They’re so pigmented, and cheaper than premium watercolour, I just snapped the leads off into a couple of tiny ceramic palettes (got two of the Etchr 37 well travel ones for this). Have to say they’re easier to travel with this way than tube paints. (Read somewhere a Museum pencil has same amount of pigment as a half pan.) And yes sometimes I’m so lazy I just use them at home to do a bit of painting on the dining table to finish up the sketches. In fact they’re still set up this way this morning (sheepish shrug). The result you get with this product will depend on the paintbrush and the watercolour paper you choose to use as well. Think of it like needing to put premium gasoline in a high-performance car and driving it on a well-paved clear road. You can still operate the vehicle with lesser options but it will be at its peak performance when those other elements meet its intended quality level.

Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer Watercolour Pencils have a generous colour strip and a good weight in the hand. They’re professional grade, with the majority of colours ranked highly for lightfastness, so they’re an ideal choice for any artist keen on displaying their artwork or taking commissions. You can use these pencils dry, however you’ll find that they have a slightly drier texture than a traditional pencil. Their beauty really shines with the addition of water. It’s remarkably easy to lift the pencil marks, leaving you with nothing but vibrant, pure watercolour paint. Their soft texture also means you can easily blend colours and they have excellent coverage. These pencils have a colour matched, varnished barrel that has all the colour information stamped on for easy identification. Caran D’Ache have recently released new coloured pencils – Museum Aquarelle. They come in 76 colours though only the full range is available in singles. Currently, the collections available are 12 Basics, 20 Marine and 20 Landscape. If you’re still having trouble working out which of these pencils is best for your project, or if you have any questions about water soluble pencils, just leave a comment below and we’ll be happy to help.Used with water the colours can be startlingly intense, which took a little getting used to. I found I was applying too much pencil; just a small amount allows a more subtle watercolour wash effect. Reserve heavier applications for an inky look. Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua Watercolour Pencils are available in sets. Winsor & Newton Watercolour Pencils Studio Collection Watercolour

The Caran d’Ache Museum aquarelle watercolour coloured pencil range is vibrant with strong pigment. It is a smaller range than the other Caran d’Ache aquarelle watercolour range Supracolor Soft. The Museum range has 76 pencils. Museum Aquarelle pencils have been made with the best selection of pigments, including a large number of mono-pigments (pure, unblended colour from source) and highest quality translucent mineral filler.Lightfastness is rated using either the Blue Wool Scale (ISO 105) or ASTM D-6901. Lightfast colours remain the same for 100 years under museum conditions. Find out more about lightfastness and how it is tested in our ‘ Lightfastness Explained’ blog post. Some manufacturers do not disclose which of these methods they use, so comparisons between brands may not be exact.