I have been using Prismacolor Premier coloured pencils to do most of my portraits for the past four years. They are wax based, creamy and blend well, but my major gripe is that some of the colours give a lot of wax bloom. I was ready to move onto oil-based coloured pencils. I tried Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor pencils, but they were a bit scratchy and didn’t blend too well. After hearing about Derwent Lightfast being comparable to Faber Castell Polychromos, I bought a set while it was on sale at Amazon for CAD$21, which was such a steal. Here is my review of Derwent Lightfast coloured pencils.
Derwent Lightfast
I already own some of Derwent Procolour wax-based pencils and enjoy them, so Derwent is not new to me. It is one of my most trusted brands for art.
At first glance, this set of 12 oil-based coloured pencils didn’t seem like it had enough shades to do much. However, for portraits, it actually contains everything you need. It has all the basic colours you could blend to create most skin tones and eye colours.
Inside the tin box there is a little pamphlet with all the lightfast information on the pencils. The pencils claim to have lightfastness (the ability to not fade in the light) of 100 years, but of course we won’t live long enough to prove it. Maybe I should leave a note for my descendants to check my art work later on? 😛
The Packaging
The tin is very lightweight, which feels a bit flimsy. For a high priced set I felt it should not feel cheap, but it’s not a deal-breaker.
Derwent Lightfast Pencils Review
With the exception of Mid Ultramarine and Mallard Green, I used every pencil in this set to draw the portrait of actress Florence Pugh, who played Yelena in Black Widow and Hawkeye. Almost all of the shades went on the Strathmore Bristol paper (300 series, smooth surface) smoothly and blended easily, though the feel of the pencils on the paper was not as smooth or creamy as Prismacolor Premier. It took some getting used to, but the blending was not any more difficult than with wax based pencils like Prismacolor Premier.
One thing I must note, is that the Derwent Lightfast pencils did not break at all when I sharpened them. It is a marked difference from Prismacolor Premier coloured pencils, which have softer leads and break fairly easily. I had some Prismacolor Premier pencils that break almost all the way to the end of the pencil, but the Lightfast pencils are firmer and not prone to breakage.
There is a tiny bit of wax bloom but not noticeable. The black did not have much of a wax sheen to it like Prismacolor does, thankfully.
I really enjoyed using Derwent Lightfast. The pencils have rich pigment, blend easily and do not break. They are more expensive, but when you buy them on sale they are cheaper than Prismacolor. I have my eyes set on Faber Castell Polychromos, but for now, Derwent Lightfast more than meets my needs.
Derwent Lightfast Rating:
Pigment: 5/5
Blendability: 5/5
Colour Selection: 3.5/5
Price/Value: 3.5/5
Durability: 5/5
Overall Rating: 4.4/5
