@@saisweta1263I'm using both as of now....go with Derwent if you want an overall deal....you can use them to do human portraits and animal portraits as well
@@saisweta1263 You will be really happy with them I'm sure! The only thing I didn't like about these pencils was the price so I just bought a small set of them to start with!
One thing I love about the Faber-Castell and Primsacolor brands is that the color is on the whole pencil. And of those two brands, no competition. Love the Polychromos and Albrecht Durer lines. Thank you for doing the comparison. At some point, I'll get the Lightfast white pencil.
Really well done comparison. In June 2024, the Dick Blick price is $150 for 120 Faber-Castell Polychromos = $1.25/pencil and $324 for 100 Derwent Lightfast = $3.24/pencil. The Amazon (US price) is the same for both the Polychromos and the Derwent Lightfast . Three years after your video, there is a big reduction in price for both, but the Derwent Lightfast iss about 2.6X more expensive than Faber-Castell Polychromos. Thank you for your research. God bless you, Amy!
Thanks for this video! I'm looking at both sets since overtime over Christmas is coming up and we're rewarded with giftcards working for a large online retailer. Our site currently sells Polychromos 120 for € 176 and Derwent lightfast 100 for € 206 (I'm in the Netherlands). I'm leaning towards Derwent because of the lightfastness ofcourse but I also own the drawing/graphitint/pastel sets and all the XXL blocks so I'm already a bit biased towards Derwent (can't recommend those sets enough!). I would change my mind if I had the option of luminance though, I have some open stock luminance and boy..... do I loooove those.
The UK and all of its puppets (Canada, Australia, etc) rip off their citizens. A made in UK pencils cost more in the UK than outside the UK. A rotten society
Great comparison as usual!💜 I’m happy to see this one after the luminance comparison video! It seems like these two pencils would work well together since they are both oil based. I’m also glad to see the derwent white is less translucent, I never use my polychromos white lol! I would like to buy a set of the Lightfasts eventually, but as you said they are very pricey and it would be a splurge! Maybe one day though. Until then I may just buy a few here and there open stock😊
Thank you so much Alexis 😊💜💓 I really do enjoy making these types of videos and they seem to be really popular on my channel! They do work really well together as both are oil based which is really nice! The lightfast are so expensive though so I only bought a set of 12. Still cost me £30 though which I think is a lot of money! I hope you are doing well though honey 💜
Thank you so much for the review! I've been contemplating which brand to get over the other. I have always used Prismas, but wanted to try something with a "harder" core, and oil-based, as Prisma do struggle with layering (in my years of using then on many different papers). I've heard oil was better for this and that people swear by Polychromos. I have the Goldfaber and love the colors, and they blended well with my Prisma, so that was a win win. I think I will shoot for the Polychromos first!! Maybe buy some lightfast by themselves to try, or the small tin. 😁
The Polychromos pencils are absolutely amazing! I’m sure you will be really pleased with them! The goldfaber pencils are also lovely as well as prismacolor pencils, so you will have a really nice mix of wax & oil pencils 😊
Thanks for giving us information on the lightfastness of each pencil. As an owner of Derwent watercolour pencils, which I highly rate, it was interesting to note your Polychromos values. As, I nearly a year ago purchased a set perhaps they are better value for money. But, like you I think it’s a shame Derwent are so over priced, even if they are good quality! Thanks
Thank you for your comment on my video! I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond, I have some health issues at the moment so I haven't been as active on my channel as I would have liked to. Thank you for your comment though!
Thank you so much Patty! I am really glad you enjoyed this video! The lightfast pencils are great in my opinion - I think you will be very happy with them!
I use the polychromos most (as being from germany, I learned with that brand), but I also use some Caran D'ache and Lightfast pencils als plus and for first layering the derwent colorsoft.
Polychromos also offer the best precision and control I've seen from a color pencil! I believe,that neither the Caran Dash makes better pencils.They are way softer,which allows faster drawing,but loses all the other advantages,which are too many and too important,to sacrifice.From precision and less sharpening,to tip breakages and so on.
Hi, Amy. Thanks for doing this review. It was useful. A couple of points on vocabulary (readers, please note: this is *not* negative criticism, but intended to be helpful!): *Lightfast ratings* aren't based on normal, everyday display. They always have the caveat, '... under museum conditions.' where the lighting, etc is carefully balanced to protect the art. This simply isn't possible in the average home, where light changes constantly and so do humidity and temperature, all of which are carefully monitored and controlled in museums and on which lightfastness is tested by manufacturers. So where we need to take care is to understand this difference and to accept that even the most lightfast of pencils or paints may fade / darken or otherwise change depending on the climate and conditions in which they are kept / hung, because change they will, some sooner than others, some so subtly that we don't notice until perhaps, we change the frame and see the difference between that under glass and that under the mat of the picture. *Wax bloom:* This is not the shine we get when using our coloured pencils - the shininess we see when we change the artwork's position. Wax bloom is a totally different phenomena. Here's an easily understood quote from The Virtual Instructor: "Wax bloom occurs because of the waxy binder inherent in colored pencils. As the material in the pencils “settles” on the surface, _the waxy binder slowly rises to the surface on the drawing, producing the light white haze on the surface._ This usually happens with heavily layered drawings that have been drawn with waxy pencils. Some brands of colored pencils are more wax-heavy making them more prone to wax bloom. The trade-off being that waxy colored pencils layer easier and are generally more brilliant in color. "So how do you remove the haze? Fortunately, removing the haze is rather easy. A soft cloth will do the trick. Be careful though, if too much pressure is applied, some of the pigment could accidentally be removed as well. Light swiping is recommended to gently remove any waxy build-up. If you are concerned that you may accidentally remove pigment from the surface, use a cotton swab or a q-tip instead of a cloth. "To prevent wax bloom from appearing on your work, use a colored pencil fixative. Fixative is available in an aerosol can and is applied to the drawing using swift passing sprays. Fixative can come out of the can in unpredictable ways, so do a test spray before applying to your drawing. Fixative can also change the color of your drawing slightly. If this concerns you, create a test sheet using the same colors as your drawing and spray this area first. Light applications of fixative is always recommended." End of quote. Hope this helps? 😊 Thanks again for the video. I don't have the Derwent Lightfast, but I have been tempted to try them (!!!). Price is one major issue, and availability where I live is non-existant, so it would have to be online via Jackson's (my best option for pricing and postage / Customs fees clarity). Thankfully, I'm happy with my 38 Polychromos and a mix of other brands, including Luminance (totalling an adequate 73 altogether) collected over the years. 😄.
Thank you for your comment. This video was uploaded a while ago and there were a few things I stated which weren't quite accurate. With research and it being brought to my attention I now better explain lightfastness and wax bloom. Thank you for bringing it to my attention 😊
I love my Polychromos but need to use my Derwent Lightfast more! I haven’t even swatches them all out yet lol. Great comparison, I like polys because they hold a really nice point and great for fine detail. The lightfast lay down so smooth and fast and are great for covering big areas or backgrounds. I think depending what your looking for they are both great 😃
Thank you so much for your comment Naomi! 💕 I was really impressed with the Derwent Lightfast pencils but the only thing that put me off buying a large set was the price. I only have 12 pencils but can still stretch the colours and have a good enough range. I do love my polychromos pencils but it is nice to have another fantastic quality brand of oil based pencils like the lightfast pencils!
Hi, you mention Derwent being available as open stock. I no longer use Derwent due to that issue. One supplier used to create his own open stock by breaking up complete sets. That was for the Graphic, Artist and Studio pencils. I don't know anywhere that sells the Lightfast as open stock. I don't like buying online as there is a risk of damage in the post. I now only use Faber Castell and Caran d Ache as they are more readily available as open stock. You mention dollars, so maybe things are diffferent in the US.
Thank you so much for your comment! I think if I remember at the time I filmed this video there was an option to buy the pencils open stock but they were very expensive, probably because like you say suppliers were breaking up complete sets. I live in the UK and Derwent are pretty expensive here too, however, some of my viewers from other countries have told me the lightfast pencils are quite affordable where they live so I think it definitely depends where you live!
@@amywellerart Thank you for replying. According to the Derwent website, open stock is available but most local retailers don't carry them for some reason, making them hard to find. It might be, as you mentioned the Derwent singularly are overpriceed so maybe retailers don't think they are viable. As the Polychromos are better perhaps retailers figure that buyers will not go for a dearer not quite as good a pencil, leaving them sadled with them.
WOW! What a terrific, honest review. I actually like the Derwent Lightfast, despite the high cost, but F-C Polychromos is my default set and I supplement with both Derwent Lightfast and Caran d'Ache Luminance, especially for skin tones. I thought without question you were going to endorse Derwent. Honestly, it's your accent, and my bias indicates unjustified prejudice. I think the genesis of my bias can be found in the fact that in 2014, when I began as a graphite artist, the most enthusiastic reviews I heard were all from British artists, and all of them endorsed Derwent Graphic, so I purchased a full set. What a mistake. I conducted a full-blown scientific technical study of graphite pencils in 2015 and published my results as a 360-page book, Pearson's Graphite 2015. I found Derwent Graphic was just about the worst graphite pencil set, containing scratchy pencils, dark grade pencils that gave lighter lines than light grade pencils, broken leads, misaligned leads, and so on. Faber-Castell and Mitsubishi Hi-Uni had some of the best scores for the 370+ pencils I tested. I have yet to hear a British artist say anything bad about Derwent Graphic, which raises all kinds of questions in my mind. I find nothing at all wrong with any of the Derwent coloured pencils, but their graphite pencils are simply crap. Maybe Derwent has (I guess you would say 'have') decided to give up on graphite and concentrate on coloured pencils?
Thank you for your comment! That's great to hear that you like the Derwent lightfast pencils! I only have a very small set of them as they are expensive here in the UK so I normally opt to use polychromos which are my go to pencils and I have a big set of them. I agree with you about the Derwent graphite pencils, I am not a fan! I much prefer Faber Castell as a brand on the whole 😊 I really like buying other Derwent products though - for example I love the Derwent art erasers and the Derwent superpoint manual sharpener. Fantastic products to have in your art set!
@@amywellerart I agree. Another thing Derwent does better than anyone else is pencil holders. I use them all the time, and I've tried virtually every pencil holder I can find online. Derwent holders allow you to screw on tight to the pencil, the nut doesn't fail, and the pencil doesn't wobble around--and because there are two sizes, you can fit just about any pencil into the holder. Excellent! As for sharpeners, I like the Carl Angel 5, which is Chinese. For hand-held sharpeners, I go with the bullet or anything that is stamped with the magic word GERMANY. That's high praise, because it takes a lot for me to overcome my bias against Germans. I grew up with my grandparents, who were in their 30s during the Second World War and lived in a very German neighbourhood. The local German Lutheran church would play 'Deutschland uber Alles' with their church bells every day at noon, even during the war. I'm surprised that stupid church wasn't blown up or burned down. I guess my grandparents and their contemporaries were more tolerant and forgiving than I am. Anyway, Germany seems to have the best steel, and they make the best sharpeners as far as I can tell. As for coloured pencils, even though Polychromos is my default set, I end up using a lot of Derwent from their various high-end sets just because of the great variety, especially for skin tones. Luminance has some terrific sets of 10 percent, 50 percent, and 100 percent burnt ochre, brown ochre, burnt sienna, and so on, but even so, I end up filling in with Derwent and F-C Polychromos in most cases so I can get exactly the skin tone I want.
Just starting off with a few Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. Very happy to have made a good choice. Please advise any other solvents to do blending with these pencils.
I’m glad you like the Polychromos pencils! Unfortunately the only solvent I’ve used is Zest it pencil blends so I can’t personally recommend another. You can use paint thinner too 😊
I still really want to try the lightfast but own polychromos set 120. It's cheaper but the other derwent pencils I have work perfect. The inktense and colors colorsoft
I would recommend that if you want to try the lightfast pencils you start with individual pencils or small sets like a set of 12 first as they can be very expensive 😊
I'm living in Singapore and the polychromos are very expensive here. The derwent pencils are much cheaper. I bought my set of 72 lightfast pencils for only 155 dollars. The open stock pencils go for about 3 dollars per pencil. However the polychromos are very expensive and very difficult to find in open stock here. The set of 60 cost me 150 bucks and the open stock was at 4 bucks per pencil.
That’s so interesting! A lot of people have said the same thing - different prices in different countries . For me it’s the other way round, Derwent far more expensive, Polychromos cheaper! Thank you for your comment 😊
@@lta2356 yes do check out derwent lightfast amazing pencils. Available in art friend (additional 28 colours are cheaper if you're a art friend member)
Its crazy how the prices change from country to country. Right now Sept 2024, the 100 set of Derwent lightfast costs 220€, and the 120 Polychromos 180€… both are Amazon Germany prices. I ended up buying both full sets😅… for now i still prefer the Polychromos, but it would be unfair to make a final judgement when i am still getting used to the Derwent lightfast…
Thank you so much for your comment! I love using an x acto knife. It’s absolutely fantastic for fur, hair, and even some skin textures - for example older people’s skin, wrinkles, etc 😊
Thank you for doing this comparison from an artist's perspective. As a "mere" colourist, my main concern for a pencil is how it performs in colouring books (varying in paper quality/texture) vis-à-vis lightfastness. For me, the Polychromos are the layering champion (as much as the paper can take, that is) while the Lightfast are better for blending. Yet both brands also/really work well together, layering- and blending-wise. As a bonus, their colour ranges complement each other, imho. I do agree that the Lightfast is a tad overpriced; but I suppose Derwent factored in the cost of development?
Thank you so much for your comment Peggy! I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they use colouring books and that they enjoy those types of videos and I already have videos planned talking about great pencils for colouring books which I hope you and other viewers will enjoy! Thanks so much for leaving a comment 😊
Where is a section comparing colour selection? That’s pretty fundamental and Polychromos has the best colour selection. It’s the only set with a decent set of purples while the other ones sacrifice purple and have only a miserable few just to be able to claim they are more lightfast.
I’ve tried to include as much information as possible in this video, but thanks for raising this. I only had a set of 12 Derwent pencils, whereas I had a set of 120 Polychromos pencils so I didn’t think I could give an accurate comparison of colors considering the vast difference in range. However, I do include color swatches in my new review videos.
I purchased ……this is now 2years after this review………last night on Amazon 100 Derwent Lightfast for €207.00……..I think it was a great deal from Amazon, otherwise I wouldn’t even think of buying them. I can get FC Polychromos at really good prices……like cheap because I’m in Europe close to the source. Even cheaper than Prismacolours, but Prismacolours are not really marketed here so commonly.
Yes that is correct. I used to think it was natural lighting conditions but from further research I found out it was museum conditions. All my new videos state museum conditions. Thank you 😊
Nice review. Just to the percentage of lightfasteness I would say that it doesn't matter only which brand has higher or lower percentage of lightfast pencils, but also which coulours are those not lightfast ones. I mean, if for example some brand had all reds not lightfast, it wouldn't matter that much if they had lowest percentege of low lightfastess, right? So it would be good to mention which brand has which colours of lower lightfasteness. Which brings me to my personal problem I have with Polychromos. I know they are well liked and everything, but I prefere the coulour charts of Derwent more, especially in greens. Derwent Lightfast are expensive, but for colour reasons I tend to prefere wax based Derwent Procolour of Drawing to Polychromos. It's a very subjective criterium, I know, but also probably very important. For example Derwent Drawing have a very specific colour chart that is hard to find anywhere else.
Hi there! Thank you for your feedback. You are correct! Each individual pencil has it's own lightfast rating so not every pencil in a set will have the same rating. I didn't always make this clear in videos but I do now as a few people mentioned the same as you so I've made an effort to clear that up. And I do also get what you mean about color charts & pigmentation of colors. I also include color swatch charts in my videos now so people can see what colors look like on paper 😊 Thank you for your comment!
@@amywellerart Well, I meant is, that you may have, I don't know, grass green from different brands and they are not all the same, but the colour differs a bit from brand to brand. Well, and I personally don't like the colours shades of Polychromos set as much as I like those from Derwent. So no matter the qualities of Polychromos, I rather find a way how to deal with the disadvantages of other brand where I like the colours more. Because it doesn't matter to me that much that this pencil has a great characteristics, if I think it's colour is ugly. But it also doesn't mean that I want a pencil that has nice colour but is totaly terrible to use. Just that for my choice is a pencil'S characteristics important, but the opinion on it's colour too and I am finding some compromise to suit both these criterias. Also I understand that not every pencil in the set has the same rating. What I meant was, that it also matters which colours are those with lower ratings, not only the percentage they make from the total number. For example - you may deal more easily with the set that doesn't have any lightfast purple, than with the set that has no lightfast yellow, because while you can mix purple, you cannot mix basic yellow. So it doesn't only matter which set has a lower percent of lightfast pencils, but also which colours are those not-lightfast. And again - it will be very subjective for everyone depending on which colours they need most and can't live without them. Of course it matters only for buying sets, in reality most people will end up in a scenario of having their own personal mix from different brands that suits them the best. There are people who don't use black even for irises and then there are people for whom the black is essential.
Even here in the US a person pays twice as much for Derwent Lightfast than the Polychromos. I'm glad I got the full range of Polychromos, I haven't looked back since then! It's even better when a person can find the set of Polychromos on sale. I got mine for $160US as opposed to nearly $200+US for Derwent Lightfast. It's insane the cost difference.
It's so strange how prices vary depending on where you are! Here in the UK the lightfast pencils are very expensive, but polychromos is better value, however, other people have told me that where they live Polychromos are extortionate! I'm happy with my Polychromos though!
Nice video comparison. I know this video is already months old and maybe that is a factor but I recently bought the 100 set of Derwent Lightfast from a private company in the US for $335. I'm sure you could get them cheaper even with the shipping to UK from oneof the big 3 or 4 US art suppliers. In the US I have never seen Amazon beat the prices of these 3 big US art suppliers for quality supplies. Still relatively expensive but not sooo bad.
Thank you so much for your comment Mark! I'm pleased to hear that you have managed to get the set of 100 pencils cheaper. $335 is a lot more reasonable, and I did wonder if you could find them cheaper, so I'm pleased you have! A few other people have let me know recently that they have found the pencils cheaper to the UK, as well as some open stock pencils 😊
Btw amy...i would like to let you know..the Derwent lightfast set of 72 costs around 200 dollars in india,i mean it's way cheaper than anywhere else in the world and i didn't even expect it to cross 500 dollar range,sad of you.The caran dAche and prismas are way pricier at our place
The set of 72 is better value for money I think 😊 - it's a similar price to the set of 76 Caran D'ache Luminance pencils which is approximately £200. The set of 100 Derwent Lightfast pencils I feel is very expensive - The cheapest price I found was £400 (nearly $600 USD). I personally think that's far too expensive so I wouldn't buy larger than the set of 72 personally 😊
I don't know if anyone is still following this thread, but at Cult Pens here in the UK, the Derwent Lightfast 100 set in a beautiful deluxe wooden box is priced at £249.00. I love them. Great laydiwn and a great colour selection.
Hi Nicanor, I do get what you mean - price can be a real issue with coloured pencils! You can buy both these pencil sets as individual pencils or as really small sets. It’s still expensive but it may help save you a bit of money. I’d also recommend the Caran D’ache Luminance pencils if you are both a portrait and animal artist. This is because they are a mix of wax and oil. They will be able to provide both creamy, buttery results for soft textures like skin, but also details for hair and fur as they are oil based too. Luminance are expensive, but you can buy individual pencils or small sets too 😊 I hope this helps!
just found your channel, there's such a lot of useful information here...have you tried Derwent Acrylics? I found that they fade over time....have you had the same issue :-)
Oh thank you so much! It's so nice to have you here on my channel and thank you for leaving a comment! I've not tried the Derwent acrylics so I wasn't aware of this! If they are fading I would say it could be due to lightfastness - if they have a low lightfast rating they could fade/discolour more quickly in natural light. Coloured pencils are tested using various lightfast scales so maybe it's worth seeing if there's a scale for your paints? 😊
In the US my Caran D'ache from Blick was over 400 dollars to buy all 100 a year ago, but now they are only $287 because they now have a new set of 100 pencils all sold in the tin. Lightfast does not sell its 100 together unless you buy the box set which is about 300 dollars on sale at Blick at the moment. I paid less than 180 dollars for my set of 120 Poly Chromos. However Poly Chromos has been privately tested by many artists for lightfast and it does not hold up like Luminance and Lightfast, so if you are paying for a higher lightfastness pencil. I personally think Poly Chromos is a lot better for details, my Lightfast breaks all the time when I burnish and push hard. With that said I love both for different things. Poly Chromos is so vibrant and beautiful and Lightfast and Luminance for portrait work,
This video was driving me crazy. Set went makes like a dozen different pencils! Which ones are you comparing?! You don’t think this is a necessary piece of information to include?
If you want to make a suggestion for my videos then please do so in a constructive and polite way. I put a lot of energy, time, and research into my channel and videos, and most of my videos are far more informative than many other videos on TH-cam. I'm not perfect and sometimes things get missed, but I'm always learning and growing and trying to improve from one video to the next.
And also, it clearly states in the video title and description that these are the DERWENT LIGHTFAST pencils, and I refer to them multiple times in the video. I'm not sure how much clearer I can get.
I will need to try and do a 3 way comparison video between Derwent, Polychromos, and Luminance! I do agree that the Derwent pencils are not the best and I much prefer Polychromos or Luminance! Thanks for your comment!
@@amywellerart I actually went with the Arrtx pencils and markers in the end, as I'm not selling any art at the moment and they should both be be good to practice with 👍
I much prefer my Lightfast over my Polychromos. Lightfast are my favourite pencils ever. Together with Caran D'ache Luminance they make the perfect set in my opinion.
@@BlueKungFu That’s honestly a hassle when there are set with perfect purples already like Polychromos. Lightfast and Caran D’Ache sacrifice their colour selection just to market their sets as more lightfast and end up with colours that are way too similar and then clear gaps like the purples. It’s a total shame they make you pay that much and don’t even have decent amount of pencils per colour, even in the 100 set.
@@Carolina-rd3gh I guess it really depends on what type of art you do; each to their own! I do a lot of wildlife art and layering is how I create my drawings. I rarely use flat colour so it makes no difference to me, I can honestly say that I haven't noticed the lack of purples. The Polychromos for me are not an ideal pencil at all. I use them for fine detail as they are good for that but overall they are not my favourite. They're slightly translucent in their lay-down, and they don't perform that well on pastelmat paper in my opinion; I find they look dull. I love my Lightfast pencils the best of all, if I had to choose just one set of pencils, it would be those. Like I said I think it really depends on what type of art you do, what paper you use and how you want the pencils to perform. If the Polychromos work best for you, that's great.
Hi Grahame, I have been told by some other viewers that Derwent lightfast are cheaper than the polychromos in their country so I think it may depend where you live. For me in the UK, Polychromos are far cheaper than Derwent 😊
I really like my Polychromos. I hear great things about the Lightfast. But i was told if i bring anymore pencils in my house, i will be sleeping in the yard😂. So, im going to have to get them sent to my neighbors house. 😂
Polychromos are a fantastic brand and I have no doubt that you will be happy with these pencils 😊 probably best to stick with the pencils you have so you don't end up in the yard!
No comparison. Very different philosophy and the German made ones by Faber Castell,are the best pencils in the world. Staedtler are also a bit overrated.Don't get me wrong,they are all decent pencils,the just can't much,the overall quality and performance,of the Germans.
The video is a comparison between the Polychromos and Derwent pencils which are oil pencils, and they are the main focus of my video, hence why I refer to both brands throughout the entirety of this video. I only briefly covered wax pencils to give some examples of how they compare to oil pencils. It’s a little extra information I provide for my viewers that they wouldn’t necessarily get in other people’s videos. Nothing wrong with that.
I am just Starting out. NO PENCIL is WORTH that INFLATED ROBERY PRICE. DERWENT will LOOSE MILLIONS of CUSTOMERS. Starting with me . FABER CASTELL is a VERY GOOD PRICE .IT'S WINS OVER DERWENT ANYDAY. I am LOOKING Forward to my VERY FIRST COLOR PENCIL SET as a BEGINNER. The FABER CASTELL POLYCHROMOS👍
Today, we are putting the Faber Castell Polychromos and the Derwent Lightfast Pencils head to head! Let me know below if you have a feavourite! 🎨
They both are so amazing that I can't choose which one to buy...
@@saisweta1263 I do agree that they are both amazing pencils! I hope you will enjoy this video! 💕
@@saisweta1263I'm using both as of now....go with Derwent if you want an overall deal....you can use them to do human portraits and animal portraits as well
@@barmyrishiarts4978 thanks.. I'm thinking to buy derwent lightfast too..
@@saisweta1263 You will be really happy with them I'm sure! The only thing I didn't like about these pencils was the price so I just bought a small set of them to start with!
Thank you for this comparison! I am very happy with Derwent Lightfast but I am considering giving the Polychromos a try.
One thing I love about the Faber-Castell and Primsacolor brands is that the color is on the whole pencil. And of those two brands, no competition. Love the Polychromos and Albrecht Durer lines.
Thank you for doing the comparison. At some point, I'll get the Lightfast white pencil.
Thank you Eileen! I’m glad you enjoyed this video 😊 I love the Polychromos pencils, it’s just a shame about the white pencil!
Get the Derwent Drawing Chinese White, it is the best white pencil I know.
Really well done comparison. In June 2024, the Dick Blick price is $150 for 120 Faber-Castell Polychromos = $1.25/pencil and $324 for 100 Derwent Lightfast = $3.24/pencil. The Amazon (US price) is the same for both the Polychromos and the Derwent Lightfast . Three years after your video, there is a big reduction in price for both, but the Derwent Lightfast iss about 2.6X more expensive than Faber-Castell Polychromos. Thank you for your research. God bless you, Amy!
Excellent report. Short ,to the point and informative.
omg, such a detailed analysis and only 5k views???? THANK YOU for this review!!
Thank you so much Sonya! So glad you enjoyed this video 😊
Your’s is the BEST comparison that I’ve seen. THANK YOU so much!
Thanks for this video! I'm looking at both sets since overtime over Christmas is coming up and we're rewarded with giftcards working for a large online retailer. Our site currently sells Polychromos 120 for € 176 and Derwent lightfast 100 for € 206 (I'm in the Netherlands). I'm leaning towards Derwent because of the lightfastness ofcourse but I also own the drawing/graphitint/pastel sets and all the XXL blocks so I'm already a bit biased towards Derwent (can't recommend those sets enough!). I would change my mind if I had the option of luminance though, I have some open stock luminance and boy..... do I loooove those.
Wow! $566 dollars!! The Derwent Lightfast 100 set sells for $281.99 at Dick Blick here in the US and the singles pencils sell for $4.10.
That’s actually a very decent price 😊 the cheapest I’ve found them here is £400 here in the UK for that set which is why I just bought a small set 😊
Cultpens are selling the Derwent Lightfast at a reasonable price.
The 72 set lowest-priced(not hard to find) is around 120 US dollars in Taiwan. Why they sell so expensive in UK😬
@@amywellerart There are offers if you keep your eyes peeled. I got 72 from Amazon for £124 and then the extra 28 from Cult Pens for around £65
The UK and all of its puppets (Canada, Australia, etc) rip off their citizens. A made in UK pencils cost more in the UK than outside the UK. A rotten society
Great comparison as usual!💜 I’m happy to see this one after the luminance comparison video! It seems like these two pencils would work well together since they are both oil based. I’m also glad to see the derwent white is less translucent, I never use my polychromos white lol! I would like to buy a set of the Lightfasts eventually, but as you said they are very pricey and it would be a splurge! Maybe one day though. Until then I may just buy a few here and there open stock😊
Thank you so much Alexis 😊💜💓 I really do enjoy making these types of videos and they seem to be really popular on my channel! They do work really well together as both are oil based which is really nice! The lightfast are so expensive though so I only bought a set of 12. Still cost me £30 though which I think is a lot of money! I hope you are doing well though honey 💜
I sometimes use it for blending, for that it's convenient that it is not as opaque as others.
Thank you so much for the review! I've been contemplating which brand to get over the other. I have always used Prismas, but wanted to try something with a "harder" core, and oil-based, as Prisma do struggle with layering (in my years of using then on many different papers). I've heard oil was better for this and that people swear by Polychromos. I have the Goldfaber and love the colors, and they blended well with my Prisma, so that was a win win. I think I will shoot for the Polychromos first!! Maybe buy some lightfast by themselves to try, or the small tin. 😁
The Polychromos pencils are absolutely amazing! I’m sure you will be really pleased with them! The goldfaber pencils are also lovely as well as prismacolor pencils, so you will have a really nice mix of wax & oil pencils 😊
Thanks for giving us information on the lightfastness of each pencil. As an owner of Derwent watercolour pencils, which I highly rate, it was interesting to note your Polychromos values. As, I nearly a year ago purchased a set perhaps they are better value for money. But, like you I think it’s a shame Derwent are so over priced, even if they are good quality! Thanks
Thank you for your comment on my video! I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond, I have some health issues at the moment so I haven't been as active on my channel as I would have liked to. Thank you for your comment though!
Great review! I have Derwent and I like how it feels when drawing with them. Thank you!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed this review 😊
I really enjoyed your review. I'm a big fan of Polychromos.. I've been contemplating the Lightfast so it was great to see them in action.
Thank you so much Patty! I am really glad you enjoyed this video! The lightfast pencils are great in my opinion - I think you will be very happy with them!
I use the polychromos most (as being from germany, I learned with that brand), but I also use some Caran D'ache and Lightfast pencils als plus and for first layering the derwent colorsoft.
Thank you for your comment! 😁
I own both sets and rarely use the Lightfast. I love the feel and results I get from Polychromos. I like to layer colors so they the best for me.
Polychromos are a fantastic brand! If you like them, stick with them ☺️
Polychromos also offer the best precision and control I've seen from a color pencil! I believe,that neither the Caran Dash makes better pencils.They are way softer,which allows faster drawing,but loses all the other advantages,which are too many and too important,to sacrifice.From precision and less sharpening,to tip breakages and so on.
Amazing video amy! You did a great job on all of the edits and I love the thumbnail! 😀😀
Thank you so much Luke! 💕 I’m glad you enjoyed!
Hi, Amy. Thanks for doing this review. It was useful.
A couple of points on vocabulary (readers, please note: this is *not* negative criticism, but intended to be helpful!):
*Lightfast ratings* aren't based on normal, everyday display. They always have the caveat, '... under museum conditions.' where the lighting, etc is carefully balanced to protect the art. This simply isn't possible in the average home, where light changes constantly and so do humidity and temperature, all of which are carefully monitored and controlled in museums and on which lightfastness is tested by manufacturers.
So where we need to take care is to understand this difference and to accept that even the most lightfast of pencils or paints may fade / darken or otherwise change depending on the climate and conditions in which they are kept / hung, because change they will, some sooner than others, some so subtly that we don't notice until perhaps, we change the frame and see the difference between that under glass and that under the mat of the picture.
*Wax bloom:* This is not the shine we get when using our coloured pencils - the shininess we see when we change the artwork's position. Wax bloom is a totally different phenomena. Here's an easily understood quote from The Virtual Instructor:
"Wax bloom occurs because of the waxy binder inherent in colored pencils. As the material in the pencils “settles” on the surface, _the waxy binder slowly rises to the surface on the drawing, producing the light white haze on the surface._ This usually happens with heavily layered drawings that have been drawn with waxy pencils. Some brands of colored pencils are more wax-heavy making them more prone to wax bloom. The trade-off being that waxy colored pencils layer easier and are generally more brilliant in color.
"So how do you remove the haze? Fortunately, removing the haze is rather easy. A soft cloth will do the trick. Be careful though, if too much pressure is applied, some of the pigment could accidentally be removed as well. Light swiping is recommended to gently remove any waxy build-up. If you are concerned that you may accidentally remove pigment from the surface, use a cotton swab or a q-tip instead of a cloth.
"To prevent wax bloom from appearing on your work, use a colored pencil fixative. Fixative is available in an aerosol can and is applied to the drawing using swift passing sprays. Fixative can come out of the can in unpredictable ways, so do a test spray before applying to your drawing. Fixative can also change the color of your drawing slightly. If this concerns you, create a test sheet using the same colors as your drawing and spray this area first. Light applications of fixative is always recommended."
End of quote.
Hope this helps? 😊
Thanks again for the video. I don't have the Derwent Lightfast, but I have been tempted to try them (!!!). Price is one major issue, and availability where I live is non-existant, so it would have to be online via Jackson's (my best option for pricing and postage / Customs fees clarity). Thankfully, I'm happy with my 38 Polychromos and a mix of other brands, including Luminance (totalling an adequate 73 altogether) collected over the years. 😄.
Thank you for your comment. This video was uploaded a while ago and there were a few things I stated which weren't quite accurate. With research and it being brought to my attention I now better explain lightfastness and wax bloom. Thank you for bringing it to my attention 😊
I love my Polychromos but need to use my Derwent Lightfast more! I haven’t even swatches them all out yet lol. Great comparison, I like polys because they hold a really nice point and great for fine detail. The lightfast lay down so smooth and fast and are great for covering big areas or backgrounds. I think depending what your looking for they are both great 😃
Thank you so much for your comment Naomi! 💕 I was really impressed with the Derwent Lightfast pencils but the only thing that put me off buying a large set was the price. I only have 12 pencils but can still stretch the colours and have a good enough range. I do love my polychromos pencils but it is nice to have another fantastic quality brand of oil based pencils like the lightfast pencils!
Hi, you mention Derwent being available as open stock. I no longer use Derwent due to that issue. One supplier used to create his own open stock by breaking up complete sets. That was for the Graphic, Artist and Studio pencils. I don't know anywhere that sells the Lightfast as open stock. I don't like buying online as there is a risk of damage in the post. I now only use Faber Castell and Caran d Ache as they are more readily available as open stock. You mention dollars, so maybe things are diffferent in the US.
Thank you so much for your comment! I think if I remember at the time I filmed this video there was an option to buy the pencils open stock but they were very expensive, probably because like you say suppliers were breaking up complete sets. I live in the UK and Derwent are pretty expensive here too, however, some of my viewers from other countries have told me the lightfast pencils are quite affordable where they live so I think it definitely depends where you live!
@@amywellerart Thank you for replying. According to the Derwent website, open stock is available but most local retailers don't carry them for some reason, making them hard to find. It might be, as you mentioned the Derwent singularly are overpriceed so maybe retailers don't think they are viable. As the Polychromos are better perhaps retailers figure that buyers will not go for a dearer not quite as good a pencil, leaving them sadled with them.
WOW! What a terrific, honest review. I actually like the Derwent Lightfast, despite the high cost, but F-C Polychromos is my default set and I supplement with both Derwent Lightfast and Caran d'Ache Luminance, especially for skin tones. I thought without question you were going to endorse Derwent. Honestly, it's your accent, and my bias indicates unjustified prejudice. I think the genesis of my bias can be found in the fact that in 2014, when I began as a graphite artist, the most enthusiastic reviews I heard were all from British artists, and all of them endorsed Derwent Graphic, so I purchased a full set. What a mistake. I conducted a full-blown scientific technical study of graphite pencils in 2015 and published my results as a 360-page book, Pearson's Graphite 2015. I found Derwent Graphic was just about the worst graphite pencil set, containing scratchy pencils, dark grade pencils that gave lighter lines than light grade pencils, broken leads, misaligned leads, and so on. Faber-Castell and Mitsubishi Hi-Uni had some of the best scores for the 370+ pencils I tested. I have yet to hear a British artist say anything bad about Derwent Graphic, which raises all kinds of questions in my mind. I find nothing at all wrong with any of the Derwent coloured pencils, but their graphite pencils are simply crap. Maybe Derwent has (I guess you would say 'have') decided to give up on graphite and concentrate on coloured pencils?
Thank you for your comment! That's great to hear that you like the Derwent lightfast pencils! I only have a very small set of them as they are expensive here in the UK so I normally opt to use polychromos which are my go to pencils and I have a big set of them. I agree with you about the Derwent graphite pencils, I am not a fan! I much prefer Faber Castell as a brand on the whole 😊 I really like buying other Derwent products though - for example I love the Derwent art erasers and the Derwent superpoint manual sharpener. Fantastic products to have in your art set!
@@amywellerart I agree. Another thing Derwent does better than anyone else is pencil holders. I use them all the time, and I've tried virtually every pencil holder I can find online. Derwent holders allow you to screw on tight to the pencil, the nut doesn't fail, and the pencil doesn't wobble around--and because there are two sizes, you can fit just about any pencil into the holder. Excellent! As for sharpeners, I like the Carl Angel 5, which is Chinese. For hand-held sharpeners, I go with the bullet or anything that is stamped with the magic word GERMANY. That's high praise, because it takes a lot for me to overcome my bias against Germans. I grew up with my grandparents, who were in their 30s during the Second World War and lived in a very German neighbourhood. The local German Lutheran church would play 'Deutschland uber Alles' with their church bells every day at noon, even during the war. I'm surprised that stupid church wasn't blown up or burned down. I guess my grandparents and their contemporaries were more tolerant and forgiving than I am. Anyway, Germany seems to have the best steel, and they make the best sharpeners as far as I can tell. As for coloured pencils, even though Polychromos is my default set, I end up using a lot of Derwent from their various high-end sets just because of the great variety, especially for skin tones. Luminance has some terrific sets of 10 percent, 50 percent, and 100 percent burnt ochre, brown ochre, burnt sienna, and so on, but even so, I end up filling in with Derwent and F-C Polychromos in most cases so I can get exactly the skin tone I want.
Just starting off with a few Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. Very happy to have made a good choice. Please advise any other solvents to do blending with these pencils.
I’m glad you like the Polychromos pencils! Unfortunately the only solvent I’ve used is Zest it pencil blends so I can’t personally recommend another. You can use paint thinner too 😊
I still really want to try the lightfast but own polychromos set 120. It's cheaper but the other derwent pencils I have work perfect. The inktense and colors colorsoft
I would recommend that if you want to try the lightfast pencils you start with individual pencils or small sets like a set of 12 first as they can be very expensive 😊
For some reason In India the derwent lightfast are a bit cheaper, they cost about 100$ for 72 set here.
Yes, prices may vary 😊
I'm living in Singapore and the polychromos are very expensive here. The derwent pencils are much cheaper. I bought my set of 72 lightfast pencils for only 155 dollars. The open stock pencils go for about 3 dollars per pencil. However the polychromos are very expensive and very difficult to find in open stock here. The set of 60 cost me 150 bucks and the open stock was at 4 bucks per pencil.
That’s so interesting! A lot of people have said the same thing - different prices in different countries . For me it’s the other way round, Derwent far more expensive, Polychromos cheaper! Thank you for your comment 😊
@@amywellerart both amazing pencils I love working on wildlife and botanic subjects and these pencils work perfectly for them 🥰
Thanks for this. I live in Singapore too and am planning to get either one of these. I shall check out Derwent then.
@@lta2356 yes do check out derwent lightfast amazing pencils. Available in art friend (additional 28 colours are cheaper if you're a art friend member)
@@Saomn89 thank you so much! I will do that!
Its crazy how the prices change from country to country. Right now Sept 2024, the 100 set of Derwent lightfast costs 220€, and the 120 Polychromos 180€… both are Amazon Germany prices. I ended up buying both full sets😅… for now i still prefer the Polychromos, but it would be unfair to make a final judgement when i am still getting used to the Derwent lightfast…
The exacto knife technique is very interesting and after checking it also works on crayon. So my exacto knife is going in my pencil case
Thank you so much for your comment! I love using an x acto knife. It’s absolutely fantastic for fur, hair, and even some skin textures - for example older people’s skin, wrinkles, etc 😊
Also, thank you for trying it out on crayon! I’d never thought of that! 😊
Thank you for doing this comparison from an artist's perspective. As a "mere" colourist, my main concern for a pencil is how it performs in colouring books (varying in paper quality/texture) vis-à-vis lightfastness. For me, the Polychromos are the layering champion (as much as the paper can take, that is) while the Lightfast are better for blending. Yet both brands also/really work well together, layering- and blending-wise. As a bonus, their colour ranges complement each other, imho.
I do agree that the Lightfast is a tad overpriced; but I suppose Derwent factored in the cost of development?
Thank you so much for your comment Peggy! I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they use colouring books and that they enjoy those types of videos and I already have videos planned talking about great pencils for colouring books which I hope you and other viewers will enjoy! Thanks so much for leaving a comment 😊
I love them both.
Thanks for your videos.
how are the derwent chromaflow pencils?
I've never tried them 👍
Where is a section comparing colour selection? That’s pretty fundamental and Polychromos has the best colour selection. It’s the only set with a decent set of purples while the other ones sacrifice purple and have only a miserable few just to be able to claim they are more lightfast.
I’ve tried to include as much information as possible in this video, but thanks for raising this. I only had a set of 12 Derwent pencils, whereas I had a set of 120 Polychromos pencils so I didn’t think I could give an accurate comparison of colors considering the vast difference in range. However, I do include color swatches in my new review videos.
I purchased ……this is now 2years after this review………last night on Amazon 100 Derwent Lightfast for €207.00……..I think it was a great deal from Amazon, otherwise I wouldn’t even think of buying them. I can get FC Polychromos at really good prices……like cheap because I’m in Europe close to the source. Even cheaper than Prismacolours, but Prismacolours are not really marketed here so commonly.
Thank you for your comment! I'm really glad you found a great deal with the Derwent pencils!
When you talk about lightfast, I understood it to be in museum conditions not the typical home.
Yes that is correct. I used to think it was natural lighting conditions but from further research I found out it was museum conditions. All my new videos state museum conditions. Thank you 😊
Nice review. Just to the percentage of lightfasteness I would say that it doesn't matter only which brand has higher or lower percentage of lightfast pencils, but also which coulours are those not lightfast ones. I mean, if for example some brand had all reds not lightfast, it wouldn't matter that much if they had lowest percentege of low lightfastess, right? So it would be good to mention which brand has which colours of lower lightfasteness.
Which brings me to my personal problem I have with Polychromos. I know they are well liked and everything, but I prefere the coulour charts of Derwent more, especially in greens. Derwent Lightfast are expensive, but for colour reasons I tend to prefere wax based Derwent Procolour of Drawing to Polychromos. It's a very subjective criterium, I know, but also probably very important. For example Derwent Drawing have a very specific colour chart that is hard to find anywhere else.
Hi there! Thank you for your feedback. You are correct! Each individual pencil has it's own lightfast rating so not every pencil in a set will have the same rating. I didn't always make this clear in videos but I do now as a few people mentioned the same as you so I've made an effort to clear that up. And I do also get what you mean about color charts & pigmentation of colors. I also include color swatch charts in my videos now so people can see what colors look like on paper 😊 Thank you for your comment!
@@amywellerart Well, I meant is, that you may have, I don't know, grass green from different brands and they are not all the same, but the colour differs a bit from brand to brand. Well, and I personally don't like the colours shades of Polychromos set as much as I like those from Derwent. So no matter the qualities of Polychromos, I rather find a way how to deal with the disadvantages of other brand where I like the colours more. Because it doesn't matter to me that much that this pencil has a great characteristics, if I think it's colour is ugly. But it also doesn't mean that I want a pencil that has nice colour but is totaly terrible to use. Just that for my choice is a pencil'S characteristics important, but the opinion on it's colour too and I am finding some compromise to suit both these criterias.
Also I understand that not every pencil in the set has the same rating. What I meant was, that it also matters which colours are those with lower ratings, not only the percentage they make from the total number. For example - you may deal more easily with the set that doesn't have any lightfast purple, than with the set that has no lightfast yellow, because while you can mix purple, you cannot mix basic yellow. So it doesn't only matter which set has a lower percent of lightfast pencils, but also which colours are those not-lightfast. And again - it will be very subjective for everyone depending on which colours they need most and can't live without them.
Of course it matters only for buying sets, in reality most people will end up in a scenario of having their own personal mix from different brands that suits them the best. There are people who don't use black even for irises and then there are people for whom the black is essential.
@@Eltanin25 Thanks for your reply, I do understand what you mean regarding personal choice & other things to consider so thanks for your comment!
very help full video.. good presentation..
Thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed the video! 😊
Even here in the US a person pays twice as much for Derwent Lightfast than the Polychromos. I'm glad I got the full range of Polychromos, I haven't looked back since then! It's even better when a person can find the set of Polychromos on sale. I got mine for $160US as opposed to nearly $200+US for Derwent Lightfast. It's insane the cost difference.
It's so strange how prices vary depending on where you are! Here in the UK the lightfast pencils are very expensive, but polychromos is better value, however, other people have told me that where they live Polychromos are extortionate! I'm happy with my Polychromos though!
Which would you say is a better compliment for Luminance
Hi I'm not really sure what you mean? I'm a bit confused by your question
Nice video comparison. I know this video is already months old and maybe that is a factor but I recently bought the 100 set of Derwent Lightfast from a private company in the US for $335. I'm sure you could get them cheaper even with the shipping to UK from oneof the big 3 or 4 US art suppliers. In the US I have never seen Amazon beat the prices of these 3 big US art suppliers for quality supplies. Still relatively expensive but not sooo bad.
Thank you so much for your comment Mark! I'm pleased to hear that you have managed to get the set of 100 pencils cheaper. $335 is a lot more reasonable, and I did wonder if you could find them cheaper, so I'm pleased you have! A few other people have let me know recently that they have found the pencils cheaper to the UK, as well as some open stock pencils 😊
In the Netherlands, they are cheaper, the lightfast pencils
Btw amy...i would like to let you know..the Derwent lightfast set of 72 costs around 200 dollars in india,i mean it's way cheaper than anywhere else in the world and i didn't even expect it to cross 500 dollar range,sad of you.The caran dAche and prismas are way pricier at our place
The set of 72 is better value for money I think 😊 - it's a similar price to the set of 76 Caran D'ache Luminance pencils which is approximately £200. The set of 100 Derwent Lightfast pencils I feel is very expensive - The cheapest price I found was £400 (nearly $600 USD). I personally think that's far too expensive so I wouldn't buy larger than the set of 72 personally 😊
@@amywellerart i second that✌️,i have the 36 set for now... I'll get the 72 later on, thank you so much for the detailed comparison.. really loved it
@@barmyrishiarts4978 Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed!
I don't know if anyone is still following this thread, but at Cult Pens here in the UK, the Derwent Lightfast 100 set in a beautiful deluxe wooden box is priced at £249.00. I love them. Great laydiwn and a great colour selection.
@@theladymeed4157 yeah the complete set has the vibrant selection of colors..if you can afford it,you should go for it
Both needed for me as an Human & Animal Portraiture artist but it's hard for me to buy coz have no budget..
Hi Nicanor, I do get what you mean - price can be a real issue with coloured pencils! You can buy both these pencil sets as individual pencils or as really small sets. It’s still expensive but it may help save you a bit of money.
I’d also recommend the Caran D’ache Luminance pencils if you are both a portrait and animal artist. This is because they are a mix of wax and oil. They will be able to provide both creamy, buttery results for soft textures like skin, but also details for hair and fur as they are oil based too. Luminance are expensive, but you can buy individual pencils or small sets too 😊 I hope this helps!
Why did they have to include the white polychromos in the 12 set, i feel so robbed... the 12 set was all i could afford
just ordered the 100 set of Derwetn Lightfast for 216 Euros on Amazon…
just found your channel, there's such a lot of useful information here...have you tried Derwent Acrylics? I found that they fade over time....have you had the same issue :-)
Oh thank you so much! It's so nice to have you here on my channel and thank you for leaving a comment! I've not tried the Derwent acrylics so I wasn't aware of this! If they are fading I would say it could be due to lightfastness - if they have a low lightfast rating they could fade/discolour more quickly in natural light. Coloured pencils are tested using various lightfast scales so maybe it's worth seeing if there's a scale for your paints? 😊
In the US my Caran D'ache from Blick was over 400 dollars to buy all 100 a year ago, but now they are only $287 because they now have a new set of 100 pencils all sold in the tin. Lightfast does not sell its 100 together unless you buy the box set which is about 300 dollars on sale at Blick at the moment. I paid less than 180 dollars for my set of 120 Poly Chromos. However Poly Chromos has been privately tested by many artists for lightfast and it does not hold up like Luminance and Lightfast, so if you are paying for a higher lightfastness pencil. I personally think Poly Chromos is a lot better for details, my Lightfast breaks all the time when I burnish and push hard. With that said I love both for different things. Poly Chromos is so vibrant and beautiful and Lightfast and Luminance for portrait work,
Thank you for your comment 😊
Самые лучшие Polihromos. F.C.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This video was driving me crazy. Set went makes like a dozen different pencils! Which ones are you comparing?! You don’t think this is a necessary piece of information to include?
If you want to make a suggestion for my videos then please do so in a constructive and polite way. I put a lot of energy, time, and research into my channel and videos, and most of my videos are far more informative than many other videos on TH-cam. I'm not perfect and sometimes things get missed, but I'm always learning and growing and trying to improve from one video to the next.
And also, it clearly states in the video title and description that these are the DERWENT LIGHTFAST pencils, and I refer to them multiple times in the video. I'm not sure how much clearer I can get.
Unfortunately the Derwent Lightfast have a pretty crummy color selection, compared to BOTH the Polychromous and as well, the Caran DAche Luminance.
I will need to try and do a 3 way comparison video between Derwent, Polychromos, and Luminance! I do agree that the Derwent pencils are not the best and I much prefer Polychromos or Luminance! Thanks for your comment!
Just a year later, now open stock of Derwent pencils is more like $10 per pencil. "Extortionate" was an excellent word.
Thank you for letting me know this, I cannot believe how expensive open stock pencils are within this brand! Derwent are extremely expensive.
At the time of writing this I can buy a set of 72 from the Derwant store for £95. Sounds like a no-brainer if they're as good as Polychromos
That is a decent price! They are a great brand of colored pencils! 😊
@@amywellerart I actually went with the Arrtx pencils and markers in the end, as I'm not selling any art at the moment and they should both be be good to practice with 👍
I much prefer my Lightfast over my Polychromos. Lightfast are my favourite pencils ever. Together with Caran D'ache Luminance they make the perfect set in my opinion.
Thank you so much for your comment!
Both of those sets have a miserable range of purples.
@@Carolina-rd3gh I don't find that to be an issue. There are plenty of reds and blues in both sets to make pretty much any purple I want.
@@BlueKungFu That’s honestly a hassle when there are set with perfect purples already like Polychromos. Lightfast and Caran D’Ache sacrifice their colour selection just to market their sets as more lightfast and end up with colours that are way too similar and then clear gaps like the purples. It’s a total shame they make you pay that much and don’t even have decent amount of pencils per colour, even in the 100 set.
@@Carolina-rd3gh I guess it really depends on what type of art you do; each to their own! I do a lot of wildlife art and layering is how I create my drawings. I rarely use flat colour so it makes no difference to me, I can honestly say that I haven't noticed the lack of purples. The Polychromos for me are not an ideal pencil at all. I use them for fine detail as they are good for that but overall they are not my favourite. They're slightly translucent in their lay-down, and they don't perform that well on pastelmat paper in my opinion; I find they look dull. I love my Lightfast pencils the best of all, if I had to choose just one set of pencils, it would be those. Like I said I think it really depends on what type of art you do, what paper you use and how you want the pencils to perform. If the Polychromos work best for you, that's great.
The prices of Derwent lightfast are more expensive than the Fabercastel polycroms years ago Derwent pencils wear a lot more affordable.
Hi Grahame, I have been told by some other viewers that Derwent lightfast are cheaper than the polychromos in their country so I think it may depend where you live. For me in the UK, Polychromos are far cheaper than Derwent 😊
very nice video..
like 46 👍👍👍
Thank you 😊
I just bought a 12 set of Derwent Lightfast they cost me £40!!. I’ve discovered I much prefer my Polychromos, so the Lightfast will be getting gone!
I think the Derwent Lightfast pencils are very expensive. Polychromos are wonderful pencils!
very nice video......
Thank you so much! 😊👍🏻
I really like my Polychromos. I hear great things about the Lightfast. But i was told if i bring anymore pencils in my house, i will be sleeping in the yard😂. So, im going to have to get them sent to my neighbors house. 😂
Polychromos are a fantastic brand and I have no doubt that you will be happy with these pencils 😊 probably best to stick with the pencils you have so you don't end up in the yard!
@amywellerart you're right. Winter is coming😀 but.....come spring I can buy a tent...
No comparison. Very different philosophy and the German made ones by Faber Castell,are the best pencils in the world. Staedtler are also a bit overrated.Don't get me wrong,they are all decent pencils,the just can't much,the overall quality and performance,of the Germans.
👍😊
Thank you 😊
Like33🤩👍🏻🌷💖🌷💖
Thank you so much 😊👍🏻
If both the pencils you're comparing are oil based, why do you keep talking about wax pencils? It's confusing the freak out of me.
The video is a comparison between the Polychromos and Derwent pencils which are oil pencils, and they are the main focus of my video, hence why I refer to both brands throughout the entirety of this video. I only briefly covered wax pencils to give some examples of how they compare to oil pencils. It’s a little extra information I provide for my viewers that they wouldn’t necessarily get in other people’s videos. Nothing wrong with that.
I am just Starting out. NO PENCIL is WORTH that INFLATED ROBERY PRICE. DERWENT will LOOSE MILLIONS of CUSTOMERS. Starting with me . FABER CASTELL is a VERY GOOD PRICE .IT'S WINS OVER DERWENT ANYDAY. I am LOOKING Forward to my VERY FIRST COLOR PENCIL SET as a BEGINNER. The FABER CASTELL POLYCHROMOS👍
Thank you Paul for your comment. Faber Castell Polychromos pencils are great pencils and I’m sure you will love using them! 😊
mmm that's weird, they gained a fan with me because the quality really is something else. Maybe that's just me.