Derwent XL Graphite Blocks Review & Demo
Вставка
- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Today we are going to take a look at the Derwent XL water-soluble graphite blocks. They are available at Blick: shrsl.com/3eodu Amazon: amzn.to/3tTlYIU and other fine art retailers. *affiliate links used
Overview: The Derwent XL blocks are a water-soluble tinted graphite product that can be used to sketch directly or used with a wet brush to apply.
Pros:
Very Lightfast
Lots of product for the money
Beautiful, yet subtle granulation
Available in a set of 6 or open stock
Cons:
Only 6 colors in the line and 2 are grey/graphite of different darkness
Colors shift a bit opaque when dry and could get muddy if you are not careful
Bottom line: I like these, the blue and green and beautiful in landscapes and seascapes. The soft and very soft graphite blocks could be mixed with Inktense blocks or watercolor to expand the range. You could start of with one of the grahite blocks and mix them with the watercolor products you have if you want to see if you like them before investing in the set. Blick often has these on sale for $21 (50% off retail) so atthat price I think they are well worth it and fun to play with. I think they woukd be great for large works as well. If you only work small I think the Grapitingt pan paints or Graphitint pencils would be more useful tho.
Try a class! lindsayweirich...
NEW! Podcast anchor.fm/lind...
Subscribe to my blog and stay updated (upper right-hand corner) thefrugalcrafte...
Shop my favorite products on Amazon: www.amazon.com...
Credits:
Video production and Craft ideas: Lindsay Weirich
Music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons...
Sign Up For The Frugal Crafter News! tinyletter.com...
For Sponsorships or Product Reviews email Lindsay at: artstudiosofbangor@yahoo.com
Social media links:
Facebook: / thefrugalcrafter
Blog: thefrugalcrafte...
Pinterest: / boards
Twitter: / lindsayweirich
Instagram: / lindsayweirich
UA-cam Subscribe: www.youtube.com...
*This post may contain affiliate links
#thefrugalcrafter #watercolor #art
This is the best way to review a product --> run it through the paces with a demo to show just what it's capable of!! Thank you Lindsay - well done!! ❤️👏🏻❤️
Totally agree, Lyndsay does an excellent review because she actually uses the product not just a quick swatch.
I completely agree. Well said.
I love your encouragement Lindsey. You are a treasure to the art community, especially for beginners and adventurous artists.
I’ve always valued your reviews. I’m able to pick what best suits my preference because you’re so thoughtful and thorough.
Not to mention all your tips and suggestions. TYFS
Thank you so much! You are so kind.
Agreed that Derwent is top notch! Like what you did with these, but gotta say...YOU could make a respectable painting with a stick and lump of bbq charcoal 😆. Its a mark of a professional. Thank you for the demo-Really enjoyed it.
LOL, I so agree 👍
Truth!
Ohhh, cool painting! These look fun, I think I need them. 😄 Thanks for sharing!
Unbelievable what you can create so fast and with just 6 colors, you are so amazing, it is such a joy to watch and listen when you create 👍😘😃
I am just so glad you are promoting Rosi’s shop! I am truly excited to use the sketchbook’s I purchased from her! I have found a new pastel surface that I don’t cry when opening my wallet! I even like the colors of the Shinzin papers! It takes pencils and pastels well. I got both the light and dark books of papers. Thank you for showing the uses for these blocks! You show a plethora of techniques that are good for so many different supplies, thanks Lindsay!
Wonderful demo- I just got these XLs- I love them❤️
I love watercolours, but the more reviews I see on these blocks and the inktense the more I think they will be a lot of fun. 😄 Thank you for showing how you would use them.
So much fun and comparable with your watercolors and they are all available open stock so you can just get a few to add to your collection.
It is amazing how much you can do with the few colors. Very nice demo Lindsay. Thank you.
Thanks for this review and demo. I bought a tin of these last month while they were on sale and I've been having a lot of fun with them. I agree there should be more colors, though I've found that putting small shavings of the blocks into a water-moistoned watercolor well with some shavings off the Graphitint pencil leads has given me some amazing varied mixes I can brush onto my pieces. The pigments get more integrated than just applying the pencils on or around the blocks, IMO.
It’s so fun to watch you paint Lindsay! Thanks for the demo and your thoughts on the different options, always very helpful and fair!
Thank you!
Scurrying to add to cart ☺️ - thanks for the review and demo!
Love the spattering! Thanks for showing the diversified uses of these blocks.
Lindsay even on your casual, I'm just making it up as I go, days the works are wonderful! Thank you for sharing your gifts Ragland with us and inspiring/ challenging us to create! I just love watching you work! P.S. even your "bad" days are encouraging. I'm thinking of the gouache Palette and water brush escapade while looking for Penny's leash. I'm happy if my"good" days come out like your"off" or "just messing around" art. 😊 Thanks for being such an encouraging cheerleader!
i like how fast you made this drawing 😍
Wow! They look fun! Thanks for the demo and review Lindsay!
I really value your reviews, so helpful for me to decide whether to spend my hard earned money!
Love to see your reviews of different products and appreciate the summary you did at the end to explain the differences between the various Derwent products. Thx Lindsay.
Thanks for sharing 🤩love my Derwent for years😍different Pencil for different use❤️
Great review. It was really helpful at the end when you explained which you would pick. I could understand why you ended up picking the xl blocks. But I thought you might go for the pans. I have the pencils and haven’t used them much. But you inspired me to get them out when I unpack from my move.
You are such a delight to watch! Thanks for the great demo! So fun to be able to draw and paint with product!
You make this product look like so much fun. Amazing how you manage and manipulate all types of product into beautiful pieces. This was awesome!
Thanks Lindsay. I love the pans because they are more transparent and less chalky when dried. Maybe because of using less? Idk. These look fun tough. Thanks again for the great demo of these blocks.💜
I have the paints & pencils. Now I want these! They look like so much fun & the end result is fantastic.
Great review Lindsay! Thanks so much for the demo🙂
I was just looking at these this morning! Thank you for all of the great information!
Great review! The colors are so pretty, and the landscape came out really nice.
Fantastic review and demo, Lindsay!! I love Derwent and their products. I think I might need those xl blocks, too! Tfs.
I just love the graphitint line. I am going to have to consider these blocks.
Thanks Lindsay, I love Derwent too. ❤️🌿
I like the watercolor palette, I usually get it out when I have an art block. I find the blocks too intimidating but you make it look like a ton of fun.
I love demo -reviews that go beyond swatches. We can see the product in action. Like beauty UA-camrs who put the makeup on they are reviewing 😛 thanks Lindsey !
I totally agree!
Very interesting and informative video. Loved how your quick picture turned out, yes I can see loads of possibilities, was thinking it needs a yellow but three is that yellow glow in your painting. Himm interesting 🤔. Have a great week.
This was verrrry helpful❤️
I think I need these. I'm not sure if I need the pans, the blocks or both.... love it regardless
Beautiful paint palette Lindsay 🖌
Hey Lindsay! I love your product reviews and usually run to them before I purchase an item. I’ve asked before about reviewing the Croma lite and Croma flagship markers. There’s a new product on the market! The Arrtx soft-core pencils! I don’t know if you purchased them already, but a review of them would be awesome! Your reviews are well articulated, get straight to the point, and are honest! Thank you, Lindsay.
The Chroma markers are not riginging a bell but I have a review for the update if the chromaflow pencils tomorrow. I just got the arrtx pencils and love them. Very easy to use and soft!
I still haven’t reviewed my sets; they are in the queue and I am so tempted to bump them up the priority list because your videos make me want to use them immediately! 😂 Especially the blue and green. 💙💚
Have fun with them!
Great video. Thanks for sharing!
Ok, I just got my supplies. Going to get busy trying them out. Also my watercolor crayons due today and need to get busy on the workshop.
Woohoo!
I think i have a derwent collection art hoarder problem ....when i finally save enough money i tend to buy from derwent and its always a set....i tend to buy thier graphite sets... is it cause i love to draw?? and i feel comfortable buying soluble color graphite ???or do i like the moody colors????...lol all i know im glad theres artist like you who can give me many different ideas on how to use these different sets...lol.. helpful hints are much appreciated, and heres a small hint maybe you can add a piece of paper half way around the blocks if you dont care for the messy on your fingers..you can also pull blocks to lay up a bit against side and take the paint from end of block kinda like caran dashe bottoms thats where i got the idea from actually to lay pull blicks up a bit on side of container.....enjoyed your idea of splatter and sharpener edge card..i think im kinda try this type of painting i also like to see more colors like you maybe a white or another green or brown but if had white you could add it to help soften colors a bit ..altho i thought i could use a set thats limited in color so i dont get overwhelmed with choicesand i can just concentrate on wgat to paint but a white would be helpful....i love how you cut your card and the technique it ended up with i learn so much from you...thank you....mikelle art mom👩🎨🎨✍
Noto que la caja ya no trae los grises, ahora hay un color berenjena y un rojo apagado muy lindos, les encantarán. Lástima que acá no hayan esos ofertones. Saludos desde Chile 😊
I am partial to many Derwent products especially the coloursof,t inktense pencils and their pastel pencils.
Those XLs are tempting but I am trying to cut down on the purchasing and use what I have, all the same I love ur reviews and your honesty.
You and me both! It's had tho with so many tempting things!
these look really nice! i wonder if irredescent medium would mix with them...thx for reviewing
It should!
Thanks for sharing this! What fun to use them in the splatter and I don’t know if it is a different color on the Umber off camera it looks like burnt sienna to sienna not umber I thought it was a lighter browner color? Its cool though!
thanks for the demonstrtion. I always like to see the product in action. Do you prefer Inktense over these? I feel like inktense might be more versatile since you can use it on multiple surfaces.
It depends on what I am painting
I love how you brace us to be prepared that your art may not turn out spectacular when of course it does as usual. Thank you for sharing your talent and inspiring us to just try. I am working on a project right now with inktense pencils. I've been having such fun working them. I have run across the question though, at one point my white inktense vanished so I grabbed another white water soluble pencil from a different brand knowing that it did not have the permanent ones dry quality, do you know if you put ink pens over regular watercolor pencils once the ink tanks are dry does it offer some protection to the watercolor below it or the fact that there is another product underneath it does it cause the inktense to not be able to bond to the material it is on and it will end up washing away if on cloth?
I don't think you want anything to be a barrier between the inktense and fabric.
I just received these as a gift, and I really love their versatility, but I think it’s worth noting that some of the colors are quite different from yours. The raw umber and burnt umber in particular jump out as different. The raw umber is slightly less warm and more muted, but the burnt umber is the one that is really different. It’s kind of a dull purplish brown. It’s not what you think of when you think of burnt umber, but it’s also completely missing the russet-like warmth of yours. They came from Amazon so I don’t know if they stock is any older or newer than what you would get at a place like Blick. I would love for the burnt umber to be warmer (or just replaced with a russet) because then it could serve as sort of a “primary.” It’s hard to say because I know lighting is different, etc., but it seems like my whole set is somewhat more muted/greyed down than yours. I have the Graphitint paint pan set, too, and I would say the colors in the XL set, on the whole, are duller than those. I would love a yellow ochre too!
Mine came directly from Derwent.
@@thefrugalcrafter I was just about to edit my comment to say that I tried them on 100% cotton paper (since I know that can make a difference in how vivid the colors appear.) Interesting… I have a lot of Derwent products and agree they make great products. I’m not sure why these would be different unless they are older and have changed them over time. But I still like them.
You make painting look so easy!! Such a beautiful quick piece! Maybe you chould make a how to: paint the perfect rock tutorial- like teach use where to put the shadows and highlights on rocks of all different shapes and sizes...maybe you could break it down to the most basic, simplistic steps so that in the future we could paint any kind of shape or size rock...Idk just a suggestion...Anyway great review- thanks for sharing. Much love.💛💙💚
I have a whole section of rocks in my watercolor landscape workshop class at Lindsayweirich.teachable.com I love painting rocks! They rock!
Anything rubbing or dissolving I use my davinci junior brushes for. Use these for gouache as well. Brilliant and cheap. If they go bad you can always mess m up further for masking fluid :P eu brands seem to be bit more on the red side when it comes to browns. Sennelier Schmincke and winsor & Newton have that as well however this indeed is as burnt sienna as it will get even for eu orange like style of burnt sienna.
I notice that too. Also many of the earth tones are weaker. I just filmed a review for maimeriblu watercolors and their burnt seinna looked just like w&n even tho it uses pbr7 instead of the pr101 w&n uses. Also kinda weak.
@@thefrugalcrafter PBR 7 has many shades though. Not all come as dark as DS or MGraham but maybe it's a mix of both? Can't be a coinsithingy ( Grammar left my head ) that most eu brands have the eu orange tone.
You know Lindsay I wonder about impressionism in watercolor painting. I mean I can't really draw and making those fancy sketches so many artist do before painting stresses me out. I'm looking for a way to learn using watercolors without sketching first.
Check out Angela Fehr on UA-cam. I don think she often sketches first. Very loose and impressionistic
So Lyndsey, what about these is special compared to regular watercolor? Or other watersoluble media ?? I think they look cool but I’m wondering who they’re best suited for
I think the block format is good for sketching and then you van add water or leave as is. The texture, sheen and opacity are different to watercolor but it's not going to appeal to everyone. It's more muted than watercolor or desaturated, muted maybe. Not everyone will like that.
@@thefrugalcrafter gotcha ! Another quick question, Would you say they’re chalky ? Or that they granulate pretty heavy ? I think I heard you mention something about that
Hi Lindsay….I have the Derwent Inktense Blocks….yours must be similar but the Inktense would be permanent when dry ?
Yes on porous surfaces
Lindsey can you tell me which pencils these are - watercolor or just colored pencils. I know they are Derwent. And the pan paints by Derwent - which ones? I am going to shop at Blick so I want to give you credit. I really enjoyed this video. And I think I want to purchase your new tutorial on crayons?
I am using the xl graphite blocks linked in the description. Do you mean the graphitint pencils that are watersoluble tinted graphite?
@@thefrugalcrafter Yes, I want the same stuff you have. I found them! Should get supplies for them soon and I’ll try that technique. You make things look sooo fun! I’m going to buy the crayons and try the pussywillows painting. I want the palette you said had the area for applying crayons on (sanded). And I want 30 crayons so will palette hold 30 shavings😆. And I sent your email RE workshop to a friend. She was Johns physical therapist and found out she paints and is a beginner. Her son from California paints so she was happy she found a local friend to discuss art and both of us committed to reading the Bible in a year. So I made her some note cards from her bunny painting from Hallmark. When she comes to get them I’m going to tell her again she should sign up for the crayon workshop. I am excited. So if you can let me know about palette I’ll buy it too.
Hi Lindsay-I’ve only used these to draw with. When these are used with water, do they dry like watercolor on the paper or do you recommend using a fixative on these? (I do use a fixative on finished dry drawings with my Derwent XL)
It's not a bad idea if you are using a heavy coat. Honestly I tend to. Lay a peice of deli paper between the drawings but i probably should fix them.
@@thefrugalcrafter understood. I tend to put glassine in between the pages of my pastel & charcoal sketchbooks. Thank you! Now to try these fun XLs with water! I have to say I’m loving them for drawing! It’s like when I was 5 and got to color with the “Husky” Crayola crayons. I felt so powerful with that fat ol’ crayon in my hand!😂❤️
This says one day ago, but I could swear I saw this one awhile back
you might be thinking about the tutorial for the cairns or the review of the XL charcoal blocks that are a similar product.
@@thefrugalcrafter Yep! That would be it! Thank you for helping with that. I do love them and I’m on the edge of making this purchase because of the lovely texture with these. Thanks again!
Enjoyed your video. But I couldn’t help at beginning of your video to imagine a classroom taking instruction from you and they were to draw a stream a couple rocks, some trees, etc. You wouldn’t tell them what they would look like that would have to come from the student. Each student would sketch what they thought their stream, rocks with or without moss would look like. What season is it, is there any snow on the ground, birds in the air or in those trees. I wonder what each persons view would look like?
these are fun
Do they rub off the paper after they dry?do you need to fix the painting?
Then can if used heavily.
what brush were you using?
I think I used a creative mark mimik cats tongue 3/4"
🤭 you sound seriously worried about the health of those birch trees. it’s been a year, are they still ok?
comment from the future- i bought these bc you let us know they were in sale. i love them , too- super fun! i wanted to slap myself when i realized they’re the same damn thing as my pencils but as you said, they have a totally different character
Ghost Gums, not Birch trees :D
I’ve just bought these and my raw and burnt umber are completely different colours to the ones you have! Not even similar!
How strange. You got the graphite and not charcoal right?
@@thefrugalcrafter yes, definitely the graphite. I just looked on the derwent website and the colours look more similar to mine so I’m wondering if they changed the colours at some point. Very strange, but I still like them xx
Don’t need the over animated hands lol. We know what you’re referring to. No offence meant, it’s just distracting from your message. Cheers.
It also make the screen look smaller. I keep trying to hit full screen but it's already at full screen.