I use an oderless thinner or terpinoid (not sure of the spelling) but it comes in a bottle with blue and white on the writing. I will have to go get the name on that for sure. Sorry, I am at work answering this. Also, do NOT NOT scrimp on brushed. Soft real hair and the small ones when you get close to the edges. I also keep on hand Q-tips. The real ones not the other brands. Reason is they are wound tighter and you don't smear. Getting everthing saturated is so important. AND always when brushing go in the direction of the hair or whatever. You will see that foundation and it is just as important as the top details. I think that I take more time with my foundation as this is setting my working surface. Colette

I just can't say enough about prismacolor watercolor pencils. They are so great in getting color down in the background. I usually start with the wax based and some solvent. Now that I have this down I turn to the watercolor base and work and then a little water to blend and so on. I finish with the wax based again to get the last of the details in. Prismacolor - Keep up the great work. Colette