DerwentBlender & Burnisher Pencil Blister Pack, Set Of 4, Eraser & Sharpener Included, Professional Quality, 2301774

I really like the blender pencil and have now bought this pack several times. I don't use the burnisher very much - it works but it's not my style. I like the eraser, and the sharpener works well although again I didn't really need it. I wish they sold packs of just the blender.... or perhaps they do somewhere. I seem to get through these faster than anything else.

Good pencils, blend colours well.

A nesiety for details on graffite drawing

These are just what I needed, very easy to work with. Work great with all my coloured pencils, great value too. Great quality no breakage so far and I've sharpened a few times.

These are very good quality additions to your good quality coloured pencils. The blender gives you the ability to mix colour on the page, softening transitions between colours and tones and giving endless possibilities on top of the colours in the tin. How many layers of colour you can put down depends on the quality of your paper. Think of it a little like the smudge tool in a graphics program, it is almost as versatile. The burnisher does more than add shine. Burnishing in coloured pencil refers to putting a lighter colour over a darker to create a subtle highlight or (with the effect of making a shine) the effect of adding moistness to create a realistic look to an eye for example. If a highlight is to be stark, then the paper is left to show though. Sometimes a touch of the burnisher over the plain paper can be a more realistic effect than the plain paper highlight but care is needed to make sure not to overdo any of these techniques.The eraser and sharpener are a nice bonus with this set. While I tend to use kneadable erasers for most of the lifting of colour that I need, an eraser like this is perfect for lifting a graphite pencil outline so that it is not worked into the coloured pencil. It is vital to clean a sketch as you render the colour as graphite and coloured pencil do not mix. The sharpener is very good quality and won't damage your coloured pencils at all. If you're experimenting with coloured pencil painting, then this is a neccesary addition to your tools.

This is the first blender and burnisher set I've ever used so cannot compare but using them with caran d'ache luminance and polychromos pencils is a dream and although I dont see much difference with the burnisher the blender definitely works wonders, I used to use a white pencil for blending and still do use it to blend + lighten but you dont always want the colour lighter so thats where this comes in handy and it blends so well I'm seriously impressed and will always use one now. For the price of these its a bargain aswel, the sharpener isn't the best but I didn't buy it for that and have about 8 anyways but 1 single blender costs over £3 so it's a no brainer to buy these.

This blister pack contains two kinds of pencil:First a blender. This is essentially a pigment free pencil, it is the waxy carrier for pigment and that is it. With this pencil you can smooth two (or more) colours that have already been laid down on the page and mix them together. I find this useful in many circumstances where I don't want a distinct line between colours (e.g. clouds in the sky, smoke from a chimney, flesh tones in a portrait).Secondly, a burnisher. This gives your work a subtle sheen. It's not glossy like a varnish, but a lovely subtle shimmer. I'm particularly fond of using it where light is hitting a body of water, it really gives a lift to your work. There is a slight change in the colour/depth on the page when you add the burnisher, but it's not dramatic. I also use the burnisher with Derwent Inktense 24 Tin range of pencils. If you lay down the burnisher on the page it is waxy enough to resist water - so with the Inktense when you create a wash of colour you can leave gaps in the wash by protecting the page with the burnisher. I'm sure this would work with Derwent Watercolour 72 Pencil Set in a Wooden Box range of pencils too.Sharpener and eraser are also standard Derwent quality (i.e. very high) and are an added bonus. Always handy items.