New Pencils That Are Like Coming Home - Derwent Tinted Charcoal

Many years ago an artist friend of mine, Sharon L Bell of Windom, TX, gave me a stubby charcoal pencil and a much weathered paper blending stump. And she sent me on my way.  I had it in my head that there might be an artist hiding inside of me.  So charcoal was my first experience and first love in the world of drawing and pencil art.  I was inspired by Clare Turlay Newberry who often drew in charcoal and who, like me, loved to draw a beautiful cat.

With time I moved on into paint, graphite pencils, and colored pencils of many different kinds.  As I got busy I left my charcoal pencil sitting alone in the drawer for a long time.

Three times each year my local students and I order supplies.  Each time I order some new colors or I try a completely new set of pencils to feed my addiction to pencils.  I've looked at the Derwent tinted charcoal several times.  But I really thought they were either just like a muted soft pastel or just another version of the graphitint pencils.  However, after reading a favorable review about them, I decided to add the tinted charcoal to my order this time.

Well, when the package arrived I sat right down and opened them and began to doodle.  Oh my!  About 20 seconds into it I knew I was in love with these pencils.  They go on very smoothly. And the colors!  Oh what beautiful colors they are!  These charcoal pencils were like coming home to me - only better.  I remembered those early days with that stubby charcoal and how much I enjoyed it.  As I marveled at the beautiful colors Derwent had created I began to wonder just what I could draw that would do them justice.  One of the fun things about these charcoal pencils is that you can set them with water.  So, when I had the pupil of this cat done, I could set it and then as I worked on the rest of the eye, the pupil did not bleed onto the colors.  How cool is that?!  And unlike the graphitint, who get much more intense when water is added, these do not change in appearance with the water.

This feline face was created with the Derwent tinted charcoal pencils on Strathmore 400 series vellum bristol board.

I will be going today to my Creative Pencils students and encouraging them to purchase the Derwent tinted charcoal pencils.  They will love them too!

Want to learn more about drawing and creating your own pencil art?  Try out my online pencil art learning community at CreativePencils.com  We are having a great time there and my students are progressing so well.

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***March through May 2013 --  I am teaching an online workshop in using Derwent tinted Charcoal pencils.  We will draw a beautiful Siamese cat portrait.  Check it out here. 

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Wind and Honey Creations
Creative Pencils - Online Drawing Lessons