IMO - Derwent Graphitint pencils (set of 24)

I've been trying out a new type of art pencil (at least new to me) over the last month or so, and while I'll admit the jury is only about half in, here's what I've found so far:

The pencils are Derwent Graphitint Pencils- Set of 24 - graphite pencils with a hint of color. Of course, being water soluble they can be used in wet or dry techniques. I decided to start with a "dry" drawing because I wanted to see just how subtle the color tint was. The picture is not quite finished but here's how it has developed so far:

Over all, I've enjoyed them. It's possible to lay down some very subtle and easily blended layers. But I found the color range to be very limited. Obviously, with only a set of 24 colors available, there will be limitations but I found the shortage of yellow hues and lighter hues to be somewhat problematic, particularly as I enjoy working on colored grounds. Possibly with wet techniques this would be easier to compensate for - using more watercolor techniques instead of colored pencil techniques.

I also found there was a distinct "saturation" moment - an abrupt point where you simply could not lay down more pencil on the drawing any more. Again, this may be the fact that I was working on Strathmore paper (which I find to be notoriously short on tooth) and will have to try it on some other papers to get used to the depth of layers possible. Only one color was a little gritty and that seemed to get better as I sharpened the pencil.

They're worth a try but overall, I'd give them 3 stars out of 5.

*I was not compensated in any way for this review and did not do so by request of Derwent. This is just my opinion based on my experience with this product.

All images and artwork (c) vjcoulman.

Added 1-14-10: If you're interested, the final original artwork is available for purchase at ValsImagination.