So, let me preface this review by saying I am NOT an artist (by any stretch of the imagination) and I have never written an Amazon review. My creative credentials are comprised of a lifelong habit of picking up a 1,000 different hobbies, all of which I am OK at, but none of which I have ever mastered. Artistic ADD, in a manner of speaking (no insult intended to those suffering from real ADD). I am, however, afflicted with perfectionism and a very analytical mind, which is likely why I have never become truly proficient at any art form. If the result of my efforts doesn’t look good enough to me, I’ll keep trying for a while, maybe take a lesson or two, get sorta good, get bored with my lack of fast progress, move on to something new, and stick the supplies/equipment/fabric/whatever in a closet to collect dust for the next decade. I think I'm gonna need a bigger house. (But, give me a massive spreadsheet and I’ll make magic happen!!) I just picked up my first adult coloring book as a stress reducer/time waster that would have some sort of product to account for my (wasted) time. I can DO coloring, I just can’t draw anything that even remotely resembles the target object. I have now colored a sum total of TWO pages. The first was colored with Crayola colored pencils, which were cheap...and fine, but not very vivid, not all that blendable, and with not enough color variations to be really fun (the primary goal of this new hobby). I started the second page with some decades old colored pens missing half the pens (of course, the best colors were all dried up) and some of the Crayola pencils. At that point, I started a quest for better colored pencils. Almost all of the pencil reviews had the highest praise (vivid colors, good coverage) as well as the lowest praise (leads constantly breaking, leads off-centered, impossible to sharpen, etc.). After several days of near analysis paralysis, I finally settled on the Derwent Inktense collection of 72 pencils. I was so excited I could barely stand the long wait for the package to arrive (a whole, like, five hours with Amazon Prime). I broke those puppies out long after my bed time and completed two or three flowers on my otherwise pretty dull 2nd coloring page. First impression? Well, not titillated, to be sure. Thought it might be the light, my old tired eyes, or maybe the wine....(no, not the wine...ok, maybe the wine). So, let's wait until morning. It was five minutes into my new day fresh perspective before I started drafting my first negative Amazon review in my head. The color was super waxy with spotty coverage, even with a heavy hand. Honestly, they felt like kindergarten crayons in a pencil barrel. For $70+ bucks??? Really??? The lead stood up to the pressure, which was a plus, but you could still see the white of the page under the ink. The pencil would not stay sharp for the fine lines and small spaces. Most colored pencils, except perhaps really soft ones, sort of self-sharpen just by shifting the angle of the lead. Not these. The colors seemed really vivid and blending them was “ok,” but I was so disappointed that the color didn't spread evenly and smoothly on the page. It was very blotchy. I sat back and thought about all of the five star reviews and wondered what in the hell all these people were thinking. Were they ALL paid reviews? Then, out of nowhere, DING, DING, DING…I remembered reading that these are WATER color pencils. Not having any artist brushes whatsoever, I cleaned up a make-up brush (lol, yes, you heard right) to see what would happen to the ink from my crayon pencils when I added a bit of H20. It was a total freaking revelation. I am blown away. The color just jumped off the page. Blending was a dream, layering on different colors was a blast, and removing color was a miracle. Removing one color to lighten an area in order to add an (afterthought) brighter color was like too much to ask for. I AM SOLD. I have not colored in a coloring book since I was a child and I have never done a water color in my entire life. But, I may just spend the REST of my life using these pencils to make “art” that I will proudly hang on my refrigerator. In terms of the pencil quality and packaging, there are 72 distinct colors, all with perfectly centered lead. They sharpen easily in a manual or electric sharpener. They do not erase easily (I imagine you can’t really erase a real watercolor). The pencils are very professional looking and have both color names and numbers so that you could really wear the pencil down to a tiny nub and still know which color it is to replace it. They are in two trays in a tin box. The lid doesn’t really fasten down on the tray, so you would have to carry and store it carefully or put a rubber band around it. I’ve added a few photos of the pencils, the lead, and my second colored page. The light pink and purple flowers are a mix of my previous pens/pencils. The tiny bell flowers are from a new set of colored pens that arrived the same day. The rest is the Derwent Inktense after adding water. Please remember, I am not an artist, I am a total noob to adult coloring books (and, btw, can we not think of a different name for this hobby so it doesn't sound x-rated??), and I was using one old make-up brush that kept splitting into a TRIDENT shape (now eagerly awaiting the arrival of real water color brushes). Regardless of my skill level, or lack thereof, I think the colors are brilliant and my own imagination is the only thing that will limit what I can do with all these colors and combinations of colors. Hallelujah! Maybe, I’ll stick with one hobby for a while (no guarantees!). Thank you to one of my last remaining brain cells for the reminder that these were actually water color pencils and to Derwent for creating this amazing product!
