I was really surprised with how the Meltz worked with some of the pencils as it claims to be a water based medium! What are your thoughts of the Meltz pencil blender?
@@scraggledy I just went to look and it says surfactant and glycol ether. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, or dispersants. Glycol ethers have many uses; these include use as solvents and as an ingredient in cleaning compounds, liquid soaps, and cosmetics. Interesting!
This is very interesting, especially how the Holbein and Polychromos seemed to move around like paint with the Meltz! I’d like to try it sometime now. Also, I’m starting to think Luminance just doesn’t blend out as well with OMS as other pencils do- I’ve had some issues with that in the past but blamed the paper🧐😂
I was really impressed with the Meltz actually. I agree about the Luminance pencils not blending out as much, however that can be a good when doing very small details or when you have a really light color right next to a dark color (think cat fur) they won't blend into each other when using OMS so you can be more controlled with them. But I do fine they need more layers before blending I find.
Thank you for the video. In general I have found Meltz works best with Holbein and Poly Chromos, and I use OMS for everything else. But the watercolor effect is a unique characteristic of Meltz with Holbein pencil. It was designed to be this way, and for this very reason I keep a constant supply on hand of Meltz. If you "scrub" more you can make the pigment lighter in the Holbein and moving from dark to light or light to dark has different effects depending on what you need. The key with both the Meltz and the OMS is to have enough layers to get the solvent to activate (otherwise it is just being absorbed by the paper), but I have found that Holbein requires the least amount of pigment to get the effect to work. BTW, according to Derwent website Lightfast is oil-based, they are harder than Luminance quite a bit. Luminance from everything I read is a combination of oil and wax, and Holbein is also a combination but also has fat in the mix. Paper is also going to effect this results as well as the brand of white you use. I only use Holbein and Luminance white. Luminance is more transparent than Holbein but it has to do with the pencil not the solvent you are using.
Thank you for your comment and you are right. I now generally use my polys, and lightfast as they blend better. I have yet to purchase more Holbein but I didn’t know about the watercolor effect so that’s very interesting!
Thank you! I’m glad this was helpful for you. I love using Gamsol with colored pencils but I was a little surprised with the Melts with the polychromos!
Interesting test! I have a big bottle of Gamsol so I guess I'll be using that indefinitely. 😂 If I got a big set of Holbeins then definitely I'd look for the Meltz.
Yeah I was really surprised with how the Melts performed. I’m going to be testing it out with my Polychromos more because it blended them out almost better then the Holbein lol.
Someone else did a similar test and generally found that Holbein products and Caran D'ache products just do not play well together. Also, the white pencils may have shown up better over the OMS because it wasn't dry yet.
It makes the process so much easier and fast! Especially anyone with hand issues as you don't have to burnish the pencils to blend them. Thanks for watching :)
Thank you for this video. I am sort of new into colored pencils. I played with them a few years ago and because of arthritis in my hands I had to give them up but I am trying again. I don’t quite understand though why are you wanting to blend them to look like watercolor pencils. Why not just use watercolor pencils in that case? This is not trying to be rude I am really curious that’s all. Again thanks for sharing your video.
Hi Cat, I do also use watercolor pencils and love them, but I’m not a fan of the grainy texture on paper that colored pencils create. I also have a hard time pushing the pencils hard enough to burnish and get rid of it (it also creates a shiny waxy look when you do that). I like the soft blended look I get from using Gamsol (which is still my favorite). But just because this works for doesn’t mean you have to use it. If you like the texture that the pencils create on the paper then that’s fine ☺️
I think the first two blended better with the meltz because they are oil based. I’ve heard holbeins pencils are a mix of both wax and oil maybe that’s why 🤷♂️
I agree with you, however I thought the lightfast would blend a bit better because they are also a mix of wax and oil. But even with OMS I need two good layers of luminance and lightfast to get it nice and opaque. I wasn’t too surprised with the prismas either as they just blend so easily anyway lol. Thanks for watching 😄
@@NaomiCoutureArt it probably related to the formula of how those pencils are made. Maybe more wax than oil? Prismas usually blend easily because of the high amount of pigment. This video has encouraged me to pick some up though :) I loved how that first two blended ❤️
Very interesting test! Have you tried the Meltz on Pastelmat? Does it bleed? When I use OMS on Pastelmat I have the problem that the OMS bleeds outside the lines and stains the paper, even when used in small amounts.
I have not tried the meltz on pastelmat so I will have to do that! I get the bleeding with oms on pastelmat as well. Water based mediums are even worse like if your trying to use a bit of water to blend out watercolor pencils it bleeds a lot. I would assume the meltz would have the same affect but I can’t say for sure yet.
I wonder if the Holbein Meltz smell at all? I wanted to buy it, but I only work at a small space, and I wonder if it's at least safer and doesn't smell.
It doesn’t smell but I don’t know if its any safer then Gamsol. As far as I know gamsol is the safest artist made odorless mineral spirits that I know of. Also I still prefer using my gamsol over the meltz. I hope this helps.
Meltz is safer. It contains no VOCs. Even a refined product like Gamsol, though it aims to remove most VOCs, likely still contains some and should still be used with ventilation.
I have not tried the meltz with inktense pencils. Although I would assume it would work as they blend out with water because they are water based. I can try it sometime as I think I still have my meltz. Honestly I still use my gamsol orderless mineral spirits because it’s easier for me to get.
I found that the product called GooGone (a cleaner) dissolves it fast and totally. I' thinking of making my own concoction that is safer than mineral spirit's.
I have never heard of using googone before. I'm not sure if that would be archival but if that doesn't matter then I hope it works well for you. mineral spirits meant for artwork are safer then the ones you find at hardware store but still should be used carefully.
@@NaomiCoutureArt When you read the ingredients on the archival products, it would be easy to duplicate. I know from the study of chemistry and having many years experience in painting, what the archival rules are. The main thing is that it be acid free. Many oils are from natural sources. M Graham uses walnut oil as an alternative medium for thinning oil paint and cleaning brushes. Other brands use citrus oils as paint solvent and environmentally friendly. Googone's main ingredient is orange oil which is why it works. Any mineral oil does not decompose or go rancid like most oils so that's a longevity option. Essential oils like lavender, is like a preservative. Lard and Olive oil are fats that never go rancid either. Yes, making ones own archival solvent should not be that hard. Thanks for sharing your video! Your work is awesome. My main paint medium is watercolor and focus on realism.
You can just buy citrus solvent that is just orange oil - Real Milk Paint sells it. Also Chelsea. BUT citrus solvent and lavender spike oil contain LOTS of VOCS. Don't assume that because something is natural it's safe to breathe a lot of. Turpentine is made from trees after all.
I was really surprised with how the Meltz worked with some of the pencils as it claims to be a water based medium! What are your thoughts of the Meltz pencil blender?
Does the Meltz have the ingredients listed? I cant even find an msds for it. Great video! I'm a new sub!!
@@scraggledy I just went to look and it says surfactant and glycol ether. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, or dispersants.
Glycol ethers have many uses; these include use as solvents and as an ingredient in cleaning compounds, liquid soaps, and cosmetics. Interesting!
This is one of the most helpful videos I've yet to find. Thank you so much for this content.
This is very interesting, especially how the Holbein and Polychromos seemed to move around like paint with the Meltz! I’d like to try it sometime now. Also, I’m starting to think Luminance just doesn’t blend out as well with OMS as other pencils do- I’ve had some issues with that in the past but blamed the paper🧐😂
I was really impressed with the Meltz actually. I agree about the Luminance pencils not blending out as much, however that can be a good when doing very small details or when you have a really light color right next to a dark color (think cat fur) they won't blend into each other when using OMS so you can be more controlled with them. But I do fine they need more layers before blending I find.
Thank you for the video. In general I have found Meltz works best with Holbein and Poly Chromos, and I use OMS for everything else. But the watercolor effect is a unique characteristic of Meltz with Holbein pencil. It was designed to be this way, and for this very reason I keep a constant supply on hand of Meltz. If you "scrub" more you can make the pigment lighter in the Holbein and moving from dark to light or light to dark has different effects depending on what you need. The key with both the Meltz and the OMS is to have enough layers to get the solvent to activate (otherwise it is just being absorbed by the paper), but I have found that Holbein requires the least amount of pigment to get the effect to work. BTW, according to Derwent website Lightfast is oil-based, they are harder than Luminance quite a bit. Luminance from everything I read is a combination of oil and wax, and Holbein is also a combination but also has fat in the mix. Paper is also going to effect this results as well as the brand of white you use. I only use Holbein and Luminance white. Luminance is more transparent than Holbein but it has to do with the pencil not the solvent you are using.
Thank you for your comment and you are right. I now generally use my polys, and lightfast as they blend better. I have yet to purchase more Holbein but I didn’t know about the watercolor effect so that’s very interesting!
This was super helpful Naomi! I've only used Gamsol, so it was very informative. Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Thank you! I’m glad this was helpful for you. I love using Gamsol with colored pencils but I was a little surprised with the Melts with the polychromos!
Interesting test! I have a big bottle of Gamsol so I guess I'll be using that indefinitely. 😂 If I got a big set of Holbeins then definitely I'd look for the Meltz.
Yeah I was really surprised with how the Melts performed. I’m going to be testing it out with my Polychromos more because it blended them out almost better then the Holbein lol.
Someone else did a similar test and generally found that Holbein products and Caran D'ache products just do not play well together. Also, the white pencils may have shown up better over the OMS because it wasn't dry yet.
omg! I love this stuff! Never used coloured pencil and a blending fluid. Very cool! 💜👐💚
It makes the process so much easier and fast! Especially anyone with hand issues as you don't have to burnish the pencils to blend them. Thanks for watching :)
Awesome,very nice😃✌️.
Thank you, hope you found this comparison helpful 😍
Beautiful sharing
Thank you very much 😍
Wow dear superb
Thank you so much ☺️
Thank you for this video. I am sort of new into colored pencils. I played with them a few years ago and because of arthritis in my hands I had to give them up but I am trying again. I don’t quite understand though why are you wanting to blend them to look like watercolor pencils. Why not just use watercolor pencils in that case? This is not trying to be rude I am really curious that’s all. Again thanks for sharing your video.
Hi Cat, I do also use watercolor pencils and love them, but I’m not a fan of the grainy texture on paper that colored pencils create. I also have a hard time pushing the pencils hard enough to burnish and get rid of it (it also creates a shiny waxy look when you do that). I like the soft blended look I get from using Gamsol (which is still my favorite). But just because this works for doesn’t mean you have to use it. If you like the texture that the pencils create on the paper then that’s fine ☺️
fantastic arts
Thanks! 😃
I think the first two blended better with the meltz because they are oil based. I’ve heard holbeins pencils are a mix of both wax and oil maybe that’s why 🤷♂️
I agree with you, however I thought the lightfast would blend a bit better because they are also a mix of wax and oil. But even with OMS I need two good layers of luminance and lightfast to get it nice and opaque. I wasn’t too surprised with the prismas either as they just blend so easily anyway lol. Thanks for watching 😄
@@NaomiCoutureArt it probably related to the formula of how those pencils are made. Maybe more wax than oil? Prismas usually blend easily because of the high amount of pigment. This video has encouraged me to pick some up though :) I loved how that first two blended ❤️
I love all the pencils I used for this video. I hope you end up loving them if you pick them up. Still one of my go to pencils ❤️
Beautiful✨
Thanks 😍
How many kinds of red are good. I learned a lot
Do you mean in different brands of pencils? These are the main ones I use. I'm glad you could learn something :)
Beautiful❤❤
Thank you! 😊
Very interesting test! Have you tried the Meltz on Pastelmat? Does it bleed? When I use OMS on Pastelmat I have the problem that the OMS bleeds outside the lines and stains the paper, even when used in small amounts.
I have not tried the meltz on pastelmat so I will have to do that! I get the bleeding with oms on pastelmat as well. Water based mediums are even worse like if your trying to use a bit of water to blend out watercolor pencils it bleeds a lot. I would assume the meltz would have the same affect but I can’t say for sure yet.
I wonder if the Holbein Meltz smell at all? I wanted to buy it, but I only work at a small space, and I wonder if it's at least safer and doesn't smell.
It doesn’t smell but I don’t know if its any safer then Gamsol. As far as I know gamsol is the safest artist made odorless mineral spirits that I know of. Also I still prefer using my gamsol over the meltz. I hope this helps.
Meltz is safer. It contains no VOCs. Even a refined product like Gamsol, though it aims to remove most VOCs, likely still contains some and should still be used with ventilation.
How good is it with derwent inktense?
I have not tried the meltz with inktense pencils. Although I would assume it would work as they blend out with water because they are water based. I can try it sometime as I think I still have my meltz. Honestly I still use my gamsol orderless mineral spirits because it’s easier for me to get.
💛💚💚💚💚
❤️
Not sure it was a fair test as you did not use as much Gamsol.
You may be right but I used the same amount I alway do to blend. However I think I still prefer gamsol and still use that one.
I just went to order some art supplies and totally forgot to put Meltz in my cart! Argh!
Oh no! Maybe you can call them and get them to add it to your cart?
I found that the product called GooGone (a cleaner) dissolves it fast and totally. I' thinking of making my own concoction that is safer than mineral spirit's.
I have never heard of using googone before. I'm not sure if that would be archival but if that doesn't matter then I hope it works well for you. mineral spirits meant for artwork are safer then the ones you find at hardware store but still should be used carefully.
@@NaomiCoutureArt When you read the ingredients on the archival products, it would be easy to duplicate. I know from the study of chemistry and having many years experience in painting, what the archival rules are. The main thing is that it be acid free. Many oils are from natural sources. M Graham uses walnut oil as an alternative medium for thinning oil paint and cleaning brushes. Other brands use citrus oils as paint solvent and environmentally friendly. Googone's main ingredient is orange oil which is why it works. Any mineral oil does not decompose or go rancid like most oils so that's a longevity option. Essential oils like lavender, is like a preservative. Lard and Olive oil are fats that never go rancid either. Yes, making ones own archival solvent should not be that hard. Thanks for sharing your video! Your work is awesome. My main paint medium is watercolor and focus on realism.
@@renmuffett that is interesting to know about the solvents. Thank you I also work with water color and love it ☺️
But GooGone is SO stinky - it's noxious smelling! I will always stick to low-odor and odorless products!
You can just buy citrus solvent that is just orange oil - Real Milk Paint sells it. Also Chelsea. BUT citrus solvent and lavender spike oil contain LOTS of VOCS. Don't assume that because something is natural it's safe to breathe a lot of. Turpentine is made from trees after all.