Artist are not scholar pencils or bad pencils. They are hard pointed and very pigmented. This means you have to have a light layering technique that profits from the use of light and blending colors. If you try to use it as the colorsoft or cromaflow they will look horrible. In order to use them you have to develop a technique and learn to use them properly thats why they are called "Artist". The same happened to me but after good practice they are fantastic that improve my use of light and a more thoughtful intention when apliying layers.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and taking time to do this comprehensive review. 😊 It made me realize that I also have several Derwent products in my art supplies. I have forgotten about my Derwent Artists colored pencils but saw it in my stock and I'm now color swatching it. I had it for more than 3 years and I did not like it when I tried to use it at that time. However, now while recently swatching it, my perception changed a bit because I think there is a technique to get the pigment out and avoid streaks~ it needs to be layered slowly and by soft application only.
Very helpful video! I have inktense and been considering getting a set of their colored pencils but wasn't sure which one! I'm probably gonna get the Chromaflow soon :)
I only have the Chromaflow and a few Inktense. I love both... Still love my Polychromos more, but they're fine for other needs, Chromaflow when I want a softer lead but don't feel like using my Luminance. The Inktense are nice for backgrounds or add some pop in a drawing. Don't feel the need to test the other ones, but I might be tempted to buy more Inktense as I only have the 24 box.
Thanks for this! Derwent has so many colored pencil lines. I guess from a marketing perspective, they're trying to have a line for every purpose, but as a consumer, it's hard for me to understand the difference between them all. It seems like the "artist" pencils are really their student grade, the Colorsoft are their version of Prismas, and Lightfast is their Luminance. Still not sure about the Chromaflows or Procolor. I do love the muted colors of the Drawing line, but I find the range too limited. About half the pencils are a midtone red/brown, which all just blend together. I think it really needs another green, like olive or sap. I can't use that set alone, I do need to supplement it with other colors. But I do love those pencils! The Inktense - try them on black paper. I was amazed, they're actually very opaque! People always say they're "ink in pencil form," but ink isn't chalky or opaque. After trying them on black paper, I think they're more like gouache. Anyway, thanks so much for this thorough review! Very, very helpful!
Hi Rita. Artists are definitely not a student pencil. They are Derwent’s original coloured pencil. Derwent has been making fine pencils in England for 190 years. They ooze quality. I have owned three full sets (72, 72 and 120) of Artists plus replaced as open stock over a period of 40 years. They are quality pencils. A lot of individual choice comes down to personal preference for ‘feel’. I like hard cores as you can sharpen to a fine point for detailed work. Choice.
Derwent Artists is 100% not for beginners. It is for, as the pencils are named, Artists. Meant to be layered LIGHTLY. And on good quality paper. He used cheap paper.
Great comparison! Love it. My sister is a Derwent fan and she told me that 1. Inktense can be used on fabric, iron to set the colour (she worked in a fabric shop) and 2. the Outliner pencil in the Inktense is for literally creating outlines so that the ink doesn't bleed. Other than that, I have the Drawing pencil set and love them! I believe that the Studio and Artist are the same core in different sizes? Unsure, but tried the Studio and hurt my hands trying to get colour out.
@@STLwildlifeArt as far as I know, you draw an outline if you don't want your colours to bleed when you activate the ink. Apparently, ink won't go past the outline. Haven't tried it myself, but that's what she says
Thanks for this very very informative video! I’m loving pencils, first love watercolor, but pencils are so much easier to transport when going out and about! I’ve used Inktense pencils and and love that they are so beautiful when water is added. Thank you for sharing. Karen Dirmish, learner 30:32
I’m new to pencils. I LOVE prismacolor bc they are so creamy and easy to blend! As someone new I have to say it’s a lot easier to learn on than budget pencils. Though fine detail is hard to do. I got the intense bc I loved how punchy, vibrant they are! They are a bigger learning curve. Maybe if you’re use to watercolor/paints it wouldn’t be? Anyway enjoyed your review thx
Thank you so much. I am also a fan of Prismacolor. As for inktense, I really want to try these out on a full painting but details I'm still needing more practice.
I agree with that the drawing pencil is my favorite, or equal to my fondness to the graphtint. My only complaint is that they don't make a full set of more colors under the drawing pencil. Compared to other professional brand pencils, I don't care for the pro color. The Artist, and color soft, for me I liked the way colorsoft went down, but they continually rubbed off, I found myself having to continue going back over multiple times, based on this I never took out the Artist set. I did buy a set of 36 Chromaflow out of curiosity, I like them however I don't like them better than FC polychromos, Pablos, Brutffuner (square) or Cezanne, or Pablo's, I'm not willing to splurge on the Chromaflow set of 150. I have more than enough professional brands, at some point you've just got to stop. I appreciate your comparison, though it would've been nice to see you do real layering. It appears you got heavy handed rather quickly.
Question; The lightest looked comparable to the drawing pencils, particularly when you switched. Are they close in how they color? I already have the Luminescence, and know how much I like them. But as I said in other post I really like the drawing pencil, very creamy. What is your opinion as to similarity between the lightest, and drawing pencil?
Very cool video, thank you! I love how honest you talk about your experience with the different series. May I ask if you have also tried Caran d'Ache Luminance and Faber Castell Polychromos? I really like the Luminance for their smooth softness and dislike the Polychromos because I feel like they are too hard/firm for me. However I feel like there are not enough Greens and no strong Pink in the Luminance range and I would like to add those to my collection which is why I'm checking out the Derwent range. If you know the Luminance may I ask you for a hint? What series of the Derwent range is closest to the Luminance in terms of the feel of the pencils (softness etc.)? Thank you very much!
I recently purchased Derwent Chromaflow, after reading positive reviews. Generally I like them. Colours are beautiful and pencils themselves are very soft, wchich I like. However the quality of wood is soooo dissapointing, horrible tbh. Couple of them already broke and I am sharpening them really gently. I will use them and probably enjoy for as long as they last, but because the quality of barrels is so bad, I will not be re-purchasing them. If I knew the quality of barrel is so bad, I wouldn't buy them in the first place.
The quality is better now IMO. When I purchased my 72 set I had several that broke. But I just received my 150 set and none broke when sharpened. I used a Dahle 133 which gives a really nice point….I love how it wastes virtually no lead.
Kainggit yung set of 72 na lightfast moooo huhu. I own both the polychromos and the coloursofts and i love em both so far. They compliment each other very well and i get to have the best of both worlds with these pencils. While the pigment on the coloursofts is superior i cant help but feel that their material is not premium enough for the slightly steep price lol unlike the polychromos. I think theyre too light and i kinda want my pencils to have little weight in them.
Would you say the various Derwent lines break down like so?: Budget hard/detail pencils - Artist's Mid range hard/detail pencils - Procolour Budget soft pencils - Coloursoft Mid range soft pencils - Chromaflow Specialized soft pencils for nature and botanical drawings - Drawing All around top tier pencils - Lightfast
Did some more research on my own, and found that they break down more like this: Hard core pencil line: Artist's Detail oriented hard core pencil line: Studio Medium core pencil line: Procolour Entry level soft core pencils: Chromaflow Mid range soft core pencils: Coloursoft Specialized soft pencils for nature and botanical drawings - Drawing All around top tier pencils - Lightfast
For me, the artist pencils act more as oil-based than they do wax-based, doesn't mean they're bad, they work very well for me, but not what you want if you're looking for a set of soft pencils.
Artist are not scholar pencils or bad pencils. They are hard pointed and very pigmented. This means you have to have a light layering technique that profits from the use of light and blending colors. If you try to use it as the colorsoft or cromaflow they will look horrible. In order to use them you have to develop a technique and learn to use them properly thats why they are called "Artist". The same happened to me but after good practice they are fantastic that improve my use of light and a more thoughtful intention when apliying layers.
I have the 120 set and think you are right. I think I need to learn how to use them because there are some unique colours 🥰
@@be_a_bright_sparkle3687Lucky. I would love the 120 set…but, considering it’s discontinued I don’t know if I could actually use them.
@@KitKatToeBeans I recently made myself use them, they are hard work and soon put them back on the shelf…🤣🤣
Even in Derwent catalogue, it is mentioned that that they are not very pigmented. Colour intensity : 3 Chromaflow : 5
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and taking time to do this comprehensive review. 😊 It made me realize that I also have several Derwent products in my art supplies. I have forgotten about my Derwent Artists colored pencils but saw it in my stock and I'm now color swatching it. I had it for more than 3 years and I did not like it when I tried to use it at that time. However, now while recently swatching it, my perception changed a bit because I think there is a technique to get the pigment out and avoid streaks~ it needs to be layered slowly and by soft application only.
Yes, they are coated. For protection in transit. Thank you so much for this review, very very helpful
Very helpful video! I have inktense and been considering getting a set of their colored pencils but wasn't sure which one! I'm probably gonna get the Chromaflow soon :)
This is exactly review I wanted to see!
Grateful to have helped!
Thanks for sharing your honest review, it was great! Helped me a lot to decide which Derwent set works better for my coloring need.
No problem! Tell me about the set you got and how did it work out for you
I only have the Chromaflow and a few Inktense. I love both... Still love my Polychromos more, but they're fine for other needs, Chromaflow when I want a softer lead but don't feel like using my Luminance. The Inktense are nice for backgrounds or add some pop in a drawing. Don't feel the need to test the other ones, but I might be tempted to buy more Inktense as I only have the 24 box.
Thanks for this! Derwent has so many colored pencil lines. I guess from a marketing perspective, they're trying to have a line for every purpose, but as a consumer, it's hard for me to understand the difference between them all. It seems like the "artist" pencils are really their student grade, the Colorsoft are their version of Prismas, and Lightfast is their Luminance. Still not sure about the Chromaflows or Procolor. I do love the muted colors of the Drawing line, but I find the range too limited. About half the pencils are a midtone red/brown, which all just blend together. I think it really needs another green, like olive or sap. I can't use that set alone, I do need to supplement it with other colors. But I do love those pencils! The Inktense - try them on black paper. I was amazed, they're actually very opaque! People always say they're "ink in pencil form," but ink isn't chalky or opaque. After trying them on black paper, I think they're more like gouache. Anyway, thanks so much for this thorough review! Very, very helpful!
You're always welcome, Rita :) I'll try the inktense on black paper soon! Thank you for this tip!
Hi Rita. Artists are definitely not a student pencil. They are Derwent’s original coloured pencil. Derwent has been making fine pencils in England for 190 years. They ooze quality. I have owned three full sets (72, 72 and 120) of Artists plus replaced as open stock over a period of 40 years. They are quality pencils. A lot of individual choice comes down to personal preference for ‘feel’. I like hard cores as you can sharpen to a fine point for detailed work. Choice.
The chromaflow is intended to beat or as an alternative to prismacolors.
The Graphitints go well with the DDPs… and you can’t beat the Derwent pencil smell ❤
Derwent Artists is 100% not for beginners. It is for, as the pencils are named, Artists. Meant to be layered LIGHTLY. And on good quality paper. He used cheap paper.
*Thanks ever so much for a perfect review.* Now I can select the set I’d like to buy feeling more at ease with my choice.
Happy to help :) Tell me about your experience with which set of pencils you got!
appreciate the comprehensive review ❤
Very good job dude. Very informative. Thanks for doing this for us.
Wonderful comparison! Thank you!
Great comparison! Love it. My sister is a Derwent fan and she told me that 1. Inktense can be used on fabric, iron to set the colour (she worked in a fabric shop) and 2. the Outliner pencil in the Inktense is for literally creating outlines so that the ink doesn't bleed. Other than that, I have the Drawing pencil set and love them! I believe that the Studio and Artist are the same core in different sizes? Unsure, but tried the Studio and hurt my hands trying to get colour out.
Tell more about the outline pencil? I have it but it confuses me
@@STLwildlifeArt no expert here, but I believe it is not water soluble, so can help keep the colours from bleeding into each other maybe?
@@STLwildlifeArt as far as I know, you draw an outline if you don't want your colours to bleed when you activate the ink. Apparently, ink won't go past the outline. Haven't tried it myself, but that's what she says
Very good job! Thank you! 🙂👍
Great review! I also love Derwent drawing pencils for the color palette.
They're so good! I'm considering getting a backup set when I have enough money in my coin jar :)
Great review! Many thanks 🙏🏾
Thanks for this very very informative video! I’m loving pencils, first love watercolor, but pencils are so much easier to transport when going out and about! I’ve used Inktense pencils and and love that they are so beautiful when water is added. Thank you for sharing. Karen Dirmish, learner 30:32
I’m new to pencils. I LOVE prismacolor bc they are so creamy and easy to blend! As someone new I have to say it’s a lot easier to learn on than budget pencils. Though fine detail is hard to do.
I got the intense bc I loved how punchy, vibrant they are! They are a bigger learning curve. Maybe if you’re use to watercolor/paints it wouldn’t be? Anyway enjoyed your review thx
Thank you so much. I am also a fan of Prismacolor. As for inktense, I really want to try these out on a full painting but details I'm still needing more practice.
Great reviews thankyou.
I agree with that the drawing pencil is my favorite, or equal to my fondness to the graphtint. My only complaint is that they don't make a full set of more colors under the drawing pencil.
Compared to other professional brand pencils, I don't care for the pro color.
The Artist, and color soft, for me I liked the way colorsoft went down, but they continually rubbed off, I found myself having to continue going back over multiple times, based on this I never took out the Artist set.
I did buy a set of 36 Chromaflow out of curiosity, I like them however I don't like them better than FC polychromos, Pablos, Brutffuner (square) or Cezanne, or Pablo's, I'm not willing to splurge on the Chromaflow set of 150. I have more than enough professional brands, at some point you've just got to stop.
I appreciate your comparison, though it would've been nice to see you do real layering. It appears you got heavy handed rather quickly.
Question; The lightest looked comparable to the drawing pencils, particularly when you switched. Are they close in how they color? I already have the Luminescence, and know how much I like them. But as I said in other post I really like the drawing pencil, very creamy. What is your opinion as to similarity between the lightest, and drawing pencil?
tinted charcoal y graphitint son mis favoritas para paisaje
nunca he probado los drawing, aunque ya pronto me comprare unos.
I heard that the coloursoft pencils have a dry soft pastel feel like the Drawing pencils . Is it true ? Thanks !
I purchased the watercolor pencils, colored pencils, metallic pencils and the 72 Inktense pencils. I enjoy them all.
OOOOHHH The Metalic pencils! I was supposed to get them but it has been difficult. I can't find it in any of the online shops we have here.
Very cool video, thank you! I love how honest you talk about your experience with the different series.
May I ask if you have also tried Caran d'Ache Luminance and Faber Castell Polychromos? I really like the Luminance for their smooth softness and dislike the Polychromos because I feel like they are too hard/firm for me. However I feel like there are not enough Greens and no strong Pink in the Luminance range and I would like to add those to my collection which is why I'm checking out the Derwent range. If you know the Luminance may I ask you for a hint? What series of the Derwent range is closest to the Luminance in terms of the feel of the pencils (softness etc.)? Thank you very much!
By the way I'll have to say that I need some non-watersoluble pencils (as the Luminance) because I also work with watercolor on top sometimes 😉
Lightfast is the closest to luminance ..
I recently purchased Derwent Chromaflow, after reading positive reviews.
Generally I like them. Colours are beautiful and pencils themselves are very soft, wchich I like.
However the quality of wood is soooo dissapointing, horrible tbh. Couple of them already broke and I am sharpening them really gently.
I will use them and probably enjoy for as long as they last, but because the quality of barrels is so bad, I will not be re-purchasing them.
If I knew the quality of barrel is so bad, I wouldn't buy them in the first place.
The quality is better now IMO. When I purchased my 72 set I had several that broke. But I just received my 150 set and none broke when sharpened. I used a Dahle 133 which gives a really nice point….I love how it wastes virtually no lead.
Kainggit yung set of 72 na lightfast moooo huhu. I own both the polychromos and the coloursofts and i love em both so far. They compliment each other very well and i get to have the best of both worlds with these pencils. While the pigment on the coloursofts is superior i cant help but feel that their material is not premium enough for the slightly steep price lol unlike the polychromos. I think theyre too light and i kinda want my pencils to have little weight in them.
Im going to start my Derwent collection with the Chromaflow. I really wanted the Lightfast but, gosh the price.
Thanks for sharing your honest review, really appreciate it. Which do you say is the equivalent of Faber-Castell polychromos?
I think the Lightfast is a close one since they're both Oil based but the Artist pencils share similarly in terms of lead hardness. :) Hope this helps
All pencils have a mix of wax and oil. Lightfast has less oil predominance than the polychromos. But more than the Prismacolors.
Is it wax bassed, Water Colour, Pastel colour, Charcoal bassed???
Thank you!!
Hello, Can you please tell me that are the Derwent lightfast colors better or the Derwent drawing pencils?😊
In my opinion Artists are not soft, they have the hardest core
Agree! I know it has its niche but for an all around pencil, Coloursoft and Chromaflow are great for entry-level.
Thanks I needed this
Glad it helped:)
You did a great job on this video! Definitely earned a sub from me!💕
No derwent pastel pencils?
Would you say the various Derwent lines break down like so?:
Budget hard/detail pencils - Artist's
Mid range hard/detail pencils - Procolour
Budget soft pencils - Coloursoft
Mid range soft pencils - Chromaflow
Specialized soft pencils for nature and botanical drawings - Drawing
All around top tier pencils - Lightfast
Did some more research on my own, and found that they break down more like this:
Hard core pencil line: Artist's
Detail oriented hard core pencil line: Studio
Medium core pencil line: Procolour
Entry level soft core pencils: Chromaflow
Mid range soft core pencils: Coloursoft
Specialized soft pencils for nature and botanical drawings - Drawing
All around top tier pencils - Lightfast
Artist pencils are hard core, the prices of Derwent pencils in Australia are really expensive.
For me, the artist pencils act more as oil-based than they do wax-based, doesn't mean they're bad, they work very well for me, but not what you want if you're looking for a set of soft pencils.
Give away po? 🤗🤗
Thanks for explaining the Derwent sets 😂
I tried my best even though watching back now, I got pretty rambly and less technical with my explanations 😅
Agree with this review.
💝💞💯
🌸🌸🌸