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The All New Derwent Drawing Pencils, What Do I think?
When I was approached by Derwent asking if I would be interested in receiving a gift to try out with a discount code for my followers it was an absolute no brainer to say yes. I mean who doesn’t love art supplies! I have to be honest and say I was absolutely thrilled when I found out it was a set of the 72 Drawing pencils. Like most coloured pencil artists I have an obsession with collecting them and my philosophy is you can never have too many pencils, but of course they need to be the right pencils! With that in mind I was itching to bust open that tin and not only see what colours they had come up with but how they felt to draw with. You probably have a bunch of questions about them, just like I did, so let’s see if I can answer them for you.
Isn’t there already Derwent drawing pencils available?
You may have already heard of the Derwent Drawing pencil range and be thinking that they’re nothing new and to an extent you would be correct. They originally released six earthy colours all the way back in 1986 which expanded to a 24 colour set. However, as of the 1st October 2025 Derwent have extended the range to include a total of 72 colours, that’s 48 new nature-inspired pencils which I know many people have been waiting a long time for. I can honestly say whilst I adore my Derwent Lightfast pencils, I haven’t particularly used the drawing range before, simply because I didn’t like the idea of being so limited with the colours.
What is the new colour palette like?
Derwent have given these pencils a whole fresh new look. They have created a nature-inspired palette that are highly pigmented which would be ideal for using to create a variety of subjects. I predominantly draw animals and wildlife with some landscape and these pencils make a perfect companion to add to my repertoire of pencils. They would also be great for portraiture and a number of other subjects. The 48 new colours definitely give a more versatile palette with some yellows, greens and earthy colours as well as some pretty blues and greens. Nature is definitely at the forefront of the creation of these pencils and very much reminds me of the Lake District, which happens to be my favourite place in the world and also the roots of Derwent. Whilst the 72 pencil set is filled with colour it is created around the original muted set.
The first thing I did when receiving these pencils is create myself colour charts, one for each tin.
What are the pencils actually like to draw with?
If you are completely new to the Drawing range, then you may be wandering what these pencils are actually like in terms of their softness and actual structure. The thing that struck me the most when I tested them out was how soft and creamy the core of these pencils actually is. Whilst I’ve not tested every single pencil out in the world, I’ve used quite a few over the years and I think these are one of the softest pencils I’ve drawn with. I personally love using soft pencils, particularly for drawing fur and textures and this drawing range is beautifully creamy making them ideal for blending and layering colours with ease. If you are someone who prefers a harder lead then these might not be the pencils for you, although I would always encourage you to test pencils out before making any decisions. If you prefer a harder lead then the lightfast range might be more suitable for your style. The other thing what I really noticed was the extra wide 5mm core in an 8mm round barrel, which I’ve found particularly useful for creating broader strokes and covering large areas quickly. Something I personally find takes more time and patience with a smaller harder core. You can see here my first attempt of a drawing with them and the autumn colours in the range were ideal for creating a red squirrel. I found it much easier than usual at covering the paper and getting down those soft fur layers with a beautiful opaque coverage. I particularly liked the effect using a light pressure, creating a velvety soft finish.
Can you create a sharp point with such a soft lead?
For some people this might not be a question they have thought of, but I’m someone who loves having a super long extra sharp tip on my coloured pencils. When I first sharpened them I found my usual sharpener wasn’t the best for these pencils and being soft it was making the core crumble a little on some of pencils I had. I decided to try some different sharpeners and found I got on much better and I was able to create nice sharp points as you can see. What I came to realise through using them though was that being so soft, if I pressed too firmly that sharpness soon disappeared. You might think this is a problem, however the more I used them, the more I became accustomed to how to get the best out of them, and the slightly softer points I could actually use to my advantage to create a painterly quality in my work. I found however that I could make the tips sharp enough to create some details in my work, such as the eyes but in the future I would probably incorporate them with a few pencils from the Lightfast range, which whilst beautifully creamy hold a sharper tip. My first drawing of the squirrel was deliberately drawn using just the Drawing set to see what I could do with them, but in reality I always mix different pencils together within a drawing so I will be interested to see how they combine with other pencils in the future.
What’s the lightfast rating like?
If like me you prefer to use pencils that have a high lightfast rating then this is one of the first questions I always ask. At the end of the day I want the work I have spent hours on to create to last a really long time, especially when I’m selling a piece. I was so happy to find out this new range is indeed lightfast, ensuring that your artwork will retain its vibrancy for a long time. I wanted to find out more specifics on just how lightfast each of the individual pencils actually is, so I reached out to Derwent and they sent me this lightfast chart. According to their information, "Derwent have used the Blue Wool test (ISO 105) to evaluate lightfastness. Lightfastness refers to the chemical stability of a pigment under long exposure to light. A scale of 1-8 is obtained, with values of 6 or higher being considered to be highly lightfast and under museum conditions, will not fade for 100+ years." With that in mind I can see that only 5 of the pencils aren't considered to be highly lightfast with the majority being very good or excellent. Would I like all of them to have the higher ratings, yes absolutely but the 5 that aren't are still considered good so I can live with that.
How are they going to be available to buy?
I’m sure some of you are wandering if you can just purchase the new 48 colours. At the time of writing this, I don’t think they will be released as a separate set which I’m sure some of you might be disappointed to hear. Although if you are an avid pencil lover then I’m sure you will make use of those extra pencils! It is my understanding that you will be able to buy the pencils as a full set of 72 pencils, or a tin of 36 pencils, or the previous 24, 12 or 6 pencils, as well as individual colours. I will update this when I find out more, along with the price once they are available sale on the 1st October 2025.
Would I recommend them?
When it comes to choosing which colour pencils to buy and use it really is a very personal thing and what is right for one person might not be for another. Personally I’m absolutely in love with this new range and I can hand on heart say I would recommend them to anyone who loves a soft core pencil. If I hadn’t been gifted a set I would be purchasing the full set as soon as they are available and I will definitely be replacing colours as and when they run out with individual pencils. I think they will fit very nicely into my already large pencil collection, filling a gap of softer core pencils that cover the paper quickly and easily all whilst providing a good variety of colours. Some of which are the same as the Lightfast range such as the ‘heather’ ‘mustard’ ‘gold’ and ‘forest’. If I counted correctly I believe that 26 (including white) are actually the same colour, but I love the fact that I have softer versions of those colours. The only colour I really wish they had included from the Lightfast range is the ‘Nightshade’ which is my all time favourite pencil, but at least I can still use that with this new set. If comparing the colours to the Lightfast range, I think they have brought out some amazing shades of blues and greens that are missing as it were from that set.
Overall I would say you should definitely give them a try, even if you buy a few to test them out first. If you are itching to get your hands on some then they are available from the 1st October 2025 and you can get 20% off on the Derwent website using code DRAW-IB . If you want to see what else I create with them then hop over to my Instagram or Facebook page and follow along. You can also let me know then what you think of these new pencils, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Isn’t there already Derwent drawing pencils available?
You may have already heard of the Derwent Drawing pencil range and be thinking that they’re nothing new and to an extent you would be correct. They originally released six earthy colours all the way back in 1986 which expanded to a 24 colour set. However, as of the 1st October 2025 Derwent have extended the range to include a total of 72 colours, that’s 48 new nature-inspired pencils which I know many people have been waiting a long time for. I can honestly say whilst I adore my Derwent Lightfast pencils, I haven’t particularly used the drawing range before, simply because I didn’t like the idea of being so limited with the colours.
What is the new colour palette like?
Derwent have given these pencils a whole fresh new look. They have created a nature-inspired palette that are highly pigmented which would be ideal for using to create a variety of subjects. I predominantly draw animals and wildlife with some landscape and these pencils make a perfect companion to add to my repertoire of pencils. They would also be great for portraiture and a number of other subjects. The 48 new colours definitely give a more versatile palette with some yellows, greens and earthy colours as well as some pretty blues and greens. Nature is definitely at the forefront of the creation of these pencils and very much reminds me of the Lake District, which happens to be my favourite place in the world and also the roots of Derwent. Whilst the 72 pencil set is filled with colour it is created around the original muted set.
The first thing I did when receiving these pencils is create myself colour charts, one for each tin.
What are the pencils actually like to draw with?
If you are completely new to the Drawing range, then you may be wandering what these pencils are actually like in terms of their softness and actual structure. The thing that struck me the most when I tested them out was how soft and creamy the core of these pencils actually is. Whilst I’ve not tested every single pencil out in the world, I’ve used quite a few over the years and I think these are one of the softest pencils I’ve drawn with. I personally love using soft pencils, particularly for drawing fur and textures and this drawing range is beautifully creamy making them ideal for blending and layering colours with ease. If you are someone who prefers a harder lead then these might not be the pencils for you, although I would always encourage you to test pencils out before making any decisions. If you prefer a harder lead then the lightfast range might be more suitable for your style. The other thing what I really noticed was the extra wide 5mm core in an 8mm round barrel, which I’ve found particularly useful for creating broader strokes and covering large areas quickly. Something I personally find takes more time and patience with a smaller harder core. You can see here my first attempt of a drawing with them and the autumn colours in the range were ideal for creating a red squirrel. I found it much easier than usual at covering the paper and getting down those soft fur layers with a beautiful opaque coverage. I particularly liked the effect using a light pressure, creating a velvety soft finish.
Can you create a sharp point with such a soft lead?
For some people this might not be a question they have thought of, but I’m someone who loves having a super long extra sharp tip on my coloured pencils. When I first sharpened them I found my usual sharpener wasn’t the best for these pencils and being soft it was making the core crumble a little on some of pencils I had. I decided to try some different sharpeners and found I got on much better and I was able to create nice sharp points as you can see. What I came to realise through using them though was that being so soft, if I pressed too firmly that sharpness soon disappeared. You might think this is a problem, however the more I used them, the more I became accustomed to how to get the best out of them, and the slightly softer points I could actually use to my advantage to create a painterly quality in my work. I found however that I could make the tips sharp enough to create some details in my work, such as the eyes but in the future I would probably incorporate them with a few pencils from the Lightfast range, which whilst beautifully creamy hold a sharper tip. My first drawing of the squirrel was deliberately drawn using just the Drawing set to see what I could do with them, but in reality I always mix different pencils together within a drawing so I will be interested to see how they combine with other pencils in the future.
What’s the lightfast rating like?
If like me you prefer to use pencils that have a high lightfast rating then this is one of the first questions I always ask. At the end of the day I want the work I have spent hours on to create to last a really long time, especially when I’m selling a piece. I was so happy to find out this new range is indeed lightfast, ensuring that your artwork will retain its vibrancy for a long time. I wanted to find out more specifics on just how lightfast each of the individual pencils actually is, so I reached out to Derwent and they sent me this lightfast chart. According to their information, "Derwent have used the Blue Wool test (ISO 105) to evaluate lightfastness. Lightfastness refers to the chemical stability of a pigment under long exposure to light. A scale of 1-8 is obtained, with values of 6 or higher being considered to be highly lightfast and under museum conditions, will not fade for 100+ years." With that in mind I can see that only 5 of the pencils aren't considered to be highly lightfast with the majority being very good or excellent. Would I like all of them to have the higher ratings, yes absolutely but the 5 that aren't are still considered good so I can live with that.
How are they going to be available to buy?
I’m sure some of you are wandering if you can just purchase the new 48 colours. At the time of writing this, I don’t think they will be released as a separate set which I’m sure some of you might be disappointed to hear. Although if you are an avid pencil lover then I’m sure you will make use of those extra pencils! It is my understanding that you will be able to buy the pencils as a full set of 72 pencils, or a tin of 36 pencils, or the previous 24, 12 or 6 pencils, as well as individual colours. I will update this when I find out more, along with the price once they are available sale on the 1st October 2025.
Would I recommend them?
When it comes to choosing which colour pencils to buy and use it really is a very personal thing and what is right for one person might not be for another. Personally I’m absolutely in love with this new range and I can hand on heart say I would recommend them to anyone who loves a soft core pencil. If I hadn’t been gifted a set I would be purchasing the full set as soon as they are available and I will definitely be replacing colours as and when they run out with individual pencils. I think they will fit very nicely into my already large pencil collection, filling a gap of softer core pencils that cover the paper quickly and easily all whilst providing a good variety of colours. Some of which are the same as the Lightfast range such as the ‘heather’ ‘mustard’ ‘gold’ and ‘forest’. If I counted correctly I believe that 26 (including white) are actually the same colour, but I love the fact that I have softer versions of those colours. The only colour I really wish they had included from the Lightfast range is the ‘Nightshade’ which is my all time favourite pencil, but at least I can still use that with this new set. If comparing the colours to the Lightfast range, I think they have brought out some amazing shades of blues and greens that are missing as it were from that set.
Overall I would say you should definitely give them a try, even if you buy a few to test them out first. If you are itching to get your hands on some then they are available from the 1st October 2025 and you can get 20% off on the Derwent website using code DRAW-IB . If you want to see what else I create with them then hop over to my Instagram or Facebook page and follow along. You can also let me know then what you think of these new pencils, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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