Derwent Watercolor Pencils

Derwent Watercolour Pencils combine the precision of a traditional drawing pencil with the delicate, fluid qualities of watercolor paint. They are widely regarded as a classic choice for botanical art, outdoor landscape sketching, and detailed mixed-media illustrations.

Key Specifications & Build

Barrel & Core: Features a classic hexagonal 7.2 mm barrel (which prevents rolling off tilted drawing boards) housing a generous 3.4 mm to 4.1 mm pigment core.

Texture & Laydown: The core is soft yet durable. Applied dry, it feels slightly softer than standard colored pencils, laying down smooth color without requiring heavy hand pressure.

Subtle Color Palette: Derwent specifically formulates these with a natural, traditional watercolor aesthetic—yielding muted, earthy, and gentle tones rather than stark, hyper-saturated colors.

Performance & Working Techniques

Re-wettable & Liftable: Unlike permanent water-soluble mediums, once Derwent Watercolour pencil marks dry after being activated with water, they can be re-wet and lifted or shifted again with a wet brush. This makes them ideal for blending subtle gradations and correcting edges.

Seamless Dissolution: When water is applied over dry pencil strokes on textured watercolor paper (hot press or cold press), the pigment dissolves cleanly without leaving harsh, visible pencil lines underneath.

Versatile Application:

Dry into Wet: Draw directly onto damp paper for rich, soft-focused lines.

Wet Brush to Core: Lift pigment directly off the tip of the pencil with a wet brush, treating it like a portable paint pan.

Dry Layering: Use dry for crisp detail work over dried watercolor washes.

Range & Lightfastness

Available Sets: Commonly sold in tins or wooden boxes of 12, 24, 36, and 72 colors, as well as open stock.

Lightfastness Ratings: Graded on the British Blue Wool Scale (1 to 8, with 8 being highest). Across the full 72-color range, roughly half meet high archival standards (Blue Wool 6 to 8). If creating archival fine art for sale, it is best to check the individual color chart ratings before committing.