Derwent sell so many different types of pencils, all with their own unique qualities, that it can become confusing about which is the best suited to your artwork requirements. We have put together a handy guide to explain each pencil we sell, so you can find the pencil for you.

LIGHTFAST

Derwent Lightfast pencils are oil-based, smooth, creamy and very lightfast. They feature a new design of core that is resistant to prolonged colour change, ensuring your artwork will not fade for up to 100 years under museum conditions. The thick core gives a dense colour application which brings vibrancy to any drawing.

FEATURES

- 100% lightfast – won’t fade for up to 100 years

- Tested under the harshest conditions to internationally recognised standards, Derwent Lightfast offers a broad range of colours not seen in other lightfast collections.

- The oil-based nature of these pencils creates a buttery, velvety texture allowing complete integration of colours for mixing and blending.

- A pencil blending medium can be used with a paint brush to mix colours directly on a paper or canvas surface. (May affect lightfastness)

- With an opaque laydown, dark colours applied with the precision of a hard sharp point will sit well over lighter shades for effective layering when outlining and defining negative space.

Watch and listen as portrait artist, Jake Spicer, shares his experience with using Derwent Lightfast Coloured Pencils.


PROCOLOUR

Derwent Procolour pencils are the perfect combination of a strong point and a smooth, effortless laydown, delivering beautiful, effortless blendability. Wax formulation glides like an oil while delivering incredible covering power. These pencils have a strong core which retains a sharp point for fine detail while minimal chipping and dusting keeps work clean and smudge-free.

FEATURES

- Smooth laydown. Fine detail. All from one pencil.

- With effortless blendability and a firm point, Derwent Procolour offers the both of best worlds for many artists.

- Consistently smooth laydown, with the covering power of a wax-based pencil, yet gliding like a oil.

- Exceptional reproduction print quality - colours are true to the original binders, meaning there is no scan glare when creating professional copies of work.


INKTENSE

Derwent Inktense Pencils are our best water-soluble pencil ever! You can use them dry but mix them with water and the colour turns into vibrant ink. Once it’s dry the colour is fixed and because its permanent it’s great for using on fabric such as silk and cotton.

FEATURES

- Permanent once dry, Derwent Inktense won’t wash out like watercolour.

- The range has been formulated so colours will not move or lift when more water is applied.

- Permanence offers exceptional layering ability, allowing artists to work on multiple layers without affecting previous applications.

- Colours are highly-pigmented and retain vibrancy after drying, creating ink-like effects.

- They can be applied to many porous surfaces including ceramic, wood and fabric.

- Inktense Pencils can be applied wet or dry to a page, with pigments coming alive when water is added.


COLOURSOFT

The Derwent Coloursoft Pencil is made up of a range of 72 vibrant colours, specially chosen for their richness and versatility. Coloursoft Pencils from Derwent offer strong, vibrant colour that has a velvety softness, making them perfect for mixing and blending. Despite their soft texture, Coloursoft pencils sharpen to a fine point and work equally well for detailed illustrations or bold contemporary drawings.

FEATURES

- Derwent Coloursoft Pencils are velvety-smooth soft colour pencils, available in 72 easily blendable colours.

- They're ideal for just about any drawing style where you need a soft-textured pencil to lay down solid blocks of colour or build up layered effects.

As their name implies they have a really soft texture which brings out the richness of the colour that, together with their nice wide colour strip, allows you to build up colour really quickly.

PASTEL

This Derwent Pastel Pencil Tin brings you all the brilliant colour of high-quality traditional pastels but none of the mess. The soft, powdery texture of Derwent Pastel Pencils produces a velvety-smooth finish that you can easily mix and blend. You can use them whenever you'd use traditional pastels, but they are particularly good for fine, detailed work. The pencil form means that they are easy to control and won't smudge unless you want them to.