What is a non-photo blue pencil?

I remember when I started drawing comics, I saw many artists who worked traditional using non-phot blue pencils before scanning their work, but what for? Let’s go into the history and the benefits of using them.

History

Blue pencils have been in existence to the public since the late 18th century. Eberhard Faber which is also known as Staedtler today offered a range of two color pencils which included blue by 1873. They were also best known later for its Mongol pencil, which has world renown among writers and animators.

By 1888, the term “blue pencil” was being used as a synonym for “edit” or “censor”. During World War II, colored pencils including blue were used to mark military maps. The blue pencil became associated with editorial marks. The term “blue pencil” became a common phrase for editorial control and censorship.

During the pre-digital era photographic imaging was not sensitive to a specific shade of blue. This sparked an interest among artist working in media and professional fields to adopt the blue pencil to be used as a base layer prior to inking. The final result would only show inks after the printing process. This saved artist time prior to this method all base layer marks would have to be manually erased.

Later in when the scanner was introduced in the 1970’s it was discovered that blue pencil work was also able to be removed easily through digital programs. This encouraged artist to use the blue pencil and made it a mainstream tool which is known today as a non-photo blue pencil for traditional mediums.

Should you use a non-photo blue pencil?

From my experience if you will be scanning your artwork and you know it will be used digitally then I recommend using it. Using the non-photo blue pencil speeds the process and you will not have to do any erasing. If you are creating traditional pieces of artwork to specifically sell, I would not recommend it as most non-photo blue pencils can be hard to erase and leave marks on paper that when mixed with color are still visible. It would be easier to use a hard graphite pencil as a base layer then erase it.

Some artists who work traditionally and scan their comics with blue base layers, sell their originals with the non-photo blue pencil marks on the piece. Some collectors prefer or enjoy seeing this base layer work as it shows the artist building process.