Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer Artists' Watercolour Pencils, 120 in Metal Tin

Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils, set of 120 – draw, then blend with water

The Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer artists' watercolour pencils (art. no. 117511) are watercolour pencils that you draw with and then blend with water and a brush. The metal tin contains 120 pencils, giving you a large range for drawing, painting and watercolour work in one place.

The lead is fully water-soluble and gives a soft, richly pigmented stroke. With just a few brush strokes, the colour can be spread out finely or across a wide area. Depending on the paper, it dissolves completely and then behaves like classic watercolour paint. According to Faber-Castell, the pigments have very good lightfastness and colour brilliance. That matters if you want to keep or exhibit your work for a long time.

Using the pencils for watercolour work

Start by drawing dry, as you would with ordinary colouring pencils. Then go over the area with a damp brush. A lot of water produces a transparent colour gradient, while a little water leaves the pencil strokes visible. You can also moisten the tip briefly or pick up colour directly from the pencil with the brush and use it like watercolour paint.

• Use watercolour paper or another paper that can take water, otherwise it will buckle
• Apply the water layer by layer to keep the colour under control
• Work from light to dark if you want to layer colours

Choosing a set

The series is available in metal tins of 12, 24, 36, 60 and 120 pencils. The tin of 120 is a good choice if you need many colour shades for fine transitions and do not want to mix. For getting started or smaller motifs, the smaller sets are often enough. Because of the soft 3.8 mm lead, it is best to sharpen the pencils with a sharp sharpener so the tip does not break off. The SV (Sekural) bonding fixes the lead firmly in the wood and makes it less prone to breaking, for example if a pencil is dropped.

Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils 120 product details

• Manufacturer: Faber-Castell, art. no. 117511
• Contents: 120 watercolour pencils in a metal tin
• Lead: 3.8 mm thick, fully water-soluble
• Break resistance: SV (Sekural) bonding
• Barrel: hexagonal, lacquered
• Pigments: lightfast, brilliant colour

You will also need: watercolour paper, brush, water, sharpener