.
Concept drawings, like the knight on the horse, can be done on a heavy weight tracing paper, with tones created quickly, using a solvent. You can also use this method on any heavy weight paper that takes wet media. If you'd like to painstakingly render form, like the sphere example, this can also be achieved with patience. This sphere was rendered on the new Art Spectrum Colour Suede paper which has a velvety tooth.
le Stig was made by mounting a graphite drawing onto double weight, hot press illustration board. The surface was then sprayed using an airbrush and Liquitex Matte Medium to create a light texture. The airbrushed surface creates the perfect tooth to take a light 'dry brush' effect.
How to repair your wax pencils if the leads break on the inside:
Place your pencils on a baking sheet, lined with wax paper, in a cold oven. Bake for 2-5 minutes at 120 degrees centigrade. Let the pencils completely cool before removing. Your pencils should be repaired!
How to buy
Note: we do not deliver outside New Zealand.
Enter the quantity and click "add to cart". When you are ready to pay for your order proceed to checkout. Payment is made by credit card on a secure server using Paypal or Payment Express. Alternatively you may pay by "bank deposit" or by phone on 09 489 7213.
Delivery Rates
Our delivery rates are:
- Prepaid A4 Satchel (nationwide): $5 per order †
- Local (Auckland): $5.50 per order *
- Local Towns (within 150kms): $7.50 per order *
- Rest of North Island: $9.30 per order *
- South Island and Great Barrier: $10.40 per order *
† Prepaid Satchel is available for some smaller items that will fit into an A4 envelope. Please do not select the satchel option if your goods are breakable, easily damaged or flammable.
* Oversized items may be charged an additional amount - once you have selected the items you need proceed to checkout to see the exact costs.
Rural delivery fee $3.30 per order
For privacy, returns and security policies please read our policies page.
About Takapuna Art Supplies
When we purchased Takapuna Art Supplies in April 2007 our intention was to make new friends and create an environment where professional and casual artists can purchase quality supplies and receive expert service and advice. Now, our most frequent comment from customers is, "what an artist's treasure-trove!" In February 2009 we added our tasart online store and we are now giving the same service, advice and selection to artists all over New Zealand. We stock over 17 thousand products and offer over 100 brand names and we continue to grow monthly with new product additions, tutorials and consumer information.
As fellow artists, we want every customer who walks into our shop or who shops on our online store, to be treated to a Smorgasbord of brand names from which they can choose. We are proud to say that we do not own the agency for any of the brands carried in our stores and, therefore, our customers can be confident that the product advice given by us is expert, sincerely informative and not tainted by conflicting profit guided prejudice. We purchase our supplies exclusively from reputable wholesalers and sell our stock at or below the manufacturer’s recommended resale price. Learn more about us...
