using chalk
 

I have not used any chalks yet, but would like to. If you use it to color in an image, does it smear when the recipient touches the card?? I use my colored pencils all of the time, and sometimes with the blender pen, but it seems like you can see the pencil marks.
Thanks,:)

With the chalks, you need to set it with something. You can use your blender pen to pick up the chalk color and color with it. I personally don't like that effect very much. You can also use versamark. I don't use chalks much, so hopefully someone who does will comment.

With regards to the colored pencils, I have that problem too. With my cheap watercolor pencils (non-su) some colors just won't blend well. But courtesy of a library book on watercolor pencils, I did learn that I needed to put down a lot more color than I was. If I colored the image in more, I could get the effect I wanted with the blender pens. If you haven't already, you might also try using watercolor paper. I've found the colors seem to blend and pull a lot better on that.

Lucie - you do need to set the chalks with something; some people give it a spritz of hairspray, some use an art fixative.

I've found that just covering the chalked area with a piece of plain white copy paper and burnishing it with the side of your fist pretty much eliminates any chalk transfer. It smushes the chalk into the paper it's colored on AND any bits that don't get rubbed into the picture get picked up and taken away by the copy paper.

I'd go with aerosol I think. The pump kind seems like it would be more likely to go on splattery and splotchy instead of a fine mist.