I'm a total newbie at this technique, but I'll tell you what I know (gleaned from the dozens of posts on this topic!)
Prisma is short for prismacolor -- a brand of waterproof colored pencil. Other brands that I've heard people recommend that works well is RoseArt or Crayola, but just make sure that they are NOT watercolor. I did not buy my prismacolor pencils in the tins because it was cheaper for me to buy the individual pencils that matched the SU colors (listed
in this post). I ordered my pencils from
www.dickblick.com. Scroll down the page and you'll see the individual colors. I don't know if they ship to the UK, but they also sell Gamsol and the blender stumps.
Gamsol is a brand of odorless 100% mineral spirits. I bought a brand called Mona Lisa and the label says Odorless Paint Thinner. I looked at the ingredients section on the back and it read "100% mineral spirits." That's what you want to dissolve the colored pencil. It really doesn't smell at all, which is great, but you still have to be careful about getting it on your skin, breathing it in, etc. I also bought a little round plastic container (like a travel-size bottle) in the art department that is double-walled and has a tight lid. I cut a piece of felt to fit in the bottom and I squeeze a little bit into the tub. This is a whole lot more convenient that having to work from the larger bottle of mineral spirits.
Gamsol and Prismacolour pencils
