Chromaflow Pencils

These pencils are so saturated and pigmented. I purchased the 150 set after hearing that all of the colors will soon be available open stock from art stores. I mostly use Faber Castell polychromos for sketching and art, but I noticed a lack of the more bright, fun colors that a lot of the student brands have. I did not want to sacrifice performance and it was also important to me that the colors are available open stock. This set includes 4 great and very bright lime greens (Pear, Key Lime, Citrus Yellow, Lemon Lime) which are the hardest to find in the more "serious" professional art brands. I'm sure it has to do with lightfastness and subject matter, but I plan on using these in coloring books and love using bright, pigmented colors.On pencil quality, they are slightly smaller in diameter to the average Derwent pencil. They feel in the hand similar to a modern Prismacolor. The paint on the barrel is matte and there were some more textured pencils that I noticed, but did not affect my ability to use them. I also noticed some with chipped paint and incomplete printing, but also did not affect my ability to use them.They are extremely blendable and quite soft and buttery (to me, compared to Polychromos and Arteza). When I was swatching them I do not recall any scratchy colors. I also used the Prismacolor colorless blender and they are the most easy to blend of all of my pencils. I actually have to be careful to not blend or smudge too much! This also means that I can color faster because I can put down a light layer of color on the page and very easily blend it out to get the full color coverage that I want. They're not watercolor pencils, but the effect of using the colorless blender pencil on a light layer was similar to activating a watercolor pencil in that you can get a lot of color coverage and it does change the look quite a bit. The Derwent colorless blender used on a blend of blue and yellow actually blended to a green, where the prismacolor blender just brightened the colors and softened the texture.Overall I am very happy with these pencils. I think they're a great value and there's an excellent color selection. I wish they were a tad bit harder, but I also realize I'm probably in the minority when I gravitate to harder pencils and anything softer feels too soft. I definitely recommend these for coloring book enthusiasts.

I purchased these pencils within days of their release. I paid 2x the current offering price, so I wanted to take that into consideration and give myself ample time to assess them properly so I can provide you with a fair and comprehensive review.The Chromaflow line was rumored to be Derwent's attempt to bring a Prismacolor dupe to their UK market, as the former were becoming more difficult to obtain across the pond.Some of you were a little salty about the heritage brand doing a first release in the States, understandably. A choice made, I think, with the best of intentions.They needed to test the pencils in a market familiar with the product they're trying to improve upon. (PC)Chromaflow feature a sleeker barrel than the chunky barrels we've grown accustomed to from Derwent.The pencils are extremely lightweight and elegant with matte black barrels. The gold lettering on the pencils make the text extremely easy to read. The capped ends feature an extremely accurate color representation making selection a breeze.The absolute standout feature of CF is an extremely smooth and even laydown. You can get very rich color payoff with the lightest of applications. These would be great for anyone with dexterity or mobility issues that make using garden-variety colored pencils challenging.I can't stress this next part to you enough. I never realised how much I needed a savory pencil before I had one. It's such a refreshing change to see the standard cream pencil transformed into PARMESAN.I think they're at an awesome price point now, but I'm evaluating them at the price I paid. Please make these available open stock and double the range. I love them!PROS:- rich color payoff with even a light application- easy to sharpen- holds a point longer than competition- fun pencil names- layer and blend seamlesslyCONS (objectively)- soft texture could be a hindrance to those with a heavy hand.- not open stock (yet, I hope)- slimmer than the Derwent standard- a limited range compared to US competitorBuy these even if you "have enough pencils". Do not even hesitate if you don't have access to PCs.Treat yourself to a set of my new favorite Derwent pencils so together we may get more Parmesan into the hands and hearts of the those who need it!