DerwentStudio Colored Pencils, 3.4mm Core, Metal Tin, 36 Count (32198)

Got these today. Although they were already sharpened, I wanted a finer point so I honed each of them with the hand sharpener I use on all my colored pencils. The leads on three of the pencils in the 12 piece set broke in the sharpening process. Not a good start when 1/4 of the pencils are defective.In all fairness, the breakage is likely not a manufacturing issue - these were probably mishandled in the shipping process. Amazon always boxes art supplies loose into boxes without appropriate padding. Carriers throw, drop and bump boxes in the shipping process. Loose packaging combined with a lack of appropriate cushioning has resulted in bent corners on sketchpads and broken core issues with other pencils shipped by Amazon. These pencils were without padding and were loose in the Amazon shipping box.Once I tested these beauties on paper, I was actually quite satisfied. I prefer a hard pencil and these were very pleasing to work with. Hard pencils won't have the vibrant color intensity and buttery lay down of soft core pencils - that's not what they're intended to do. Hard pencils lay down a delicate layer of color and allow for fine detail. The set of 12 has all the basic colors you need (except white) to achieve color variations by layering colors. They apply smoothly and allow gradients from delicate to dark. When applied lightly, these layer exceptionally well. I was able to work 10 layers without the resistant bloom that prevents layering in many other colored pencils.Because of the extensive color range and the almost limitless ability to layer, these are my new favorite colored pencils. They replace my long time preference for Prismacolor Verithins. Verithins come in only 36 colors. They bloom and become resistant to blending on the 3rd or 4th lightly applied layer. Breakage is a constant issue with Verithins. The most disturbing problem with Verithins is off center cores that cause the points to consist mostly of wood. All the cores in the Derwent Studio pencils appear to be properly centered.UPDATE: I purchased the set of 72 colors. I resharpened each of them and there was absolutely NO breakage so I've updated my review from 4 to 5 stars. I'm delighted to have the full set. Beautiful range of colors!

DERWENT STUDIO colored pencils are PROFESSIONAL ARTIST quality colored pencils, featuring their HARDEST colored lead. They are not student grade or a lesser quality than Derwent ColourSoft or Prismacolor Premier.Derwent ARTIST is softer than Studios and is their middle firm/soft lead.Derwent COLOURSOFT is the softest and creamiest of their color pencil leads.ALL of these have lightfastness ratings and are made for the professional artist.STUDIOs should not be compared to soft leads as these are meant for DETAILS. Soft Leads require frequent sharpening as they lose their point quickly.Studios sharpen to a long point which does not wear down fast (I used a manual hand sharpener)The sharp point resists breakingIdeal for DETAILS or small designsLays down rich colorColor lays down smoothlyLayers better than any colored pencil I have used.Derwent blender did not seem to work as well on these.....these pencils seem made to be layeredDark colors erase "somewhat". All the dark that I have attempted to erase, left more color on the paper than any pencil I have used.Comparable to Prismacolor Verithins but there are 72 colors - hoo ray!Not buttery like VerithinsDryer and "scratchier" than Coloursoft and PrismaColor Premier but Studios are easier to control for layering and, once again, details!I quickly adjusted to the dryer textureNo Wax BloomDifferent color palette than ColoursoftSet of 72 has 4 colors useful for pale skin tonesFewer greys in this selection of 72Less problem of uneven pencil marks - did not need to use the blender as muchLightfastness is listed on the Derwent color chartNo duplicate colorsGold and Silver were not metallicSince I prefer doing tiny details and subtle color changes (layering!), these are perfect for me. Colored a post card from Enchanted Forest & found I had superb control of the sharp tip.The wood box - cost only $4 more than the tin container at the time I purchased this through Amazon (Sept 2016). What an amazing bargain! Is elegantly made with lovely medium stained wood. Magnets are utilized to hold box shut and to hold wood bars over the pencils. Foam padding strips are in place for protection of the lead points. Has formed slots with a faux slightly velvet type of finish. Wood is lightweight, feels hard to touch. I will put a layer of protective varnish on the box to protect from the many scratches that they get from use. Wood box did not completely protect the pencils during shipping. One bar & foam pad came loose and pencils had enough room to break free from their slots. There were NO broken lead points.Quality control: 1 pencil had a split barrel during manufacturing. It was painted & coated with the others and will not affect the use of the pencil. The finish on the pencils allows the roughness of the wood and dents to be visible. Does not affect the use of the pencils.This concluded my search for a hard leaded color pencil for detail work. I love my Prismacolor Verithins but their 36 colors is too limiting for me. Studios layer better than the Verithins, which, in turn, produces even more colors. I'm delighted with Derwent Studios. They will not replace my beloved soft leads but they will be my number ONE choice for details and layering.Get the wood box, too.

This is for 36 pencils like the picture of the tin says. The description says 48..

I actually prefer the Verithins but I wanted the broader color range the Derwents offer. I tend to do the heavy work with Prismacolor Premiers then clean up the edges with the harder cores so instead of having a color that almost matches, the wider range allows me to get closer to the base color. Also, I just like lots of colors. LOL. If you aren't familiar with the harder cores, just remember that they can leave a groove in your paper if you press too hard. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes it ain't.The one problem I had is with the box. The two retaining bars have magnets on the ends that snap to metal tabs on the box. The jostling in transit allowed the two bars two attract to each other so when I opened the box, the pencils in the upper portion came tumbling out. Fortunately, no tips were broken but something to watch out for if you order this item. Nice box, by the way. Another seller offers the same box with a pencil sharpener ($5) and a kneaded eraser (another $4 or so) for $20 dollars more. Okay, that's my review.

Well, that will teach me to buy art supplies only from reputable art supply stores. The pencils I received were battered-looking and had clearly been used. Several of them had been sharpened often enough that they were an inch or two shorter than the rest. The tin box was scraped and badly dented. I will say that they seem to be great pencils. I tried one before packing them back up and loved the way the pigment went down on the surface. I'm definitely ordering again -- but not from Amazon.

Please don't waste your money, these are horrible to use and such a disappointment. The lead is extremely hard and scratchy and the colour pigment is poor.I really recommend Faber Castell Polychromos which I purchased shortly after theses - they're incredible and a joy to use. Highly pigmented with a soft buttery texture - a little more expensive but absolutely worth it.These pencils are a false economy. I gave them to our 5 year old in the end.

...all the way through the pencil. About 4 out of the 12 pencils are useless which is a third and very costly if that’s the usual quality.Otherwise, a lovely, slightly harder, pencil that I was hoping for.Usually Derwent pencils are just right so this little set was very disappointing :-(

As the hardest pencil in the ranges available for derwent, these sharpen to an incredible point for detail work. The blend fantastically with oils or mediums, blending stumps etc. They are not for gouging paper to within an inch of its life, but for subtle and gradual layering effects. They do work brilliantly with Coloursoft and Artist pencils. They are Wax based and tend to bloom, but only slightly in comparison with cheaper pencils. I read questions like are they as good as Faber Castell. They are a different animal all together, FC are oil based, these are wax. They all work very well together and can only increase the enjoyment for drawing and would be an asset to anyones collection. I bought the tin of 24 Studio, theres enough variety in colour for details.

I have already bought from Amazon a Derwent Academy set of 36 and was looking for a different set but did not want the same colours as I already had this is a lovely set of 12 and if I'm honest would have bought a bigger set if I hadn't already a set of 36.These pencils are lovely nice and creamy. I find my Academy set scatchy and quite light in colour but they were such a good price. I do a lot of adult colouring and i like good quality pencils, books and fine liners and these pencils are super nice bold colours well worth the price.

I bought this item for my wife, who has joined the craze of colouring the many colouring books that are now available. She reports that the quality of the pencils is significantly superior to the earlier ones she had and that the range of colours is fantastic, allowing much more subtle gradation in colour in the pictures. She also liked very much the wooden box. So far as I am concerned, there was an excellent discount on the product! We both thoroughly recommend this item.