STAEDTLER125 M24 Karat Aquarell Watercolour Colouring Pencil - Assorted Colours (Tin of 24 Pencils)The Forest Stewardship Council

I love these. I have been using coloured pencils for over 25 years now but all of the watercolour pencils I have tried in the past were pretty naff and put me off using them. These however work beautifully as a watercolour pencil. I drew and shaded my picture first and then gently washed parts of the picture with a wet brush, the pencil strokes instantly turned into watercolour which was easily blended. Delightful.I would advise anyone starting out to be careful if you want to blend very dark colours into lighter ones, you could end up with a muddy result. I find the best thing to do in this case is to leave a patch of white between the colours and carefully blend the colours into the white - just a method I use.I wouldn't use these pencils purely for a coloured pencil shading drawing/exercise because they are too soft. Also if you use them on textured paper the colour really catches the grain of the paper. I would only use them on textured paper if you want to take advantage of the watercolour element, or if you want a 'grainy' pencil effect. They aren't really suitable as an all round colour pencil in my opinion.The pencils are presented in 2 layers (a good range of colours) and the lid on the tin can be removed and just fits easily back on which is very handy because you can then use the inside of the lid to put pencils in as you swap and change colours. A great product in my opinion :)

I have only recently started using colour pencils. I was buying some for my grandchildren, and I found I really enjoyed drawing and colouring. My first pencils were Staedtler ergosoft. I then purchased a few more expensive brands for myself,eg, colour soft and Faber Castell. However I kept going back to ergosoft because of the intensity of the colour and the shades available.So I decided to buy the Staedtler karat aquarell. I really wish I had bought these at the start. I had foolishly thought that more expensive equated to better quality. I love the range of colours and shades, especially the greens and blues. They are such a joy to use. They blend well and are so smooth on paper. They also wear very well and are easy to sharpen. Just like the ergosoft, there are no problems with breakages.I will be sticking with Staedtler in future and would recommend these to anyone looking for a great quality pencil at a very reasonable price.

Have waited a while as wanted to give fair review after using for several pictures. I'm obsessed with colouring books these pencils do the job pretty well with a nice selection of colours . I've dropped a star as I feel they are quite highly priced - I'd liked to have bought the set of 72. I have found the odd breakage and they need a lot of sharpening on some more detailed pieces. As these are watercolour pencils adding some water brightens the colour and allows better spread. Be careful though as can blotch not ideal in colouring books.

Absolutely wonderful set of watercolour pencils! When I tried them first and compared with my Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer, I thought that the latter are easier to wet and release the colour. After few hours of drawing I realised that the Staedtler Karat are harder but the colours are as bright and saturated as Faber. Karat are capable of producing finer and more precise lines and the washes are subtle and transparent. Basically, it you are an impressionist, then Faber Dürer is your media, but if you are into detailed illustrations, then choose Staedtler Karat.

I recommend these pens

A great set of watercolour pencils, easy to use and they blend really well and a good variety of colours.

Beautiful colour range. Very welk pigmented on laydown and pigmentation is not lost when using them with water. No pencil strokes visible after wetting either. I am very impressed with this set.

The pencils look good but beware as the tin does not close and the pencils fall out, good colours though.