Review on Faber Castell Albrecht Watercolor Pencil FC117699 by Wendy Rodriguez

Excellent water color pencil. I've heard a lot about Albrecht Dürer's line, and rightly so, but didn't want to buy a set; I was happy to find them freely available. I needed a black pencil specifically for monochrome watercolor sketches and adding gray smudges to ink sketches. This pencil is a good choice for this purpose, maybe a little expensive for drawing but not too much. You can draw light, sketchy lines that can be erased when dry and smudge completely when water is applied. The values can be checked very easily, either by applying a dry layer and then wetting it with a brush, or by applying a layer over a previously dry wash. You can freely mix the tones without applying an even layer with a dry stick, very carefully as the paint will completely dissolve and blend. A pencil is of course also suitable for more finished work. Well pigmented, even, lightfast, does not need to be fixed. Layers can be post-processed to some extent and they will blend, blend, stack, climb, etc just like regular watercolors, giving you a traditional watercolor look. To get a smoother tone I find it easier to use a lot less water and be more precise with a pencil.