Wednesday 6 August 2008

Watercolour pencils and how they compare


Well, I know you're wondering why I have so many kinds of watercolour pencils. Here's the reason - I've compared my regular ones (Staedler Aquarelles) with the new Derwent Inktense, and with my ill-gotten Albrecht Durers (the premium watercolour pencil from Faber-Castell, and I really wish I knew how to put an umlaut on the "u").

At first glance, Aquarelles look kind of washed out - bright colour does tend to smack us on the side of the head. But remember, you do want subtle colours sometimes, so lets not be too harsh on the delicate pencils. I did two versions of Inktense, to use colours that matched the other two samples. The Durers are wonderfully bright and soft too. I think the big difference there is that you can wet them again after they are dry - Inktense are meant to dry and stay put. Different effects for different days, I like it. My verdict : I think I'll keep them all!

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