Royal Talens Van Gogh pencil - The underrated, lightfast pencil

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I had come across these pencils in the past, but they rarely appeared on popular online art stores and so when I saw a post on Twitter from someone in the UK selling open stock via their online pencil shop, I thought I would buy a few, try them out and then share my findings on this website for anyone interested.

As always, I will initially purchase a handful of colours so I do not waste money on a brand that may not suit my style but as soon as I opened the packaging, I was impressed by the presentation of these pencils. They stipulated the lightfast ratings, the name and colour code along the barrel of each pencil, which makes re-ordering easy. Using them on the Bristol Vellum paper which is a slightly textured white paper, I could see how well the pigments covered the paper and impressed with their vibrancy, they immediately reminded of the Prismacolor Premier pencils, the Van Gogh pencils are a little drier but their lightfast ratings are far superior. There are 60 colours in the range and they also have a matching watercolour pencil range for those that prefer a mixture. For me, these pencils are perfect to use for base tones as well as backgrounds and in the end I bought a full set knowing I was able to purchase open stock. They may even replace the use of my Derwent Coloursoft range!

My personal opinion on these pencils

I used a piece of Bristol Vellum paper for this example and found that the slight texture of this type of paper is perfect for grabbing the pigment of these pencils with little pressure required at the start. I began with the Turquoise blue base tone (522) and followed up with 2 more layers of the cool greens , Sevres green light (658) and Turquoise green (661) Each consecutive tone showed a high strength of pigment and it was a relatively quick piece to create. The more challenging was the white pencil, which I used as a blender right at the end (note the lighter tone of the shoe in the last photo compared to the colour of the one  before it) and for future reference I would probably use another white pencil for this such as the Derwent Coloursoft or the Caran d'Ache Luminance as the white is a little weak, a Blender may be more suited to those who do not want any colour change. Personally, I prefer to own a small range of pencils in suitable colours than a huge range of pencils that I might only ever use 50% of and so for me, the colour choices are well represented and the pigments are very strong. 
As a side note, I have also tried these pencils out on the Bristol Plate which is a smooth paper and I find they don't work as well, they tend to slip about a little on the paper and the pigments aren't as vibrant - so the paper you use will make a difference to the results of your Artwork, although that will be the same for almost every pencil range. A textured paper will grab colours much better, although be aware that coarser paper will wear your pencils down much quicker, so do try out some papers first before settling on your preferred choice.

I have read on another website that these pencils are no longer available to buy in the USA, although you may be able to buy them via Amazon or they may even pop up on eBay too, however, there is a UK stockist that ships overseas, but be aware that shipping charges may be somewhat higher and there may be other taxes charged upon arrival of your country. 

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UK stockist - Jackson's Art

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Base: ​Wax based

Hard or soft lead:  Soft

Lightfast rating: ATSM - D6901

Costs: RRP £1.20 (ave)

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36 set Tin

​Colours Available: 60
12 Greens, 10 Blues, 3 pinks, 4 purples, 6 yellows, 1 orange, 7 reds, 6 greys, 9 browns, 1 black, 1 white
(colour counts are estimated)

Sets Available:
Open stock (Individually) In tins of 12, 24, 36 & 60 colours

Van Gogh is a Brand name of Royal Talens, a Dutch company now owned by the Japanese Sakura group alongside the Bruynzeel pencil range.

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ADVANTAGES
* Vibrant and strong colour application
* Smooth, creamy and soft wax based pencils
​* Superb Lightfastness
* A matching watercolour pencil range is also available ​
* Suited to toothy papers 

DISADVANTAGES
* Small collection of colours
* Few outlets sell open stock and sets
* Some colours (white) are somewhat translucent
* Difficult to find in the USA
​* Soft leads can break easier when sharpening 

Lightfast qualities

Royal Talens who make the Van Gogh pencils actually help set the standard for lightfastness for Coloured pencils having participated in initial testing, it was this research that eventually resulted in the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standard D 4303 and their Van Gogh pencils are marked with ++ & +++ symbols - The +++ symbol denotes no visible colour change under museum conditions for at least 100 years and the ++ denotes at least 25 - 100 years lightfast under museum conditions. Pretty impressive eh! There are only pure pigments used in these coloured pencils, which ensures lightfastness and strength and vibrancy in application.

​Below is the colour chart and lightfast symbols for each colour.

CAN A COLOURED PENCIL DRAWING BE FIXED?
The lead of a coloured pencil is made of pigment, kaolin (a fine clay), wax and cellulose. The wax ensures for the characteristic creamy colour transfer of the pencil and makes the colours resistant to water. At the same time, however, the wax has the tendency to form a white film on the paper. This film disappears when a thin layer of concentrated fixative is applied. The more fixative, the glossier the result. If a matt finish is required, matt acrylic varnish can be used. A fixative can also be used to protect the drawing from smudging.

Taken from the Royal Talens 'Frequently Asked Questions' section

Article written: November 2018
​An update is due