Woodless Watercolour Pencils or Distress Crayons? A Crafter’s Comparison

I’ve been playing with my Personal Impressions (Pi) Woodless Water Colour Pencils lately, but it made me realise I hadn’t touched my Distress Crayons in ages! So I dug them out and had a creative throwback session …

Both tools are water-reactive, versatile, and fun for card-making and journaling — but they behave differently on paper/card/art journals. Let’s take a closer look at each, and see what makes them unique.

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✨ Similarities Between Pi Pencils & Distress Crayons

• Water-Soluble: Both are activated by water for a watercolour effect.
• Pigment: Both contain water-soluble pigments for vibrant colour.
• Versatility: Can be used dry or with water for painterly effects.
• Purpose: Both achieve watercolour effects, though results and techniques differ.

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🎨 Personal Impressions (Pi) Woodless Water Colour Pencils

Why I Love my PI pencils -

1. Fast ways to create watercolour backgrounds with minimal effort
2. Watercolour images directly using the pencil
3. Take colour straight from the pencil
4. Use with blending sponges for stencils or stamping
5. Layer on top of each other & blend smoothly

👉 Want to see more? Try these Pi pencil projects:

• A guide to using Christmas stamps all year round!
• An art journal journey where things go wrong!
• Frame your imagination
• Art journaling with water colour pencils
• 7 ways with woodless water colour pencils

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🖤Rediscovering Distress Crayons

Why I Fell Back in Love With Crayons

Distress watercolor crayons are soft, also woodless, pure pigment sticks with a lipstick-like consistency, designed by Tim Holtz for water-activated, textured, and smudged effects in crafting.

Key differences from Pi pencils - 

• Softer, less precise application
• Broader strokes, more textured look
• Once the water has "evaporated" & the crayon is dry, the colour is permant. Great for layered backgrounds.

Tip: While I sometimes use both similarly for projects, the crayons offer unique effects for layered backgrounds that the pencils can’t replicate.

I’ll be sharing more Distress Crayon projects soon — make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss them! In the meantime, you might like this throwback 👉 Quick art journal page with Distress Crayons

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📊 Pencils vs. Crayons: Quick Comparison

After creating my projects, I noticed that while Pi Pencils and Distress Crayons share some traits, they act quite differently on paper/card. Here’s a simple breakdown:

If you’d like a deeper dive into the Pi Pencils, you might enjoy 👉 7 ways with woodless water colour pencils 👈 where I walk through techniques and finished projects.

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🖤 My Takeaway

• Distress Crayons → bold, textured backgrounds

• Pi Pencils → controlled detail and smooth layering

Both are fun to use, and I’ve yet to combine them — but I bet they’d make some really creative results! That’s one for my “must do” journal.

Do you have a favourite water-reactive medium? Or a favourite combo of pencils and crayons? Share your tips and projects in the comments — I’d love to see them!

Until next time, take care,

Lou

xxx