I never took art classes in school. While in college, I needed to buy colored pencils at the university bookstore to help me get through my biology classes. I bought 24 of these pencils and have kept them all these years. I JUST FOUND OUT TODAY THAT THEY ARE WATERCOLOR PENCILS! 😂😂😂
Thank you the way explained about the color pencils was really good. I just got them as a Christmas gift and I am going to try them. Your tips were really helpful.
I like them dried up. I have now bought a box 60 of them. Thank you for the demo (Y) ( have both Caran d'Ache Supracolor and Faber Castell Albrecht Dürer full sets - I needed new colors to supply those I have.)
I have a set of 36 that I got in a box lot of art supplies. I really don't need them since I use other brands. I think these are more on the student grade level. I'll probably sell my set at the annual art supply garage sale I participate in to destash supplies. Thanks for the review!
I have subscribed almost all the art channels on RUclips. Because they all put so much effort on making these videos, please give them some encourage. ❤
thanks, this was a useful review. I found a couple staedtler colored pencils that I bought during school many years ago (for non photo blue drawing). I didn't realize until this week that one was a watercolor pencil (honestly I didn't think that watercolor pencils existed back then but I was not a watercolor person then either). (like another commenter)... I liked the texture of the staedtler watercolor pencil a little more than a starter watercolor pencil set I bought (just to try the medium) but after this review I will probably seek out a different brand for upgrading to a higher quality set. it does seem like the color should dry in a similar vibrancy to the color that appears when the pencil gets wet.
Thank you for the note. If you need help selecting another watercolor pencil brand, please check out my library of videos on various pencils, because that is definitely a sweet spot for me. Thanks for your note here.
Hi, i have a set of this pencils from 15 years ago or more (the tin has a blue design and the pencils are backwards: each one is covered in its respective color and only the reverse has a golden ring), and they're not that bright and vivid when dry, but they resist very well time. All my drawings keep the colors true (even when they're only in sketchbooks, some of them weren't the most excellent paper and still maintain vibrant). Not professional but good enough
Thanks for the heads up. I've considered these in the past, but what put me off was the price of them here in the UK. For what are ostensibly student grade pencils you could buy an equivalent sized set of artist grade Faber Castell Albrecht Durer for LESS money. Not that there's anything wrong with Staedtler as a brand as I adore their allwrite graphite pencils and you can't beat triplus fineliners for durability and versatility.
Senghe I completely agree on the cost/value argument. These tend to be a bit more affordable here in the US, however the lack of vibrancy is definitely a tough negative to overcome.
StyleByMars Yeah, sorry about that. The US dollar is pretty strong right now, but a few years ago when I was in Montreal, the Canadian dollar was very strong.
This shows exactly what I said, that if you use the same amount of pencil on the same size shape, the vibrancy of the colour is the same when activated with water. This review is unfair claiming that the wet colours fade when you have diluted them and spread them over six times the area. Would you say the same for watercolour paint used in a wash compared to straight from the tube? It's much the same situation.
Thank you very much for this and other reviews. I almost bought this set of color pencil today but nicely I have checked out your review beforehand. Thanks again.
SuperFlawless9 Yep, I will add it to the list right now. I've got about 4 requests queued up and am working on them. Thanks for the request, stay tuned. Hope you're doing well.
SuperFlawless9 I tend to use the same pencils though (FC Poly's) so I've worn a few sets out over time. Nothing like a well worn pencil to tell the Artists story. :-)
im glad i watched this review, johanna basford has been really enthusiastic about these pencils and how good they are, but then again she is getting paid by staedler to promote their products. I bought the ergosoft on johannas advice and they were a total let down so now i do my research. Thank you for your unbiased opinion, think i will go for the faber castell watercolour pencils now.
Thank you for watching and for leaving the comments. When there's a conflict of interest, for example someone is getting paid by the manufacturer, I think it's good to do your homework. :-)
And if you dilute and spread your faber castell colours as much as Owings Art diluted these, I think you will have found they aren't as bright as the concentrated patch of dry colour.
These are premium water-colour pencils. Whether one likes them or not, is personal taste. But to reference this item as if it's a budget, student grade pencil is inaccurate. I have not read any negative reviews of these pencils by professionals- on the contrary, this item usually scores high favorables. Many of the comments I see here may have caused many not to purchase these and I find this a mistake- as these are wonderful pencils, and one of the best I have tried and are truest to the water-colour medium. And yes, I prefer these over the Faber Castell Albrecht Durer.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It isn't preference, these just aren't as good as other professional watercolor pencils. Doesn't mean they are bad, they're just not as good. You don't happen to work for Staedtler do you? :-) ~Marty
Shreykishore Bangera Thank you for the comment and the question. The good news is that there are many great options for beginners. Faber-Castell (made in Germany) has a good watercolor pencil called "Albrecht Durer". Derwent (made in England) has "Derwent Watercolour" which is also a good choice and should be affordable. If you don't mind spending a little more money you could consider buying the very excellent Caran d'Ache (made in Switzerland) Museum Aquarelle pencil. Whenever beginners ask me what pencils to buy I generally answer the same way, buy the best you can afford. Even if it means buying fewer pencils. Avoiding cheap pencils actually saves money in the long run and it forces the companies to raise their standards and make better products. Good luck and keep drawing.
Shreykishore Bangera Well I think Daler-Rowney are okay for beginners. They have small sets of colored pencils, but not many colors. You might be better with Faber-Castell Polychromos.
The karat Aquarell are one of the best (Aquarell) coloured pencils ever !! I have many "high end/quality pencils" : Caran D'ache supracolor/Luminance,Polychromos, FC Albrecht Dürer... But the Staedtler karat Aquarell are the best "all-rounder colored pencils" 👍!
I am actually still using a box of Karat series watercolor pencil from close to 18 years ago, and the color application are still brilliant, it has not cracked or become brittle even today. I also own a set of Derwent Rexel watercolor pencils from 18 years ago, the amazing thing is that I've accidentally dropped the whole set of pencils on the floor at least 2-3 times but 99% of the pencil cores remain intact without breaking up ! Only maybe 1 color has internally broken up .. Comparing Derwent Rexel vs Staedtler Karat, I find that Karat colors are visibly more intense and Rexel colors are a lot softer ... the risk with intense colors is that you may get dirtier look is you overapply it, the risk with soft colors is that you may have difficulty getting the more intense look but its less likely to become very dirty looking ... its all about balance, so for me having both of these sets gives me double the choice of colors as both can be used together ! Another great thing about the old version of Karat pencils is that the whole pencil is coated with the color of the respective pencil ... so I gues over the years Staedtler wanted to cut cost by not the colors on the pencil itself, but thats just a minor drawback I think.. after all I usually depend on my self-created color charts to decide which color I want because self-created color charts will always give the exact color more exact than the pencil's color coating...
I have the same type of Karat watercolor pencil (bought only one or two individually) and I think it is pretty good (color is pretty intense). but the formula might have changed from the current line...
Thanks a lot for this great video and your hard work. Question : Which is better - Fabercastell art grip or this ( steadtler karat )? Which is better for a beginner? Both of these brands are available in 12 color pencils set in my area. Which one should I buy?
love your video's marty - i'm an artist who mainly uses pencils (in fact quite what you could call a pencil nut) And have to totally disagree with your verdict. They are superb! in a different league to many other brands of similar price range. I am making a video demonstration on these pencils where i paint an a3 finished piece on langton extra smooth. Also doing one on the koh i noor mondulez 72 set which i love. Of course we all have different expectations of pencils, what i do is do a finished piece with almost every brand and type of pencil on the market, then what is interesting is to see a full work with ones particular pencil of choice. The example sketches on tins don't really show what each brand is capable of, i aim to help address that. Best regards David
+david thornier Hi David - Thank you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts on these. These are not terrible wc pencils by any stretch, but they just didn't measure up for me. The pigment seemed weak, leading to a washed out look. The reduced color was enough to put me off. That said, they are well constructed and do have their purpose. I'll admit that I've been spoiled by Faber-Castell's Albrecht Dueler wc pencils and the Caran d'Ache Museum and Supracolor wc pencils. I definitely agree with you on the koh-i-noor Mondulez, they are really quite good. Your approach sounds thorough and I suppose it comes down to personal taste sometimes. And if you enjoy using them and they work well for you, I wouldn't stop using them based on my opinions. I checked out your videos and subscribed to your channel. Nice work on your landscapes. Feel free to return the favor if you feel inclined. Good luck and have a great day! - Marty
+Owings Art Thank you Marty i have been subscribed to your channel the best part of year now. What i find with the Karat is the blending, layering and pigment travel is far superior to anything the likes of derwent have produced. The reason you may find the fade worrying is the fact they are more like true watercolour than many other brands hence from wet to dry there is quite a noticeable change in tone. This for me is actually a huge plus as they can be as subtle or as intense as you wish and i will show both techniques in a forthcoming video - when you see a finished piece with this pencil you may want to get them out again and experiment. Best regards as always and thank you for your fantastic work, it is one of my favourite go to pencil video's and reviews channel. ATB David
david thornber Hi David - Thanks so much for the reply. I'd be very interested to see what you're able to do with these pencils. Please drop me a line when you post the video. Many thanks - Marty
Thank you. I found a 24 pack on sale for about 15$ and I've now watched a couple reviews of this brand, and the reviews all say about the same thing. So perhaps I'll spend a little more money and get some proper art supplies worth the effort behind their use.
I never took art classes in school. While in college, I needed to buy colored pencils at the university bookstore to help me get through my biology classes. I bought 24 of these pencils and have kept them all these years. I JUST FOUND OUT TODAY THAT THEY ARE WATERCOLOR PENCILS! 😂😂😂
Ha!!!!! That's awesome, like a treasure you didn't know you had. So cool. Have fun with your second life wc pencils.
This is hilarious man, 😂
Thank you the way explained about the color pencils was really good. I just got them as a Christmas gift and I am going to try them. Your tips were really helpful.
I like them dried up. I have now bought a box 60 of them. Thank you for the demo (Y) ( have both Caran d'Ache Supracolor and Faber Castell Albrecht Dürer full sets - I needed new colors to supply those I have.)
Thanks for watching!
My sweet l'il bro just bought me a set and sent them to me. Thanks for your review. They'll serve me well- I need lots of practice! lol
I have a set of 36 that I got in a box lot of art supplies. I really don't need them since I use other brands. I think these are more on the student grade level. I'll probably sell my set at the annual art supply garage sale I participate in to destash supplies. Thanks for the review!
They will hopefully go to a good home and get lots of use.
I have subscribed almost all the art channels on RUclips. Because they all put so much effort on making these videos, please give them some encourage. ❤
Thank you so much 😀
Love that drawing!
My Panda Paints Thank you so much Panda!
thanks, this was a useful review. I found a couple staedtler colored pencils that I bought during school many years ago (for non photo blue drawing). I didn't realize until this week that one was a watercolor pencil (honestly I didn't think that watercolor pencils existed back then but I was not a watercolor person then either). (like another commenter)... I liked the texture of the staedtler watercolor pencil a little more than a starter watercolor pencil set I bought (just to try the medium) but after this review I will probably seek out a different brand for upgrading to a higher quality set. it does seem like the color should dry in a similar vibrancy to the color that appears when the pencil gets wet.
Thank you for the note. If you need help selecting another watercolor pencil brand, please check out my library of videos on various pencils, because that is definitely a sweet spot for me. Thanks for your note here.
Hi, i have a set of this pencils from 15 years ago or more (the tin has a blue design and the pencils are backwards: each one is covered in its respective color and only the reverse has a golden ring), and they're not that bright and vivid when dry, but they resist very well time. All my drawings keep the colors true (even when they're only in sketchbooks, some of them weren't the most excellent paper and still maintain vibrant). Not professional but good enough
Agreed.
Thanks for the heads up. I've considered these in the past, but what put me off was the price of them here in the UK. For what are ostensibly student grade pencils you could buy an equivalent sized set of artist grade Faber Castell Albrecht Durer for LESS money. Not that there's anything wrong with Staedtler as a brand as I adore their allwrite graphite pencils and you can't beat triplus fineliners for durability and versatility.
Senghe I completely agree on the cost/value argument. These tend to be a bit more affordable here in the US, however the lack of vibrancy is definitely a tough negative to overcome.
agreed! I live in Canada, so naturally all us prices goods are more expensive...
StyleByMars Yeah, sorry about that. The US dollar is pretty strong right now, but a few years ago when I was in Montreal, the Canadian dollar was very strong.
Thanks so much for the review! Very helpful!
Glad it was helpful!
Please check Color with Claire to see her opinion of the complete range and the image si colored....very professional indeed.
This shows exactly what I said, that if you use the same amount of pencil on the same size shape, the vibrancy of the colour is the same when activated with water. This review is unfair claiming that the wet colours fade when you have diluted them and spread them over six times the area. Would you say the same for watercolour paint used in a wash compared to straight from the tube? It's much the same situation.
Hello , do you try them on different papers ? I see a video of girl using these pencil , and they was so vibrant dry '.'
Hi Krystine - Yes, they work well on most papers.
What about Karat stix,blox,pastel,crayon, form??
I need to try them.
Thank you very much for this and other reviews. I almost bought this set of color pencil today but nicely I have checked out your review beforehand. Thanks again.
NFCHK Thanks and glad it was helpful to you! Have a great day!
Could you please check out the General's Kimberly Watercolor pencils set? I'd appreciate it m80!
SuperFlawless9 Yep, I will add it to the list right now. I've got about 4 requests queued up and am working on them. Thanks for the request, stay tuned. Hope you're doing well.
Owings Art You buy so many pencils that I bet you don't even remember the last time, you finished a pencil set. :D
SuperFlawless9 I tend to use the same pencils though (FC Poly's) so I've worn a few sets out over time. Nothing like a well worn pencil to tell the Artists story. :-)
SuperFlawless9 You reminded me though that I need to start giving away some of these sets I have sitting here gathering dust. :-)
Owings Art Haha good idea!
im glad i watched this review, johanna basford has been really enthusiastic about these pencils and how good they are, but then again she is getting paid by staedler to promote their products. I bought the ergosoft on johannas advice and they were a total let down so now i do my research. Thank you for your unbiased opinion, think i will go for the faber castell watercolour pencils now.
Thank you for watching and for leaving the comments. When there's a conflict of interest, for example someone is getting paid by the manufacturer, I think it's good to do your homework. :-)
And if you dilute and spread your faber castell colours as much as Owings Art diluted these, I think you will have found they aren't as bright as the concentrated patch of dry colour.
These are premium water-colour pencils. Whether one likes them or not, is personal taste. But to reference this item as if it's a budget, student grade pencil is inaccurate. I have not read any negative reviews of these pencils by professionals- on the contrary, this item usually scores high favorables. Many of the comments I see here may have caused many not to purchase these and I find this a mistake- as these are wonderful pencils, and one of the best I have tried and are truest to the water-colour medium. And yes, I prefer these over the Faber Castell Albrecht Durer.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It isn't preference, these just aren't as good as other professional watercolor pencils. Doesn't mean they are bad, they're just not as good. You don't happen to work for Staedtler do you? :-) ~Marty
Owings Art I love The video. It is so informative. Can you tell me the best watercolour pencils for begginers
Shreykishore Bangera Thank you for the comment and the question. The good news is that there are many great options for beginners. Faber-Castell (made in Germany) has a good watercolor pencil called "Albrecht Durer". Derwent (made in England) has "Derwent Watercolour" which is also a good choice and should be affordable. If you don't mind spending a little more money you could consider buying the very excellent Caran d'Ache (made in Switzerland) Museum Aquarelle pencil. Whenever beginners ask me what pencils to buy I generally answer the same way, buy the best you can afford. Even if it means buying fewer pencils. Avoiding cheap pencils actually saves money in the long run and it forces the companies to raise their standards and make better products. Good luck and keep drawing.
Owings Art Thank You very much. Because of your videos I have been progressing a lot in Art. I got a lot of information from you.
How would Daler-Rowney do. Is ti also Good for begginers ?
Shreykishore Bangera Well I think Daler-Rowney are okay for beginners. They have small sets of colored pencils, but not many colors. You might be better with Faber-Castell Polychromos.
Thanks for the share and the "warning".
The karat Aquarell are one of the best (Aquarell) coloured pencils ever !! I have many "high end/quality pencils" : Caran D'ache supracolor/Luminance,Polychromos, FC Albrecht Dürer... But the Staedtler karat Aquarell are the best "all-rounder colored pencils" 👍!
Many people agree with you!
I am actually still using a box of Karat series watercolor pencil from close to 18 years ago, and the color application are still brilliant, it has not cracked or become brittle even today.
I also own a set of Derwent Rexel watercolor pencils from 18 years ago, the amazing thing is that I've accidentally dropped the whole set of pencils on the floor at least 2-3 times but 99% of the pencil cores remain intact without breaking up ! Only maybe 1 color has internally broken up ..
Comparing Derwent Rexel vs Staedtler Karat, I find that Karat colors are visibly more intense and Rexel colors are a lot softer ... the risk with intense colors is that you may get dirtier look is you overapply it, the risk with soft colors is that you may have difficulty getting the more intense look but its less likely to become very dirty looking ... its all about balance, so for me having both of these sets gives me double the choice of colors as both can be used together !
Another great thing about the old version of Karat pencils is that the whole pencil is coated with the color of the respective pencil ... so I gues over the years Staedtler wanted to cut cost by not the colors on the pencil itself, but thats just a minor drawback I think.. after all I usually depend on my self-created color charts to decide which color I want because self-created color charts will always give the exact color more exact than the pencil's color coating...
I have the same type of Karat watercolor pencil (bought only one or two individually) and I think it is pretty good (color is pretty intense). but the formula might have changed from the current line...
Thanks a lot for this great video and your hard work.
Question : Which is better - Fabercastell art grip or this ( steadtler karat )? Which is better for a beginner? Both of these brands are available in 12 color pencils set in my area. Which one should I buy?
I give a slight edge to the FC Art Grip. :-)
Can you explain me why? Just the main cause, please.And thanks for replying! :-)
Thx for showing this. Helps a lot.
hi I'm aditya which pencil do you think is better ergosoft or karat
+aditya m Both are good, but I give the slight edge to karat.
love your video's marty - i'm an artist who mainly uses pencils (in fact quite what you could call a pencil nut) And have to totally disagree with your verdict. They are superb! in a different league to many other brands of similar price range. I am making a video demonstration on these pencils where i paint an a3 finished piece on langton extra smooth. Also doing one on the koh i noor mondulez 72 set which i love. Of course we all have different expectations of pencils, what i do is do a finished piece with almost every brand and type of pencil on the market, then what is interesting is to see a full work with ones particular pencil of choice. The example sketches on tins don't really show what each brand is capable of, i aim to help address that. Best regards David
+david thornier Hi David - Thank you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts on these. These are not terrible wc pencils by any stretch, but they just didn't measure up for me. The pigment seemed weak, leading to a washed out look. The reduced color was enough to put me off. That said, they are well constructed and do have their purpose.
I'll admit that I've been spoiled by Faber-Castell's Albrecht Dueler wc pencils and the Caran d'Ache Museum and Supracolor wc pencils.
I definitely agree with you on the koh-i-noor Mondulez, they are really quite good. Your approach sounds thorough and I suppose it comes down to personal taste sometimes. And if you enjoy using them and they work well for you, I wouldn't stop using them based on my opinions.
I checked out your videos and subscribed to your channel. Nice work on your landscapes. Feel free to return the favor if you feel inclined. Good luck and have a great day! - Marty
+Owings Art Thank you Marty i have been subscribed to your channel the best part of year now. What i find with the Karat is the blending, layering and pigment travel is far superior to anything the likes of derwent have produced. The reason you may find the fade worrying is the fact they are more like true watercolour than many other brands hence from wet to dry there is quite a noticeable change in tone. This for me is actually a huge plus as they can be as subtle or as intense as you wish and i will show both techniques in a forthcoming video - when you see a finished piece with this pencil you may want to get them out again and experiment. Best regards as always and thank you for your fantastic work, it is one of my favourite go to pencil video's and reviews channel. ATB David
david thornber Hi David - Thanks so much for the reply. I'd be very interested to see what you're able to do with these pencils. Please drop me a line when you post the video. Many thanks - Marty
great videos by the way subbed
+aditya m Thank you for the support! - Marty
Thank you. I found a 24 pack on sale for about 15$ and I've now watched a couple reviews of this brand, and the reviews all say about the same thing. So perhaps I'll spend a little more money and get some proper art supplies worth the effort behind their use.
Thank you:)
not avaiyalible in india
Sorry to hear that.
Actually I'm from Pakistan and I just bought them yesterday so I'm pretty sure they'll also be available in India. :)
maybe
guau
silly, just saying that because they are not "expensive" brand. If had people say they are amazing pencils... stop saying they are cheap...
Thanks for the note.