We’re so excited that the Craft Test Dummies chose to review our Metallic Pencils that we’re sharing it with you on our blog! Read on to discover more about our shiniest, sparkliest product:
“Colored pencils are so basic that I think most crafters overlook and underestimate them. If you’ve read my review of the Inktense Pencils, you know that I’m very impressed by Derwent quality & feel that they are a “must have!” Recently, those kind folks sent me the Metallic Pencils to try out, too.
Here’s the product description from the website:
Introduce a little sparkle to your sketches and drawings with these bright, highly reflective pencils. They work best on a dark background (try Derwent Black Books) and can be used on their own or with other media to add brilliant definition and glowing highlights. Derwent Metallic is watersoluble, so you can also create interesting line and wash effects. Great for all kinds of creative projects.
Um. Wait a second. Did you say water-soluble? Swoon!
So of course, I had to start off with some swatching, just to get a feel of how the pencils laid down color on paper…
And then I had to get out my H2O pen and give them another whirl. First on the white cardstock:
The colors stay nice and vibrant on the white background- good for using as washes.
Here on the black, you’ll see the color disappears somewhat. You still get a faint metallic sparkle, but the color dulls significantly.
Next I decided to stamp an image and give it a coloring with the pencils:
I’m a sucker for the water-soluble bit, so I did give it a go-over with an H2O pen. I also used some of those staturated colors as a wash for the background.
Next, coloring on black paper. To create the image, I stamped on the paper and then embossed with clear powder:
Doesn’t the color just pop on the black? OH so much fun!
Here’s another fun tip: draw on the paper with a Blender pen first (I used one by Tombow) and then color over the top. The blender pen will act as a resist, giving you a cool negative image:
Overall, I think these are great. I will probably use it for watercoloring only on light paper, and keep black for sketching/coloring and the resist technique. And really, for under $16 USD (£14.99) these area great value and even come in the tin for easy storage. I think these might be slipping into my traveling craft kit, too! Can’t wait to Zentangle on black paper with these babies…..
I’d love to hear how you use pencils in your art/craft, and what you think of these…”
Thanks so much to the Craft Test Dummies for reviewing our product! It was an interesting and informative read.
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