Well, this certainly explains why the only set I purchased didn't work very well and I wanted to sharpen them and use them for the dart board. I sold them at a garage sale for some child to play with who I hope had a great time. Thanks for the video. It helps to see what these different products do.
This has been the most helpful video comparisons review of watercolor pencils I’ve seen! Thank u so much for the excellent visuals too as it’s so great to see them upclose as you talk about them. Loved the final two comparisons and as a Grouping what id like most as I mull over which brand of pencils will best suit my needs. I want ones where the lines breakdown perfectly so it looks like the Caron D Ache tho I was leaning towards the inktense. As a newbie to watercolor I found out quickly the highest quality supplies made me enjoy watercoloring so much more and less ones my frustrations as I learn. Also your blog is wonderful too as I paused to go over and check out the written info on these items. I’m so thrilled your video came up in my recs-looking forward to catching up on past videos as well as new ones.
Sandy you are the best! You're my goto favorite artist for product comparisons, techniques, and more. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you. Thanks!
Hi Sandy, Thank you so much for this in-depth comparison. I especially liked your information about how smooth - or not - the colour will go on the paper. And thanks to your hubby for the editing work. Love, Tina
Thanks so much Sandy for this simple yet super informative comparison. And oh my goodness it was a lovely surprise to see your specific comparison between the Caran d'Ache and Inktense as these are the two I'm deciding between! Thank you and I hope you're staying safe and well.
Thank you so much for the comparison video! I recently received the the Caron d'Ache set for my birthday. Haven't tried them yet but happy to see they faired well!
True ‘dat! I’m building my collection of the Caran D’Ache Museum Aquarelles slowly, but the forty I’ve acumullated are so highly pigmented and completely water soluble, I almost hear arias whenever I work with them.
Also, the inktense are ink-based meaning that they don't rewet after they dry so it can be hard to get a smooth blend if you are doing a large scale piece or want to go back and blend some rough edges
Thanks Sandy - a really helpful and informative video. Your willingness to experiment with different mediums and techniques and share your learnings with us is inspiring and very much appreciated :)
Hi Sandy.I just got the Art grip yesterday,they CERTAINLY aren't intense but they work ok for what I'm using them for.I bought them so my intense and my regular Derwent's would last longer. I also picked up a new colored pencil set of Kohinoor now I really like these.They work ok for me to.Thanks for the compare.
I think I like the Inktense the best. But I need the ability to correct myself so those won’t work well for me with my current skill level. I color outside the lines lol. (Or more accurately, colors run on me.)
Thank you for this very informative video, Sandy. I had gotten the full set of Inktense for Christmas and haven't really used them much since I've been concentrating on Copics (yea jumpstart) and regular water color. But, I guess it was the right decision (for my level and $.) Thanks.
Thank you for such a great review! I'm so tired of watching reviews where they'll talk about everything accept getting to the point, and I have to end up fast forwarding just to get to the demos!
Sandy, I have the Caran de Arche Supracolor watercolor pencils, which I believe are cheaper than the Museum, but still a higher quality than many other pencils. I LOVE the pigment I get and the way they spread out on the page. You might want to pick up,a few of those and give them a go as well. I know you know this, but the Inktense are technically Watercolors, as they are actually a permanent ink when dry. I am only adding this in the comments for newbies who might not realize and just be looking at the color comparison. You can't move the color with the Inktense once they are completely dry, which can be a bonus or a bummer, depending on what you are suing them for. The Caran de Ache are true watercolor, so they will continue to reactivate with water. Thanks for a great video comparison of the major brands!
when I was like 4, one of my uncles gave me a 24 set of Derwent water colour pencils. At that time I had no worth for them and used to hate them. Soon I forgot that I had them, until recently when I need them. I was gonna buy new ones which are now like $ 40-50, when I found those 10 year old pencils in my store room, I was relieved as I didn't have to waste money.
Thanks again Sandy, for producing an informative and entertaining comparison video that was NOT ridiculously long, as many are. I have a set of 24 Inktense pencils but now have the opportunity to get Albrecht Durer 36 set for ‘free’ using Flybuys points. I wonder how well they would work together?
The color selections between them are quite different Dash the ink tense feel a little more neon by comparison. But you could get some interesting looks by using both!
WOW Sandi! I bought a set [132] Prismacolor pencils years ago at half price and they cost me $100.00 and you say they are at the less expensive end? I like them a lot and only use some of the Crayola pencils when I want super smooth blending and coloring. thanks for the comparison...
nice review thankyou. ..people need to know that inktence is not a watercolour pencil it's ink in a pencil form and when they dry they are permanent :)
Sandy I have to watch again..just too much to take in all at once. I have to listen to hear all that your saying. I have to say I was more focused on the colors and not some of the other things..Now I have to find out the rest...LOL..that's what comes from being 83....ha ha ha ha ha
I am 69 and didn't do any better. I get side tracked by techniques and want to drop everything and try something new. Pencils,,I love all of them but I have to watch my money. Just started playing with watercolor pencils and impressed with the fresh vibrancy it can bring to my work.
To be fair to you it was kinda disorganised - going back and forth with words between brands while the name of pencil on video often not matching the words, plus going off subject as if she can’t stop talking for a second. Good vids, but too distracting.
I bought a few monolith's. Didn't like them at all. I'm going to get a set of Albrect Durer's although I have singles of others! Love my Inktense Pencils.
OMG thanks so much for posting this video ... I've been going crazy trying to figure out which set to buy!! I'm only used to regular watercolor paints .... I want to buy a nice set with many colors, and not waste money, again many thanks ;) Donna
I ask you to reconsider the Bruynzeel pencils. It seems that you have a variety of their different kinds of pencils. Their Bruynzeel Design Aquarel pencils are the watercolor pencils. They would be appropriate to compare with the others in this video. The others you have may be Bruynzeel regular colored (or coloured) pencils. I enjoy using their pencils and would hope for an update to show an appropriate comparison. I have a few tins of the Bruynzeel different kinds of pencils and my favorite are the pastel pencils... they apply softly without a lot of effort and I have consistent favorable results.
I agree about the aqua monolith and some of mine actually split down the middle! mind you my set is a few years old but for the price they should last:) the AQUATONE are woodless by Derwent and much better but I think they discontinued them.
The Aquatones (I've got the full line of 24 colors) were discontinued about a year ago (I even emailed Derwent to see if they had other colors: Nope). I am wondering if humidity may have affected your Aqua Monolith (I only have a few but there are 72 colors in the line), causing them to split. I am in the desert and mine are many years old with no problems.
I have the Faber-Castell set but I will try the museum however the inktence is a whole different animal they are ink not watercolour and barely light fast unfortunately and I agree about the monolith I was very disappointed with their performance too
The Inktense are actually highly fugitive, owing to the fact that they are made from inks, not pigments. Inks are never lightfast. They are often gorgeously brilliant, and work wonderfully for work that is meant for print and illustration, but using them for works that will hang on a wall and be exposed to light is not a good idea. They will fade and in some cases, “Brown out” over time. Not long at all for some brands of ink based pencils and paint. If you’re going to close them up in a journal or sketchbook, lightfastness is not really a concern. Just something to be aware of when buying pencils.
Thanks for such an informative video - you helped me out a lot bu doing this. I have been wondering about the different between the Inktense, Caran d'Ache adn the Faber Castell ones. Anna Sigga :)
The majority of my watercolour pencils are Polychromos from Faber-Castell, and I love them. I also have Goldfaber, slightly cheaper but still good. Surprisingly, the Faber-Castell for students and older children range is worth having. I also have Derwent, and a tin of 24 of the one whose name I can never remember, but very popular. I don't use those so much. People seem to use a heavy hand with them, and then they bloom, so no more layers are possible. Arthritis is no fun, but it does mean that my colouring is very light, due to the pain and weakness in my hands and wrists, so I can layer quite a lot before the paper won't take any more. I'm not suggesting that everyone have arthritis 🙄😂 but it makes a change to find a positive with it. I've never tried Caran d'Ache, they're out of my price range, but between the brands that I have, plus the range from WH Smith, which may not be familiar outside the UK, I have enough both ordinary and watercolour pencils to see me out. Now I just need to use them more often! This video is quite a few years old, and it's the first time I've seen it; there must be more of your tutorials hiding in the background. They're really helpful, thank you.
@@SandyAllnock1 Of course, you're right. Silly me. I have Goldfaber watercolour pencils as well as ordinary. No Albrecht Durer, sadly. Prismacolour is the one I can never remember. I know it's not watercolour 🌻 As I said in my earlier post, between the watercolour and ordinary pencils, there's enough for my lifetime. Thanks for the correction 😀
I have had caran d'ache FOR ever.. they last forever.. dont break easily (lead)... they are so bright and vibrant.. wouldnt trade mine for the world ha ha :)
Superb review. I bought some Caran D'Ache when visiting friends in Switzerland. Not the Museum ones though, and I do enjoy using them. I have the complete set of Inktense and you are right, you do have to scrub a little at times, but I find I use very light layers and it helps with blending - hark at me, like I'm some sort of expert! 😂 Just saying thanks really :)
Helpful video; thanks. Did you have any luck layering washes with the Caran D'Ache? I'm finding if you go back over them with pencil marks, they won't water out, which is pretty disappointing, considering how pricey they are.
I'm confused which is understandable since I'm just a beginner and an old dog trying to learn new tricks (age 64). My confusion comes from the inclusion of Inktense in the watercolor review. I agree, Inktense are a water soluble pencil BUT I thought it was ink, not w/c. That meaning, once it was on the paper and dry one could not apply water and manipulate the pigment the way one can with regular watercolors. What am I missing here? Also wondering, have you ever tried the Caran D'ache Supracolor Soft w/c pencils? Opinion on them please? THanks for any help.
+Cynthia Rosiek you're correct on inktense being permanent once dry (though it's not completely true, some color can move.) I included them just to give crafters the comparison---most think all "pencils used with water" are the same. Haven't tried Supra.
Caran D'Ache Supracolor are my favorite watercolor pencils. To be fair, I haven't tried the Museum Aquarelle, but I suspect I'd still prefer the Supracolor. The go on so smoothly and have a soft, buttery quality that you wouldn't expect from a pencil. They're also versatile because they are so soft that you can touch the tip with a wet brush and use them that way or color directly on the paper and wet them after. You can also use them on fabric if you heat set them. I use them in my bible, which is most definitely not meant for watercolor, yet they are easy to manipulate even on the thin paper. Although they aren't cheap, they are less than the Museum, so if you haven't already invested in pencils, I'd suggest starting with Supracolor. You can pick up a set of 12 for about $15 - $20 on Amazon. Of course, now that I've seen this fantastic video review, I'm going to have to get some of the Museum pencils just to see! :)
Caran d'Ache is all Swiss made and the pride of all lightfast lines. Note that all aniline dye based colors (as in ink intense) fade to almost nothing, the brighter the color to faster they fade!
The Sargent art watercolour pencils aren't very pigmented, and have to be activated soo much, that it almost rips a whole in the paper! I bought the 24 pack, and was realy disappointed, the crayola ones work better, and Crayolas is much cheaper.
Thank you Sandy. I've narrowed my choice down to the MA and the AD by FC. The difference seems to be in the quality of the pigment and the pigment to binder ratio, which, it seems to me, the MA's do better at both, what do you think? Since you are a trained artist and probably have had more time to work with them since you posted this video, I would love to get your feedback to help me decide which set to invest in!
Thank you. I had a little chat with Lisa from Lisa Lachri Fine Art on this. It seems that the MA are more on the opaque side and the AD are more on the transparent side of the opacity spectrum, would you agree?
I thought that Cretacolor was a good brand so i bought 12 Monolith watercolor pencils for €30. I was never disappointed so much in my life. I should have done a research before buying them. 😔😭
Thanks for that Sandy, very helpful. I was thinking of getting the Aquablend pencils by Crafters Companion; have you had a chance to try those? I'd love to know what you think.
Hello Lady Joolree. I have the Aquablend and I enjoy them very much. I don't have anything else to compare them with except a 12pk of Derwent watercolor pencils (reg not Inktense) and I like those too. The Aquablend have good color and release nicely and you can buy in sets of 24 with no duplicates in tins. Hope this helps-it's been 7mo since the video!
It depends. The Inktense are more intense color, because technically they're ink, not watercolor. The Museum Aquarelle are beautiful and the color melts out beautifully.
I love my Albrecht Durer. Thanks for confirming that it's a good choice. I appreciate it.
Well, this certainly explains why the only set I purchased didn't work very well and I wanted to sharpen them and use them for the dart board. I sold them at a garage sale for some child to play with who I hope had a great time. Thanks for the video. It helps to see what these different products do.
This has been the most helpful video comparisons review of watercolor pencils I’ve seen! Thank u so much for the excellent visuals too as it’s so great to see them upclose as you talk about them. Loved the final two comparisons and as a Grouping what id like most as I mull over which brand of pencils will best suit my needs. I want ones where the lines breakdown perfectly so it looks like the Caron D Ache tho I was leaning towards the inktense. As a newbie to watercolor I found out quickly the highest quality supplies made me enjoy watercoloring so much more and less ones my frustrations as I learn. Also your blog is wonderful too as I paused to go over and check out the written info on these items. I’m so thrilled your video came up in my recs-looking forward to catching up on past videos as well as new ones.
Sandy you are the best! You're my goto favorite artist for product comparisons, techniques, and more. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you. Thanks!
I have the Faber Castell Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils and I really love them
Thanks so much for taking the mystery out of these pencil sets. i find myself standing in front of the choices and finally just walk away.
Hi Sandy,
Thank you so much for this in-depth comparison. I especially liked your information about how smooth - or not - the colour will go on the paper.
And thanks to your hubby for the editing work.
Love, Tina
Thanks so much Sandy for this simple yet super informative comparison. And oh my goodness it was a lovely surprise to see your specific comparison between the Caran d'Ache and Inktense as these are the two I'm deciding between! Thank you and I hope you're staying safe and well.
I love the look watercolor pencils achieves...thanks for your reading my mind and makin a video I am curious about!
Thank you so much for the comparison video! I recently received the the Caron d'Ache set for my birthday. Haven't tried them yet but happy to see they faired well!
True ‘dat! I’m building my collection of the Caran D’Ache Museum Aquarelles slowly, but the forty I’ve acumullated are so highly pigmented and completely water soluble, I almost hear arias whenever I work with them.
I'm about to purchase Albrecht Durer pencils! Thank you for this.
The Albrect Durer watercolor pencils match their counterparts: the Faber Castel Polychromos colored pencils!
The Caran D'ache museum are much more lightfast than inktense, though are more expensive too.
+Kyomii true!
Yeah,they're a bit more expensive. I live in Japan and on Amazon Japan they're selling these pencils for 64 dollars a piece!!!
@@finchgould6538 wtffff
Kyomi Funny....I've never had lightfastness problems with most Inktense colors. On what do you base this opinion?
Also, the inktense are ink-based meaning that they don't rewet after they dry so it can be hard
to get a smooth blend if you are doing a large scale piece or want to go back and blend some rough edges
you can never have enough pencils :) thank you Sandy
Thanks Sandy - a really helpful and informative video. Your willingness to experiment with different mediums and techniques and share your learnings with us is inspiring and very much appreciated :)
Hi Sandy.I just got the Art grip yesterday,they CERTAINLY aren't intense but they work ok for what I'm using them for.I bought them so my intense and my regular Derwent's would last longer. I also picked up a new colored pencil set of Kohinoor now I really like these.They work ok for me to.Thanks for the compare.
+Valerie Breingan yup artgrip are lovely for soft watercolor!
I couldn't agree more.Thanks Sandy
One of my to-get-someday supplies is Caran D'Ache...everything. lol. They just cost too much to justify for a hobbyist.
Thanks for this very helpful video.
I think I like the Inktense the best. But I need the ability to correct myself so those won’t work well for me with my current skill level. I color outside the lines lol. (Or more accurately, colors run on me.)
Thank you for this very informative video, Sandy. I had gotten the full set of Inktense for Christmas and haven't really used them much since I've been concentrating on Copics (yea jumpstart) and regular water color. But, I guess it was the right decision (for my level and $.) Thanks.
Thank you for such a great review! I'm so tired of watching reviews where they'll talk about everything accept getting to the point, and I have to end up fast forwarding just to get to the demos!
I credit Toastmasters...we try to get to the point and not waste peoples time 😍
Sandy,
I have the Caran de Arche Supracolor watercolor pencils, which I believe are cheaper than the Museum, but still a higher quality than many other pencils. I LOVE the pigment I get and the way they spread out on the page. You might want to pick up,a few of those and give them a go as well. I know you know this, but the Inktense are technically Watercolors, as they are actually a permanent ink when dry. I am only adding this in the comments for newbies who might not realize and just be looking at the color comparison. You can't move the color with the Inktense once they are completely dry, which can be a bonus or a bummer, depending on what you are suing them for. The Caran de Ache are true watercolor, so they will continue to reactivate with water. Thanks for a great video comparison of the major brands!
+Maureen Hayes the inktense are not entirely permanent always. They are just much less moveable than regular watercolor.
Wonderful video. Great info. I have wanted to see one of these for a while. Thanks so much
Great video, Sandy! Thanks for all the great information.
Amei! Amo seu canal e videos! Aprendo muito e fico cheia de novas ideias para trabalhar com meus alunos! Obrigada e beijos do Brasil! ♡♡♡
You’ve spent like my year’s budget for art supplies just to test out watercolor pencils...
when I was like 4, one of my uncles gave me a 24 set of Derwent water colour pencils. At that time I had no worth for them and used to hate them. Soon I forgot that I had them, until recently when I need them. I was gonna buy new ones which are now like $ 40-50, when I found those 10 year old pencils in my store room, I was relieved as I didn't have to waste money.
Luckyyy
Hi Sandy very interesting video, thanks. I love the cute animals you draw at the end ;)
I love my Derwent's! The regular, not inktense. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for sharing this info with us. You always do so well with the video's and it is appreciated.
Thanks again Sandy, for producing an informative and entertaining comparison video that was NOT ridiculously long, as many are. I have a set of 24 Inktense pencils but now have the opportunity to get Albrecht Durer 36 set for ‘free’ using Flybuys points. I wonder how well they would work together?
The color selections between them are quite different Dash the ink tense feel a little more neon by comparison. But you could get some interesting looks by using both!
So cute!
Thank you...very informative!
WOW Sandi! I bought a set [132] Prismacolor pencils years ago at half price and they cost me $100.00 and you say they are at the less expensive end? I like them a lot and only use some of the Crayola pencils when I want super smooth blending and coloring. thanks for the comparison...
nice review thankyou. ..people need to know that inktence is not a watercolour pencil it's ink in a pencil form and when they dry they are permanent :)
+Blissfulthings they're mostly permanent; my charts still lift color :)
+Sandy Allnock sorry I did not see this comment and kinda repeated the same thing with part of my comment. Apologies.
Sandy I have to watch again..just too much to take in all at once. I have to listen to hear all that your saying. I have to say I was more focused on the colors and not some of the other things..Now I have to find out the rest...LOL..that's what comes from being 83....ha ha ha ha ha
I am 69 and didn't do any better. I get side tracked by techniques and want to drop everything and try something new. Pencils,,I love all of them but I have to watch my money. Just started playing with watercolor pencils and impressed with the fresh vibrancy it can bring to my work.
To be fair to you it was kinda disorganised - going back and forth with words between brands while the name of pencil on video often not matching the words, plus going off subject as if she can’t stop talking for a second. Good vids, but too distracting.
Great video. Thanks for sharing!
Just got a set of carendache supracolor wishesd I had seen those. I love my inktense
I bought a few monolith's. Didn't like them at all. I'm going to get a set of Albrect Durer's although I have singles of others! Love my Inktense Pencils.
great video as usual Sandy thank you x
Really liking the Inktense. maybe those are the ones for me. Thanks for this .o)
Loved this comparison. Thanks for sharing this. :)
OMG thanks so much for posting this video ... I've been going crazy trying to figure out which set to buy!! I'm only used to regular watercolor paints .... I want to buy a nice set with many colors, and not waste money, again many thanks ;) Donna
I ask you to reconsider the Bruynzeel pencils. It seems that you have a variety of their different kinds of pencils. Their Bruynzeel Design Aquarel pencils are the watercolor pencils. They would be appropriate to compare with the others in this video. The others you have may be Bruynzeel regular colored (or coloured) pencils. I enjoy using their pencils and would hope for an update to show an appropriate comparison.
I have a few tins of the Bruynzeel different kinds of pencils and my favorite are the pastel pencils... they apply softly without a lot of effort and I have consistent favorable results.
I agree about the aqua monolith and some of mine actually split down the middle! mind you my set is a few years old but for the price they should last:) the AQUATONE are woodless by Derwent and much better but I think they discontinued them.
+thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich yikes!
The Aquatones (I've got the full line of 24 colors) were discontinued about a year ago (I even emailed Derwent to see if they had other colors: Nope). I am wondering if humidity may have affected your Aqua Monolith (I only have a few but there are 72 colors in the line), causing them to split. I am in the desert and mine are many years old with no problems.
KaBluey59
Great demo - clear concise presentation - KUDOS!!!
I have the Faber-Castell set but I will try the museum however the inktence is a whole different animal they are ink not watercolour and barely light fast unfortunately and I agree about the monolith I was very disappointed with their performance too
+Blissfulthings the museum are amazing :)
The Inktense are actually highly fugitive, owing to the fact that they are made from inks, not pigments. Inks are never lightfast. They are often gorgeously brilliant, and work wonderfully for work that is meant for print and illustration, but using them for works that will hang on a wall and be exposed to light is not a good idea. They will fade and in some cases, “Brown out” over time. Not long at all for some brands of ink based pencils and paint. If you’re going to close them up in a journal or sketchbook, lightfastness is not really a concern. Just something to be aware of when buying pencils.
Blissfulthings i have the Faber Castell ones too
Thanks for such an informative video - you helped me out a lot bu doing this. I have been wondering about the different between the Inktense, Caran d'Ache adn the Faber Castell ones.
Anna Sigga :)
The majority of my watercolour pencils are Polychromos from Faber-Castell, and I love them. I also have Goldfaber, slightly cheaper but still good. Surprisingly, the Faber-Castell for students and older children range is worth having.
I also have Derwent, and a tin of 24 of the one whose name I can never remember, but very popular. I don't use those so much. People seem to use a heavy hand with them, and then they bloom, so no more layers are possible. Arthritis is no fun, but it does mean that my colouring is very light, due to the pain and weakness in my hands and wrists, so I can layer quite a lot before the paper won't take any more. I'm not suggesting that everyone have arthritis 🙄😂 but it makes a change to find a positive with it.
I've never tried Caran d'Ache, they're out of my price range, but between the brands that I have, plus the range from WH Smith, which may not be familiar outside the UK, I have enough both ordinary and watercolour pencils to see me out. Now I just need to use them more often!
This video is quite a few years old, and it's the first time I've seen it; there must be more of your tutorials hiding in the background. They're really helpful, thank you.
Polychromos aren’t watercolor pencils; that’d be Albrecht Durer. 👍🏻
@@SandyAllnock1 Of course, you're right. Silly me. I have Goldfaber watercolour pencils as well as ordinary. No Albrecht Durer, sadly.
Prismacolour is the one I can never remember. I know it's not watercolour 🌻
As I said in my earlier post, between the watercolour and ordinary pencils, there's enough for my lifetime.
Thanks for the correction 😀
I have had caran d'ache FOR ever.. they last forever.. dont break easily (lead)... they are so bright and vibrant.. wouldnt trade mine for the world ha ha :)
You forgot to mention that the inktense are an ink pencil, as they dry permanent on the paper
They actually are move-able, not always permanent,depending on the paper and which hue.
I prefer Inktense, but won’t use it because it’s not colorfast. 😞
Okay I have to research cheap watercolor pencil bran because none of my watercolors was on this list. Thanks though
mine work pretty well for 10 year old water colour pencils
Superb review. I bought some Caran D'Ache when visiting friends in Switzerland. Not the Museum ones though, and I do enjoy using them. I have the complete set of Inktense and you are right, you do have to scrub a little at times, but I find I use very light layers and it helps with blending - hark at me, like I'm some sort of expert! 😂 Just saying thanks really :)
Thank you so much for your review! So informative! What brush are you using?
Helpful video; thanks. Did you have any luck layering washes with the Caran D'Ache? I'm finding if you go back over them with pencil marks, they won't water out, which is pretty disappointing, considering how pricey they are.
I'm confused which is understandable since I'm just a beginner and an old dog trying to learn new tricks (age 64). My confusion comes from the inclusion of Inktense in the watercolor review. I agree, Inktense are a water soluble pencil BUT I thought it was ink, not w/c. That meaning, once it was on the paper and dry one could not apply water and manipulate the pigment the way one can with regular watercolors. What am I missing here? Also wondering, have you ever tried the Caran D'ache Supracolor Soft w/c pencils? Opinion on them please? THanks for any help.
+Cynthia Rosiek you're correct on inktense being permanent once dry (though it's not completely true, some color can move.) I included them just to give crafters the comparison---most think all "pencils used with water" are the same. Haven't tried Supra.
Caran D'Ache Supracolor are my favorite watercolor pencils. To be fair, I haven't tried the Museum Aquarelle, but I suspect I'd still prefer the Supracolor. The go on so smoothly and have a soft, buttery quality that you wouldn't expect from a pencil. They're also versatile because they are so soft that you can touch the tip with a wet brush and use them that way or color directly on the paper and wet them after. You can also use them on fabric if you heat set them. I use them in my bible, which is most definitely not meant for watercolor, yet they are easy to manipulate even on the thin paper. Although they aren't cheap, they are less than the Museum, so if you haven't already invested in pencils, I'd suggest starting with Supracolor. You can pick up a set of 12 for about $15 - $20 on Amazon. Of course, now that I've seen this fantastic video review, I'm going to have to get some of the Museum pencils just to see! :)
Thanks for sharing 😘
Caran d'Ache is all Swiss made and the pride of all lightfast lines. Note that all aniline dye based colors (as in ink intense) fade to almost nothing, the brighter the color to faster they fade!
Sandy, thank you for the wonderful video. What brand, size, type of paint brush are you using in this video?
+Cecilia Fernandez I use Black Velvet brushes by Silver...most often a #6. salln.net/1rapgFb
+Sandy Allnock thank you!
I wish you had included the Koh-i-noor Mondeluz wc pencils. They are just fabulous and in the mid- range on price.
Sorry - ran out of budget to buy more pencils! lol.
The Sargent art watercolour pencils aren't very pigmented, and have to be activated soo much, that it almost rips a whole in the paper!
I bought the 24 pack, and was realy disappointed, the crayola ones work better, and Crayolas is much cheaper.
Thank you Sandy. I've narrowed my choice down to the MA and the AD by FC. The difference seems to be in the quality of the pigment and the pigment to binder ratio, which, it seems to me, the MA's do better at both, what do you think? Since you are a trained artist and probably have had more time to work with them since you posted this video, I would love to get your feedback to help me decide which set to invest in!
If you can afford the MA, they really are amazing-but you wouldn’t be disappointed with AD either 😉
Thank you. I had a little chat with Lisa from Lisa Lachri Fine Art on this. It seems that the MA are more on the opaque side and the AD are more on the transparent side of the opacity spectrum, would you agree?
I thought that Cretacolor was a good brand so i bought 12 Monolith watercolor pencils for €30. I was never disappointed so much in my life. I should have done a research before buying them. 😔😭
Have you tried lyra rembrandt watercolor pencils? If so, how do they compare to the other artist grade?
Many years ago I had just a few. I wasn’t impressed enough at the time to pursue them, but I’m not sure what I’d think today.
inktense is a dry ink pencil that can be re-wet and is nowhere near as lightfast as caran d'ache watercolor pencils.
Thanks for that Sandy, very helpful. I was thinking of getting the Aquablend pencils by Crafters Companion; have you had a chance to try those? I'd love to know what you think.
+LadyJoolree I can't afford to get every brand. I showed what I have.
No worries.
Hello Lady Joolree. I have the Aquablend and I enjoy them very much. I don't have anything else to compare them with except a 12pk of Derwent watercolor pencils (reg not Inktense) and I like those too. The Aquablend have good color and release nicely and you can buy in sets of 24 with no duplicates in tins. Hope this helps-it's been 7mo since the video!
What about the lightfastness?
If money weren’t a factor.. For vibrant colors on bible pages, would you recommend the inktense or museum aquarelle?
For most everyone inktense...for the independently wealthy, both. 😂 (Wait. I’m not independently wealthy, I’m just a tester of mediums.)
Great video. Has you tested Pentel watercolor pencils? Thank you.
No I haven’t sorry!
Awsome video. Liked and subbed ♥.
Derwent Inktense are ink not watercolour, once dry they are permanent and you can't scrub them.
They actually can move after drying. Not nearly as much as other pencils, but I've been surprised that they sometimes can move.
What about Koh-i-noor Mondeluz and progresso lines?
I would have to buy them all and can’t afford all the brands 😞
is the museum aquarelle more good than the inktense???
It depends. The Inktense are more intense color, because technically they're ink, not watercolor. The Museum Aquarelle are beautiful and the color melts out beautifully.
WOW THANKS
Once the inktense pencils are dry, they no longer reactivate with water like traditional watercolor pencils. Its an ink, not watercolor exactly
Except they actually do reactivate slightly - I was rather surprised at that!