Derwent - Lightfast Pencils 36 Tin

I do colored pencil drawings and I combine it with watercolor paintings and use Gamsol to get rid of the wax shine and let it melt into the paper or Arches 140lb cold press or 300lb. It lets my background go darker and I used it in the following painting as part of the light reflection. It isn't a professional photograph of the painting but Duochrome from Daniel Smith is on the birds so the light first shines there. The Lightfast pencils also allowed me to not be so worried about doing a composition since the multimedia blend is basically watercolor with oil paint and these pencils did great. #Sweepstakes

I've been working with coloured pencils for years now as a professional artist of mainly realism and wildlife/animal portraits. Previously I've worked with Faber Castell Polychromos and Prismacolor, I have very much enjoyed both sets, but what I was immediately so impressed with by Derwent Lightfast is that they seem to encompass the best of both brand characteristics of being the most smooth, buttery, richly pigmented colour that Prismacolour has, while being an oil based pencil and buildable coverage/blending like the Polychromos - and of course as the name should suggest the entire colour range is lightfast! That is an incredibly important feature for any artist but especially for those intending to use these products for commissions. No longer do I have to check ... MoreI've been working with coloured pencils for years now as a professional artist of mainly realism and wildlife/animal portraits. Previously I've worked with Faber Castell Polychromos and Prismacolor, I have very much enjoyed both sets, but what I was immediately so impressed with by Derwent Lightfast is that they seem to encompass the best of both brand characteristics of being the most smooth, buttery, richly pigmented colour that Prismacolour has, while being an oil based pencil and buildable coverage/blending like the Polychromos - and of course as the name should suggest the entire colour range is lightfast! That is an incredibly important feature for any artist but especially for those intending to use these products for commissions. No longer do I have to check each shade to confirm the lightfast rating before using it. Also the shades available are an exceptionally gorgeous range of tones that lend themselves irreplaceably to a more natural/earthy palette like what you'd expect to see in oil paintings! Perfect for portraiture, wildlife, scenery etc. Never have I been so excited to acquire a set before in my life, I highly recommend these and will be back to buy them again and again as a regular studio restock. Anyone who's even curious to try them, just the three Black tones alone are life changing and so unique!

Positives are, The pencils are vibrant. The wooden aesthetic of the pencil is pretty. They are a little "harder" than the soft pencils I'm used to. You have to push harder to get a more solid stroke. Now onto the things I don't understand. I expect a basic 12 count set to come with all the basic colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, black, brown, white & then sprinkle 3 extra at your discretion. I'm really confused that they didn't put a primary BLUE or RED & no ORANGE in the box but instead put a "mid ultramarine blue" that looks more like a sky blue or periwinkle, a scarlet red that looks red/orange, a salmon which we tend to think of as a coral color but in this set is a very light peachy, pink flesh tone. Then there's 4 brown/beigeish colors ... MorePositives are, The pencils are vibrant. The wooden aesthetic of the pencil is pretty. They are a little "harder" than the soft pencils I'm used to. You have to push harder to get a more solid stroke. Now onto the things I don't understand. I expect a basic 12 count set to come with all the basic colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, black, brown, white & then sprinkle 3 extra at your discretion. I'm really confused that they didn't put a primary BLUE or RED & no ORANGE in the box but instead put a "mid ultramarine blue" that looks more like a sky blue or periwinkle, a scarlet red that looks red/orange, a salmon which we tend to think of as a coral color but in this set is a very light peachy, pink flesh tone. Then there's 4 brown/beigeish colors included. So maybe a good set for someone doing a lot of portraits. Also, looking at their website I see that you cannot purchase any pencils separately. We all know that artists are running out of black & white fast. So I have to buy a full set every time I run low on those two. Sigh. If they made the basic set include the basic color wheel & sold individual pencils I'd be more inclined to purchase.