Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer MAGNUS Watercolour Pencil, 30 Colours

Albrecht Dürer MAGNUS watercolour pencil – thick lead for drawing and watercolour work

The Albrecht Dürer MAGNUS watercolour pencil from Faber-Castell is an artist-quality watercolour pencil with an extra-thick lead for drawing, painting and watercolour work. You draw dry first, then dissolve the colour with water and a brush, either as a fine wash or over a broad area. The pencil is sold singly; choose your colour from the options. According to the manufacturer, the MAGNUS range includes 30 colours.

The lead is 5.3 mm thick, fully water-soluble and gives a very soft, richly pigmented layer of colour. This lets you cover larger areas quickly too. Faber-Castell describes the lightfastness of all 30 colours as unsurpassed, which matters for work you want to hang or keep. The Secural bonding (SV) makes the lead more resistant to breakage if the pencil is dropped.

Working with watercolour pencils

Apply the colour dry first, for example as a solid area or hatching. Then go over it with a damp brush: with a few strokes the colour spreads out finely or across the whole area. Depending on the paper, the application can be dissolved completely and then behaves like classic watercolour paint. Use watercolour paper, as thin paper buckles when it gets a lot of water. Start with little water; you can always dissolve more colour later.

What the thick lead is suited to

According to Faber-Castell, the chunky pencil is particularly suited to drawing over large areas and quickly building up extensive areas of colour, such as backgrounds, skies or meadows. For very fine details, a pencil with a thinner lead is a better choice. The pencil offers a chunky grip and, according to the manufacturer, is easy on the wrist, so you can paint and draw for longer without tiring.

Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer MAGNUS watercolour pencil product details

• Manufacturer: Faber-Castell, Albrecht Dürer MAGNUS series
• Lead: 5.3 mm thick, fully water-soluble
• Layer of colour: very soft and richly pigmented
• Break resistance: Secural bonding (SV)
• Lightfastness: unsurpassed in all 30 colours, according to the manufacturer
• Colour selection: 30 colours, sold as a single pencil
• Contents: 1 pencil

You will also need: watercolour paper, brush, water, sharpener for thick pencils