Caran Dache Luminance - The 'Fine Art' pencil

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"  THE MOST LIGHTFAST PERMANENT COLOUR PENCIL EVER DESIGNED
​Luminance 6901 artist’s pencils, specifically designed by Caran d’Ache in its Geneva Manufacture with colour image professionals in mind, reaffirm the high quality standards of the Maison. Its delicate texture, along with the vibrancy of the many recently developed shades, open up exciting new vistas in the realms of overlaying, mixed techniques and gradation and the new leads are designed for works intended for exhibition, collection and museum purposes.  "
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Taken from the Caran d'Ache website - www.carandache.com

 My preferred choice of coloured pencil by artist Karen M Berisford

Working on a Black Labrador x retriever on Strathmore Vellum paper.

"I have been working with the Luminance pencils for a few years now. Previously I used the Karisma pencils, which I loved, and found it difficult to replace them for many years, as the company discontinued the range back in 2001. As I layer extensively in my work, wax based pencils are more suited and the Luminance pencils are highly pigmented, lightfast and layer well. I would even rate them higher than the Karisma pencils.

I wonder how much research has gone into the colour selection as they offer a great range of pale tones and bright, vibrant colours. There are very few pencil ranges that offer such subtle tones of browns and greys, perfect for pet & portraiture work which is the basis of the majority of my pencil work. I also like the fact that they make these pencils with cedar wood that is FSC certified making them a very eco-friendly pencil range"
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The 'Fine Art' Coloured Pencil

The Caran Dache website states:
​"The Color Pencil Society of America (CPSA) and independent artists have been searching for and requesting manufacturers to produce higher grade colour pencils with excellent lightfastness that conform to a general international standard. Caran d’Ache has achieved this without sacrificing any of the other qualities that constitute a great color pencil. In fact, Luminance 6901 has many characteristics that distinguish it as a fine art color pencil"

So, What can they achieve?

The majority of my work are pets, wildlife & human portraiture so my personal views are mainly based on these subjects.  I also use a mixture of Derwent Lightfast and Luminance for my tonal and detailed backgrounds, and find they work well together.​

I can apply between 5 to 15 mixed colour layers per portrait

Multiple Layering

​Having tried a few coloured pencil brands in the last couple of years, the Luminance pencils are the only brand which allows me to create multiple layers and light colours over dark ones, without my drawing becoming saturated too soon. I have applied up to 15 layers of pencil to some drawings, which results in a detailed, 3D effect allowing me to achieve the level of realism seen in this close-up image of a Boxer dog eye. The white pencil is very important in my work as I use it to blend, and to create highlights. Being able to extend the palette by layering colours on top of another, and apply lighter tones over darker tones which is almost impossible in some other ranges, gives this pencil range an enormous advantage for artists.

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Tonal layering

Using a soft, wax based pencil is ideal for artists like me who like to layer extensively. A softer pencil allows for smoother layers and numerous applications for those who like to create highly detailed art or like smooth transitions. Although the Luminance pencils may not keep their point as long to create very fine lines, like the harder oil-based brands like the Faber Castell Polychromos pencils, keeping them sharp whilst using certain techniques will help you achieve the fine detail regardless. 
I created a tutorial for artists who wish to learn how to build up colours and tones to achieve realism in their pencil work. Click the image to visit the page.

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Building up the base layers of the skin tones

Great for skin tones

​The Luminance pencil range has some of the best skin tone colours I have come across. They launched their 'Portrait' set back in July 2020, which offer a great collection of tones for all portraiture art (and other subjects). For this portrait, I used the Burnt Sienna 10% (862) which has a cool pink tone, the Burnt Ochre 10% (872) a peach tone and the Burnt Ochre 10% (832) which has a warm, yellow hue and helps to add balance. Previously I worked with the Derwent Coloursoft pencils which are ideal for skin tones as they are soft and offer a smooth finish, but the Luminance pencils can achieve smooth applications and allow for the finer detail. Their pigments are vibrant and they mix extremely well together and with other pencil ranges.

​Portrait set includes 20 colours 
The additional 4 colours are sold individually 

​Read our post about the latest 24 colours in the range

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A great selection of colours for animal artists

For animal artists, the Luminance range provides a wide range of neutral tones. Incorporating a wide range of browns and greys which animal artists use regularly, they provide a useful selection of 'barely there' colour tints such as Buff Titanium (801) and Silver grey (002), through to the deeper tones like Sepia (407) and Payne's grey (508). 

When looking to create natural backgrounds like the one in the image, Luminance provides 17 different shades of green, many with blue, yellow and brown undertones which can be mixed to extend the colour palette. They also have 12 different shades of blue, which although does not offer a wide range of base tones like the greens do, they can be mixed easily with other colours to create new shades. 

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A good selection of blues (which are lightfast) for subjects like water

Perfect for smooth backgrounds

​Luminance pencils are great for creating smooth, tonal backgrounds. The colours are vibrant and I sometimes use them alongside Derwents pencil ranges like Coloursoft and Lightfast. With the Luminance pencils, I can apply fine details over tonal bases that I created using the Derwent pencils. Using a slightly textured paper such as the Strathmore Bristol Vellum, offers stronger pigmentation and can achieve smoother transitions during blending.
I am partial to the Light Cobalt Blue (661) and the Genuine Cobalt Blue (662) both of which have the highest lightfast rating. Very few light blues have high lightfast ratings and it allows me to feel confident in the knowledge that a piece of artwork that I create using the Luminance pencils will have a lifespan of at least 100 years, even longer if the portrait is framed under protective glass.

Characteristics of the Luminance pencil

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Base: ​Wax Based

Hard or Soft lead:  MEDIUM

Lightfast rating: ATSM D-6901

Costs: RRP £3.49

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ADVANTAGES
* One of the most lightfast pencil ranges on the market
* Allows for multiple layers
* Great blendibility
* Strong colour application
* Good choice of lighter tones
* Premium FSC certified cedar wood
​* No wax bloom

DISADVANTAGES
* Expensive
* Softer than some other pencil ranges

What sets are available?

You can buy these pencils individually, known as open stock, as well as box sets or tins at many art shops and stores within the UK as well as other countries around the world, but if you do not have an art shop available, there are numerous online stores where you can buy these pencils. You can also order direct from the Caran d'Ache website who will deliver to many parts of the world. 

Individual pencils

Box of 12 colours

Box of 20 colours

Box of 20 colours 'Portrait set'

Box of 40 colours

Box set of 76 colours

Wooden box of 76

Tin of 16 colours

Tin of 38 colours

Tin of 76 colours

​Colours Available: 100 + Blender

Sets Available:
Open stock (Individually) In a tin 16, 38 & 76 or bought in a box of 20, 40 and 76 colours (+ 2 full blender)
New! July 2020 Box of 20 new 'Portrait' colours + 4 new open stock colours
​Also available in a wooden box containing 80 pencils (76 shades + 4 repeat colours)

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Click here to visit the company website and locate a store in your area/country

A storage chest that holds up to 250 pencils

An archival paper ideal for Coloured pencils

The transfer spray that can save you money!

Guide to working with Coloured pencils on textured paper

Blenders by Caran d'Ache

Caran d'Ache also sell colourless blenders to use alongside their pencil ranges which can be used with the Luminance range as well as other coloured pencil brands too. Their blenders are available as the 'Full Blender', which is a stick made purely of a colourless wax, and a pencil blender which is the same colourless wax encased in wood, and presented much like a coloured pencil. As the name suggest, these tools are used to smoothly blend colours together and can also be used as a wax resist tool also.
The pencil blender is available individually as is the full blender, but the latter is found in both sets of 76 (Tin and wooden box)
Both blenders come in individual packs of 2 and also available from art stores or online.  

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If you wish to find out more about using blenders in your work, click this link

Lightfastness and colour chart

These pencils are rated by LF1 & LF2 specifications with 85% rated as LF1 and 15% rated as LF2. The Caran Dache website states that its extreme lightfastness is confirmed by the most rigorous tests (explained below left), complying with the highest international standards for light resistance in coloured pencils and earning Luminance 6901 top results and international ASTM D-6901 certification to make it the most lightfast colour pencil ever designed. It has the same lightfastness as a high grade oil paint. 

​The new colour chart showing the full 100 colours. The charts will be updated showing legible colour names and codes as well as lightfast ratings for each pencil very soon! It's a long job, so I will do it when I have enough time!

How is the ASTM d-6901 rating achieved?

To qualify for ASTM D-6901, the Luminance pencils were tested for three months in the Arizona desert as well as 400 hours under intense UV lights in an independent lab in Florida. This level of lightfastness was achieved by using the finest pigments and four synthetic waxes (30%).These waxes are added early in the pasteurisation process to achieve perfect blending with the pigment mixture. This process inhibits waxy blooming in final pencils.

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The changing face of the Luminance pencil

Like many companies, Caran d'Ache have adapted their pencils over the years, probably down to feedback received from users like you. The original design only had a small tip of colour at the end which made colours difficult to distinguish from another. This was extended around the edge of the pencil, with a larger block of colour, making it easier to see, especially if laid inside a protective drawer such as the Pencil Chest. The silver writing showing the colour name and number, (important for ordering purposes), made them quite difficult to read - even for those with perfect eyesight. When they released their set of 24 new colours back in July 2020, the writing was now white and far more legible. The pencils are more practical for artists to work with.

​Caran Dache Luminance pencils are
​Vegan and environmentally friendly​

​Article originally written: February 2016
Updated: January 2021