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I’ve had my eyes on the Derwent Drawing pencils for a while because I’ve heard a lot of good things about them. After watching several reviews on YouTube, I decided to buy the 24 set.
The set cost slightly below 1000 SEK (about 100 dollars), so it wasn’t cheap, but after trying them, I definitely think it was worth it.
THE PENCILS
The Derwent Drawing pencils are highly lightfast and there’s a total of 24 colors. They are one of the creamiest pencils I’ve ever tried. It came a little bit as a surprise, but at the same time, I didn’t know what to expect the first time I tried them.
The barrel is red-brown, which I’m not too fond of, but the pencils are nice to hold since the barrel isn’t super thin.
The names are easy to read, and you can see the color on the top. It matches well with the color of the pen itself.
THE PALETTE
The palette contains 24 earthy and matte colors, and they are the reason why I became interested in the Derwent Drawing pencils in the first place.
Derwent wasn’t a brand I was super interested in when my art journey began, but they have grown on me over the years, and I look forward to checking out what else they have to offer.
This palette is perfect for nature drawings, and not so much for details. I found them a little bit frustrating to use when I tried to draw small and detailed things, but I enjoyed using them when I drew a tree.
Below, you’ll find a video where I’m swatching the colors:
ISSUES
One issue I encountered was breakage. Two pencils kept breaking all the time, no matter how many times I sharpened them. One pencil even crumbled and was almost impossible to sharpen. The Chinese White color also had blue streaks in it. I don’t know if this is a common thing with these pencils, or if it is just my set since I haven’t heard anyone else mention it. Despite that, I still find them enjoyable and I will definitely continue using them.
Below, you’ll find a video of me drawing a tree with the Derwent Drawing:
VERDICT
If you’re looking for creamy and pigmented colored pencils to draw nature with, and if you don’t want many colors, then the Derwent Drawing might be the set for you.
They are easy to draw with and go down as butter. You don’t have to layer a lot and they mix well, but be careful not to press too hard since some of the pencils tend to break.
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This is such an interesting topic! Choosing the right pencil really can make a big difference in drawing quality.