Review: 24 New Luminance Colours

“Lake Barrington Forest Floor 7.”

27 x 40 cms

All 24 of the latest Luminance pencils plus a Pitt Pen on 300 gsm Canson cp w/c paper.

Own reference.

Luminance coloured pencils are my favourite out of the 40 sets of CPs that I own. Being an ambassador for Caran d’Ache in Australia may lead you to believe that I’m paid to have such an opinion, but I can assure you that this isn’t the case. I call things as I see them and I’m never ‘persuaded’ to think otherwise. I was a Luminance fan long before I was asked to be an Australian ambassador and I only accepted the role because I enjoy working with Caran d’Ache products. Their quality is unrivalled, the range and presentation of their products is first class and I (still) believe that Luminance pencils are the best on the planet. I’m not being biased (I still use Polychromos, Prismacolor & the Derwent range of pencils on occasions), it’s simply a case of recognizing the best CPs for the way I draw. Luminance, Supracolor, Museum Aquarelle and Pablo are all fabulous to work with in my opinion. I will also add that I’m a ‘tester’ for Derwent Cumberland and I do enjoy in particular their Lightfast and Coloursoft pencils.

Luminance are a wax-based pencil with smooth/creamy performance and up until now have been available in 76 colours. I have always felt that this was somewhat of a negative, considering their lightfast qualities and strength of pigments. Not anymore! There are now 100 colours to choose from with the recent release of a portrait set (20) and 4 additional colours. What do they look like?

Caran d’Ache kindly sent me their latest 24 colours plus their new blender (to be reviewed later) to try and I wasn’t disappointed. Although a ‘portrait set’ (20/24), they performed admirably in my latest ‘Forest Floor’ drawing. I’m a landscape artist not a portrait painter and I initially thought that the new colours may challenge me in regards to my chosen subject. Any concerns were quickly dismissed!

Before I discuss the merits of the 24 pencils in question, I’d like to focus on the presentation standard of the portrait set and indeed the range of sets available. The cardboard box that houses the pencils I consider a brilliant initiative. Each pencil fits snuggly into its foam surround. There is no rattling or chance of physical disturbance. These pencils (along with their entire range) are made of top-quality timber casings, are tough and easy to hold. There are also tins and wooden boxes available, each having their own type of pencil housing.

Not being a portrait artist, I began with the lighter colours then gradually worked my way through the range to the darkest (Dark Indigo). I don’t normally blend my colours but on this occasion I had to as some in their natural state weren’t suited to the palette of a cool temperate rainforest floor. Blending wasn’t an issue. Every pencil performed as it should. Sharpening was a breeze using both my Ledah 333 electric sharpener and my Caran d’Ache handled sharpener. I obtained good points for intricate areas and the covering power of each pencil was impressive.

Being a landscape artist, I tend to favour colours related to my subject, but there were a few pleasant surprises: Pink White (a great companion for Buff Titanium), Light Flesh 10%, Dark Flesh 5%, Teracotta, Dark Cadmium Orange, Middle Verdigris, Dark Flesh & Dark Indigo.

The verdict? I’m fully aware that Luminance pencils are more expensive than most brands and I’ve read some complaints on social media that consider their cost a negative, but remember, you get what you pay for. Luminance pencils are worth every cent! I consider them the best quality pencils on the market. These pencils are an investment and a joy to work with!

Is the range 100 colours enough? Probably not. I would like to see more, 20 in fact. Most of the other major brands offer between 120 and 150 colours. Prismacolor’s 150 for example offers a superb range of greys and earthy colours, Derwent Lightfast, greens and earthy tones, while Polychromos has a great range of blues. Luminance now has 3 shades of white (Buff Titanium is my favourite). I rank their pure white second behind their Museum Aquarelle version as the best for strength and covering power. The Prismacolor White I rank as number 3. The addition of more greys, lighter blues and lighter earthy colours would be most welcome.

I’m sure that most coloured pencil artist have their favourite brands and are very loyal to them. It’s the same when it comes to cars! One thing I can assure you is that Luminance pencils will never let you down.

Tip: CPs always work better in warm conditions. I vividly remember when I was working in the Australian Tropics and how my Luminance pencils performed like paint from a brush!

Richard