Testing Household Products to Blend Colored Pencils (Baby Oil, Vaseline, Hand Sanitizer + More!)

[@SarahRenaeClark]

WATCH PART 1: Testing 12 professional blending methods: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHKrZ42Mbb-EgK8 Or take a closer look at the burnishing method: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHzHgZqamLygnLs

[@mixy00night3]

Why don't you try a hair dry or a craft heat wind that they use embellishing Use cricut heat iron thing would that get you the heat you need instead using the oven to try and burn yourself. Please I have not seen people it and plus it easier use what I said too try plus you have cricut anyway. Plus let me know if it would for you. Also very curious now which ones have actually lasted with the Products you since this video and which was hasn't.

[@trishameloling2367]

Does glycerin work?

[@rangefromtblt4047]

*I laughed my a$$ of during the intro.* 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Thanks for the shout out. I used my heated floor mat and it worked perfectly as the most is adjustable and you won't burn yourself. I have a video scheduled on Sunday using it if you are curious and the mat is only $42

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Perfect timing! I’ll update the blog post and link when you publish the new video 😊

[@yashrajthorat3770]

How are u not verified?

[@zeldacheri]

Once when swatching some no-name, cheap-ish colored pencils, I was stunned by how rich and creamily the color was going onto the paper and how easy they were to blend. Then I realized the pencil box been sitting on my desk in direct sunshine for awhile before I started. They were a lot less creamy once they'd cooled down, haha. I wouldn't use anything oily on artwork that I cared about or planned to give away. The oil may migrate over time and leave oily halos, and in a coloring book, the layer of oil left on one page could transfer to the facing page causing unwanted effects. Vegetable oils will go rancid, and potentially attract critters, fungus and/or mold. Linseed oil would probably be the best oil option, since it does eventually dry (unlike any of the ones tested here), but it also yellows with time.

[@Art_by_Nicole]

Haha, I think you, accidentally, found a fantastic way to make blending easier. Just heat the pencils up with sunlight! 😅 were the pencils wax or oil-based? 😬

[@699jude]

Watching you physically blend pencils in a blender set my teeth on edge! On a more serious note, the pigment you created at the end from the blender is a Caput Mortuum; like the Polychromos pencils, a colour obtained from blending all the pigments together in one. I love my Caput Mortuum pencils for creating soft warm shadows! Depending on the pencil I have obtained quite good results with Vaseline and a stump. I did try baby oil, but that was quite early on and didn't have much success, maybe I'll go and try it again!

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Ooh! Cool fact! Thanks for sharing. I still have the shavings so maybe I should try to see if I can use them somehow

[@coralxcotton3713]

This is a weird reply but my name is Jude too! (I don’t see my name on KZbin very often 😅)

[@aleahlrb]

Oh my- she actually pressed it! I thought you were just joking on the last video!

[@tazrortheelder5307]

I've been skeptical about using the baby oil and vaseline in my coloring, my main concern was how the oil would spread through or discolor the paper over time. Seeing this, I may go on and give it a try! And noooooo, no the copics!

[@Polargrl44]

I don’t color in my books, and when I draw and color in my book then I lay down a sheet of wax paper or something to make sure nothing ever goes through. I’ve never had an issue with the baby oil, gamsol or Vaseline spreading or creating halos. But I always make sure I dab to remove all excess before I apply it

[@lela3926]

You make the best art videos, they're so much fun as well as informative. Thank you for all the hard work you put into these videos.

[@tabbylynn4130]

Loved the addition of Shane. You guys are great !!

[@deborahnolan9360]

Thank you for your straight forward videos! They are quite enjoyable. I have a short attention span and so many others with videos repeat themselves so many times BEFORE they ever show you anything. Your video is paced very well and extremely informative. Keep up the great work and I hope you get your subscription goal quickly!

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Thank you!

[@Kessik8]

Yay been waiting for the video :D Well done Shane, using the coconut oil for blending.

[@LauraBCReyna]

I just started coloring & I'm using an old tin of Burt's Bees cuticle butter. It's a beeswax-based balm. Works really great on my wax-based Prismacolors. Surprised I haven't seen a YT vid of someone trying beeswax or a beeswax-based product to blend. When I finish the 2 containers of Burt's I have, I'm going to get some pure beeswax & do some experimenting.

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Interesting idea!

[@Polargrl44]

I’ve used baby oil and Vaseline for a long time. They’re cheap and readily available. How I use the Vaseline.. 1) If I dip my pencil in it, I dab the excess on a paper towel, and it allows the prisma pencil to glide nicely and is pretty vibrant. 2) When I use the Q-tip, I also dab the excess on a paper towel. But I also use a small brush sometimes as well. But I always dab the excess of. It does bring out the prismacolor vibrancy. I work crazy hours and the trial size Vaseline is so easy to carry in my mobile art bag with no mess. My gamsol and baby oil tend to leak in the bag, so I leave those for when I do my art at home.

[@TalairanPerigord]

Thank you for all the time, effort and information offered to us in these two videos! (Thanks to you, too, Shane!) I have subscribed and will now binge on your other stuff! Thanks again!

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Thank you!

[@TravisBrady-wn8fr]

I starting to love art again. Great video. Interesting ideas.

[@sharonboone2172]

I use Aquaphor, as I'm very sensitive to chemicals. (Petroleum Jelly like Vaseline.) I find that applying a slight amount with a paint brush really helps the colors blend well. I put down color first then put the petroleum jelly on top. Then color over it. It works great with wax crayons too.

[@askialuna7717]

I would only use oxidizing oil like linseed oil, the others will be eternally moist. Linseed oil is also durable for a long time and is also suitable for paintings.

[@marionurbach-kind7565]

As I ran out of coconut oil I gave rice oil a try... it worked surprisingly well :)

[@xZMEZI]

Mmmm yes, the perfect rainbow smoothie, well done,

[@sherrylikley82]

I use chapstick for all my blending it's not faded so far but it works much better with a blending stump. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@itsDjjayyArt]

Interesting what brand

[@AnikaAjmain]

Thanks making this video 💖😘 . I would really like to try the baby oil for blending my colored pencil 💖💖💖

[@bethhenry8982]

I was playing with household products and tried Murphy’s Oil. It worked really well. The label says it is less than 1% synthetic ingredients. I have not seen anyone else try it. Like you, I am not sure how it would hold up over time though. Great video!

[@snakewyfe]

It would be interesting to see if setting the swatches blended with oil aside for a week or few makes a difference to the appearance front and back of the paper.

[@memoriesandphotobooks9569]

Oh lordy...I can't believe you did that! But I loved it - it shows daring! I am new to your channel and have been binge-watching, and learning so much. I am waiting for some pencils to arrive to try out the blending.

[@Menoetia]

6:55 Yes, vegetable and plant based oils WILL go bad after being exposed to air for some time. How long is individual to each oil type, but things like coconut, olive, palm, etc generally go rancid in ~4-8 months. You can tell when oil has gone rancid by the smell- it'll become much more 'nutty' or 'woody' and in some cases even sour. This is why I never, ever even thought of using food oils on my artwork. I've also noticed (when I experimented with them) that because they never dry, they tend to cause colors to bleed over time- on the page, and through it, particularly in colors where there's some existing water-solubility qualities to the pigments and binders.

[@Elian1789]

Thank you for a great video. You stay on point. Keep to the topic and your hacks are practical. For someone who is time poor and has a short attention span - you're videos are worth the while and certainly cover the options for beginners. Looking forward to more videos. Thanks again.

[@vrindavani25]

Love your videos. You are a great inspiration 😊😊😊😊💜💜💜

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Thank you!

[@vrindavani25]

@@SarahRenaeClark ❤️😊

[@Admiralrayofhope]

I remember using baby oil in art projects with prismacolors when I was high school. Pretty neat method! I do digital art for the most part now for work- Your videos inspire me to get back to traditional 😔👊

[@ladiikatiimarie]

Non acetone polish removers are often meant to be “better” for ones nails so they contain hydrating oils etc to recoup some of the damage the chemical itself does

[@evyvanheygen2729]

I used to use blender pencils, but I find them rather hard to use (hard pressure to get the result I want) and they get used up pretty fast. I came upon the tip of baby oil just recently and tried it and though it changes the colors slightly (more vibrant), it blends so well! I'm glad to see you actually like the baby oil as well, another reason to keep using it :).

[@mistynielsen3209]

I love that you have so much fun!!!!

[@wolvilataniere]

"Using anything with oil" : Linseed oil is well known for its siccative properties as its used as medium in oil paint, this could also be an affordable hack with good finish/long-time properties. The only problem is it seems to drift through the yellows with UV exposure, but any more recent oil paint medium should work well.

[@davemilligan1171]

Thanks for my two minutes of fame...LOL. But the trick with the deoderant stick is to make sure its the white stick. Degree for men is the one I use, here in Canada ( I swear by this method ) Gave this vid a like and a laugh...

[@xxAnonymous_Justicexx]

Best one I saw in this one is the nail polish remover because it will dry fast and also blend colour pencil

[@asyoz]

Very excited to find someone else who is allergic to coconut!!! (I never used to be, but after my first pregnancy, I'm now allergic to coconut and mango... I think any food-oil would be a bad idea as the oil could go rancid and ruin your artwork. I think this is really why it's a good idea to just use proprietary ones like Gamsol etc. They've been tested to ensure they won't go rancid and won't ruin your artwork.

[@aliceadler4569]

I am glad you are trying these hacks because I personally would only use an official sanctioned blender type of pencil/marker or gamsol & a blending stump. Bravo you!!! 🥰🥰🥰

[@MoltenImaginings]

Really like the idea of using heat to blend with. I paint with hot wax and have an iron you turn into a mini hotplate by lying it flat. This would be perfect to try out this technique with. On a very low heat of course.

[@marketatlusta761]

wow I was not expecting that you would push the button on the blender :D nice video as always and interesting ;) thx for that.....as for hand sanitizer I saw here an video when they used it to create white spots in the watercolor or with markers :D

[@EC-R]

Lol the look on your face while the blender was running 😆 priceless! Very cool comparison, thank you for the time you put into both videos. Now about your pencil dust... I wonder if you made your own paper if you could add some pencil dust 🤔 or add it to texture paste for a really gritty feel. You mentioned a resin project in a more recent video... definitely would watch that 🤩

[@SarahRenaeClark]

I’ve been curious to try resin for a while… so I think that’s what I’ll end up doing!

[@IFortuna2]

Pencil blending reminds of something Ozzie Osbourne would do. I think you know which stunt I mean in particular. Maybe you should save the blended bits as kindling for your campfire if you go camping. I think it would work really well. I usually use a cotton tipped stick when smearing on Vaseline or anything oily. The pizza stone reminds me of the artform of encaustic. I use acetone in my oil painting a lot to clean my brushes but I also have odorless mineral spirits. So, far, I like your use of no acetone polish remover. Have you tried soap or saddle soap?

[@Wilcoxmomma1103]

Wow❤ thank you so much!

[@RichWriting]

Using an old makeup brush, 76% ethyl alcohol hand sanitizer, non-acetone alcohol, coconut oil and... since these were watercolor pencils...plain old tap water. The hand sanitizer worked best, the water kinda soaked through the page. That was a surprise. This was on a low-quality paper kid coloring book, perfect for testing. Then I went to better quality paper and the hand sanitizer was still best IMO. Fun video, great art lesson. Thank you.

[@haileyhart9807]

14:38 why not just use a seedling heat mat, they are relatively inexpensive and don’t get very hot since that would kill the seedlings

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Oooh great idea!

[@padmajanair1374]

Thank you for the video.

[@maverickmayhem6409]

Well that's a twist on pencil blending

[@pmexc31gabrielmbalbin32]

Thank you this was really helpful!

[@lorianndupont7586]

I have to say, you really hang in there... this was informative and funny and entertaining too. The blender is hilarious, as is the deoderant!!! ❤️

[@felicitycrowe6971]

Wow! How fascinating!!! I couldn’t help but wonder whether using a UV protectant lip balm might add some IV protection as it blended 🤔🤔🤔 I think one of the differences between the solvent type blending products and the oil based products is probably that the solvents will evaporate, leaving the pigment behind, but the oils will remain in/on your work (which might not be a good thing over time) …

[@rebeccaroets4359]

We use the veggie oil for a stained glass kids craft at church. It fades quickly and definitely changes the paper creating a see through effect.

The commitment hahaha I love it! Also great blender 😂

[@ave_rie]

I’m so EXCITED for your paper comparison video! 💕

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Me too! I had planned it for next week but decided to buy 2 more brands so I need to wait for those deliveries to arrive. But it is close!

[@joanneboog8451]

enjoyed watching this. Will try the baby oil.

[@lucybalkenende7429]

Love all the comparisons, thank you Sarah.

[@katcasincali6930]

Love your sense of humor with the blender! Thank you for doing the testing for us.

[@LeeAnnahsCreations]

Your markers are safe!!! YAY!!! No danger of blending them up. 😄❤

[@TheAverageguynotsoaverage]

the bay oil works amazing

[@StarChild0000]

Are you saving all your swatches so that you can check say a month (or more) from now to see if the different mediums cause discoloring or staining?

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Yes! I’ll keep them so I can check back in a month and even a year or so

[@scribblelines735]

Yessss

[@malarvizhiprakash4783]

Thank you for the video mam. I am searching for cheap blunding tools and here I got the notification haha. I will surely test the baby oil. 😄🥰

[@oichiana2002]

16:50 compare the best 3:10 Vaseline> not that good 5:20 baby oil> more like it 6:10 olive oil> could 6:50 groente olie> better than... 7:25 coco nut oil 8:31 rubbing alcohols nail polish with out acetone works quite good

[@maythemoonshine]

I don't know what the ingredients in non-acetone polish remover are in Australia, but here in Europe it's again isopropyl alcohol, so it would make sense that the non-acetone polish remover works the same as the rubbing alcohol

[@SorbetCitron17]

I'm both curious and afraid to try the nail polish remover method in coloring books. A bit afraid of not only ruining the page I'm working on but the other pages or the verso as well. My take home point from the two videos is that burnishing, white if you want pastel colors and neutral blender is pretty safe in coloring books.

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Other methods are definitely worth testing first. I’ve learnt over time that baby oil never really dries, and my swatches from the zest solvent I used (although this wasn’t the Zest-it blend that I thought I was buying) have stained my artwork after a few months.

[@beckywebster90]

You are so silly... you always make me chuckle. A blender (lol 😅🤣😅🤣🤪)

[@julieatschoolofjewels8353]

THANK YOU! For this I have been wanting to do this myself and just haven’t been able to so thank you so much!!!

[@craftycrafter4764]

Too be fair to David, he indicated a “white deodorant stick” and “clear chapstick” Gel deodorant is quite different than white deodorant.

[@marie6065]

I love watching you experiment …

[@RebeDrawsStuff]

I'm probably going to use isopropyl alcohol because I'm not a huge fan of having greasy paper which sometimes it happens with oil based methods. Thanks for the video!

[@bertas-cards]

Very interesting videos on this topic. Shane is crazy to suggest blending up your copics!

[@SarahRenaeClark]

He knows I’d probably be up for it with the right challenge though. And I’d find a way to turn the blended markers into some kind of art piece

[@Cara84de]

ooohhh, at the end I really thought you will use a hairdryer :-D im wondering if there is an electronic device with a small heat able tip, that would probably work for doing it after drawing and without heating the whole surface

[@NekochanNiki]

I'm not even a full minute in and I love this video so much omg lmao

[@HammyMamma]

You can also use walnut oil. It will eventually dry and it won’t spontaneously combust like linseed oil.

[@gabriellebrisebois9419]

I love that vidéo Thank you!!!

[@joaoaraujo2296]

Vaseline works wonders for me. However I don't apply to paper first. I dip the pencil with vaseline but probably a tenth of what you did in your video. That's the hard bit to get used to, you just need a fraction what instintively you think it's needed.

[@221b-Maker-Street]

14:00 Sarah, it's pronounced *IKK-a-ruhss!* 😂🤗 As in the Greek fable about the man who flew too near the sun, and his hand-made wings *_melted!!_*

[@Afzaaldrawing]

Nice 👍👍

[@heidiwheeler9917]

I love your last idea! Sorry it didn't work out as safely or well as you hoped it would. I wonder what would happen if you just popped the pencils you planned to use that day into something warm, like a baby wipe warmer or maybe an insulated mug that's had boiling water inside for 5-10 min (then dumped out + dried, of course). 🤔

[@DrCocofruit]

I had to reread the caption to understand what was going on in he beginning 😭

[@JayofallTrades]

Honestly curious about the chapstick as i have so many lipbalms that are expired i could repurpose if it works

[@beckywebster90]

And geez... those crazy methods. Especially that hot pizza stone (you are BRAVE). that heating pad of Lindsay's looks interesting. I bought a larger bottle of Gamsol (24oz) on blick on sale for ~ $8. I get being on a budget, but that bottle will last me a long long time (I'm so boring)

[@danskinner8533]

just wondering if you could get the same result with a handheld hair dryer

[@chrishayes9855]

All other things being equal, I wonder if certain colors blend easier?

[@alishawalton3315]

For heat you could try using a hair dryer on the paper from further away and then blend the pencil on the paper

[@scribblelines735]

Congrats on 25 k btw Love your videos . I came asap .

[@Tser]

Vaseline and baby oil are very similar chemically, and if you use juuuust a tiny amount I find you can get a pretty good result. Like dip your stump in and then wipe it all off. I can't use mineral spirits in my home due to my pet bird, so those are safe alternatives for me.

[@SarahRenaeClark]

Thanks for the tips!

[@AlphaGeekgirl]

8:30 I always thought Isopropyl Alcohol was basically the same as Blending Solution BUT IT IS NOT! I recently watched a video that proved they act almost opposite to each other. (I will now go look for the link)

[@williamclark9442]

Did you find it?

[@heidiwheeler9917]

Hand sanitizer, "the 2020 size" 😂😂😂 Thanks for doing and sharing these amazing experiments!!

[@mariannejensen349]

what about a hair dryer, or a heat canon?

[@itsDjjayyArt]

What about peroxide or aloe vera gel 🤔

[@maryb5205]

I use a heating pad under a piece of glass. You might try that sometime.

[@MissGrace4]

I wonder if you can adapt the heat hack by using a heat gun/hair dryer and a dry cotton bud, once you’ve applied the colour as normal? 🤔

[@jeanniemartens7113]

Aw shucks, I thought I’d be the one to push you over the million. I just watched my first video from you, the first part to this, and it’s refreshing to have someone with my sense of humor. Because if I knee what I was talking about my videos would most certainly contain shenanigans!😂

[@TheShila1234]

Can we blend using Lineseed oil?

[@jimbroottygaming8824]

What if we heat the pencil tip ? 🤔

[@SarahRenaeClark]

It was heating up when I had the pizza stone quite high. It ended up using up a lot more pencil that way. A bit more like a crayon texture than a pencil to use.

[@selfishuu]

I really thaught it was a clikbait !!! Can trust you Sarah Greetings

[@piafou63]

Hello Sarah, thank you for your channel I watch regularly ! Acetone is only one member among the ketones family, in french we say "cétones". Acetone is the first aka smallest molecule of the family, with only 3 carbons. Ketones are a very large family of molecules that have a double C=O link, and except for this oxygen atom, they contain only carbon. This C=O (=carbonyle group), confers their properties to the whole family. This being said, each of them has SLIGHT different chemical properties, because of the number of carbon atoms in the molecule. When a nail varnish remover says "without acetone" it's in fact a marketing trick, because it contains ANOTHER keton ! it's not acetone but it remains a keton, and then not very good for your nails. 😀 The way ketones help to blend colored pencils pigments is probably due to the fact they are cousins with aldehydes (not sure of the english term) ! Like ketones, aldehydes have this double link between C and O. And one well-known aldehyde is in huge quantity in... citrus ! So, thanks to your experiment with varnish remover I'm pretty sure that 1. the active ingredient in your "Zest it" is a molecule belonging to the aldehydes family, and 2. any of these aldehyde or ketone molecules will succed to blend colored pencils ! 🤗

[@melissaaldosari8024]

You actually did it! I didn't think you would actually "blend" those pencils! RIP blender...and pencils! Lol!

[@sandrafeebricole]

OMG poor pencils hahaha I love your videos and I will test it all as soon as I have my pencils in June

[@caseyanne967]

You should give the Vaseline method a try again, because there are better ways to apply it. You can dip the pencil in it, but you need to use a much smaller amount. Just a thin layer that coats the pencil, then reapply when it gets dry. Laying down the pencil first, you could use a cotton swab, but I've had better results with a cotton ball or blending stump. Also, it could be the paper. Just like some pencils work better in a particular coloring book, the vaseline method (or any method) will work better with some papers.

[@SarahRenaeClark]

I think you’re right. I have seen a lot of people have a lot of success with Vaseline so I’ll give it another go in the future!

[@naureenrahim2225]

I have not tested but I feel using electric heating pad might be an idea to work on without burning anything.

[@blackrose538]

I use babyoil to help blend oil pastels, haha. I won't use the nail polish remover to blend my pencils. I can't stand the smell. I usually just blend in layers like you do :)

[@joshbanana7431]

"perchè la pizza italiana è deliziosa".... i'm shock wow you're great 👌👌

[@dawudjudah1373]

If I were to use a household oil, should I use a drying oil similar to flaxseed oil, similar to drying oils used in oil paints?

[@SarahRenaeClark]

I’m not sure!