#Caran d'Ache Luminance 76 Set

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🎨 Elevate your artistry with the Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901 Pencil Set-76 Colours! 🖍️ Experience the unparalleled blendability and richness of these high-quality pencils. 🌟 Whether you're sketching, shading, or creating intricate details, these pencils deliver exceptional results. ✨ Enhance your artwork with a wide range of vibrant colors! 🌈

Shop:- https://kingsframingandartgallery.com/caran-d-ache-luminance-6901-pencil-set-76-colours

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Derwent Lightfast 100 Set v Caran d'Ache Luminance 76 Set

Derwent Lightfast 100 Set v Caran d'Ache Luminance 76 Set

In this article I must let you know right from the get go that this is not really a review or comparison of the pencils performance. I have already completed a comparison review of the Derwent Lightfast and the Care d’Ache Luminance coloured pencils, however, when I completed my comparison it was when Derwent had only released the Lightfast 36 set.

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This article however is more of a comparison relating to the palettes of both sets, now that Derwent have released their full count of Lightfast pencils which is the 100 set, I wanted to compare the palettes of the 100 Lightfast and the 76 Luminance. I have been asked many times before as to which set I think is the best, the Derwent Lightfast or the Caran d’Ache Luminance and I have to say I think it is an almost impossible question to answer.

What I think is the best set may not actually help you as a colored pencil artist if you enjoy a particular genre of colored pencil art. I will however say this, both the Luminance and the Lightfast pencils work beautifully together, there is no issues whatsoever when using both pencils whether it be blending colors or layering etc.

Of course the ideal situation for a colored pencil artist to be in would be to own both sets, this would allow the artist to have a wonderful palette of 176 pigments, all of which can be used in a professional piece for a client or gallery. Every single color in both sets can be used with confidence, measuring your client that the piece you create for them will stand the test of time regarding fading under sun light. This is turn will allow you the artist to price your work accordingly and thus reap back the costs of two such sets of pencils.

Until recently, the Caran d’Ache Luminance were pretty much kind of the hill when it came to colored pencil artists go to pencil. When Derwent released the ProColour only three years ago, they met with a few complaints from professional colored pencil artists and so only a year later Derwent had offered up the Derwent Lightfast. Frustratingly they only released a 36 set and we all had to wait with anticipation for a full year before the 72 set was presented. If that wasn’t bad enough, we were made wait another few months for the full 100 set to go on sale. I am not altogether sure why this was the case, however, Derwent have tried to soften the blow by selling the second 36 colors in a 72 tin allowing those who purchased the first 36 to build their collection without having to buy duplicates. But now that the Lightfast is with us in all its glory, the Caran d’Ache Luminance at last has a worthy adversary.

Derwent Lightfast 100 Colors

I have provided a full color chart of the Derwent Lightfast as well as color swatches with the full set so that you can click on the image and enlarge it, viewing at your leisure. In this particular article you will notice that I have included a lot of images, color charts, swatches and the actual pencils, this is simply to give you the opportunity to explore the palette in the best possible way without you having to actually buy the pencils yourself. I hope to arm you with all the information and visual aids you will need to make your final decision.

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Caran d’Ache Luminance 76 Colors

As with the Derwent Lightfast set above, I have provide for you the full color chart, swatch and images of the pencils to help you see what is available in the set.

Creating Softer Tones With Derwent Lightfast

One of the questions that was put to me by a friend of mine here in the community was the lack of soft pinks for botanical art. After I swatched the Derwent Lightfast 100 set, it was clear to see that there wasn’t a lot of soft pinks in the set, however I was able to demonstrate in the video review how this can be accomplished. I know that the friend who asked me this question originally will fully know and understand the process, but for those who might be new to the world of colored pencils.

In the Derwent Lightfast 100 set, they have some very pale pigments such as the Arctic which is essentially a white pencil with a hint of blue and the Oyster color which is a white pencil with the slightest hint of pink. When colored pencil artists layer colors and then they want to blend those colors together, they will either use Odourless Mineral Spirits, a blender pencil or a white colored pencil. For the result we are looking for with this example, I want to use some pinks and reduce the tone of them, so using a white pencil will achieve this effect for us, however, sometimes the white can be too much. This is were the Oyster pencil comes in, I took a Lightfast Magenta and Lightfast Heather, lay down a few layers of each color and then layered the Oyster on top with a heavy hand to help blend the colors.

In the image below you can see the how the Oyster reduces the tone of the Heather and Magenta and this can be achieved with working and reworking pigments, the white pencil of a lighter shade of pink such as the Oyster, Dusky Pink or Flesh Pink.

The Lightfast That Got Away

I was incredibly fortunate to have been sent the Derwent Lightfast Colored Pencils to test long before they were released to the public, however, now that the full 100 set is out, it turns out that one color in particular never made the cut. In the YouTube video I have made to accompany this article I show the pencil and use it, however, as this was very early on in the Lightfast life cycle, there was no pigment names on the barrel, so I have no idea what the color is called nor do I know why this pigment was dropped and never sold.

The image below shows the color swatched on some Hot Press Watercolour paper, however, as I have mentioned to see the actual pencil and it being used follow the link to see the video.

Derwent Lightfast White v Caran d’Ache Luminance White

The Caran d’Ache White pencil has always been considered one of if not thee most opaque white colored pencil about; however, the Derwent Drawing Chinese White colored pencil was considered a very close second. It is fair to say that a lot of colored pencil artists felt the Derwent Drawing white to be the more opaque and the Luminance white to be the close second, which only helps demonstrate that there really is no hard and fast rule in the world of art, it is very much a subjective world.

The Derwent Lightfast White however is a very different white compared to its sister white of the Derwent Drawing. The Derwent Drawing white is a much softer core and so some would agree helps to deliver a more opaque result. Regardless, in this demonstration I have swatched the Derwent Lightfast White and the Caran d’Ache Luminance White side by side so that you can be the judge and see what you feel is the more opaque of the two.

To my eye, the Caran d’Ache Luminance looks the more opaque of the two, but you be the judge and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Derwent Lightfast and Caran d’Ache Luminance Full Set Conclusion

There is no doubt about it, if you are a professional colored pencil artist, to own both the Derwent Lightfast 100 set and the Caran d’Ache Luminance 76 would be incredibly advantageous to you and the quality of work you provide for potential clients. The reason I say this is because, as I previously mentioned, you would have at your access 176 colors with the correct lightfast value and able to use them all. There are some professional colored pencil sets that when you buy them, perhaps a handful of pencils are below the required lightfast scale and unfortunately you are unable to use them. So this requires the artist to set this pencils to the side and not use them in commissioned pieces. the artist can of course use them for other projects, but just not ones destined for a customer or gallery.

If however, you are just unable to purchase both sets, perhaps you are an amazing colored pencil artist just starting out and you need to see a few wonderful masterpieces before getting both full sets, you can buy open stock pencils and build you collection this way. there are certain genres of art that are just not going to need certain colors, Landscape art will require a select palette, as will wildlife art, botanical art, marine wildlife art etc.

If you are a dedicated botanical artist you are going to know the colors you use most and can’t live without and so with both the Derwent Lightfast and Caran d’Ache Luminance, you can pick and chose the colors that are going to best fit your needs.

With regards to answering the question, “Is on set better than the other?”, I just think that is a question only you can answer, because the correct question is, which set is better for my style of art? and only you know the answer. All I can try to do is provide you with all the information pertaining to both sets and hopefully this will help you best decide your next move.

To see my full review on the Derwent Lightfast pencils follow this link to see my review on the Caran d’Ache Luminance you can follow this link and to see my comparison review of the Luminance and Lightfast pencils you can follow this link. Also to see my YouTube video on comparing both Lightfast and Luminance Palettes follow the link.

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5 Artist Studio Must Haves

When it comes to the right studio space for any artist, some of us can be limited or find it hard to know what we need before we can sit down and draw. I have taken around 3 years to learn and build up the must have items I use every day for my commission work. In this blog I have laid out the 5 Artist Studio Must Haves I cannot live without including scanners and drawing board. There is a direct amazon link for a UK or US customer for each item I talk about. I hope this is useful to you. Let me know in the comments below.

Wooden Artist Draws

I search a while for these draws, and they were so hard to find. I ended up getting this 4 Drawer Wood Artist Supply Storage Box from the american amazon store since the UK one only sold two or three draw types which isnt really enough. They are the perfect size for pencils and stackable, so as your collections of pencils grow you can buy more draws to fit them all. These draws fit my 76 Caran D’Ache Luminance pencils box, 2x 24 set of Derwent Drawing Pencils and my set of 120 Faber Castell Polychromos Pencils. So they four draws is plenty!

They also come with handy dividers inside so you can separate your colours and have everything organised and easy to use. I highly recommend getting them as a must have studio tool.

Click the following buttons to buy from amazon if you are in the UK or US.

A0 Drawing Table

My A0 Drawing Board is definitely one of my favourite items I have bought for my studio. The UK link is the exact table I have bought but the USA link is the smaller version created by the same company. It’s worth spending more money on quality drawing table so it can last your entire artistic career. As a professional I use it all day every day and I am constantly tipping it backward and forward for drawing and photography of my work. It is really easy to use, and you can even adjust the height, so if you are a shorty like me you can have it lower than a normal table, or a lot higher than one. This A0 size gives me plenty of elbow room and the foot supports on the bottom are a great height for keeping your legs at a relaxed angel. I recommend buying this A0 Drawing Board if you have the room.

Click the following buttons to buy from amazon if you are in the UK or US.

Daylight Lamp

The right lamp is so important for drawing so you can trust you are seeing the right colours all the time and you are not dependent on a good sunny day. Since I live in a cottage in the middle of Wales, I don’t have the best lighting in my studio and therefore I am so happy I bought this lamp. The PHIVE LED Architect Lamp lights my work with a bright even light and you can hold down the power button as a dimmer switch. It secures well to my drawing board or a desk and has a long cable which is useful for plugging it in far from a socket. I would recommend getting this lamp to work on your latest creation, all hours in the day and night.

Click the following buttons to buy from amazon if you are in the UK or US.

Technology Must Haves

Technology wise I cannot complete a portrait without my Lenovo Tab E7 Tablet and my Canon LIDE 220 Scanner. I upload the reference picture to my tablet so I can zoom in on details and have a clear picture to work from. There are many tablets out there by this was the most affordable for me and does its one job perfectly. After I have completed a portrait, I use my Canon LIDE 220 Scanner to scan in my work at 600ppi. This means I have a high-quality image to use for prints and on my website whilst the customer keeps the original. This is an A4 size and larger sizes are available at a higher cost. But usually I scan the image in parts if it is larger than A4 and then put the picture together in photoshop which doesn’t take too much time. I will hopefully save up and get a large printer scanner but for now this one does the job perfectly for me.

Thank you for reading my blog about my 5 Artist Studio Must Haves. I hope it was helpful and if you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact me or comment below. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Sema Martin and I am a realism pet portrait artist based in Wales, UK.  I specialise in colour pencil as a medium and have created many pet portraits for customers in Wales drawing from their reference photo sent to me by email. The high-quality brand of colour pencils used is a mixture of Faber Castell Polychromos and Caran D'ache Luminance on extra smooth Bristol Board paper.

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Strong coverage and mixing capacity allow for intense applications, blending, and burnishing

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Must Have Paper & Pencils for Colour Pencil Portraits

If you have read my last blog post you would know the 5 Essential Tools I cannot live without when it comes to creating my colour pencil portraits. But, I’m sure you’d like to know about the colour pencils and paper I actually use for my professional portraits. Therefore, I have written this blog post on specifically the colour pencil and paper brands that I use, with links,  for my professional pet portraits. I hope this is helpful for those of you wondering and starting out in colour pencil.

Colour Pencil Brands

When it comes to the medium of colour pencil there are so many different brands to choose from and it is hard to know which ones would be right for you and your style. I have tried a few different ones and have narrowed it down to two of my most favorite brands. I’m sure some of you can agree.

Faber Castel Polychromos

I think these are by far the best pencils I have ever used. They are very pigmented and so good for detail, light fast which means the colour will not fade over time and they are perfect in combination with other textured mediums such as pastel or wax based pencils. The black pencil is my favorite black to use in my portrait commissions because its very deep and covers the paper really well. I also really like the variety of browns and greys which are perfect for fur and makes colour matching easy.

I dont think you necessarily need to by the 120 pencil set to start with since there are a lot of colours that you wont use if you are just drawing animals. I bought the 36 pencil tin set and then other pencils individually. You can find them all on amazon and there are smaller sets if you are starting colour pencil work on a budget.

Follow the links below for amazon.co.uk and amazon.com to buy.

Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901

I saw many other artists using these pencils and I was incredibly surprised how bright and beautiful the quality was. They are expensive but I guarantee they are completely worth every penny. There are smaller sets to buy online but I saved up and bought the full set of 76 pencils and I’m very glad that I did. There are so many useful colours that I hadn’t used before or even seen in other sets with other brands. These pencils are wax based so they are quite good at creating a base layer for portraits and because they are soft they are really good at covering large areas faster. They are so bright and vibrant they really o bring your art to a whole new level and beauty.

Follow the links below for amazon.co.uk and amazon.com to buy.

Finding the right paper Paper

When I first started my pet portrait business I used Daler & Rowney Smooth Heavyweight paper which was ideal for developing my style and understanding my medium. The thickness of the paper works well with adding many layers of pencil and is great for practicing.

Once I developed my skills and was more confident with my medium of colour pencil, I moved on to Winsor & Newton Bristol Board Extra Smooth Surface Drawing Pad. This paper doesn’t allow as many layers as the Daler & Rowney paper but it does allow for a cleaner and more precise finish for detailed professional work.

I understand that other artists used Strathmore Bristol Board paper but I personally haven’t used it before so I can’t compare. I have fallen in love with the Winsor & Newton brand and very happy with my paper choice.

Follow the links below for amazon.co.uk and amazon.com to buy.

Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Sema Martin and I am a realism pet portrait artist based in Wales, UK.  I specialise in colour pencil as a medium and have created many pet portraits for customers in Wales drawing from their reference photo sent to me by email. The high-quality brand of colour pencils used is a mixture of Faber Castell Polychromos and Caran D'ache Luminance on extra smooth Bristol Board paper.

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Caran D'Ache Museum Aquarelle

Caran D'Ache Museum Aquarelle

I have been reviewing colored pencils now for approximately two years now and one of those years writing for COLORED PENCIL Magazine, so at this stage I would like to think I know a thing or two about this medium. I hear and agree with a lot of people who comment on Caran d'Ache products pricing, however, if there was ever an example that embodies the phrase "You get what you pay for", any Caran d'Ache product would be that example. 

So for this review, as you can tell, we are looking at the Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle, a water soluble pencil, Caran d'Ache have a few water soluble pencil sets in their range, but the Museum Aquarelle are their top grade water soluble pencil. We have reviewed the Caran d'Ache Supracolor Soft II pencils of which are water soluble and excellent pencil, however, the Museum Aquarelle take it to an entirely new level. 

Museum Aquarelle Sets 

With the Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle, the sets are laid out completely different to any of the other pencils in Cara d'Ache line and to be honest I am not entirely sure why, I have tried asking Caran d'Ache but not received a response as of yet. 

Ordinarily, the sets are simply, sets of 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 or 76 and 120, not so with the Museum. The largest set in this rage is 76 which now come in packaging exactly the same as the Caran d'Ache Luminance range, in fact I would go as far as to say that this type of packaging they use for their top line pencils is by far the best. 

Caran d'Ache also have a wooden box gift set, which is of course made from the highest grade wood and crafted with perfection, this set is also a 76 set. The other sets are the interesting ones. The smallest set is a standard 12 pencils, next is two 20 sets, one called Marine and the other called Landscape, each set comprising of carefully selected colors to accommodate those particular genres of art. The final set is a standard selection of 40 colors. 

As well as the sets, you can also obtain the Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle pencils in open stock format. This allows you to constantly top up your collection as and when needed. For fine art colored pencil artists, this is a must have aspect of the pencil when considering a set of pencils to purchase. 

Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle Pencil Characteristics. 

The pencils are made from the finest Cedar wood, as is the case for all Caran d'Ache pencils. the barrel is hexagonal in shape, which a lot of colored pencil artists prefer over a round barrel, simply to help prevent the pencil from rolling off a table or drafting board and shattering. 

The core is a generously, pigment packed 3.8mm, protected inside an 8mm hexagonal Cedar Wood barrel. This pencil feels incredibly good in the hand, weighted perfectly. The barrel itself is finished off with a rich black matt finish, decorated with silver print. 

Along one side of the barrel, leading from the core to the pencil end is first printed "Museum Aquarelle" the pencil brand, next is the obligatory paint brush icon, indicating a water soluble pencil. After the icon is printed the company name "Caran d'Ache" and where the pencils were made, "Swiss Made". Further along is a small FSC stamp which indicates that the pencil has been subjected to stringent lightfast testing. Finally, the end cap of the pencil is painted with the pigment color of that individual pencil and unlike many other pencils and mediums, the pigment indicator flash is remarkably similar to the actual pigment. Printed along the side of the flash is a numerical code pertaining to that individual pencil and pigment.

On the opposite side of the barrel is the pigment name which is written in two languages, English and French. On another side of the pencil, is the all important star system, indicating the pigments lightfast ability, 5 stars being the most lightfast and three the least. 

Performance 

As I alluded to at the beginning of this review, Caran d'Ache make beautifully crafted art supplies, they themselves are a thing of artist beauty, but it is their performance that is in question. 

As a dry medium, the second the Museum Aquarelle hits the Cold Pressed Watercolor paper, the pigment simply floats onto the paper, each dark barrel laying down a buttery softness and rich vibrant pigment. It is clear to see the high quality pigments that have been used in these pencils. 

However, they are water soluble pencils and this is when the magic really appears before your eyes. As the wet brush glides along the buttery soft dry pigment, glistening color comes alive, allowing the artist to mould and manipulate the transparency or opaqueness of the pigments. 

The other Caran d'Ache water soluble pencils are excellent, however, the Museum Aquarelle really are a cut above the rest. As things stand currently, I have never used a water soluble pencil as rich and vibrant as the Museum Aquarelle. 

Price 

as always I have added prices for various countries, it is important to note that these prices are current for the time I am writing this review. Starting with the smaller set, here in the UK the 12 set will cost £30, either of the two 20 sets, Marine and Landscape will cost £51, the standard 40 set will cost £128. For the standard 76 set it will cost £174 and the beautifully crafted 76 wooden box set will cost £229. It is also worth mentioning that with the wooden box set, there is actually 80 pencils in the box, however some colors are duplicated but the overall number of colors is 76. Open stock pencils will cost £2.50 each

In the US the same sets will cost the following, the 12 set will cost $48, both 20 sets will cost $54 with the standard 40 set costing $100. The standard 76 set will cost $219 and the wooden box set comes in at $340. The pencils open stock will cost $3. 

Conclusion 

The Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle are simply delightful pencils to use and the effects achieved with them are magical. If you can put aside the pricing, you will absolutely love using these pencils. It is worth mentioning that although the price is considerably high, you are purchasing equally high quality pencils, capable of achieving the most beautiful art. Unfortunately, weather we like it or not, the finest things in life are not cheap and when we talk about Caran d'Ache we are indeed talking about some of the finest art supplies about. 

On these individual reviews I try to stay away from outright recommending the product and leave it down to the reader, however, I really do think if you have the budget and are actually looking for a water soluble pencil, you must give these Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle ago, be it the simple 12 set, a few open stock pencils or the full set of 76. 

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DC's The Flash And Zoom

DC The Flash And Zoom

I have to admit, I am not all that familiar with Zoom, despite him being an awesome character to draw, I of course know about The Flash, never the less, I decided one day to try my hand at drawing this pair. 

I love combining marker and colored pencil mediums, the markers allow for a rich underpainting with the ability to deliver soft gradient and remarkable flesh tones. The colored pencil then allows you to achieve the detail required to make the drawing as life like or as close to the original as possible. 

I have seen so many outstanding artists create masterpieces using this mixed media method and with the high quality markers and colored pencils available on the market today, the wealth of selection can be daunting. It is for this reason that I have started reviewing a lot more marker brands along with my colored pencil reviews. I feel that this art style is incredibly popular and a style that I myself love, so reviewing brands may help some people. 

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Art Supplies

With this drawing I have used my Copic Markers along with my Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils. For the longest time, I have had the 76 set of Luminance but for some reason, been frightened to use them, trying to only reserve them for "special pieces". Trouble is, every time I come to start a new project, it never seems special enough to warrant using them, until now that is. I decided that they were purchased to use and use them I will, regardless the level of work I am churning out. I have to constantly tell myself that each pencil can be replaced when run out and that I am never going to be without them. 

Perhaps the most important part of the drawing is the paper and I have chose to use my beloved Strathmore 500 Series Bristol Plate. Now this is a product that I only use for special pieces. I don't sell my work, everything I draw is just for me, a way of practising and bettering my skill level. As with all my work, you can see the various stages that I have gone through before completion. I hope to one day deliver a speed drawing video onto my YouTube channel, but until then, this will have to do. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to ask any questions. 

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