Derwent Colorsoft Pencils, 4mm Core, Metal Tin, 12 Count (0701026)...

After using the Prismacolor and trying not to sink any more money into pencils, I gave in to the huge desire to try the Derwent Coloursoft. I did a lot of reading and researching beforehand and couldn't imagine anything being more wonderful than the Prismacolor. I WAS WRONG!! I'm in love with these pencils. I'm not a complete traitor to my Prismacolor though because it's almost like having two completely different coloring media. While the Prismacolor is smooth, soft and oh so wonderful, the Derwent Coloursoft is smooth, and so awesomely (probably not a word) blendable! I was amazed at how easy it is to color with these pencils. They are fatter than Prismacolor which feels great with my arthritic hands. They don't require hard coloring to get beautiful blending effects and they look so pretty on everything I've colored. When coloring a large area, it's easier to blend in the lines that you sometimes get that I was having issues with when using the Prismacolor. I wouldn't give up my Prismacolor pencils but I do believe the Derwent is my new favorite go-to pencil! I bought the 72 tin, but wish I'd sprung for the larger set.

I previously owned a much smaller set of Prismacolors, and used those as my sole art pencils. I found them quite disappointing, and as a result did not do many illustrations with colored pencils. While searching on ZeeBooth for Derwent Inkense pencils (which I also highly recommend), I came across these. I saw many rave reviews, and the 72 set was priced very low at the time, so I decided to give colored pencils a second try. I am very happy I did!! These pencils are incredibly smooth, and blend so nicely. My only complaint is that they don't come in a bigger set, because I would love more colors (even though I can blend to get them, I honestly cannot get enough of these pencils). The color selection of the 72 set is excellent, and has plenty of both bright and more natural tones. They are not really designed for detail work, however, I have been able to sharpen mine to a nice point, and do a little detailing so long as I am careful about my pressure. I completely recommend these to any artist, and also to anyone interested in using/trying colored pencils. A smaller set of these is not horribly expensive, and they are easy to blend with, and overall quite pleasant to use. The pencils themselves look nice, and the tin they come in is also very sturdy and attractive.

With the name Derwent you expect to get a great set of colored pencils and these do not disappoint. They are soft, hence the name, so they blend well and also work great with my other pencils, Prismacolors, Polychromos, Lyra, Blick, dry Inktense and FC Albrecht Durer, Marco Renior, ect. Though Derwent pencils may cost a bit more at mid range price, though less expensive than Polychromos, remember the round barrel is large at 4mm and for me I find them comfortable to hold, more so than thin hexagon pencils. They are not scratchy feeling at all and because they are soft, if your on the heavy handed side like I tend to be, you might have to sharpen a bit more if you need a super fine pointy tip. I would highly recommend these to anyone who loves this medium and would suggest purchasing here at ZeeBooth. If you watch the price, you can get a great deal, I paid $12 more here a few months ago than the $65 price shown today. I think they are worth the investment of the extra cost than purchasing a cheaper but much less quality set of pencils, even for coloring book addicts, like any task or "job", you will find yourself enjoying it so much more, example coloring or creating a masterpiece, when you have the right tools. FYI this is my own opinion, I haven't earned the privilege of receiving free or discounted products on ZeeBooth so I WAS NOT given these free or discounted but purchased with my hard earned money and I still would highly recommend these to the casual coloring book artist or the professional artists. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do, give them a try I don't think you will regret. Happy Creating!

I love these pencils. They provide excellent pigmentation and blend-ability. While these are NOT pastel pencils, the way they move on paper reminds me of that type of media. I refrain from using the word 'chalky' or 'gritty' because those aren't exactly pleasant things to find in a colored pencil, but I guess I must include them. It's not overwhelming and doesn't feel BAD, and the results of the product look amazing. But they have a 'natural' feel, I guess I would say that waxier pencils like Prismas (which I do still love) don't. It's got that bit of bite against paper, like pastel or graphite infused with the smoothness of colored pencil. I like it - a lot. So I'll compare these to other brands you may be familiar with. They're are a less waxy pencil than Prismacolor. They FEEL less waxy than Faber-Castell Polychromos, although those are an oil based pencil. So I guess I should say they feel less 'smooth'. But as I said, these have a.. textured feel to them when in use. They are more pigmented than the majority of Derwent Artist/Studios (also a wax-based pencil of the same brand). I am yet to experience any significant issue with blooming or loosing the tooth of paper underneath layers of the pencil. I already feel myself falling in love with these! A downfall is the barrel of these is a little larger than most pencils, and they're a tight/impossible fit for most all of my sharpeners. And unlike the Polychromos I recently ordered through the same ZeeBooth seller, they came in perfect safe condition!