Chromaflow | Derwent's latest coloured pencil

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The artwork was created by Kinsey Lane, an artist based in the US.

The Chromaflow pencil was released in June of 2021, initially in the USA and India and then the UK and the rest of the world, the following year.

​Whenever Derwent launches a new pencil range, excitement throughout the community is infectious. Derwent is a company that has produced quality products for over a century and a half, so we would expect this new range to meet all the usual standards, but do they?

In this article, we analyse the quality and application of the pencils. Did we find the same quality that we have come to expect from Derwent?

We provide information from our own research trialling our own stash of 36 colours, as well as sharing reviews made by other artists', found online, and see how they compare to other brands, in particular the highly popular Prismacolor Premier pencil, but Derwents' other lines too. 

This is an independent review. We have received no payments or products that may skew our opinions in any way.

derwent claim:

Derwent: Vibrant, blendable colour with a smooth, lay down: Highly pigmented creamy core delivers a rapid lay down, but handles pressure and resists breakage, making easy work of blending and shading.

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key attributes of the pencils

• Rich and vibrant colour palette
• Highly pigmented for striking work
• Delivers a rapid, smooth laydown
• Smooth texture makes shading and blending colours easy
• Soft core can resist breakage and withstand pressure

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What are the pencils like to use?
" Derwent Chromaflow pencils provide artists with an affordable, professional quality product which is easy to layer and blend thanks to the richly pigmented smooth texture, providing a velvety lay down. The creamy core can deliver a smooth, rapid lay down that can handle pressure and resist breakage, making easy work of blending and shading. "
​COMMENT BY DERWENT

Derwent have obviously created this pencil as an affordable option for the artist who likes the creamy, blendable applications without spending too much and without the concerns that they have to be 100% lightfast. The pencils are thinner than other Derwent lines. This makes them easy to transport and store, especially if you enjoy plein-air drawing and need to travel light with a large colour palette. However, the thin barrel can be uncomfortable for some to hold for periods at a time, particularly when you need to apply pressure for maximum coverage. There is also currently an issue with breakage, and care should be taken during transportation not to damage the cores.

The standard thickness of Derwents' pencil lines versus the thinner barrel of the Chromaflow.

What techniques can I use my Chromaflow pencils for?
" Chromaflow pencils are suitable for pencil techniques, including blending and layering. The smooth texture makes it easy to blend and lay down colour quickly. Richly pigmented for striking work. Highly blendable increasing the colour spectrum. Due to the rich pigment, colours are vibrant and stand out even when used on black paper. Chromaflow is erasable so you can create highlights in your work. "
​COMMENT BY DERWENT

We tested three different brands. The Caran d'Ache Luminance and Derwent Lightfast ranges are both artist quality brands, so it is a little unfair to compare them with the Chromaflow brand as this is designed to be a student quality product. The Lightfast & Luminance brands blended smoothly and the opacity allows the opportunity to layer light tones over dark. Although the pigments in some of the Chromaflow colours are creamy and opaque, they are not all like that. Some are quite weak, and feel much drier. The white in particular was rather lack-lustre when it came to highlight application and burnishing. Pressing harder made little difference, and it didn’t feel like it provided any additional value. Unable to layer as well, saturates the paper faster.

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highly pigmented cores?
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What type of artwork are Chromaflow pencils most suitable for?
Chromaflow pencils have been developed to be suitable for a wide range of drawing and colouring techniques, the rich blendable pigments and effortless, smooth laydown means they are particularly great at creating vibrant artwork, even on black paper. "
COMMENT BY DERWENT

As the cores are soft, they are ideal for creations where you require smooth transitions and strong pigmentation for optimal applications, although not all colours provide such opacity. Smooth finishes can also be achieved by using a solvent and blending the layers further.

​These pencils mix well with solvents like the Zest-it pencil blend. These pencils contain less binder and filler, and more pigment, which provide the vibrancy. This also makes them softer and creamy to use. 

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colour charts

The colour charts below expose the smooth, rich applications, but it also exposes those that are less pigmented. These appear quite patchy, and are more notable in the paler hues, such as the blues and greens. A smooth paper can be challenging when it comes to colored pencil applications, and you may find a slightly abrasive paper, such as vellum or watercolour NOT paper, provides better adherence. The best paper is always personal preference, but using very smooth papers will make cohesion difficult and you may find that the pigment does not adhere well, and blend even less. This can put off some artists, believing the issues to be with the pencil and not the paper, so if you have some of these pencils yourself, try them on a variety of paper surfaces, so you get a good idea of what they are capable of and if they are suitable for your type of art.

​on URSUS WHITE

​on SAKURA black

​on COLOURFIX black

​On black paper, the effects you achieve will again depend on the type of paper you use. The lighter tone of black paper is from the Sakura sketchbook and the tooth is rather smooth. Due to this, adherence was mediocre and the pigment less bright than it should be, so we had to apply more pressure, which can put unnecessary strain on the pencil core. The second sample was completed on Art Spectrum Colourfix. This paper has a tooth, which grips the pigment far easier and the colours appear much brighter. Less pressure is needed too. Take a look at our Black Papers list to get some ideas of what papers are available. Each will provide a very different finish.

Derwent claim:

• Thick, robust leads resist cracking and chipping
• Premium core strength pencils that handle pressure when sharpening and in use
  

• ​Soft core can resist breakage and withstand pressure

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Big issues for the pencil?

After a little research, we noticed an issue that cropped up time and time again. Pencil breakages. Derwent states that their 'soft core can resist breakage and withstand pressure' and we know how rigorous they are with their testing, so we are unsure how their can be such differing opinions between company and customer. We had this issue with a few of our pencils, but most of the others were perfectly fine. 

Putting just a little pressure on the point can easily damage the core if it is already brittle, and it will start to push against the wood before finally snapping off. The wood in this pencil appears softer than the wood in their other ranges, and pressing too hard on to paper may break the point. This appears to be a familiar issue, as extensive research found many other reviewers having the same problem. As they glue the core and wood together, we can only assume it is the wood that is the problem and this is why many, including ourselves, find some of the pencils break easily, before we had the chance to lay any real pigment down.

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​" Lovely pencils, but two of the set keep crumbling just touching them on paper or trying to sharpen them I have now got two pencils that are a lot shorter than the rest, but they still won’t hold a point even on a blunt setting, they just crumble away "

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" Pencils take little effort to get vivid color laydown yet they feel flimsy and weak. The leads break easily. I like the colors and the color payout, just wish they were made better and stronger wood used. "

customer reviews (from amazon)​

​We recommend that soft pencils are sharpened to a shorter point than harder pencils. The white pencil caused problems when sharpening the pencil to any length. It's likely that the core was already damaged, which could have been caused in transit. Although gluing the core inside the wood of a pencil is done to minimise damage, it feels like the wood is either too soft or needs to be a little thicker for added support. This may be something that Derwent may wish to focus on if they get too many complaints, as it would be sad for Derwent to get a bad rap for their new brand so early on. We did contact Derwent about this issue and they offered replacements, so we recommend that you contact Derwent via their website to request a replacement too.

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Caring for your pencils

• Avoid dropping your pencils onto a hard surface. Put them somewhere safe, where they cannot roll onto the floor.
• To avoid damaging the leads. Store your pencils safely when not in use. Placing them in a secure storage system like the pencil chest, will keep them well protected. 
• Keeping them inside their metal tin, will provide more protection than in a pencil wrap, where they may knock against each other and weaken the cores. Secure the metal tin during transportation.
• Damaged leads? Sharpen to a short point, so you put less pressure on the core when working with them.
• During use, place your pencils in a jar, with the tips pointing up. Your pencils are safer when contained this way, rather than placing them on your desk, where they could roll onto the floor.

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related articles that may be of interest
​

View all our other coloured pencil articles in one place

View all our Derwent product articles & tutorials

How a sharpener can help your pencil techniques

Read our comprehensive article about the Prismacolor Premier pencil

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Lightfast information and colour chart

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Derwent: " Derwent uses the Blue Wool test (ISO 105) to evaluate lightfastness. Lightfastness refers to the chemical stability of a pigment under long exposure to light. Derwent Chromaflow are 60% lightfast across 72 colours, LF – Lightfastness rating (6 – GOOD, 7 – VERY GOOD, 8 – EXCELLENT) "

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Derwent rate the lightfastness of their pencils using the Blue Wool scale. The higher the number (8) the most lightfast. Derwent rate the lightfastness of the Chromaflow pencils at 60%. Lower ratings offer less protection. Values of 6 or higher are considered to be highly lightfast and, under museum conditions, will not fade for 100+ years. There are 39 colours that fall into this category. As with most pencil ranges, the earthy colours are the most lightfast and the 'jewel' tones such as the pinks, purples and blues are usually the least lightfast. There are 29 colours that are rated 5 and under. 

Of the 72 colours, the lightfast ratings are as follows;
LF 1,2 & 3 = 7     LF 4&5 2 = 22   LF6 - GOOD = 0    LF7 - VERY GOOD = 13    LF8 - EXCELLENT = 26

Any art created using lower lightfast ratings, will require additional protection if it will be displayed out in the open. If you are creating art for paying customers and use colours that are less lightfast, provide your customer with an after care sheet, explaining how they can prolong the life of the piece. If you only use the pencils for colouring books, practice pieces, during art demonstrations or if are selling prints of original drawings, lightfast issues may not matter.

​PROTECTION
If you do want to protect your work and use the colours with lower lightfast ratings, there are ways to do this. You could apply a UV fixative over the completed drawing, however this will not provide 100% protection, so we recommend that your drawing is placed in a frame with UV filter or museum quality glass. To offer further protection, ensure the framed piece is not hung in an area where strong sunlight will hit it for extended periods.

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The history of Derwent

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" With a proud heritage dating back to 1832, we have been manufacturing pencils in the Lake District, UK ever since. With over 150 years of know-how packed into every pencil and art tool, our creative and scientific minds never cease in their quest for new ideas. Obsessing over the highest quality of materials and forever creating an ever evolving and exceptional range to meet the requirements of every artist. We will keep pushing our boundaries so that artists can keep pushing theirs."

Derwent (formerly the "Cumberland Pencil Company") is a brand of pencils, art materials, and other stationery. The business began in 1832 in Cumberland under the name of "Banks, Son & Co". The company was bought by US corporation ACCO Brands (known then as Rexel) in 1980, and became a brand of their product range. Keswick remained well known for producing the finest pencils in the world. Previously the pencils had been made by hand in small workshops, but in 1832, the first pencil factory in the area was opened by 'Banks, Son & Co'. This company passed through several hands before becoming the "Cumberland Pencil Company" in 1916.

​Derwent colour pencils have traditionally been sold in tins of 12, 24, 36 and 72 different colours. They are also available in a range of wooden presentation boxes or sets of six which are intended to be trial packs.
Derwent's oldest line of colour pencils, Artist, were expanded from a range of 24 to 72 in 1939 and from 72 colours to 120 in 1996. Studio and Watercolour pencils are still available in the 72 original colours. Pastel pencils were introduced in 1994 

CHARACTERISTICS

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Base: ​Wax

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Hard or Soft Lead:  HARD

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core size:  3.5mm

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Lightfast rating:  blue wool

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Costs: RRP £1.80

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ADVANTAGES

• Good selection of colours
• Smooth application
• Good range of lightfast colours
• Non toxic
• ​Open stock
• Thin barrels easier to transport

DISADVANTAGES

• Inconsistent with colour laydown
• Prone to breakages
• Expensive
• Some colours have poor lightfast ratings

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Design and packaging

Sets available:

The artwork on their current designs is beautiful. The drawings are highly skilled, as well as vibrant and engaging. They show off the colour range brilliantly, allowing you to see what these pencils are capable of. The artist is Kinsey Lane, the wife of Jesse Lane, who has also produced artwork for Derwent for their Lightfast range. You can read Kinseys' review of these pencils below. 

Single pencil

Tin of 12

National Trust set 12

Tin of 24

Tin of 36

Tin of 48

Tin of 72

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artist kinsey lane

Read the review from the artist of the beautiful art on the Chromaflow tins.

" Throughout my years drawing in colored pencil, I have always relied on multiple pencil brands to finish a piece. I would use a soft pencil for foundation layers and then a hard pencil for detail work on top. Chromaflow has the perfect balance to be a standalone pencil. "

read the review

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A pencil to rival the american Prismacolor Premier?
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The Chromaflow pencils were launched in 2021, first in the USA and India, and a year later, the UK and the rest of the world. There are questions about why such a well-known British company would launch in two different countries before their own, but we can can only speculate. The fact that Derwent suggest that the nearest competitor to their Chromaflow pencils is the American Prismacolor Premier brand, leads us to believe that their intention is to compete, and where best to launch their new product but the home of the Prismacolor pencil? Speculation of course, but if true, it makes sense. 

Although we only have 36 of the 72 colours, we note that there are some discrepancies in saturation levels. We purchased a tin of 12 and the rest as open stock, noting that some of the less lightfast colours did not layer as smoothly. Note the pale blue and green tones in the sample images. We also found some of the pencils a little scratchy, and that pigmentation was not consistent, as if there was a shard of darker pigment inside the colour 'Cactus' which tainted the smooth blend of the pigment (note the lines). This however is not unique to this pencil, nor even coloured pencils and has been observed in other mediums too. Some pencils glide over the paper beautifully, others require more than one layer to achieve the same colour balance. 

Can I use Derwent Chromaflow with my other Derwent pencils?
​Yes, Derwent’s Chromaflow range has been formulated to be compatible with other Derwent pencil ranges. They especially work well with Derwent Metallic and Coloursoft Pencils.
​COMMENT BY DERWENT

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So, ​let's compare...
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​What are the most similar competitor products in the market?
" The nearest competitor product in the market is Prismacolor, however, all pencil brands perform differently due to the difference in the unique pencil formulations. "
​COMMENT BY DERWENT

​It is quite obvious that Derwent saw an opening in the market for a pencil that emulates the soft and creamy application of the Prismacolor Premier pencil. These pencils have been around for over a century and have a dedicated user base, many artists have grown up with the brand, so it is one brave company that pursues a new range as a possible rival. Who better to do that than a company like Derwent who have provided us with quality products since the 19th century. Derwent themselves state that "these brands perform differently due to the difference in unique pencil formulations" This means the composition of wax/pigment/binder understandably differ, (companies never disclose their formulations to avoid imitation), so an artist may prefer one brand over another. As Prismacolor Premier pencils are also not 100% lightfast, the similarities are evident (although we don't like the brittleness that seem to plague both brands)
​Here are are useful comparisons:

Chromaflow:
​Accessibility: Available worldwide. As a relatively new range, it may not be easily accessible in every country and open stock may not be available at all.
​Colours: 72
​Base: Wax
Core size: 3.5mm
​Core type: Soft
​Colour saturation: Very good, but inconsistent throughout the colour palette.
Wax bloom issues: Yes (due to wax content)
Mixes well with solvent: Yes
​Erasable: Yes
​Lightfast availability: 60%
RRP Price (£): £1.80 pp

Prismacolour Premier:
​Accessibility: Most accessible in the USA. A little hit and miss in other countries. Poor accessibility in the UK, particularly for open stock.
Colours: 150
​Base: Wax
Core size: 4mm
Core type: Soft
​Colour saturation: Very good, consistent throughout the colour palette.
Wax bloom issues: Yes (due to wax content)
​Mixes well with solvent: Yes
​Erasable: ​Yes
Lightfast availability: Over 70%
​RRP Price (£): £2.30    ($2.20)

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We compare four different pencil brands below. You will note the bottom half of each sample has a notable colour change. This is where we have applied the Zest-it pencil blend solvent to provide you with a visual idea of how well each brand blends with a solvent.

Derwent on Coloursoft: Both Chromaflow and Coloursoft are soft and smooth, however Coloursoft have a softer texture and lay down is different. Coloursoft has a larger diameter pencil and therefore builds up colour more quickly. Chromaflow mixes well to increase colour spectrum.

​COMMENT BY DERWENT

Our opinion: The Coloursoft pencil is drier than Chromaflow, it also feels harder too, which is saying something when Derwent state these are their softest pencil. The Coloursoft white pencil is far more opaque than the Chromaflow. It can be used to create colour tints, whereas the Chromaflow white seems to act more as a colourless blender.

Derwent on Lightfast: Lightfast have a larger and stronger pencil core. They are 100% lightfast with a soft and creamy texture. Lightfast is our only oil-based pencil which can achieve paint like affects and has 100 colours in the range. 

​COMMENT BY DERWENT
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​Our opinion: Some pigments in the Chromaflow range match those in the Lightfast range. Maybe Derwent use the same pigments, although this is just speculation. As the Lightfast range has very few pale hues, those found in the Chromaflow range could provide a substitute. Be aware though that these lighter colours don't offer great lightfast coverage. 

Online customer reviews

Positive

" These coloured pencils from Derwent are good quality. I had the 24 set, and it’s definitely worth it to have expanded it to 72. Lots of lovely greys in the set. All the colours are rich and blend extremely well. Plus, although not all are lightfast, they have been tested for lightfastness, so artists can use them to sell their art.
The only drawback I’ve had with the 24 set was some breakage. Make sure to use a very good quality sharpener with a sharp blade and sharpen gently. All in all though, I’m satisfied with their performance. I do want to add that I bought these when there was a terrific markdown. At the original price, I do think these are too expensive. Best to wait a bit for the price to come down. "

​" Another Derwent product of excellent quality, I am a fan of this brand because the products offered are always of good quality, these Chromaflow pencils are creamy, very pigmented, the application is easy, no need to press, the gradients are easy to do, the colour layering is top notch and the rendering at the level of the good quality of the pigments, Derwent has accustomed us to ranges of pencils bigger than Chromaflow but I think that for the details these are great and the colour panel brings very nice original colours... Very happy with this purchase given the colour chart and the quality produced. "

" Lay down and blend well very good set of pencils , much prefer them to prismacolor , hope more colours are added to the set in the future "

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Negative

" Lovely pencils, but unfortunately two of the set keep crumbling just touching them on paper or trying to sharpen them. I have now got two (foliage 17 & Magenta 09 ) that are a lot shorter than the rest of the set, but they still won’t hold a point, even on a blunt setting they just crumble away very disappointed, not sure why but they are a waste of money in my opinion.
The pencils blend well and are lovely to colour with, so it’s such a shame. "

" Nice range of colours. Lay down well. Blend well with each other and with OMS. However, I found the slimmer barrel uncomfortable for me. Also, every single pencil broke when sharpened. Very frustrating. When they did sharpen they didn't hold their point well and point crumbled even with very light pressure. This range adds nothing to an already extensive range of quality products from Derwent. I won't use them again. Shame as I love my lightfast, my drawing and my graphitint "

" I mainly bought these colored pencils to see how they stacked up against the Derwent Coloursoft. Long story short, the Derwent Coloursoft pencils are all around superior - they are more pigmented, buttery, smooth, and blendable versus the Chromaflow. "

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Neutral/Mixed reviews

" I bought these despite being very angry that Derwent released these in America and India initially rather than letting the nationals of their home country, who have supported them and bought their products for the last - how many decades? - have first dibs. 15 out of 24 of the leads were off centre, some quite badly. Two leads broke when I tried to sharpen them in Derwents own hand crank desk top sharpener. That aside, I enjoyed using them. They’re soft, easy to handle layer well and blend well. They’re not all lightfast and I got them mainly out of curiosity, to save my Derwent lightfast pencils, plus there were a few colours in this set that I don’t have in my lightfast selection. "

" They blend well, lovely pigment, easy to hold and use, my only complaint is I have had a couple of pencils that have broken when sharpening so down to almost nothing on them. They seem to be very much like the Fabergold pencils from Faber Castell.
Think I would stick to Derwent Coloursoft in future buys as far as Derwent pencils go or their Lightfast range. "

" As an artist, I love the colour range. Soft to use, blend well, but I have all these features in my other full sets. Not different enough to add a full set to my collection. But I will give it more thought and use my small set. "

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Our personal opinion

We have already provided rather a comprehensive break down of these pencils in this article, so we will give a short summation. There is a good selection of colours, and the colour names are charming, but some pigments feel drier than others and lightfastness is rather hit and miss. Pigment saturation is unbalanced throughout the 36 colours that we trialled. Some blend wonderfully, others require a lot more work. We feel that they are expensive for what they offer. The fragility of the wood, causing issues with breakages, are off putting and if this issue was fixed, the price would be far more satisfactory. We would personally give this range a 7 out of 10.

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​Are Derwent Chromaflow pencils vegan?
Our Chromaflow range contain no animal derived materials/ingredients but we cannot guarantee that the raw materials were not tested on animals.
All Derwent manufactured pencils are PEFC* certified including Derwent Chromaflow pencils.
(*The PEFC label guarantees products are from sustainably managed forests.) ​

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​Article written: February 2023