Colouring edges?

[rockhopper]

I'm returning to paper modelling.
In the past i have never coloured the edges of my cuts. I want to start doing this to improve the look of my finshed models.
What should i use?
Sharpies (i have young childern so have a range of colours)
Colouring Pencils (i have a cheap set of water colour pencils)
Wax pastels (I have these in a limited pallet, basicly primary colours)
Which would you recommend?
Thanks
RH

[KurtHenkel]

I have had the most success using Faber-Castell Pitt brush-tip pens. The selection of colors seem to give me some near matches. They don't seem to bleed into the card stock and are subtle.

I have tried both Sharpy and Prismacolor markers. The black Sharpy has been very useful. Prismacolor seems to be too intense and bleeds from the edge of the card stock.

I have also used soft pastels. These give a nice effect, but are dusty and may cause the model to look dusty, dull or weathered.

My experience with colored pencil has been varied. Some colors work fine, but I find it difficult to now damage the edge of the card stock with most. I have yet to try watercolor pencils dampened or ground into powder and then dampened and applied.

Good luck in your quest for a workable solution. Please share what you learn.

[SCEtoAUX]

I use Prang brand pencils. You can sort of blend them to match. A quick dip in water also helps to transfer the color.

Various shades of gray can be used to edge the parts if you cannot or do not want to match the colors. It hides the glaring white edges.

It is helpful to use something like a bone folder or the back of a spoon to compress the cut edges of a part before coloring them. Less chance of delamination and it gets rid of that annoying ridge that sometimes shows up after cutting out the part.

[Don Boose]

My favorite edge coloring instruments:

Caran d'ache Neocolor II water soluble wax crayons. (http://www.dickblick.com/products/caran-dache-neocolor-ii-artists-crayons/ ) Especially good for folded edges. Can be used like watercolors by dipping a brush in water and then swabbing color from the side of the crayon in order to get into tight places. The crayons can also be sharpened to a point. Expensive, but they last a long time.

Tombow ABT brush pens (Dual Brush Pen - Art + Craft) or the Faber-Castell Pitt Artist pens that Kurt mentioned (Art & Graphic). Unlike marker pens, these are not prone to bleeding into the adjacent areas. Excellent for edge coloring, not as good for coloring folded edges.

And Doug speaks truth about using a shade of gray (grey) when you can't match a color more precisely.

Don

[Papierschnitzel]

Esp for the edges I use Edding 30 Markers. They are refillable and they don't bleed through the paper. Unfortunately they don't have a big choice of colors.

I also use Stabilo 68 Pen. They have a thinner tip and come in a big variety of colours.

Using wax crayons sounds very interesting. Thx for the tip Don.

Chris

[Rhaven Blaack]

Personally, I use watercolour paints (to match the colour of the parts as close as possible) and a "dry" brush to lightly paint the edges.

[Loui]

mostly i use any standart black (2B) pencil for Colouring edges, or any Darker colour from my daughter coloring pencil set to match the skin of the model...

[rockhopper]

Ok, there seems to be a number of options, guess i need to try and see what works for me?
On the same subject, is there a technique to colour the edges but not the actual image?
Thanks
RH

[umtutsut]

Cheap, and very effective (for me) method: 96-piece box of Crayola crayons. Large color selection and sticks to the edge of any paper I've used, even my standard -- glossy photo paper.

Les (The Voice of Authority-- This website is currently unavailable.)

[modelperry]

I use Faber-Castel Pitt pens with the Brush nib (marked with a B on the cap) for most edge coloring. On occasion, I have used various acrylic paints (craft and hobby) for some edges.

When I edge color, I try to approach the part from the uncolored side and run the edge of the nib along the edge of the paper.

greg