I decided to treat myself to a set of 12 Finest Artists’ Quality watercolor pencils by Faber-Castell called Albrecht Durer (there are two dots over the u in Durer). The pesky little tin of 12 was on the expensive side….$24.00. I probably could have picked them up, at a better price on line but, I also wanted to support a new local art store “Coastal Art Supply” in Beaufort. I love not having to travel to Savannah just to go to a legitimate art store (vs. Michaels). I always get lost in Savannah….. but, that’s another story.

Upon opening the set, I was immediately disappointed as it included a white pencil. Useless, as far as I’m concerned. I’d really rather have had another color like their # 123 fuchsia, so I could match the color of Beauty Berries 🙂

The colors: Cadmium Yellow, Dark Cadmium Orange, Deep Scarlet Red, Magenta, Light Ultramarine, Phthalo Blue, Emerald Green, Light Green, Burnt Ochre, Walnut Brown and Black are a lot different than the colors in the Derwent 12 pack. Hmmmmm, let’s take these colors out for a spin and see why they were selected for this 12 pack!

WOW! Look at all the color combinations that are available!! And, the purples! I’m in love!

The pencils have a buttery feel when applying the color to my sketch pad. The lead seems to be much softer than the Derwents. I think I’ll expose more lead with my jack knife versus using my little sharpener. I tried that with the Derwents but the leads kept braking off when I applied any pressure. I don’t think that will happen with these. Can’t wait to take them out in the field and really put them to work!