Caran d'Ache SUPRACOLOR® Soft Aquarelle Paul Smith Watercolor Pencils

A few weeks ago, I was doing a pick up at Take Note Store and in the adorable little windows at the front of the store, these pencils were set out for pictures. I peered at them with curiosity and quarantine-related restlessness so they came home with me. Although I have fantasized about watercolor pencils, I have zero art skills. I cannot draw. I cannot art. Well I cannot art in a way that is appealing to the eye, how's that? 

I have quite a few Caran d'Ache 849 ballpoints and I think one water brush but that's it. These are an entirely new venture for me. How bad could I possibly be, right? I mean, I have never used such pencils before, I have never "swatched" watercolors, I have zero clue what I'm doing. It can't be that bad. Even if it is that bad, what's the worst that can happen? Nothing. I embarrass myself. Whatever. 

Together, Caran d’Ache and Sir Paul Smith have created a limited edition carrying the designer’s famous signature. For this third collaboration, Sir Paul Smith took pleasure in revisiting the Supracolor® Soft water-soluble colour pencils from Caran d’Ache. Ideal for drawing and watercolours, this creative instrument is greatly appreciated for the brightness and excellent covering power of its colours. For this new and original assortment, Sir Paul Smith has selected eight colours reflecting both his own world and Caran d’Ache one. Presented in a portable metal pencil case dressed with the designer’s iconic stripes, these colour pencils stimulate the imagination with their cheerful and infinitely desirable colours. - Caran d'Ache

Interesting points: (points! see what I did there? Totally unintentional. Suave and clever.)

DETAILS OF THE PENCIL

Supracolor® Soft water-soluble pencils

Pencils made from cedar wood; soft, resistant lead with a diameter of 3.8 m

Water-based ecological varnish

Designer’s signature in gilt on the pencils and the pencil case

I have only recently started exploring the world of pencils but from my taste in writing instruments in general, I can feel and smell that these are quality items. They appear attractive to my eye and the finish is so smooth. Just lovely little things overall.

DETAILS OF THE LEAD

Water-soluble, soft and unbreakable lead

Diameter Ø 3.8 mm for clean and accurate lines

Excellent lightfastness

High pigment concentration

TECHNIQUES FOR USE

Watercolour, wash drawing, hatching, superimposing different colours, shading, unlimited blending

Mixed techniques combined with PABLO® permanent pencils, NEOCOLOR® wax oil pastels and gouache

Ideal for large-scale drawings with large areas of colour

Hm. I guess what I did was...errr. I have no idea actually. Watercolor? Wash? I tried blending with the swatch card, right? I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing. I watched videos and read tutorials on how to make a watercolor swatch card, which is really funny because it still turned out really poorly. I think.

All I did to create these was make a little scribble with varying degrees of pressure and then swished over it with a water brush. Yep. No idea what I'm really doing. I'm sure I could have made these look a lot better but that will come with practice, I hope. What I can say is they were nice and soft and I loved the feeling of the lead on the mixed media paper I used. 

Umm... I suspect this didn't come out the way it was supposed to, but I like the colors and it's pretty so sure. Good enough for my first try.

PACKAGING

A portable, reusable metal pencil case decorated with the iconic Paul Smith’s “Artist Stripes”

Dimensions: 183 x 54 x 28 mm

A very adorable, very reusable and rather useful tin. Useful at the moment for storing my pencils. The lid is smooth and isn't super noisy to open or close, like some flimsy tins, which can be embarrassing to open in public. Not that opening things in public is an issue right now with the current COVID19 situation, but in the future. I'm one of those people who hate ripping Velcro in public because of the noise. Same thing applies to a noisy tin.

LEGAL STANDARDS

Swiss Made, FSC

"Our colour and writing products are manufactured in our workshops in Geneva since 1915." - Caran d'Ache. Cool, cool. In the case of watches, I understand what the Swiss Made label means but I wonder what it means for these products? I did some searching and really couldn't find anything conclusive I could share with you, so if you have an idea, please do let me know. 

What is FSC? "The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international non-profit, multistakeholder organization established in 1993 that claims to promote responsible management of the world's forests." Thanks, Wiki. It's a good thing. The FSC's stated mission is to "promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests". (FSC) I can get behind that.

           
I am having fun with these pencils so far. I really don't know what I'm doing in terms of the technical use of them, but I am enjoying it. It's a new exploration and I'm having fun. That's all that matters! Have you ever used these (or any other watercolor) pencils? Do you have any tips or tricks you want to share?

Follow Take Note Store on Instagram!