Product Review: Stabilo All Pencil
by Amelia Kraemer
The Stabilo All pencil is described as: “A water-soluble pencil that will mark clearly, densely and legibly on any surface including acetate, paper, glass, metal, photo and film. Wipes off with a damp cloth on smooth surfaces and erases on paper.”
Let’s test it out!
All Pencils come is a variety of colours: red, yellow, orange, blue, black, green, brown, white, and graphite grey. I mainly use the black and white pencils for my purposes.
The colour is deep and dense. I find that sometimes a new pencil needs to be used on a scrap paper to really get it started to remove the waxy surface that protects a new pencil.
I find that the water-soluble feature is very beautiful and grungy.
I have found that it erases from most surfaces, besides paper, very easily with a baby-wipe or damp cloth. However, I find that even though the description says it erases from paper the marks can still be seen on the paper especially when using black.
How I Use Stabilo All Pencils:
- Mixed Media Collages: I use it on mixed media collages to create shapes and lines. I use a spray bottle with water to make drips. I use a damp finger to smudge the lines. I also leave some of the lines as is so there’s a contrast between to two types. I find that you’ll need to apply a pastel fixative to the lines made if you’re going to paint over or apply a brush-on varnish. Usually I don’t care too much if I’m going to paint unless the lines need to be absolutely clean and clear. But using a fixative is a must for brush-on varnishes.
- Encaustic: I use it on the wax to define areas and create lines. Similar to the use in collages you can use it’s water-soluble feature to your advantage. Use a damp finger to smudge the lines you’ve created. I don’t find using a spray bottle to be successful. You’ll need to fuse the lines you create to set them. Use a low flame with dispersed air setting. You’ll have to be a bit careful because the lines can break apart very easily. If this is something you want use this knowledge to your advantage.
- Encaustic Monotypes: I use All pencils on top of encaustic mono prints while they are on the griddle. They make a very dense line that is a bit feathered on the edges. You’ll find that you’ll need to sharpen them often because the hotplate melts the pencil very quickly. You can also use them on the prints off the griddle for a less dense line. Again this contrast is nice in the finished work. You will not be able to smudge lines made on the griddle very easily.
Overall I highly recommend these pencils! Test them our yourself and let us know how you like them!
