Watercolor Made Easy - A Look At The New Woodless Watercolor Pencils With Carissa Wiley

[Carissa Wiley]

Key Takeaways​

• 
  Beginner-Friendly: Woodless watercolor pencils bridge the gap between traditional colored pencils and fluid watercolor painting.
  
  
• 
  100% Pure Pigment: Without a wooden casing, every pencil barrel consists entirely of solid, high-density color pigment.
  
  
• 
  Versatile Application: Use them via direct coloring, lifting pigment from the tip with a wet brush, dipping the pencil tip into water, or creating dynamic background splatter.
  
  
• 
  Featured Stamps & Dies: Today's floral card project uses the Build-A-Garden: Joy In Bloom, Craft Your Life Project Kit: Expressive Flora & Add-on Die Bundle, and the Creative Cuts: Framed Botanicals Die Set.
  

If you love the elegant look of watercolor craft projects but feel intimidated by the traditional painting process, you are going to love what I am sharing today: a closer look at the Woodless Watercolor Pencils!




See Product

Hi everyone, it's Carissa Wiley here! I'm thrilled to walk you through these exciting crafting tools and inspire your next paper-crafting project with an easy, beautiful watercolor card tutorial.


Because pencils offer a familiar grip and controlled application, they take the guesswork out of color placement. Whether you are a beginner cardmaker or an experienced crafter looking for mess-free medium options, woodless watercolor pencils offer precision without sacrificing the fluid, painterly finish of traditional watercolors.

4 Ways to Use Woodless Watercolor Pencils​

Woodless watercolor pencils offer incredible flexibility for adding vibrant color to handmade cards and paper projects. Here are four quick techniques you can try today:

1. 
   Direct Scribble & Blend: Lightly color or scribble pigment directly onto your stamped image, then use a damp brush to pull and smooth out the color across the paper.
   
   
2. 
   Brush Tip Lifting: Pick up rich pigment directly from the tip of the pencil using a damp watercolor brush, treating the pencil tip like a portable paint pan.
   
   
3. 
   Wet Tip Direct Application: Dip the pencil tip straight into water before coloring onto your cardstock to instantly create high-saturation, bold strokes.
   
   
4. 
   Watercolor Splatter: Wet the pencil tip or lift wet pigment onto a brush, then gently tap the brush handle over your card project to add artistic background speckles.
   

Why Choose Woodless Watercolor Pencils?​

Unlike traditional colored pencils that wrap pigment in heavy wood casings, these pencils consist of solid pigment from core to edge.

Maximum Product Value & Pigment Payoff​

Because there is no wooden barrel, the entire body of the pencil is pure, high-density color pigment. You get significantly more usable material for your projects, ensuring rich, saturated washes and smooth color gradients across watercolor paper.

Comfortable Control for Beginners​

Since we all grow up knowing how to hold and draw with a pencil, coloring with woodless watercolor pencils feels completely intuitive—even if you have never picked up a traditional watercolor brush before.

Creating Today's Floral Card Project​

Today's project features the new Build-A-Garden: Joy In Bloom, Craft Your Life Project Kit: Expressive Flora & Add-on Die Bundle, and the Creative Cuts: Framed Botanicals Die Set. They combine beautifully with this easy watercolor technique to create a beautiful watercolor card that's easy!


I'll share exactly how I created this card in today's video tutorial, so click there now to watch me create and find out why you don't have to be afraid to try watercolor.

Watch the Video Tutorial​

Want to see these techniques in action? Watch the step-by-step video tutorial below to see how I color, layer, and assemble this floral card from start to finish!


Thanks so much for stopping by and hanging out with me today! I hope you felt inspired to try something new in your craft space. Until next time, have a fabulous day!


XOXO,

Carissa



For 2 days only—October 9–10, 2026—you can get 30% off the complete Woodless Watercolor Pencil 24 Set! This curated collection includes 24 vibrant, pure-pigment shades that blend effortlessly for all your cardmaking, journaling, and paper craft projects. Get yours now: https://altenew.com/products/woodless-watercolor-pencil-24-set

SUPPLY LIST​

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Woodless Watercolor Pencils Starter...
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Watercolor Paper Set (A2 loose...
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Artists’ Watercolor Foundation Brush Set
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Fine Watercolor Brushes
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Build-A-Garden: Joy in Bloom & Add-on...
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Build-A-Garden: Joy in Bloom
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Build-A-Garden: Joy in Bloom Add-On...
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Craft Your Life Project Kit:...
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Craft Your Life Project Kit:...
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Craft Your Life Project Kit:...
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Creative Cuts: Framed Botanicals Die Set
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Brushed Rose Metallic Cardstock (10...
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Crafty Necessities: Evening Gray...
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Vellum Translucent Paper (25 sheets/set)
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Stellar Sequins - Crystal Moonlight
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Obsidian Pigment Ink
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Crystal Clear Crisp Embossing Powder
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Perfect Picker
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Crafter's Essential Micro-Tip Tweezers
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Stampwheel 2.0
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Stampwheel 2.0 - SlimGrip Sticky Mat...
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Crafter's Essential Scoring Board
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Foam Adhesive Strips - 1/8" x 7.0" x...
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Foam Adhesives Squares - 1/8"
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Instant Dimension Foam Tape - 1/16''...
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ClearFix Glue
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