STAEDTLER 14610C M12 Design Journey Watercolour Pencils - Assorted Colours (Tin of 12)

Great value for money. My niece was made up with them said they’re are fantastic’. Arrived early too xx

Lovely for a first time drawing gift

Mu daughter loves it, colours are bright. Highly recommended.

A great set of pencils - they are quite pricey but a lovely range of colours and good strong pigments. Have enjoyed using them.

I liked it

Nice range of colours however I wish I had more

Good quality product and value for money

Overall I am not a fan of these pencils, but they do have positive qualities.The pigmentation of all of the colours is strong and bright. However, they are not blendable. The colour palette also lacks some important colours which I always look for such as a warm yellow-orange, a primary red and a light ochre or cream. It is very much a colour palette for younger children. Because the pigments resist blending and layering, the white can be used as a protective barrier.The cores are hard, but still lay down strong pigmentation. Far better than Staedtler Norris and Norris club. These pencils are suitable for use with both regular paper and artist quality paper.The pencils barrels are made of decent quality wooden and are straightforward to sharpen. The hexagonal shape provides more control.Thin tin is minimally sized and has a hinged lid. Personally I prefer not to have a hinged lid as it requires more space. I like the distinctive image which fairly represents these pencils inside.There are also soft and watercolour pencils available in the Staedtler Journey range.I would not recommend this set for adults, but it is suitable for those 7-11 year olds that are shy of using softer pencils. The hard cores keep their points well, so less sharpening is needed and you can experiment with cross-hatching. Another advantage for youngsters, is that you well get less transference off the paper. The nearest alternative pencils to Staedtler Journey in terms of characteristics is probably Faber-Castell Classic. The Faber are slightly softer with a slighter more mature colour palette.I have ignored the launch price in may rating, as I expect it to be discounted.=======================UPDATEI have now had the opportunity to try the Staedlar Design Journey "Super Soft" pencils. They are almost as hard as these pencils, with similar characteristics. I highly recommend that you try the super soft pencils first.