Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer® Artists' Watercolor Pencils - Tin of 60

these are high quality. Tutorials on how to use watercolor pencils are critical to be happy with results. Colors are vibrant.

These are beautiful pencils, and they work brilliantly with water. They were recommended to me by a artist teacher, and she could not have been more right. The pencil core is wider than a typical colored pencil, and you can feel the creaminess as you move it across the paper. This is nothing compared to when you add a dots of water or a slightly wet paintbrush to the project and the color just blooms out of the pencil Scratching. They are expensive, but they are worth it if you really want to make art from your colored pencils.

They are Albrecht Durer - what's NOT to love?? Having owned several brands of watercolor pencils, I can say I don't even touch them since I received these. Why?1. The pencils blend very well, especially on watercolor paper.2. Control of of color result when blending is virtually flawless:a) no irregular pigmentation;b) no need to scrub work area to avoid watermarks;c) no product / color bloom when layering for effect (unless applying too much pressure and damaging tooth of paper) and;c) for smaller work areas, I even prefer them over tube / cake watercolor.3. The pencils can be sharpened from beginning to end WITHOUT ANY LEAD BREAKAGE at all.4. Nice tin keeps everything ordered and makes for nice storage when working other art projects.5. Hexagonal shape prevents rolling when setting them aside for later use on your work. Especially helpful if your work area also includes brush holder, water glasses / jars, watercolor palette, painting cloths and such with each project.7. Superb for dry-on-wet highlighting and detailing on watercolor work.8. Every color is also available for purchase as an individual pencil should any need to be replaced.I'm sure there are a lot more reasons why I'll love these as I use them but I've shared the most noticeable thus far. As for whether or not the purchase is right for you, some other things to keep in mind:1. These are professional artists' quality watercolor pencils and the price reflects that.2. Though they may be used on adult coloring books, there are many types and brands of pencils more suited for the pages. However, if the objective is to activate the color for a watercolor look, these are a great choice. I use them in my coloring book so I may practice watercolor techniques.

These professional-quality watercolor pencils are great. The colors are vivid, and they easily activate with water. They can be applied dry on paper and then moistened with a brush, or the pencil moistened first and applied to paper, or used wet on wet paper, or can be used by touching a moistened brush to them like with a palette. In all cases, the resultant watercolor paint is vibrant and versatile. If you apply them dry and then activate them with a brush, the pigment dissolves completely with no pencil strokes remaining. You can't say the same about inexpensive watercolor pencils. Once the watercolor has dried it's permanent. This means you can then overlay other washes or details without smearing the first layer.The set of sixty pencils gives you a good selection of colors, and by blending them, the color palette you can create is endless. Another bonus I find with the Faber Castell pencil line is that the colors are consistent across products. This means that the color names and pigments for the Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils are the same as those for their Polychromos oil pencils. The set, packaged in a metal tin, arrived in perfect shape. The pencils have a hexagonal shaped barrel, which prevents them from rolling around a table and makes them easier to hold.For those who are considering purchasing Derwent Inktense pencils, which cost slightly less than the Albrecht Durer, I'll provide a little comparison here, since I own both. The Albrecht Durer pencils have a smoother laydown and better ability to dissolve then the Derwent Inktense. Sometimes the lines laid down with the Inktense pencil do not disappear completely when brushed with water, while the Albrecht Durer dissolve perfectly. That being said, I enjoy using both brands of watercolor pencil. They both have bright colors and are permanent once dry.

I've used every level of watercolor pencil from Crayola student to a premium Arteza brand. It's important to know that these pencils are definitely professional grade tools. With a non professional pencil I can see the pencil strokes after applying water. With FC brand, every stroke dissolves completely leaving no trace of sketching. These pencils are very true to their color and it's nor necessary to push or press them into the paper. Additionally layering and blending is no problem with these pencils. Do not be afraid to make several layers....they will blend out. I've discovered these pencils also work on different papers. Light to medium smooth card stock works very well with these pencils, it doesn't take much water to activate them so lighter papers don't buckle or bend. I love the portability and the tin they are stored in makes it easy to slip them into a cabinet or cubby for storage or transfer them to a pencil carrier for a custom palette. The best part of owning these great watercolor pencils is knowing I only paid $10-$15 more for the professional grade quality over other brands that sell "premium" art supplies.

The pencils are in great condition. I'm only deducting a star because the tin had some damage to it. Overall, the pencils are wonderful.