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Why do these exist? Derwent Chromaflow Colored Pencil Review

thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich

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Are you curious about these new colored pencils from Derwent? I was and I finally think I know why these pencils exist! Find out how they differ from other pencils in the Derwent line in today's review! These pencils were sent to me for free to review and affiliate links are used in this post.

Derwent Chromaflow Colored Pencil Review (wax based)
Blick: https://shrsl.com/2vb8s
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sg6Lje

Pros:
Vibrant
Soft 3.5mm Cores
Highly mixable for infinite colors
Good coverage with little pressure (good for weak or arthritic hands)
Sharpens well in a small hole sharpener (if you don't have a small hole sharpener use a shallow point sharpener)

Cons:
Skinny barrel
No open stock availability as of yet
Not lightfast ratings as of yet but the company says lightfastness is similar to other Derwent pencils
Only 24 colors

Bottom line:
I like these a lot as someone who prefers a softer pencil. These are similar to Coloursoft but these mix in fewer layers rather than bend and seems to have a bit less waxy bloom. It is a very small difference but with this limited color, range mixing is important. I hope they come out with more colors and I'd love for them to have a larger barrel like other Derwent pencils. they are a bit more budget-friendly than Coloursoft but not much. Given that and the fact there are no open stock colors I'd recommend Coloursoft https://shrsl.com/2vb96 over these but I would change my mind if open stock, lightfast ratings and a larger range were available. Still, this is a great versatile set and no a bad addition to any artist's pencils bag.

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Credits:
Video production and Craft ideas: Lindsay Weirich
Music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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20 Comments

@peridotgladioli8259 3 years ago

I don't know if anyone will see this comment, but as a Brit: Prismacolor are quite hard to source in the UK, particularly in open-stock. Often you have to order them online and they come through the post; the last tin I ordered was only packed in a cardboard box and several of the pencils had suffered in transit.

Derwent Lightfast are obviously made to compete with Caran D'ache Luminence and Faber Castell Polychromos (and in my opinion they do compete). Chromaflow are priced not only less than Coloursoft and Procolour in the Derwent range but even slightly cheaper than the bog-standard Derwent Artists range (at least they are here).The first tin I bought I did have breakage problems, but I had no problems with the second tin (and in my experience Prismacolor has a lot of variation, not only in delivery but in cores being centred in the barrels).

My first serious coloured pencils were Derwent Artists and Studio collections and then Karisma Colour (which was the British name for Prismacolor). I've also used several Faber-Castell and Caran D'ache ranges.

Chromaflow are not guaranteed archival for professional artists, but when a friend asked what they were like, I said, "Do you remember Karisma Colour (ie Prismacolor)?"

Why do they exist? Lightfast is an OIL-based range. Artists, Studio, Procolour and Softcolour are all somewhat harder; IMO this is the closest Derwent does to Prismacolor AND has good laydown on textured or coloured papers.

I love Procolour and I love Softcolour but I think Lightfast and Chromaflow have been designed for different purposes.

@michelefrost734 5 years ago (edited)

You're one of the few people whose reviews I trust and you have saved me a bunch of money. Of course, you've also showed me plenty of things that I "needed", so I guess it all evens out 😋 P.S. would love to see the apples tutorial!

@lizziedae91 5 years ago

I loved seeing the apples in the bag during sat chat. It looks so amazing and would love to see a tutorial since it didn’t take you long.

@Lachri 5 years ago

This is a great review! I love all your color swatches. Those apples at the end look soooo good! 🤩

@jamesaritchie1 4 years ago

I love soft pencils for blending and covering large areas, and hard, oil-based pencils for the detail work, so I like these.

@wulfseig1864 5 years ago

I absolutely do not need another set of pencils. However, I love art products and Lindsay review videos so here I am. Love how your artwork turned out. Would enjoy dusting off my pencils and do a tutorial with you. Thanks Lindsay.

@nancyhappily9503 5 years ago

Helpful information. Would love to see a tutorial how to draw that feather.

@OhJodi69 5 years ago

I really like the two-layer tin! I'm always happy with Derwent......but I confess they score points because I like the artwork on their tins, LOL I bought a tin of their Graphic pencils, because I loved the Union Jack tin......but I can't draw, so that led to me signing up for Lindsay's Drawing class......and now I have pastels in the mail to me.....and around and around it goes.

@andrewansaldiiii7441 5 years ago

That Apple in the bag drawing was a stunner. Wow. So much creativity and talent.

@maryyoungblood8550 5 years ago

I would love a live stream of the apple artwork please!

@annehebert6959 5 years ago

Lindsay - a live stream of the apples would be awesome. I really like when you do these reviews.

@St.ElmosFire259 5 years ago

I have the 24 set and would love to see the apples in the bag tutorial. I have enjoyed using these pencils in coloring books. Thanks for another great tutorial!

@rhondita95 5 years ago

I love your feather, it looks amazing! I would never have thought to do apples in a bag bu it tuned out so well! A tutorial with how to make the plastic bag and apples would be very interesting!

@PursuingHeaven 5 years ago

Lindsay, I always appreciate you not only reviewing them but doing art with your pencils. It helps me make better decisions.

@bowiespace 5 years ago

Thank you for the great review. I bought the 16 pack and now I wish I bought the 24. I have the Prismacolor Premier and am mixing them with the Chromaflow. I feel like the Chromaflow are so rich. I asked you about Gamsol and they worked beautifully. It is so fun to check in on what you have to say. It’s nice to have a virtual craft friend!🤗

@SnowDragonka 5 years ago

First of all, love the apples, they look amazing. Would love to see them being drawn. I enjoy very much your art.
I'm also one of the weirdos that likes to mix colours from a few I have. I don't like choosing the right colour when I have 30 reds in front of me, give me a few that are clearly distinct and I'm happy and I want to blend to achieve smooth transition instead of searching for all the middletones. It also lets me have more options not as much because of budget (although that plays a role too), but more due to space the big sets would take, the small 12/24 colours sets in any material are so compact.
I really love how these blended seamlessly together without any harsh effort. Will be interesting to see more of them. Thank you so much for the detailed review.

@jacquelinebudd1277 5 years ago

Would love to see a live stream demo for that bag of apples! I’ve lost my artistic bone at the moment and seeing that drawing has given me inspiration, thank you. But I’d love to watch how you did it.

@starr-starr 5 years ago

The apples! They are gorgeous. Definitely would like to see a tutorial on that. Thanks for the review.

@juliawhite7938 5 years ago

Great review. You covered all the questions I had. Yes a video on the apples would be appreciated, especially the bag . Thanks

@azzuparis 5 years ago

As always, your reviews are the best. You go really deep when testing art supplies and all of our questions are answered! Thanks Lindsay 💕
The apples and feathers are gorgeous!!