I BOUGHT NEW WATERCOLOR PENCILS! Unboxing and Swatching Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you all for the watercolor paper recommendations!!❤️ I’m going to reply to all comments eventually but just wanted to thank you all for being so helpful with this haha

[@ColorfullyOptimistic]

Awe happy (belated?) Birthday 🎂! What a great gift to give yourself. I love the aquarelles!

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you so much!! They are wonderful so far😊

[@Kidcouger2]

Wow how am I just seeing this, Happy belated birthday! Now we're both certified old people 😂

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Certified, for sure😂 and thank you

[@moondanceblue_arts]

congratulations! the Museum are wonderful in wet techniques and you take out

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you! I have noticed just how vibrant and opaque these pencils are😊

[@moondanceblue_arts]

@@AlexisCassandraArt the translation was wrong 😅 I wanted to say that they are good in the wet and dry. they are excellent when the paper is already saturated and allows you to add more layers

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

@@moondanceblue_arts ahh, okay I will need to try that! I actually haven’t tried this technique with watercolor pencils

[@katejensen2922]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you!!

[@KariBeth]

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY 🥳!! Yay for a new set of pencils 🙌🏻! These are SO BEAUTIFUL 😍!! Also love the high quality box they come in, with the tabs on the sides. Good idea to do every other square- so then the swatches don’t bleed into each other. The second row 😍 I was surprised how pigmented they were- so prettyyyyy!! I love flamingos 🦩!! It’s so satisfying seeing these watercolor pencils transform in this piece 🤩! Nice job on the water 👍🏻! Love this! Hope you had a wonderful Birthday 🎉💖!

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you Kari!😊 the packaging is always top tier with this brand. I think the colors really came to life dramatically when I added water! So gorgeous.

[@fuzzydragons]

those water ripples are gorgeous! they look like really nice watercolour pencils 😀

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you! The pencils are very nice😊

[@BeckyTregear]

A lovely birthday present (I hope you had a great day!). I might have the 72 set of these...lol. I can confirm that the colours are different to Luminance. What is it with Cassel Earth...ugh, so crumbly! The Museum version is better. Gorgeous flamingo!!!

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you!😊 haha I’m sure the 72 set includes some more purples(hopefully) and maybe even a darker sepia? Cassel earth in my luminance set is a disaster but yes this version works just fine!

[@gnostie]

An excellent swatch. Because you did it on good paper, it's possible to see the depth of colour much better. Mega thanks! Now I've got to find another sensible person like yourself who did the entire 76 set the way you did yours...

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

I learned my lesson about using the wrong paper to swatch on. You'd think its a waste of expensive paper, but its really worth it for that swatch. I guess I need to redo the others now, haha!

[@JudeandherPencil]

🧁Happy Birthday!! What a beautiful gift for yourself!!💝

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you so much💜

[@johnsalinas327]

Happy Belated Birthday, Alexis!!❤️

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

thank you so much!

[@eileenvalachovic9435]

This comment several months after your post. I'm really enjoying it. One of the things I love about the Caran d'ache brand is that their color numbers are standardized for all their products. A brief example is 001 white. They use it in all their color pencil and watercolor line, in both Neocolor I and II, as well as Neopastel. Several of their mediums work well. Another note, I saw an interview with an awesome urban sketcher who uses toned paper. She prefers watercolor pencils used dry to colored pencils. Thank you for sharing your birthday gift. Hope you are enjoying them.

[@eileenvalachovic9435]

Meant to say re Caron d'ache, al lot of their mediums work well TOGETHER.

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

I’m glad they are standardized like faber castell!! Although I’m not sure if FC numbers match up but their colors do. I am so excited to try neocolor II someday. I’m happy you enjoyed this video- I really enjoyed making it and love this set so much. It’s a perfect amount of colors too

[@Maria_Lourdes]

Belated happy birthday Alexis Cassandra! Its a very nice "drawing-slash-painting" 😍

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you so much😊

[@Zephyr510]

Happy Birthday! 😊

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you!!

[@mohitrathore378]

Happy birthday 🎆 alex.....

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you!

[@YranLee2005]

Just want you to know that I'm still here, if you remember me, anyways BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎉

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you so much😭

[@robinsamuelson3626]

Just recently got the 76 set! looking forward to testing these. some of the colors that you stated are not in the Luminance set are actually in the Portrait set! I have those also.

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Ah yes, I also have the portrait set as well now! Love these sets

[@Miss_Art_Lover7]

Happy birthday 🎁 you always inspire me to keep drawing ❤️✨

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Aw glad to hear that😊 and thank you!!

[@ivmara9987]

Wow, those are my dream stuffs. But even if my friends are glorifying my drawings, it ain't enough to buy beautiful stuffs, because the payments for commissions are too cheap in the Philippines.

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

These ones are quite expensive. Around $2.75 USD per pencil for the 40 set I got. Supracolors are cheaper, but not dramatically so…

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Happy belated birthday! I think it's great that you chose to only buy the 40-set. I find myself completely overwhelmed with my 150-set of Prismacolors and I had to narrow it down by half in order to feel comfortable using it. I have pretty much given up on watercolor pencils because I find them more frustrating than useful, but this video makes me re-think that. They seem like great quality and I love how they looked when you added water to them. Maybe give the Bee 100% cotton, 140-lb paper a try. It's available on Amazon currently and that's what I have my watercolor students buy. I'm also trying out the Baohong cotton paper this weekend, which is about 1/2 the price of Arches if I'm remembering correctly. I'll have to try and remember to tell you afterwards what I think of it as you can also buy it on Amazon.

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you for the recs! Ive been screenshotting everyones suggestions. I’m excited to try out some (hopefully less pricey) watercolor paper. With watercolor pencils, a 40 set feels appropriate enough. I agree about being overwhelmed by too many colors in general. Polychromos barely just pushes my limit with 120 colors, I’m more comfortable with max 100 color sets for colored pencil! And much less for paints. I’m sure I’ll see those papers you mentioned pop up on your channel at somepoint😊

[@shadowguard3578]

Your painting is beautiful! You really got good use from your watercolor pencils. I have the landscape and assorted 12 set. I find that large sets of watercolor and permanent pencil have too many yellows and browns for my needs. There are three watercolor pencils you have that I don’t: turquoise blue, light malachite green, and butternut. One day I’d like to add those three to my collection ☺️. I don’t have the Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils so I cannot compare the two brands. I have Strathmore cold and hot pressed watercolor paper, plus Fabriano hot pressed watercolor paper. All three are 100% cotton but I haven’t used them enough to give an opinion. Also, I’ve never used Arches so I can’t give an informed opinion on that either. Strathmore and Fabriano were cheaper and vegan so I bought them. Happy belated birthday and enjoy your new watercolor pencils!!! 🎈🎂

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you!!😊😊 I think light malachite green is a great addition, the color is sort of unique I’d say. I will have to try those papers. I will probably look to see the best deal on blick😂

[@shadowguard3578]

@@AlexisCassandraArt you’re welcome! I’m all about getting a good deal. It’s your money so I say get the best bang for your buck!

[@mohitrathore378]

These looks beautiful 😍😍😍

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you, they really are!!

[@mjdolorico]

First off, happy birthday! Second, as someone who is looking into watercolor pencils for my next purchase, thank you for this and your Albrecht Durer review, they were very informative! I noticed the Museum pencils, while vibrant, looked more opaque when watered down compared to Durer, almost like gouache. Would you say that's an accurate observation? Anyway, very interested to see a head to head comparison video of Museums and Durers in the future, especially in terms of color lifting and layering. Keep up the good work!

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thank you!! I definitely think these were more opaque than Albrecht Durers. My painting turned out a lot more vibrant than I was expecting even with one or two layers only (depending on the area). The Albrecht Durer’s have to be built up more I think. I will have to use them more and then create a comparison video between the two!!

[@ivmara9987]

I only have the 36 colors of Faber Castell Regular Watercolor Pencils, the cheapest version of Faber Castell in the Red Box. I do worry about it's lightfastness, so I've gotta check out my watercolor painting last year.

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

How do those ones perform? Probably a lot better than the prismacolors tbh.

[@ivmara9987]

@@AlexisCassandraArt It's actually good, but I just don't trust the lightfastness

[@ivmara9987]

It's actually the kid's grade.

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

@@ivmara9987 ah gotcha, they have a grade above that one too. Goldfaber? I’m not sure about the lightfastness of those tho

[@ivmara9987]

I guess Goldfaber has moderate lightfastness.

[@judithf9297]

Hi Alexis, you are a great artist, I watched a few of your videos. I see lately you’re more into watercolor pencils? Those are very nice too. I am not an artist, I’m a colorist, I would say better than average. I am looking now to buy some Luminance pencils, but I tried out also some Pablos and I seem to like those too. I already saw your unboxing video for the Pablo,but Becky Tregear who I kind of communicate with told me to ask you about them,since she doesn’t have them. I read enough about them I know the difference, I just wanted to ask you are there major differences between the Luminance and Pablo? They feel harder,but not very. I have the Prismas and Polychromos,also a few budget sets that are pretty good. Do I need another set? No! But I like them so much, I have to have some more joy lol. So, I honestly intended to get the Luminance,and maybe just the 76 set, I don’t do portraits,do you think the other 24 colors are really necessary? But then I also tried the Pablo and I think they are better for detail and small areas work,even though they don’t blend quite as well. The only negative for me, I’m not too keen on the hexagon shape,and they are pretty skinny. But I’m about there to get the Pablo too, maybe just the 80 set. I suppose some colors coincide with Luminance? So I wanted your opinion, or maybe I want a reason not to buy the Pablo because I know it’s not necessary, I know that. I saw your video where you show all your pencils in January 2022, and the Pablo which you opened Aug 2021, didn’t seem to be used much? Or maybe that’s how well they keep their sharp point? Maybe you don’t like them as much, well probably not as much as the Luminance. Please if you can just tell me your personal feelings about them. I would really appreciate it. Thank you and take care😊

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Hi Judith! First off, thank you for your comment! In regards to your question, I’ll admit I haven’t really used the pablos much since I received them. They are a beautiful pencil but less lightfast than some others that I naturally reach for. I’ve actually used them a bit in my coloring book and they worked really well for filling in those detail areas. The other thing is I’ve been focused more on watercolor and watercolor pencils since around the end of 2021, and so my colored pencils aren’t getting much use. But your comment has inspired/reminded me and I think my next artwork will be with the pablos! The difference I’ve noticed is that pablos seem to be better for staying sharp and using for details but at the same time they aren’t really like the polychromos, either. They’re more opaque I’d say. Pablos has a very different color range to luminance that includes a lot more bright and even pastel colors. Luminance color range focuses on more neutrals and colors maybe suited for portraits, but of course they have bright colors too, just less. Pablos still has quite a few neutrals as they have the larger set of colors. I think Pablos would really suit colorists! Let me know what you decide :)

[@NaomiCoutureArt]

Did I hear you say that we don't need all the colors? You must have misspoken lol I love how your flamingo turned out and thing the reflection looks awesome too. I have heard the carendache watercolor pencils are more opaque then the fabercastel ones so I wonder if that why you were having trouble keeping your highlights as I find the fabercastel ones are more translucent like watercolor.

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

I was biting my tongue on that one!! But even though I love all the colors I have noticed I get “overwhelmed” with my Albrecht Durer’s trying to decide which color to use out of many😂 I think you’re right that the museum aquarelles are more opaque and I’ll probably have to adjust my technique a bit to preserve the highlights properly

[@margaretf667]

I think the non luminence colours are in the Pablos!

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Ooh good eye!!

[@ChristinaTodd1970]

I really love Winsor Newton Professional 100% cotton paper. Keep an eye out for sales on the sheets. In early February I got 2 packs of 10 for $20 (19.89 or $19.98, I don’t remember) at Jerry’s. So, for $40 I got 20 sheets (22x30) of 140lb cotton paper!! It’s back up to around $55 now, which is still cheaper than Arches.

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

That’s a good deal!! I haven’t tried that paper yet. I usually buy from blick (because Jerry’s takes longer to ship I think) but I’ll compare prices across sites before I buy. Thanks for the recommendation!!☺️

[@marimaf6561]

I think they are mostly color mached. But thare are some color exclusive to museum and some exclusive to luminance. It's a pity, because it's a little harder to curate a maching set of both brands, but you can still do that

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Thanks for the info! I will have to check my color charts to check which colors are which:)

[@gailmariage5318]

Can I use a watercolor pencil as an outline on a light colored painting?

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Yes, but be wary of what color you use! The watercolor pencil will dissolve. So as long as the color is light enough or matches enough with the colors you are going to use in your artwork, it should be fine!

[@grahamekellermeier8280]

It's not my birthday but I still bought a set of 20 set have bought another 20 separately great pencils.

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

you definitely still deserve them! i hope you enjoy them:)

[@ivmara9987]

The first thing that I noticed with Caran D'Ache is that it has so many neutral colors even with the small sets, I don't know why Polychromos has so many Vibrant Colors and Very Few Neutrals for the 24, 36 and even 60. Most of the Vibrant Colors are quite useless for portraits.

[@AlexisCassandraArt]

Yes,the caran d’ache luminance for example includes majority neutrals. Derwent drawing pencils are good for this as well. The polychromos is heavier on bright colors