Do Quality Art Materials Matter?

Using the finest art materials from Faber-Castell, Winsor & Newton, and Derwent can significantly enhance both the process and outcome of your artwork. These brands are trusted by professionals for their high-quality, durable materials and superior performance across different media.

Faber-Castell

Faber-Castell is renowned for its precision-engineered pencils, offering a broad range of graphite, coloured, and Polychromos pencils that deliver rich pigments and smooth application. I’ve been using these pencils for a number of years and I have no complaints! (Maybe some more skin tone colours would be nice) Their pencils are known for being highly blendable and lightfast, ensuring my work remains vibrant and true to colour over time. The exceptional durability of their leads also prevents breaking, giving consistent, reliable results.

Winsor & Newton

Winsor & Newton is a gold standard for watercolours, offering both vivid, transparent pigments and excellent control over washes. It’s what I started using when I began painting and have always been impressed by the quality. Their paints are made from finely milled, premium pigments, ensuring a pure, luminous finish that can handle layers and delicate colour transitions effortlessly. Winsor & Newton also excels in offering a wide tonal range, allowing artists to achieve precise and subtle variations in their work.

Derwent

The Lightfast pencils are a relatively new addition to my collection and I like the choice of colours. I’m still getting used to how they perform but I think I’ll be purchasing more. Their pencils offer smooth layering and blending, making them perfect for intricate detail or bold, expressive strokes.

Derwent stands out for its versatility and range of innovative materials like their watercolour pencils, Inktense pencils, and pastel pencils. Derwent products combine ease of use with exceptional colour depth and flexibility, allowing artists to explore different textures and effects. They’re also formulated to resist fading, preserving the integrity of your artwork. I’m also a big fan of the Derwent Super Point Manual Helical Pencil Sharpener which I’ve used for several years, ensuring the sharpest points when I’m drawing.