Coloured mechanical lead

I’m always looking for interesting ways to communicate important details. Colored mechanical lead pencils are great for adding some creativity and fun to your jewellery illustrations while keeping teh details on point.

Here are some of the ways I use them in my jewellery illustrations:

You can use them to sketch coloured gemstone. You can add colour to represent Sapphires, rubies, emeralds and other gems depending on the lead colours you find. Also you can mix and match colors to create different shades and effects by layering or overlapping.
You can use them to draw on dark or colored paper or card to create a unique drawing style to suit your brand. Some colored leads, especially the ones with metallic or neon pigments, can stand out well on dark backgrounds and create a striking contrast.
You can use them to highlight important notes, details, or measurements on your illustrations of on job packets. Different colors can help you organize and highlight important details or changes specific to your clients. Colored leads can be used to trace, outline, or fill in shapes and create shadow.

Colours I recommend trying:

Blue, Green, Orange, Red, Pink, Purple (I have seen other colours available at Officeworks or online)

Worth remembering : Although they are not always erasable it possible to get the marks to fade quite a bit with an eraser.

Standard mechanical pencils can take coloured lead (Depending on the lead size can you find) but colored lead can be slightly softer than graphite depending on the size and brand so an adjustment in pressure may be required when using it.

Coloured mechanical lead pencils are a perfect way of adding a splash of personality.