Derwent Chromaflow Pencils, Set of 72 in Tin, 3.5mm Round Core, Premium Core Strength, Blendable with Smooth Texture, Ideal for Drawing, Colouring & Layering, Professional Quality, 2306014

Product Information

As the Chromaflow is a new product and still not available in certain countries, with regards the lightfast information I went straight to the amazing individual I talk to from Derwent about products, I say amazing due to the fact anything I ask for regarding details of products, accurate information is always supplied which is such a refreshing thing for a reviewer.

Derwent Chromaflow 72 Colored Pencil Set Update/Review New Derwent Chromaflow 72 Colored Pencil Set Update/Review

Chromaflow Pencils have a thin barrel and soft core that makes it easy to apply, blend and shade colour. Chromaflow soft core colour pencils are highly pigmented for striking vibrancy that stands out on even dark paper. These are water soluble pencils which erase as a dry medium, but once water is applied they are permanent on the paper. One of the features of this product however boasts about how strong and reliable the core is so to me that seems to have been disproved almost immediately. One of the things I think Derwent excel at is providing pencils for certain groups, every group from young artists, crafters, adult colouring book artists, Professional Colored Pencils artists and many more are all catered for under the one banner.

The pigments used in Derwent products are tested for lightfastness and graded from 1-8 (8 being considered extremely lightfast). This is a very small issue, but an issue none the less that I discovered toward the end of my artwork, by which time I had a lot of the other elements of the reviews completed.

Derwent Chromaflow Pencils, Set of 36 in Tin, 3.5mm Round Derwent Chromaflow Pencils, Set of 36 in Tin, 3.5mm Round

The Procolour pencils will take a very fine point in a power sharpener and there is little or no sign of crumbling from the needle sharp tip when used.

I immediately reached for my trusty Derwent Black Pencil Extender as this is the smaller extender of the Black and Silver ones.

Derwent | Derwent Derwent | Derwent

I don’t think there is any issues that Derwent are over looking regarding quality control and the issues I encountered whilst sharpening, please let me explain this. Ideal for artists of all levels, these vibrant, high-quality colored pencils are crafted with rich pigments for a smooth, creamy laydown and exceptional color saturation. Any result above Blue Wool 6 (ASTM II) is considered to be VERY GOODand will not fade for over 100 years in gallery conditions.Lightfast coloured pencils have been a holy grail that artists in coloured pencil have wanted for a long time. I was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion with the host of the Sharpened Artist Coloured Pencil Podcast John Middick and three Derwent specialists to discuss everything about this long-standing and innovative brand. Although a palette of 72 is still a long way of 150, it is still significantly better than a 24 set, speaking for myself, I feel that the Chromaflow when offering only the 24 palette, placed the range in a kind of limbo. The reason I asked this is because I have never experienced issues with the Derwent barrels when sharpening.

Derwent Pencil Ranges | Ken Bromley Art Supplies My Essential Derwent Pencil Ranges | Ken Bromley Art Supplies

As you can see from the images provided, there were a few serious issues with barrels whilst sharpening. Next is the test using Odourless Mineral Spirits, this is something I personally don’t use, for no other reason than I prefer to use other methods, nevertheless, I always add this test as it shows exactly how the product will perform. Derwent never let us down when it comes to botanical palettes, which I am sure is connected to the fact that the home of the company is Keswick, arguably the most beautiful, idyllic landscape in the UK, The Lake District. I love to use these in my animal portraits to help speed up the initial laydown of pigment, especially when working on a textured support.

It is simply part and parcel of really soft cored pencils that creating a sharp point and holding it for a period of time is. Derwent test all of their products on the Blue Wool scale with the exception of the Derwent Lightfast pencil which is ASTM.