CARAN D'ACHE Cardboard Box with 76 Assorted Colours +2 blenders

Product Information

Derwent Lightfast colored pencils are oil-based pencils with a focus on lightfastness. All colors in the Derwent Lightfast range have a high lightfastness rating, just like Luminance pencils. The Derwent Lightfast pencils have a slightly harder core compared to Luminance, which means they can hold a sharper point for longer, making them better suited for fine details. Luminance colored pencils are wax based pencils. Being wax based, they have a smooth/creamy feel as you work with them. This is ideal for portraits. In terms of lightfastness, both brands are highly lightfast, ensuring that your artwork will remain vibrant over time. Polychromos pencils come in a wider range of 120 colors, giving you more options to choose from. Price-wise, Polychromos are generally more affordable than Luminance pencils. 2. Prismacolor Premier vs. Caran d'Ache Luminance As an artist, I've found that many of my fellow artists appreciate the Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils for their exceptional performance and quality. Here's a brief overview of what artists, including myself, think about these pencils:

Several years ago prismacolor changed where and how these were manufactured. Prismacolor has a very brittle lead. That has always been true. The problem however is that they started using poor quality wood for their casings and overall quality control became non existent. The wood casings now are regularly warped and the leads are off centered more often than not, and the wood is prone to splitting when sharpened. I used Caran d'Ache's Luminance for the first time last summer. I was honestly hoping not to like them because they are very expensive pencils. After one use, I was hooked! There are SO many things that make these pencils worth every penny. The Caran d’Ache Luminance pencils are undoubtably a professional pencil of the very highest quality. I have been reviewing art products now for about three to four years and within that time span, I have very rarely spoke to anyone who disliked the Caran d’Ache Luminance pencil. Caran d’Ache in general do a magnificent job in manufacturing and marketing their art products period. In summary, artists, including myself, hold Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils in high regard for their blendability, color range, lightfastness, and build quality. These pencils are a popular choice among professionals and enthusiasts alike, offering versatility and adaptability across various techniques and styles. Overview of All Features of the Caran d'Ache Luminance Feature Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils provide numerous benefits for artists who choose to work with them. These advantages make them an appealing choice for both professional artists and enthusiasts who value high-quality art materials. Here are some of the key benefits of using Luminance pencils: 1. Effortless Blending and LayeringBefore the release of the Derwent Lightfast, the Caran d’Ache Luminance had very little in the way of competition if any. The Faber Castell Polychromos are of course, without doubt a tremendous pencil for colored pencil artists, but they are a very different pencil to the Caran d’Ache Luminance. The release of the Derwent Lightfast was the first pencil really to directly compete with the Caran d’Ache Luminance. Glazing involves applying a thin layer of color over an existing layer to change its hue or tone slightly. With their excellent layering capabilities, Luminance pencils can be used for glazing to create subtle color shifts or corrections in your artwork. 3. Realism The wide range of colors offered by Luminance colored pencils, including natural skin tones, allows artists to create stunning portraits. The soft, creamy cores make it easy to blend and layer colors to achieve lifelike skin textures and subtle shading, resulting in expressive and captivating portraits. Artwork Created with Caran d'Ache Luminance Pencils The premium build quality of Luminance colored pencils, including their sturdy barrels and break-resistant cores, means you can rely on them to withstand the rigors of regular use. You won't have to worry about constantly dealing with broken leads or replacing pencils due to damage. 5. Wide Range of Applications

With hard pencils I can layer as many colors as I want. With other wax based pencils I can layer 4-5 colors before the paper cannot hold any more pigment. With luminance it is the same… if not worse. Possibly because they deliver a good amount of pigment with a single stroke, the paper cannot hold any more after a while. Blending The big question everyone asks me is “are they really worth the cost”. I really think that they are. First, being lightfast is huge, but on top of that, they seem to last longer than the Prismacolor premiers. I found myself burning through Prismas like crazy. In part because of breaking leads and splitting wood casings, but in part because the lead is a bit softer. The Luminance pencils still had the great smooth blending that I expect from a wax-based pencil, but a smaller amount appears to go quite a bit further, so the cost per square inch of paper they can cover doesn’t seem to be that much higher than pencils like Prismacolor. So what’s the big deal with these pencils? What I experience with them is that they are luxury pencils. They feel luxurious and they are pure joy to work with. It is just like makeup (you girls know what I am talking about). You don’t necessarily need that super duper expensive mascara to create that badass smoky eye, but you use it because you like the way it feels, you like the luxury of it. Luminance are such well made pencils, you WANT to use them, despite the disadvantages. Whenever I am drawing with them I feel like a kid who discovers drawing for the first time! Final thoughtsThe biggest set of prismacolor pencils comes in 150 colors. The biggest set of polychromos in 120. And the biggest set of luminance comes in just 76 colors. But this is not a disadvantage for me personally. 76 colors are more than enough to create any color through layering.Besides, I am the weird minimalist artist who works with a handful of tools. Texture Many colored pencil artists started out with Prismacolor as I did. If you’ve been using Prismacolor Premier for very long, you know how brittle that lead is. This can make getting a fine point on your pencils for detail work difficult (and frustrating). The lead on the Luminance pencils is stronger. I’ve not once had the lead break or crumble on me, making getting detail work quite easy in comparison to the Prismacolor Premier. I also found that I don’t get the wax bloom with the Luminance like I did with the Prismas. This allowed me to apply more layers with the Luminance than I was able to with the Prismas. That was a huge bonus for me. The color can also be controlled into fine details, making it great for high-resolution areas of your piece as well. One important note that is worth mentioning is that the variety of colors available is a bit polarized, as the Luminance collection focuses on bright colors. Because of that, you might have to look elsewhere if you are after some dull grays or subdued earth tones.

When searching for information, first use the global search button. Then use the column searches to refine your search. Luminance pencils are known for their break-resistant cores, which make them an excellent choice for artists who might have a heavy hand or are prone to dropping their pencils. The sturdy barrels protect the cores, ensuring that they remain intact even if the pencil takes a tumble. 3. Vibrant and Opaque Colors They were first introduced by the Swiss company Caran d'Ache, which has been producing top-notch art supplies since 1915. The opacity of most Luminance colored pencils, particularly the white pencil, allows you to add highlights over darker colors easily. This feature gives you the flexibility to create stunning effects and make corrections or enhancements even after completing the initial layers of your drawing. 4. Durability and Break Resistance Luminance colored pencils' exceptional blending capabilities and vibrant colors make them an excellent choice for creating realistic artwork. Artists can achieve smooth color transitions and build up layers to create depth and dimension, capturing the fine details and textures found in real life. 4. PortraitureOne of the best-performing pencils on the market also comes with a comparable price tag. Similar to many of Caran d’Ache’s products, expect to pay a premium price for these. Just about anything with the Caran d’Ache label is going to fetch a premium asking price, but we feel that it is more than worth it to enjoy this fantastic set of pencils. You get an extremely high-quality product that can compete with the best pencils in the world so it is no surprise to us that it costs more for this privilege. Being higher quality, they will also be more capable for a variety of applications ranging from entry-level all the way up to professional pieces. Overall Ranking – 4.5/5 Luminance 6901® colour palette has been expanded with 20 new colours – all with the same 100% lightfast guarantee – meaning the range now comprises 100 different shades. These new artistic colours, complementary to the existing colour chart, broaden the field of use and application of these exceptional lightfast colour pencils. In conclusion, Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils hold their own against other top brands, offering unique features like smooth blending, break-resistant cores, and exceptional lightfastness. While each brand has its strengths and weaknesses, Luminance pencils cater to artists who prioritize blending capabilities, vibrant colors, and longevity in their artwork. Benefits of Using Caran d'Ache Luminance Pencils

Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils boast several unique features and characteristics that make them a favorite among artists. Let's take a closer look at what sets these pencils apart from the competition. 1. Smooth Blending and Layering The second difference was that these did not seem to build up as much of a wax bloom as primsas which did allow for more layering. They sharpen to a MUCH finer point than the prismas can, and again with no breakage, which allows for more detail work. I wasn’t expecting to get the kind of detail with a wax based pencil as I was with these. I bet you weren’t expecting this. And I guess many of you will hate me for writing this blog post. But I cannot love caran d’ache luminance as much as I would have liked. And believe me, I tried to like them, I so much wanted to like them.Today We’re going to be comparing at two wax based colored pencils. Prismacolor Premier and Luminance from Caran d’Ache We have come to that again… I hate blending, I have always hated blending. As I mentioned multiple times before, all these details I worked hard for, blended and gone… no, thank you very much. But, with luminance I found it impossible not to blend. And the funny thing is that I really loved the effect! So, I might keep experimenting with the pencils in the future, I feel there is more to be explored. Lightfastness These colors blend great with both burnishing (applying a lot of pressure to the pencil as you layer to blend) and with odorless mineral spirits. I’m able to get a smoother look with these pencils than with any other brand I’ve used. I personally don’t like the grainy look that is common with colored pencils. I want my work to look like a painting and these pencils do great with this. These are also some of the most opaque colored pencils that I’ve used. Prismacolor Premier pencils are another popular wax-based colored pencil option. Like Luminance pencils, they have a soft and creamy core, which makes blending and layering a breeze. However, the cores of Prismacolor pencils can be more prone to breakage compared to Luminance pencils.