Derwent Coloursoft colored pencil review and speed drawing w/ Lachri
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- A full review of the Derwent Coloursoft set of 72 colored pencils plus a speed drawing demonstration so that we can really see these pencils in action. I also talk a bit about how they compare to Prismacolor Premier, Faber-Castell Polychromos, and Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils.
The dolphin painting that is supposed to be this week will be up next Wednesday. I was having audio issues. Sorry about that!
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Time lapse and speed painting tutorials and demonstrations by award winning artist Lachri. Learn how to paint portraits, surreal landscapes, pets, lions, tigers, and birds...pretty sure a Wizard of OZ reference should be made right about now. Get tips and watch techniques for working in acrylic and oil paint, carbon pencil, graphite and colored pencil.
This video was shot using the Canon VIXIA HF G20 HD camcorder.
• How to paint a surreal...
That was a brutal review. I am a big fan of coloured pencils as a medium and I love most of them. I think we should keep in mind that not all coloured pencil artists are going for realism, and many use these for colouring only like in adult colouring books, there is also abstract art, and art that is more painterly in style that you can accomplish using coloured pencils. If you want realism, I agree, do not use these pencils, but I think there is a whole artistic world out there outside of realism where these pencils would excel in. But that's just my opinion.
it is also not to blend with water
water pencil you can mix with water
I bought them and I was disappointed at first, until I used a bit of rough paper and it works pretty good
Thank you. I read your comment and bought it finally. I bought 2 colors of the colour soft one and I really like them. I used it on the smooth and darker paper. They are so soft as their name, and the colors was pretty. I think I like them. But to me they aren't good on rough paper. I think it may depends on person technique? Thank you anyways. I plan to buy more of them 😁
I love that you’re so honest in this review!
I have found a good use for them though. They feel like they are halfway between colored pencil and pastel pencil, so I use them on top of a work that’s already covered adequately in other brands. I can get a lovely slightly fuzzy look with them that I can’t get with any other pencil. Don’t use them to try to cover the paper or with OMS.
They are excellent for getting a soft fuzzy look over other pencils😀
Before you start thinking Derwent makes bad quality pencils, and they are so horrible from watching this review, I wish to tell you that Derwent Coloursoft is indeed not like typical colored pencils, and they are also a lot cheaper than Polychromos. It might not be the best pencil for Lisa's style, but they aren't that bad. I don't know if this is a misunderstanding between British English or something. But, I think for them colored pencils are pencil crayons. There are 2 types of Derwent colored pencils. One is the Coloursoft, which *is* like crayons. The other kind is called Derwent Artist Pencil. On Blick, they listed Derwent Artist Pencil under Drawing and Sketching I believe. Derwent Artist Pencils are also more expensive than their Coloursoft series, and you *can* achieve a smooth look with it. If you want to compare Derwent Artist and Polychromos, then Polychromos are definitely smoother than Derwent, but Derwent is also cheaper than Polychromos, so.... Derwent Artist pencils, however, is still considered soft compare to student grade pencils. If you want me to pick, my choice is Polychromos for my serious drawings, but if I just want to doodle, and color on my sketchbook, I will definitely use Derwent. I mean after all, Polychromos is a little expensive to waste, and Derwent Artist is wonderful pencil that are more affordable. As for pencil quality, I don't have breakage issue with Derwent Artist pencils, and I'm *not* concerned about lightfast.
Thank you so much for the information. I got a small set of Derwent Coloursoft because I heard an artist said it would give a pastel-like look. I've only used them for shading practices only (too lazy to do a serious piece now), but I honestly want to like it. Seriously, I did a realistic piece with Crayola colored pencils (of course cannot compare to artist levels :D), I doubt that the Derwent is able to disappoint me :)
Cathrine OAO It's strange to read someone compliment the Derwent Artist pencil (the derwent Studio pencils are apparently the same lead, only thinner), because I felt they had similar problems as the Colorsoft. The Artist pencils are so hard and waxy in my opinion, they can't layer much at all and I think the color was just bland.
Enpitsu san
Derwent is really a company that worthy of some heartfelt compliments. They really do keep their artists in mind. I mean really, being an artist is HARD: life isn't free for them, and yet, they are probably using up their materials quicker than most can earn back. Of course I do want to doodle with Luminance pencils lol
But, there is Derwent making affordable products for artists.
Yes, their leads are hard, and colors are less vibrant than my Polychromos by lots. They don't perform on light weight papers. But, do keep in mind they are also cheaper than Polychromos, and even cheaper in bigger set. The price does adds up because 1 set of pencil isn't going to last for your life time (if you do draw regularly). What I meant is they aren't poor quality pencil, and their performance is acceptable. If you have a higher standard, then you probably should have just paid for Polychromos or even Luminance.
Derwent pencils look well made, and I haven't come across bad pencils of poor quality control. I started my artist life with Derwent pencils, because I was concerned with Prismacolor quality. So I thought maybe British pencils aren't bad, since I couldn't afford German pencils back then. Derwent obviously doesn't perform as well as Faber Castell, especially for Lisa's style. But, at the same time it didn't feel like my money was wasted in buying their product, and I find great use for their pencils. Like I said, Derwent is my pick for practicing and doodling now, and I go for Polychromos on serious ones. At the moment, I can't afford Caran d'Ache.
Cathrine OAO
.I don't agree with what you are saying about Derwent, at least not those pencils, because, I have found color pencils at ToysRus that are way cheaper and work better and have more pigment and allow more layering than the Derwent Artist pencils. However I like the Derwent watercolor pencils, and think they work better than Derwent Artist when used as ordinary pencils (not applying water to them).
Enpitsu san
Well, I would assume that they are still more lightfast than average pencils. Derwent pencils also cause less wax bloom than my Crayola, they also layered better than my Crayola. It is after all, personal preference. Derwent Artist has this kinda scratchy feeling which makes the drawing looks like a pencil drawing. I prefer the grainy and raw textured drawing, and it is one of my styles. Bottom line Derwent Artist/Coloursoft are artist grade products, just on the lower tier of it, and you can expect acceptable coloring with those pencils. They aren't that horrible.
I actually have never tried watercolour pencil before, not any brand. I mean I just paint in watercolour if I wanted that effect anyway.
I've been using the Derwent coloursoft a few years now (72 set). And at the beginning of this year I bought the polychromos 120 set I did indeed notice the difference between them. But must say that the Derwent Coloursoft isn't that bad. You have learn to work with these pencils they have their own way of blending and stuff like that. For blending I found the rubbing alcohol works quite well but the best way I found blending these pencils is with the lightest or darkest colour( for example blending green would be with a super dark or a super light green). And if you want to work realistically the best way is to combine more brands of colored pencil.
But when It comes to Polychromos vs Derwent Coloursoft. Polychromos would win. (I haven't tried Prismacolor yet)
(Just my opinion no hate please)
I had a set before seeing this vedio and really worried that my set would go to waste. But after several attempts to try I discover this colour pencil goes really well with copic markers! It blends really well with copic marker. And glazing above markers looks really well too! I would love to see you try this out when you have time.
Personally , I think these work best for portraits . I have 6 especially for portraits and I use them with my Derwent artists pencils . It works great
I have used coloursoft pencils....they are actually pretty good in terms of blending, coverage and erasing. I just spray some workable fixative and just layer away. One thing people should know is that Coloursoft functions more like pastels (think Carb - Othello pencils), less like Prismas. On a good toothy surface Coloursoft stuff works and works well with other pastel brands, and I like how good an opacity they have IMHO. I think some of folks here should grab a few and try them out...they arnot particularly expensive either.
I turned out beautiful though? I've had these pencils for years and, okay, I never made amazing stuff with them, simply because I can't draw that well, but don't have a lot bad things to say for what I do. I kinda like them.
Lisa, just watching you color is sooooo helpful and inspiring! What a huge difference between the two pencils. I went out and bought the polychromos pencils after I saw your review of them, and was so happy to get them. You have probably saved an enormous amount of people from wasting their money getting these!
Craftin Kate :D
Lisa, I paused the video when you were inviting others to watch your critiques, speed drawings, vlogs, etc. to comment. When I played it and viewed your post scripted part, GREAT !. This is why you have a great group that follows your work. You are so entertaining. I think I liked the last part best. Again, thanks so much for all you do.
Michael Parry haha thanks :D
Lachri Fine Art The ending of the video really made me laugh. It was also funny when recommending Prismas left a bad taste in your mouth.
Thank you as well for all these coloured pencil reviews because I want to buy a professional grade set when I can afford to and they really help me make a better decision.
Oh my goodness! LOL I totally agree about the Derwent Coloursoft pencils. My set is still brand new...I felt so guilty because I RARELY used them, but now I don't. I wasn't impressed with them and thought maybe it was just me. Everyone I've talked to about them loves them. Thank you for this review Lisa!!!
I love the Derwent Coloursoft pencils... although I am not an artist doing my own work at this point but rather someone who enjoys coloring. I think the pencils dryness reminds me of pastel pencils and look great on dark paper, etc. My current favorite is Caran d'Ache Pablo (set of 120) although I have collected several brands to play with hoping someday to create my own art. I preventing found your channel and enjoy your videos. thanks for sharing your art, your opinion, and your personality. have a great day!
that's supposed to say I "Recently" found your channel... oops :)
thanks for doing the review. Derwent are the most affordable here (polychromos is almost £2 each even in big big sets they're £1) so that's it, but it's very nice to know how what you can get your hands on compares with what's out there, so you can know what you want in future
A friend of mine uses these pencils and he makes really detailed work with them. He also doesn't have that 'crayon look' at all. And... he makes really realistic work from eyes for example.
+Unknown Creature What he do to not have crayon look? :D
+Freyja's Shieldmaiden yes thats one thing that I love about these Derwent Coloursoft pencils, they don't get that crayon like look and they are so fine that they get right into the paper yet they also burnish really well too. Love them!
Freyja's Shieldmaiden i do too, actually what i want. but i will goto buy prismacolors after this. because i found that its easier to wotk with them as if. even though here they are 50 per cent more expensive.
I have never worked in coloured pencil, but have watched all your videos so know what is possible. Thank you for your honest review of these pencils. I will not be wasting any money on them when I do want to try coloured pencils. I bet you save a lot of people from disappointment and frustration by being so honest. Thank you :-)
For someone who doesnt have a lot of money to spend on,well, anything, your product reviews and critiques are amazing and help me to make more educated decisions on my purchases rather than totally guessing, so thank you!
Shania M I'm glad to help :)
Hello! I am relatively new in colored pencil world and your videos are helping a lot. I am trying various brands to see what they can offer and I want to say my experience with the colorsofts went a lot diferent then yours. In fact I found they very opaque and blendy and they burnished and covered as good as the polychromos. The white pencil specialy was even a bit more opaque then polychromos. When I saw this video I almost abandoned the idea of buy some to test but other reviews were saying good things so i decided to try. Course I am testing just small pics and not using thinner and stuff you but i liked them as much as the polychromos. Thanks for keeping this so helpfull and entertaining channel!
I think you should to try Derwent Artists: they are pretty closer to your style. Or, for mammalian wildlife, Derwent Drawing: I am so curious to see you working with Drawing pencils!!!
Derwent coloursoft (and pastels too) are designed for more other approaches and I think the same than you: no layering moreover.
For the most of my works Derwent Artists are my first choice.
Alfio Raciti Good information to know about the Derwent Artists versus the Coloursoft.
WOW gr8
I love my derwent artists , they're really great for layering and blending :)
This was so helpful. Thank you! I’ve been seeing these pencils around and was curious about them. I’m SO glad I watched this video before just going ahead and getting them.
Lisa, first of all thank you very much for all of the reviews that you have done over the past months. It is so important to 'say it as it is'. There are several of your followers who are on limited art budgets, and an investment into poor quality supplies is a very poor move. Your words help to guide in the purchases. Now, Lisa, even though you were very frustrated with these "cra##@" pencils, you were able to create a great looking drawing. (not what you wanted, but it turned out great). Thanks for this review.
Michael Parry Thanks :) I'm giving that drawing away on my next giveaway. I really was not happy with it!
Lachri Fine Art I think we could tell.
I'm glad that you share your honest opinion of these products. Some people, when they review items, are too forgiving, and then when someone goes to buy them they realize they're not as great as everyone said they were. People said that Marco Raffines were a good cheaper substitute for the higher end brands, and then I bought them and I thought they were awful, maybe I just didn't work with them well enough, but I don't use mineral spirits for blending because it's toxic and I am nursing atm, and I can't get them to blend the way people seem to be able to when they use the mineral spirits.. When you mentioned the price for the Derwent Colorsoft pencils I was shocked because they seem like a student grade pencil.
When i was in public school they used to force us to use prismacolor. I had tried multiple things before including colorsoft and i found the result to feel similar to working with crayola...It made my picture look awful (not that im a great artist anyway) and I see the difference in yours as well. Thanks for reviewing this brand, it gives me comfort in knowing its not just me!
It's awesome that you're able to make a review on this one. I've the derwent watercolor pencils set and I'm quite happy with them. So I was kind torn apart between buying these or the Polychromos (the luminance are just too expensive). Guess now I'm gonna go for the Polychromos. So thanks!
MissNausicaa87 The Polychromos are much better for realistic work! :D
I purchased the set of 12 from Blick website because someone said it would give a more pastel-like look, and partly because it was only around $5 then (phew!). Haven't worked with them yet but I'm glad you reviewed it. I'm feeling proud of myself for picking the Polychromos now (still waiting for it to come home though, it was out of stock :)
Quyen-kun The Polychromos will be worth the wait, those are SO nice to work with!
I got two smaller boxes of these. I do NOT like them. They are really hard to blend, and if I give just a little presue on them, they start to burnish. They are also terrible for layering! Normally I give my drawings around 5 layers. These can only take 1 or 2!
Well, I did as you said and bought a set of Lyra(72 pc.) on Amazon for 54+ new. I liked them so much I went back and bought 2 more for $67, the same day. Now they sell on Blick for $109. Amazon &75+........with a 2 month wait. In addition I got a 40 pc. set of Luminance. So far, I like the Lyra better......I know, "Who'd thought!"
+Judith A Rowland I love the Lyra with Polychromos. I paid 67 too. And yes, they are rising in price because everyone is realizing they're good pencils with solid light-fast on most colors.
I may buy a 76 Set of Luminance next month.
I find that derwent works well on super smooth paper like smooth Bristol or something similar. I use rubbing alcohol to smooth out CP art and it works very poorly with it. Burnishing is no problem on the smooth paper and I often mix it in with polychrome or prismas.
NinRodArts I use Gamsol to smooth mine out. It's still not the greatest, but I think it does a better job than what Lisa's paint thinner does.
Thanks for such a refreshingly honest view. I bought these for my mom a couple of years ago. They are perfect for what she uses them for, which is adult coloring books. But I'm glad I didn't purchase them for my artwork. Keep up the good work, I learn a lot from your videos.
Clare Roberts =D
I've only ever used Prismacolor (was gifted about 500 pencils by an artist who was getting out of her trade) but have always been frustrated by them. I saw these at the store the other day, glad I didn't pick them up. Thinking I will try out these Polychromos and Luminance pencils you love so much!
***** I'm glad to help :D
Have you done any kind of challenge videos? Like say the crayola challenge? I bet you could do wonders with them. Lol they might even be better than this brand, doesn't seem like it would be a hard product to beat though.
After a few months... After analyzing this review, and comparing it with others, And seeing it like three times, Lisa is right, because I bought 5 Derwent soft, and they are very creamy, apparently they have a lot of wax. I liked them, what I didn't like very much is that many of them are not lightfast. I decided to buy the Prisma colors premier...yes, they are not that good, I know 🤦🏻♀️😅
I find your reviews really helpful. I used to use prism as, and I still do mostly for my abstract work. But one day I was in hobby lobby and found a faber castel cart. I pick three shades of blue and two shades of red that I used for still life's and nature art works and I will never ever buy another prism and again. The faber Castell just like you said they blend soooooo good. But I think one day you should do a prismacolor premier marker review vs the Copic scetch. I honestly prefer the prismas in that category
LOL! I'm a new fan and subscriber, loved your frank and funny review of these pencils! I grew up in the Waldorf tradition and went to the Waldorf School though high school. Derwents were what we used in school and were my first intro to colored pencils. They were ok to learn with but I found out right away they were way too hard and hurt my hand to get the application and look I wanted to my work. I saved up and bought a set of Prismacolors, I loved them so much but would cry when sharpening them as they broke so much, and this was 40+ years ago! I still have some of those cherished pencils left. Anyway thanks for all you share :)
Glad I watched this! I was literally just about to purchase some on Amazon! Nice save!
Brianna Robles Derwent aren't bad pencils really. What happened to Lisa isn't necessarily because of poor quality pencil. They are just not for her style. There are 2 types of Derwent: Derwent Artist Pencils and Derwent Coloursoft. Derwent Artist Pencils are closer to our colored pencils, and Coloursoft indeed feels like crayon, which was intended.
Cathrine OAO There are way more types of Derwent Pencils ;) Even if you're talking Colored and non-water soluble.
Hope you didn’t. She was right. Prismacolor are better than these.
I just bought 2 colors of Derwent's colour soft, because of the comment below. I found that it's very soft and smooth to me. My husband who never draw said that either. The color are very pretty. I used them on smooth and darker paper, didn't press as hard as used another. I'll buy more of them next month (I bought separate ones to work with Caran D'ache).
But the comment below succeeded use them on rough paper, that I didn't. I think it depends on a person's technique.
of Derwent, i like some of the "drawing" series for sketching, and some of the "graphitint" ditto because the grey-colours are very natural. Erasing is good for using them as highlighters, highlighters are annoying and expensive, whereas pencils do it well, but ones you can erase are best for it! i grew up with them, they're all there was in UK - well, still is except now we have internet lol
+Josephine Winter I just tried Graphitint for the first time, they were fun!
i recently discovered u and i love you❤❤❤❤❤❤ wish u were my art teacher ❤
+Yulizz _ Thanks :)
Thanks for the review! I have the portrait set, I intend to use them for sketching practice!
Thank you soo much! ❤️
9:23 In my fashion illustration classes we had to use Prismacolor. I personally love how Prismacolor blends and I've even used it for realistic drawings, even though I do agree that they aren't as good as Polychromos or Caran d'Ache. If Derwent is worse than yet more expensive than Prismacolor, that's just an all-time low.
Watching this video was really enlightening. I started drawing with color pencils a few years ago and never achieved the style I wanted and saw in other paintings. But I thought, that maybe it's me. But now - thank you - I know it's not.
I'll try out a few of the Polychromos and give them a try....
Morticia147 There is a HUGE difference between these and the polychromos :D
I think there may be a quality control issue on the coloursoft pencils. When the pencils was first introduced, i bought some from open stocks from the local store. The leads were pigment rich, creamy-soft like using lipstick and not scratchy at all, though the pigments is rougher than that found in polychromos and Pablos. Those pencils also blended quite well. However, several years later i bought some coloursoft open stocks and i found some pencils are much drierand and felt scratchy, and the worst example was an orange coloured pencil, its even scratchier than the hard Derwent Artists colored pencils and not pigment rich, even worse than some scholar grade coloured pencils. I gave it back to the local art shop and they let me chose another pencil of same colour. Luckily i found one is as creamy soft as the ones i first bought. The goofed pencil was sent back to Derwent then. Now if I want to buy Derwent coloured pencils I prefer to buy them from open stocks in local art shops so i can test them. The quality of each pencils does varied!!!
Though the coloursoft may suffer from a declined in quality but the artist and studio series seems to be improved. The reds, violets and blues generally are more easier to layered and more pigment rich than the old ones but it's always safer to test a certain Derwent colored pencil before buying it.
+Lucy Chan That's really interesting!
guess thats why they are called color soft no hard color or sharp detail
I do fine art as well, and I absolutely love these. Well, it's true, I always mix them with my faves, the Polychromos and Luminance, also the Marco Renoirs which I love. But for my portraits in colored pencil, they are perfect. I have an Insta page, @alexandra.zeres.art, if you want to see. Sorry for my self-advertisment, this video is old enough to not matter too much, hehe. Hugs!
Alexandra Zeres , that won't let me open your page
Joann Macselwiney ah, it's on instagram. Maybe if you search it on google it will. It's not an actual link, so if you click it, it won't really open. Maybe instagram.com/alexandra.zeres.art ? Not sure how it works on here now and if links are ok in YT.. Thank you! 😊
I hope this will help people in regards to Derwent Coloursoft, Artist, Studio and Drawing Pencils: These are all WAX based pencils but also contain "CLAY." You can get great details and blending with these pencils but they work differently then Oil-Based Color Pencils and Prismacolor Soft Wax Pencils.
Side Note: Studio and Artist Pencils are the same pencil and use exactly the same colors. They are different sized pencils. They created the Studio Pencil (normal sized pencil, like Prismacolor) for people who didn't like the thicker Artist, Drawing and Coloursoft pencils.
+John Kon As an Example of working differently... Try Coloursoft with a "Smooth/Hot-Press" Bristol paper.
LOL! So glad you did this vlog... Almost bought these (Derwent pencils) a couple of days ago, so glad I didn't. After seeing your comparison with Prisma vs FC, I just HAD TO get the Faber-Castell... Unfortunately they are insanely scarce here in South Africa (No-one even imports Prismacolor - Probably the only positive thing about SA )...
Any who your detailed work has been such an inspiration. I have always been terrified of color (only been working with graphite) but since iv come across your super detailed (OCD like & controlled ) work I have decided its time to climb out of my black and white closet and enter the magical garden.
Any who thank you so so much for your vlogs, its an eye opener to a whole new dimension and brings me an immense amount of joy.
+Cherine van der Merwe That is so awesome to hear!! :D
My impression-- from the exactly one Coloursoft pencil I've used-- is that they're somewhere between a pastel pencil and a regular colored pencil. I saw a video on them by a Manga artist who loved them, but that's hardly a photorealistic use. It might be interesting to know what someone who uses pastel pencils thinks of them.
I too dislike Coloursoft pencils. They do have one saving grace though; If you're near completing a heavily-layered piece (done with your preferred pencil brand), struggling with wax-bloom, or the piece needs refinement yet the paper won't take any more color, for some reason the Coloursoft pencils will "take" allowing another layer or two if needed. (Hope that makes sense.) Thanks for the review, Lisa. Glad to know I'm not the only one who has buyer's remorse, LOVE your stream-of-conscious thoughts at the end. Laughter is great medicine for those arthritic hand cramps you get with Coloursoft pencil burnishing ;-)
I did learn something beside not to buy that brand. You mentioned that blending can be as much as 20 layers to achieve depth & smoothness. Back to the drawing board. Thank you.
Seems that they are more like pastel pencils but without the blending quality. Thanks so much for reviewing them. Still happy with my polys and luminance, even happier now.. think im going to pet them.
eef bo HAHA!!
I bought a few of these in open stock to try them out and I thought it was my lack of expertise that I am not too thrilled about them. I must say though, that they blend far better with the Lyra splender and the Derwent blender than they do with mineral spirit. With mineral spirit they are absolutely awful. I was hoping for them to be fabulous because they are all vegan, which is not so for most pencils. They remind me more of soft pastel pencils because they are very chalky. I do not like pastel pencils at all....The luminance from Caran d'Ache are all vegan and they are faaaaaaar better to apply, to blend and of course as Lisa also says, very lightfast! Pricy okay, but really worth it! Thank you SO much Lisa for all the wonderful reviews and work you do!! Blessings!
I have this set. The black is bad in my set too. I'm disappointed after my purchase, and even more so after seeing your review now. I bought this as my first investment and wish I'd gone with the Polychromos now =/
Lisa, thank you so much for your review of the Coloursoft pencils. I wish I had seen this before I accidentally purchased them from Amazon (that darn 'Buy Now button is dangerous).... Anyway, I tried them a few times, put them back in their tin and purchased a small set (24 pencils) of Polychromos!! I really like the Polychromos and will definitely purchase the complete set in the future. Meanwhile, I love using the Derwent Inktense pencils for watercoloring cards and crafting. I guess I'll use the Coloursoft in my Secret Garden coloring book! :)
Crystall Pearson That buy it now button gets me all the time too!
you saved me in buying Derwent Color Pencils. I take your information very serious because I know and I am sure are the best when colored pencil is about. So, thank youu so much for this review and my idea to get Derwend Pencils are gone!
Great honest review. Good quality materials make all the difference in ones painting. Working with good quality brushes, colours and materials are a joy and pleasure and make all the difference in quality workship. Meanwhile working with low quality materials is frustrating, very painful, time consuming and the materials produce an inferior product. Btw. It is still a beautiful painting.
I'm relieved to see this video because I had the same exact experience. I honestly thought , I must have been doing something wrong , when I could not get rid of the crayon look. I was so frustrated and disappointed because I love Derwent and I have the largest set- that I won't use again.
***** I like many of their other products, just not these :(
I love your videos and learned a lot from them. Im certain you didnt mean it in a bad way but I LOVE the grain colored pencil look. i don't think i would describe it as "crayon". but thats me.
+ColoringKaria Some people like that look. It's a total personal preference :D
Your review made me scared. Fortunately, I read another comments below and bought the separate ones to try. I bought the Pink Lavender and Bright Pink of this colour soft. And I found that they are lovely! I got very smooth and soft textures. My hubby who never draw said to me either.
However, I draw on the table, used it on smooth and darker paper. But other found that they better used it on the rough paper. I think it's depends on a person's technique and style.
And I used them with Caran D'ache. They are blended well together. To me, I got very pretty colors and no trouble.
these are not a normal pencil and actually a hybrid of a pastel and wax based pencil. they will blend really well if used on a grainy paper like pastel paper and you have to keep them at an angle to go way lighter on the layers. the fact that you laid them down super quick shows you were being too impatient with this type of pencil. i had no problem using these in a realistic portrait but i went slow in circular oval motions to avoid lines.
I love the fact that you're so honest, because those are the exact same problems i have with the coloursoft pencils, and i've seen other (probably sponsored) reviews where the artist rave about them, and tells have great they are.... they're not. They don't work out for me at all, but thanks to all youre reviews i decided to go with the polychromos and did not regret that a single bit!
kala126 I really love the polychromost too :)
lisa, have u tried experimenting with the paper you're using?
I have a set of these I bought a while ago - these seem to function more as a soft pastel than what is expected of an artist grade colored pencil in my opinion. They are a bit chalky (give off a lot of debris too), do not blend nearly as nicely as/in the soft smooth way of Prismacolor/other artist grade pencils yes or lay down quite as well as other artist grade pencils. (Can't believe Owings/others actually recommended them without mentioning the chalkiness). Derwent clearly payed a lot of attention in the appearance of the pencils themselves (and they look very high quality) and they do hold a better point than Prismacolors and they erase wonderfully (need fixative). I have relegated my set to use with some coloringbook pages and will never use them for my artwork. Looking forward to getting some Polychromos, Pablos, Luminance, Holbeins, Derwent Inktense and Nupastels to try :-) I wish they would bring back Karismacolors (made by the former Berol - and made in England! :-)) - those were definitely a winner!
This is my very first coloured pencil set i've ever purchased and i've been frustrating about why i could never blend/layer the colors well. Good thing to know it's the pencil and not me!
I have heard from people who purchased the entire set that the Pencils don't mix as well as the ones you can get open stock, which didn't make much sense to me.
+Jill Graf I will just stick to their inktense haha.
What paper/ substrate were you working on? Could you review these again on different types of paper?
Your reviews helped immensely! Thank you so much! These pencils in particular -- from a 3D render artist's/photographer's (me) standpoint -- tend to portray a blurred (shortened) depth view of a final image, which is great in focusing in with sharpness on the foreground image, but taking the attention away from the background image... But as you said, the crayon look is not so good in creating a final look for the entire image of which you are already aware.
I purchased recently these, the 120 ct. Polychromos, and the 72 ct. Inktense pencils (but not the blocks), after having been a huge fan of the prismacolor for many years. As I read on Amazon, the quality for those pencils has spiraled down badly in the last few years, so I had to find a new favorite in order to draw with instead.
Anyway, I'm sure you e heard it a million times, but here goes --- your art is AMAZING, and is a great inspiration even to other formerly fine artists such as myself!!
Just going through some of your reviews. Did you ever change your opinion of these pencils? I have the 72 set. Never used...just wondering if I should just donate them to a school. But I like a challenge...not an artist...just someone who likes to colour. I enjoy your reviews. You are very talented....and you keep it real. Best wishes.
thanks for the review - i won't be buying a set of those then. The first set of colour pencils i got (aside from just cheap unbranded ones) where derwent academy (very poor pigment and scratchy to use) the next was staedtler ergosoft (superb quality for the money - only downside it seems only 24 colours are available) but i recommend them to the guy's on here saying they want a decent set for a budget price. I also have derwent artists and i really do like those a lot. But my latest set is my favourite - faber castell polychromo's with the derwent artist a close second. I still use the staedtler ergosoft in some areas, for the money they really are brilliant! Love your video's - best regards from England UK
david thornber I need to test out the Derwent artists. I see another review in the future haha.
Which oil based colour pencil do you suggest me as a I am beginner?
Thanks for letting us know...much much appreciated.
Debbye Hicks :D
Hated them! Ugh! I went searching on RUclips among the artists that I am subscribed to see if anyone had done a review and found yours. Everything I found wrong with these you stated in your video; I feel so validated. Thanks 👍🏾
Great voice over. And thanks for letting us know about the video lines. I was just about to leave full screen to check my monitor.
Breaking Art yeah, I have got to pay more attention to that. I was distracted by uncooperative pencils and forgot to check my screen >
glad I went for the derwent artists set instead, I dont do a lot of colour pencil work but they do the job for me, thanks for the review
Another great video :D I record speed drawing videos and keep getting those lines going across and have no idea how to get rid of it! I noticed you said that it depends on lighting. Do you know how you should have your light to avoid the lines? Thanks :D
Kirsty Partridge I just have to readjust the position of the lamp until it stops. Not very scientific lol.
I used to have different colored pencils only from Derwent, and I didn't like working with colored pencils at all. One thing that annoyed me the most was lead breaks and constant need for sharpening, and the look was not as I wanted it to be.
Then I bought my first set of Polychromos and I found that even though they were quite expensive, they didn't break so often and lead needed much less sharpening, thus polychromos lasted longer and became actually cheaper to me on long run.
Anne Koivumäki I noticed that too. I burned through the coloursoft pencils SO fast. While the initial cost may be less, the price per square inch you can cover doesn't appear to be.
I am using Derwent coloursoft pencils for my coloring books! And I really love them! But I find out that Derwent pencils picture leaves on opposite side some smudge or smear of the colours colored.....! Is it normal??? :/ It's doesn't look nice... and I am afraid to start new book with both sides to colour... :/
+Ruta Racaite Just put a clean sheet of spare paper under the coloured page before you start colouring the back of it. This way any transfer of colour will go onto the blank paper sheet and not the previous drawing.
She doesn't realize that the graininess ( background) actually brings focus to the bird (foreground)
i have a bunch of these and really like them, but i wouldn't use them on their own for a complex piece. they definitely complement well a harder lead colored pencil like polychromos though
I understood these pencils to be a clay base not a wax base.
Thank you Lisa for doing this review.
Im a charcoal artist. I enjoy drawing animals and landscapes in charcoal . I was asked if I was able to add color into some future pieces. I thought since these were a clay base ( so I was informed) that these might do well with a charcoal piece. Seeing the beginning of your tutorial, I dont think they would go well with charcoal. As you said too crayon looking. Do you have advice for good quality colored pencils that goes well with charcoal that are good and CHEAP?
I live in an area that people love art but dont want to spend more than $45.00 and thats on a piece that is 17x14 in size. im told that my art is sale worthy its just that the only place to sell is a little farmers market. So to justify cost of supplies to sale ratio, my supplies NEED TO BE GOOD QUALITY BUT VERY CHEAP IN PRICE.
Ive watched the 1 charcoal with colored pencil tutorial that you did of the butterflyfish using two yellow and a reddish color on the fins. You used the Derwent lightfast, Caran darche luminance and polychromos pencils. Even the small sets are unfortunately too expensive for me to purchase. Are there any other brands that will go with charcoal that arnt so expensive that are good artist quality?
Again thank you for your time in doing the tutorials. Hoping to see some more charcoal with colored pencil tutorials on you tube very soon.
Hugs to the dogs😊❤ Jill C. Huachuca Az
it's a pity that these pencils aren't very good quality. I agree that the white is very translucent. I bought a set of 24 (as they ran out of individual and the set of 12) specifically because I wanted to try the white but then found that it was so translucent that I couldn't do much with the pencils. I've been trying to convince myself to use my set of 24 pencils but I just love my polychromos too much
If only I had seen your review before I bought my Coloursofts... But it seems that I ordered my box around the time you were working on this video.... I have the wooden box 72 set and I recently found myself being disappointed with these pencils and I'm now regretting the fact that I even bought them. Good thing that I did not pay the full price for this box then. (100 euros instead of 150) Not only that, but some pencils seem to break on me, like one of my yellows... I barely use yellow, yet that pencil is the shortest of all my pencils. I only used it like 2-3 times and already it's half gone! Once my carreer switch is done and I start making decent money, I'll be buying both the entire luminance and polychromos sets and I'll sell my coloursofts second hand. I would give them to my mom or sister, but seeing that even a professional can't get "decent" results, I wouldn't want to dump them with my family. Right now, I find myself just wanting to grab my cheap pencils (20 euros for a tin of 60) and I'd probably even get a much better result with them.
+Kissa Kawaguichi If you know someone who likes coloring books, you could give it to them. I think they would be fine for that :D
Lachri Fine Art Apart from my eldest sister, my mom and myself, there's no one, unfortunately... But maybe my mom might enjoy them, I guess. She doesn't have plenty of time to spare to draw very seriously and she's always so positive about Derwent, so there's that... And if I buy my sister a Calligraphy set then that's part of my Christmas shopping done ;D win-win
How right you are - they are enough to put anyone off of using coloured pencils ! I usually work in pastel and watercolour but fancied a change after having seen your wonderful artwork in pencil. So, I bought a box of these last year (after reading rave reviews online and from my art club) and boy was I disappointed. I thought it must be me and decided to return to pastel (and watercolour) so I'm pleased to see that you had the same awful results that I had. One day I may buy some Polychromos or Luminance pencils but for the moment I'm still smarting from having wasted so much money.
P.S. I love your videos. You are a very talented/funny lady. Thanks.
Hi Lisa, Thanks for testing this for us. I know you are probably sick out trying different brands, but do you think you would ever try Pablo pencils? It seems lot of artist love that too,
If you want details use polychromos. These are soft pencils not hard, with a mix of soft pastel. We can not compare with oil and wax pencils.
Not true at all. Wax and oil based pencils can and are compared by artists all the time. These perform differently than the rest. I am a huge derwent fan, just not these. If you look through my videos you will see I regularly compare all pencil types. I would also argue that these are not soft. They're something else entirely. Prismacolor are soft. I have no issue getting great results with those (even though I am not a prismacolor fan).
very true review.. i have a portrait set... i was so frustrated trying to blend... then used solvent and it made it worse.. it worsen my confidence thts why i am mad with coloursoft..
mine seem to blend ok
=/
I'm a beginner and got a set of 24 of these and was wondering what the issue was. I am used to blending colors with make up, and knew something wasn't right. Now I wish I would have gotten the polychromos is prismacolor...:(
I have these..I didn't but them though, they were a gift. And yes they're terrible! I usually use white to blend, but the white they have doesn't blend well, it lifts the color off the paper. I do not recommend them. Also, don't know if it's just me, but they break a lot.
I got them because hobbylobby was getting ride of the 12 packs for 8 dollers. Im planing on haveing them for travel for quick sketches. I found the respond realy well to alcohol colorless blenders. They do dull a bit afterwords though.
Can you please tell us what kind of paper you used here? I'm mulling over a purchase of colored pencils, but very carefully. I bought a small set of 24 Prismacolor Student grade a few months ago (because a friend cautioned me against spending the money for the artist grade and being totally ignorant at that point, I bought the student grade as suggested) and I HATE them! I had pretty much put the thought of any colored pencils out of my mind, but now I find myself a bit more open to using them for drawing (at least) outlines of rural landscaped, flora and fauna. I love it when people give honest (albeit negative) reviews. I don't have money to waste on poor quality products.
Oh thank goodness it's not only me that had trouble with these pencils. It's really sad too because their Inktense pencils are amaaaazing.
+Maria Lent (Concertina) I am SOOOOO in love with the Inktense line!!
well, good to know i'm not the only one frustrated from using them. they make me want to stop working on what i started. i'm afraid changing the pencils in the middle will have a difference color and it will look weird.
I can't help wondering how things would have gone with the powder blender from brush and Pencil.Beautiful painting just the same, though. I always think your work is beautiful.
Derwent Colorsoft are a meh for me but I am loving their Derwent Inktense Colored pencils, handsdown the best watercolor pencil I have used.
***** I'm with you on that. The inktense aren't actually watercolor though. They are a water soluble ink, which makes them a bit different than the watercolor pencils. I had fun playing with them and want to get a larger set now :D
I just bought derwent coloursoft and I'm having trouble blending with the skin tones. Could you maybe give suggestions?
+Dimensia lay the colours on with a very sharp pointed tip and lightly in your first two layers then more pressure on the final layer or two. When you press harder the tiny tip may break like any pencil does so when that happens just gently shave it accross your sanding block to create a slightly angled tip. Then you can burnish your final colours in. I burnish with a lighter colour and you can also use a blending or burnishing pencil to pull the colours together during that final stage. They blend beautifully! I adore them and don't use any other brand since I discovered these amazing pencils. You need to use the right paper for the effects that you are after. I use stonehenge vellum mostly. All the best with these gorgeous pencils. Oh and the Derwent Super point manual sharpener is amazing! It sharpens the longest tip I have ever seen. Cheers!
+Cindy Wider I was practicing with derwent and I'm slowly getting the blending together. Thank you for the amazing tip by the way. Much appreciated.
+Dimensia Thanks very much. Yes I think that alot of people here are giving up way too soon - its silly to just give up without even giving them a good go and its also sad really. Just because one person says that they are not so great; all these other people are not trying them. Rediculous! You are all missing out on having a go at these. All I can say is try out one of the smaller packs if you are worried about the investment. Give it a go yourself though. See it what they can do on different papers and when applied in different ways. I have been doing extensive research on these pencils and am now absolutely smitten. I can't get enough of them Lol!
+Cindy Wider I think they give up because they don't really know their own technique but rather follow others and as a result the drawings don't come out as good. I learned that as an artist you should do your own style
@@ishasmemories HI Cindy. I agree with you. I was really surprised at Lisa's review, who by the way is one of my favorite artists. I have had the set of portrait coloursoft for a few years now and I find they are my go-to pencils when I am doing portraits. I find they layer well over most media without that shiny look. (I did not use any solvents for blending) I've recently tried them on Mi-Tientes paper over the PanPastels and love them. (I did use a workable fixative before going over the pastels) I also have the Derwent Procolour pencils. They seem a little scratchy to me. I have the 72 set so believe me, I am going to find the right paper to work on with these as not to waste my money.
Lisa.........Thanks for all the helpful information. I know that you were disappointed with the lightfast rating on Coloursoft. I want to know if you have used the Derwent Artist Colored pencil line? I like a harder pencil but I also want a good quality. I was told to try these but I value your opinion highly. Lightfast issues are not as much of a concern for now, I am learning and want to keep my initial cost lower. What do you think of the Artist line on it's own? Thanks for all your help.
+Judith A Rowland I have only tested some of the artist line. From the handful of pencils I used there were some things I did really like about them. I disliked the white, but the others blended pretty nicely and laid down quickly.
Lisa, I have 21 of the Coloursoft and I never reach for them. I bought a pack of black paper about a year ago and I will use them on those sometimes but I have to say I hate these pencils. I do use the Loganberry and the Mint at times because I love those colors but I do agree with you. Bad investment. I am mad that the Dick Blick store in Tempe, AZ devotes so much space to them and no Polychromos open stock. I was able to get all the Polychromos at Arizona Art supply, and I love them. Very hard to find FC Polychromos #139, Light violet. Anyway, love your videos. Thank you.
Eve Mendes I've never seen a store cary Polychromos or Luminance in the stores. I can only find them online. It's too bad given how great they are.
Lachri Fine Art I recently went into a Blick Store in Santa Monica and I saw polychromos. I just didn't see the 120 set.
Hmmmm I've been wondering what other types of colored pencils to use & I love to blend & layer thanks
I've been using prismacolor coloured pencils
May I ask how many pictures you completed with Coloursoft? :)
simm4u One was more than enough. With thousands of hours spent working in colored pencil, I don't need more than the 10 hours or so that I spent working on this to have a well-formed opinion of the pencil.
Lachri Fine Art Thanks for the response. :)
Hi lisa I love your videos can you help me what is the best colored pencil and How can I find it I am Live on Turkey and I can't find luminance prsimacolor caran'd and noir ?