Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The paper you use makes a huge difference. I initially used this on regular cardstock and the colors were very muted and blending was horrible and nearly non-existent. I then tried it on higher quality cardstock (Spectrum Noir) paper and the colors were more vibrant - but no where near what I saw on Derwent's videos. I started to wonder if some of the videos were faked or that maybe another product was used for the demonstrations. Then I tried it on Strathmore watercolor paper and all I can say is - wow! The colors were 2-3 times brighter and just popped. The blending was great. Since these are color-fast and fade-resistant, my masterpieces will last. One YouTube reviewer said he exposed his painting to sun for 6 months and noticed no fading, while other cheaper brands had fading. I use these to make cards with. I stamp images and then color them and needed something with vibrant colors that blended well. I didn't want to use my kid's college education on Copic markers that eventually dried out. With the watercolor, it gives me the color saturation and blending that is similar to Copic markers. The only reason why I didn't start using these on watercolor paper was because my watercolor papers tended to be an off-white color. Once you put the finished painting on white cardstock to make the cards, it didn't quite match. I have found out that getting a truly white paper will be nearly impossible, however, since the chemicals used to bleach the paper actual degrades the paper and reduces/eliminates their archival properties. I am hooked. Once my skills improve, I might even venture into painting my own watercolor masterpieces. Below are some examples of the results you can get with stamps and Inktense. The flowers were done on Spectrum Noir paper and the little girls were done on watercolor paper. I would not recommend getting anything bigger than the 24 pencil set unless you are a real artist and can really differentiate between the very slight color tones in the big set. Since these are watercolors, you can use more or less ink with more or less water to get 2-3 shade out of one pencil. You can also blend colors to get more colors.