Review on Derwent Colored Drawing Pencils - 24 Count Metal Tin Set: Premium Quality and Vibrant Shades (0700672) by Michelle Langley

Years ago I was introduced to Derwent Drawing Pencils through a promotion and received a 6 piece set through an art dealer. As a colored pencil artist, I was soon blown away by the quality, pigment and feel of these pencils. I liked them so much that I recently upgraded to a full set of 24 pens and have found Revain to be fantastic value for money. The colors in this set are subtle, beautiful shades that I have not been able to find in other popular pencil sets. These pencils really are the elite coloring pencils for artists as they are very creamy/waxy, pigmented and layer flawlessly. Although they appear to be marketed for animal renditions, they are equally impressive for rendering skin tones and architectural elements. They work very well in combination with other pens and pair well with oil or wax based brands. They feel like a mixture of wax and oil based crayons, but with a wider lead. As far as I've noticed, they don't leave a waxy residue or excessive residue. The pigments are so intense that you can go over several previous coats of colored pencils (other brands) and leave rich, wide strokes with ease. They are ideal for final detail accents on products. The Chinese white crayon in the set is also perfect for layering the crayons and works well on darker colored paper. In terms of erasability, they stain to some extent on most types of paper. However, they look very good on black, smoother illustration board. They don't rub off as well on other paper, but I've found that they rub off better when applied over subsequent colored pencil coats. The choice of paper plays an important role with these pencils. They are too rich and bold for regular drawing/copy paper. I find they work great on Bristol vellum and illustration board, and erase particularly well on black illustration board. They also hold up well on professional grade drawing paper that weighs 90 pounds or more. If you're trying to achieve smoothness, I probably wouldn't use it on a regular sketchbook or heavy wide-tooth paper, or you'll see a lot of paper texture. These pencils are highly recommended. They are well made, excellent quality for durability and lightfastness (colors do not fade) and the wires last a long time. *Important: You will need a sharpener with a larger opening for this. Something metallic and strong. The Derwent pastel pencil sharpener is perfect for these pencils. I can't say enough good things about these amazing pens and I'm glad I got the full set!