Another great review, you have the ability to present such insightful reviews. The hard work that you put into these reviews shows through. Thank you for that work and your sharing in the videos and writen reviews. Stay well and be positive.
Thank you for reviewing these, I was having trouble finding one! I’ve been using koh-I-noor’s sketch set with the derwent pencils, and I love the conte sketching crayons so was thinking about giving this set a shot!
I love artwork done with the Conte a Paris pencils. Paul Rubens, Michaelangelo, and Da Vinci also used these colours - in fact they used mainly three colours, white, black and sanguine. On a toned paper. You can tone your own paper if do don't have toned paper available, using cheap stick pastels.
Thanks for a great review as always. I been using the Pierre Noire B for portrait and figure drawing practise, and sometimes the Sanguine pencil, and I love them. I was not aware of these other pencils, I have to get this set and try them out.
Excellent review :) what I've found with the Fusain, is that it's much smoother when applying (no random scratchiness, unlike Derwent) and makes less dust than my other charcoal pencils--which you noted! Also, my fusain pencils are much better for sharpening, both in a crank and by hand with a craft knife. I can actually carve the cores to be up to 2 inches out of the wood, without them breaking, and sand them to a point. Yet, you still get the different grades from each Fusain like you would other charcoal pencils. As for the Pierre Noire, I really believe it's a charcoal-wax combination because it's dark and matte like charcoal but smooth and buttery like a prismacolor colored pencil. These 2 types of charcoal have actually converted me to being a charcoal user becuase they are so smooth to use, have a reliable consistency, are strong and don't break when sharpening, and they give that beautiful indelible black when desired :) Also worth noting: I've seen some people blend the pierre noire pencils with zest-it, so I think that further supports that these are likely a mix of charcoal and wax.
Out of curiousity, I thought... hm I wonder if it's actually gum arabic or something like that... So I pulled one out with some scrap watercolor paper and tested both the fusain (which is definitely normal charcoal) and the pierre noire... And the pierre noire completely blends out, like a watercolor pencil with a plain ole brush and water! The exception to this, is if the paper is very smooth or cartridge, which left a faint mark from where I originally laid it down even after I blended it pretty roughly with a brush. If the binder had been wax or fat based of some sort, it should have resisted the water. You can tell it's charcoal, because the black particles become slightly suspended in both the fusain and pierre noire, when they come in contact with water--whereas, a pigment, like in watercolor pencils, would have blended with the water pretty seamlessly. They both blend beautifully with water, though the fusain blended far less smoothly than the pierre noire. Wow I am really happy this video sparked me to experiment---can totally use the pierre noire with watercolor paper and blend out with a waterbrush for urban sketching! Combine it with an actual oil pencil (like the Pitt oil sketching pencils) for lines that stay even when they are wet... and you have a complete plein air/urban sketching kit in 2 pencils, a waterbrush, a watercolor journal, and an eraser!
Thank you so much for sharing this information with us, this was the first time really that I had come across these materials and I am so glad that I bought them to review as I have used them quite a bit since the review and love them. because of these materials, I have certainly got into more graphite / charcoal art and I am really loving the rich darks that I can get without the sheen that Graphite can give, which I know has a place in artwork, but just not my own personal preference. Again Amaya thank you so much for sharing this with us all I really appreciate it, I feel it is so important to have everyone who watches my reviews to contribute what they know and feel about the products as this only helps us all grow as artists and in our understanding of the wonderful products available.
@@TheArtGearGuide I hope that we get to see some of your graphite and charcoal work in the near future! And thank YOU for getting the cogs turning in my head to test the charcoals for watersolubility :) I changed to working with charcoal and oil based pencils in natural colors (ilke the pitt pencils), because I can complete charcoal works faster than if I do them in graphite. I use the oil based pencils for fine details or initial sketch outlines. I also like how much more contrast I can get with charcoal, thanks to those deep dark blacks. The only downside of charcoal in my book is that it typically needs to be fixed to the surface. But the good news about that is that you don't have to be too particular about the fixative, since it isn't going to cause color changes. Amazingly, I've even managed to use charcoal on Tomoe River paper. I used a conte fusain charcoal stick to build up the tone, along with a piece of cotton to rub it into the surface, and did that 4-5 times to get the darks I wanted, then "negative" drew with an eraser, and added details back in with charcoal and oil pencils. Because the paper is practically tissue thin, it really gives an otherworldly appearance to a finished piece. I really want to try the charcoal on matte dur-a-lar to see what kind of effects I can get! Now to test other charcoals like the FC Pitt charcoal and General's charcoal :) which I hear has the deepest black in it's 6B pencil.
Really late to the party as I was looking for information regarding the texture of the sepia and sanguine pencils as I would like to buy them but I hate the feeling of chalky pencils on papers. 😬 You’re right. I have used the Pierre Noire pencil with ZestIt and it is incredible. I am a coloured pencil artist and I use these pencils when I want a really deep, velvety black. I layer them, use ZestIt to blend and then go over it with a black or another dark coloured pencil (indigo, mars black or something like that). To me, they are a greasy charcoal pencil. PS: here in France we can buy all these pencils open stock or in small blisters. Unfortunately I have to order them as my local art supplies store doesn’t have all the pencils I want. Thank you for this review!
Thank you soooooo much for this.. I bought the set after watching this review. I want to start off with these and do loose sketches for now as I am a beginner :D
I think you will really enjoy the set when they arrive, there is a wide range of tones and values in the set allowing you to create so much. I love using the Sanguine and White on Toned Tan paper I have seen lots of artists use this technique and it can be really beautiful.
With regards to more detailed sketching all you need is a nice set of graphite pencils. Koh-I-Noor sell a nice set of Graphite pencils quite inexpensive, if you look on my playlists I have a list for just Graphite reviews and you will see my review in their. If on the other hand you are able to spend a little bit more money the Caran d'Ache Grafwood are perhaps the best graphite pencils I personally have used thus far. There are still a lot of graphite pencils I have not used so I am not saying they are the very best, just of all the graphite pencils I have reviewed they top the list. Again I have reviewed them on that playlist and they sell a few different sets which can be really expensive but the cheapest set they sell is the one I purchased in the tin tube, you will see it on the review. I hope this has been able to help you out a bit.
@@TheArtGearGuide Thank you so much for your help... Your so kind. I am very new to Art so this is so helpful for me. I love the idea of using the pencils on toned tan paper rather than just white paper.. I can imagine how beautiful it will look and the Sanguine is my favourite colour in the set. I will definitely give it a shot and also will check out your reviews on all the other brands of graphite pencils you have mentioned :D
Thanks for the review. I am watching some artists that use these pencils, and they can achieve a dark but light lines as well as light marks. But when I use it, it just leaves very strong marks and I can't get thin lines if I want them dark. They just get messy unlike the artists I watch. Is CarbOthello similar to this? I can only get their same result with Polychromos which is wax. Very confused (:
Love the thick lead graphite pencils! Always have 2H Conte on hand to speed up light shaded backgrounds etc. I find their graphite pencils better quality than this KiN graphite set I've had for ages. Btw, that white pencil is not a pastel pencil (at least not a 'normal' one), Conte white pastel comes in white colored barrel and it has written "pastel" on it. I have both pencils and they preform VERY differently. As for what this white pencil is, I've been searching for that info for years, but no luck. Some believe it's white charcoal, other some type of cp, etc. No one knows for sure. I just know I don't like it. Hard, crumbly, scratchy. Not using it. These three no info pencils from the set fall under their "Conté à Paris Sketching crayons/Colour carré Crayons". Good review as always! P.S. so sorry if you're getting many notifications about my multiple comment edits lol.
Thank you for your reviews, very much appreciated. Difficult to get honest reviews in this space. I’m new to this hobby and recently started sketching.... more like doodling compared to your work!
Another great review, you have the ability to present such insightful reviews. The hard work that you put into these reviews shows through. Thank you for that work and your sharing in the videos and writen reviews. Stay well and be positive.
Thank you for reviewing these, I was having trouble finding one! I’ve been using koh-I-noor’s sketch set with the derwent pencils, and I love the conte sketching crayons so was thinking about giving this set a shot!
I love artwork done with the Conte a Paris pencils. Paul Rubens, Michaelangelo, and Da Vinci also used these colours - in fact they used mainly three colours, white, black and sanguine. On a toned paper. You can tone your own paper if do don't have toned paper available, using cheap stick pastels.
Thanks for the review. Nice closing music!!
Another great review Harry!.....very enjoyable to watch
Thank you so much Steve mate
Where can I buy the Conté à Paris The Drawing Set? Or just buy them separately? Thank you.
Thanks for a great review as always. I been using the Pierre Noire B for portrait and figure drawing practise, and sometimes the Sanguine pencil, and I love them. I was not aware of these other pencils, I have to get this set and try them out.
I assume fossilized charcoal would be at least much more compressed and possibly have other elements in them like clay or sandstone type stuff?
Excellent review :) what I've found with the Fusain, is that it's much smoother when applying (no random scratchiness, unlike Derwent) and makes less dust than my other charcoal pencils--which you noted! Also, my fusain pencils are much better for sharpening, both in a crank and by hand with a craft knife. I can actually carve the cores to be up to 2 inches out of the wood, without them breaking, and sand them to a point. Yet, you still get the different grades from each Fusain like you would other charcoal pencils. As for the Pierre Noire, I really believe it's a charcoal-wax combination because it's dark and matte like charcoal but smooth and buttery like a prismacolor colored pencil. These 2 types of charcoal have actually converted me to being a charcoal user becuase they are so smooth to use, have a reliable consistency, are strong and don't break when sharpening, and they give that beautiful indelible black when desired :)
Also worth noting: I've seen some people blend the pierre noire pencils with zest-it, so I think that further supports that these are likely a mix of charcoal and wax.
Out of curiousity, I thought... hm I wonder if it's actually gum arabic or something like that... So I pulled one out with some scrap watercolor paper and tested both the fusain (which is definitely normal charcoal) and the pierre noire... And the pierre noire completely blends out, like a watercolor pencil with a plain ole brush and water! The exception to this, is if the paper is very smooth or cartridge, which left a faint mark from where I originally laid it down even after I blended it pretty roughly with a brush. If the binder had been wax or fat based of some sort, it should have resisted the water.
You can tell it's charcoal, because the black particles become slightly suspended in both the fusain and pierre noire, when they come in contact with water--whereas, a pigment, like in watercolor pencils, would have blended with the water pretty seamlessly. They both blend beautifully with water, though the fusain blended far less smoothly than the pierre noire.
Wow I am really happy this video sparked me to experiment---can totally use the pierre noire with watercolor paper and blend out with a waterbrush for urban sketching! Combine it with an actual oil pencil (like the Pitt oil sketching pencils) for lines that stay even when they are wet... and you have a complete plein air/urban sketching kit in 2 pencils, a waterbrush, a watercolor journal, and an eraser!
Thank you so much for sharing this information with us, this was the first time really that I had come across these materials and I am so glad that I bought them to review as I have used them quite a bit since the review and love them.
because of these materials, I have certainly got into more graphite / charcoal art and I am really loving the rich darks that I can get without the sheen that Graphite can give, which I know has a place in artwork, but just not my own personal preference.
Again Amaya thank you so much for sharing this with us all I really appreciate it, I feel it is so important to have everyone who watches my reviews to contribute what they know and feel about the products as this only helps us all grow as artists and in our understanding of the wonderful products available.
@@TheArtGearGuide I hope that we get to see some of your graphite and charcoal work in the near future! And thank YOU for getting the cogs turning in my head to test the charcoals for watersolubility :)
I changed to working with charcoal and oil based pencils in natural colors (ilke the pitt pencils), because I can complete charcoal works faster than if I do them in graphite. I use the oil based pencils for fine details or initial sketch outlines. I also like how much more contrast I can get with charcoal, thanks to those deep dark blacks.
The only downside of charcoal in my book is that it typically needs to be fixed to the surface. But the good news about that is that you don't have to be too particular about the fixative, since it isn't going to cause color changes.
Amazingly, I've even managed to use charcoal on Tomoe River paper. I used a conte fusain charcoal stick to build up the tone, along with a piece of cotton to rub it into the surface, and did that 4-5 times to get the darks I wanted, then "negative" drew with an eraser, and added details back in with charcoal and oil pencils. Because the paper is practically tissue thin, it really gives an otherworldly appearance to a finished piece.
I really want to try the charcoal on matte dur-a-lar to see what kind of effects I can get!
Now to test other charcoals like the FC Pitt charcoal and General's charcoal :) which I hear has the deepest black in it's 6B pencil.
Really late to the party as I was looking for information regarding the texture of the sepia and sanguine pencils as I would like to buy them but I hate the feeling of chalky pencils on papers. 😬
You’re right. I have used the Pierre Noire pencil with ZestIt and it is incredible. I am a coloured pencil artist and I use these pencils when I want a really deep, velvety black. I layer them, use ZestIt to blend and then go over it with a black or another dark coloured pencil (indigo, mars black or something like that). To me, they are a greasy charcoal pencil.
PS: here in France we can buy all these pencils open stock or in small blisters. Unfortunately I have to order them as my local art supplies store doesn’t have all the pencils I want. Thank you for this review!
Thank you soooooo much for this.. I bought the set after watching this review. I want to start off with these and do loose sketches for now as I am a beginner :D
Could I also ask which set you would recommend for more detailed sketching?
I think you will really enjoy the set when they arrive, there is a wide range of tones and values in the set allowing you to create so much. I love using the Sanguine and White on Toned Tan paper I have seen lots of artists use this technique and it can be really beautiful.
With regards to more detailed sketching all you need is a nice set of graphite pencils. Koh-I-Noor sell a nice set of Graphite pencils quite inexpensive, if you look on my playlists I have a list for just Graphite reviews and you will see my review in their.
If on the other hand you are able to spend a little bit more money the Caran d'Ache Grafwood are perhaps the best graphite pencils I personally have used thus far. There are still a lot of graphite pencils I have not used so I am not saying they are the very best, just of all the graphite pencils I have reviewed they top the list. Again I have reviewed them on that playlist and they sell a few different sets which can be really expensive but the cheapest set they sell is the one I purchased in the tin tube, you will see it on the review.
I hope this has been able to help you out a bit.
@@TheArtGearGuide Thank you so much for your help... Your so kind. I am very new to Art so this is so helpful for me. I love the idea of using the pencils on toned tan paper rather than just white paper.. I can imagine how beautiful it will look and the Sanguine is my favourite colour in the set. I will definitely give it a shot and also will check out your reviews on all the other brands of graphite pencils you have mentioned :D
Thanks for the review. I am watching some artists that use these pencils, and they can achieve a dark but light lines as well as light marks. But when I use it, it just leaves very strong marks and I can't get thin lines if I want them dark. They just get messy unlike the artists I watch. Is CarbOthello similar to this? I can only get their same result with Polychromos which is wax. Very confused (:
Polychromes are actually oil based. Some sites have it wrong. Best wishes
Love the thick lead graphite pencils! Always have 2H Conte on hand to speed up light shaded backgrounds etc. I find their graphite pencils better quality than this KiN graphite set I've had for ages. Btw, that white pencil is not a pastel pencil (at least not a 'normal' one), Conte white pastel comes in white colored barrel and it has written "pastel" on it. I have both pencils and they preform VERY differently. As for what this white pencil is, I've been searching for that info for years, but no luck. Some believe it's white charcoal, other some type of cp, etc. No one knows for sure. I just know I don't like it. Hard, crumbly, scratchy. Not using it. These three no info pencils from the set fall under their "Conté à Paris Sketching crayons/Colour carré Crayons". Good review as always! P.S. so sorry if you're getting many notifications about my multiple comment edits lol.
Thank you for your reviews, very much appreciated. Difficult to get honest reviews in this space. I’m new to this hobby and recently started sketching.... more like doodling compared to your work!
I wish I can afford that pencils
Fusain : fine charcoal from the spindle tree.
That's charcoal with oil. Similar with the Cretacolor Nero. But way better in quality.
Noire is pronounced ‘Nwah’ I believe.
Thank you so much
no it’s not it’s “nwar” but the “r” is rrrrrr