L'Esprit des Alpes & Supracolor pencils by Caran D'Ache

Swiss company Caran D'Ache are world renowned for their luxury writing instruments, and have been supplying the art world with their quality products since 1915. Today I have two items to show you: their new colouring book and a tin of 30 Supracolor water soluble pencils.

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L'Esprit des Alpes colouring book

Firstly I have to say this is one of the best quality colouring books I've come across. It's wirebound and made with thick, matte card that folds out to reveal artistic tips and techniques, a colour wheel and information about Caran D'Ache's range of materials and what they're most useful for. In the centre is the spiral which holds the 25 original illustrations, all based on the Alps, Swiss landscapes and its indigenous creatures.

The paper quality is second to none, and unsurprisingly has been specifially chosen to work well with high-end pencils. It is 240g/m2 FSC (eco friendly) paper, which basically means very thick card with a smooth surface and tooth. It's suitable for pretty much anything you want to throw at it, whether it be alcohol markers or watercolour paints. The book is 30 x 24cm and the illustrations within are all one sided and perforated for displaying when complete. Line thickness is consistent throughout and although the pages are extremely detailed, there aren't too many tiny spaces. The book also comes with one huge extra- a fold-out A2 sized poster.

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Supracolor Soft Water Soluble pencils

Although I have a few sets of watercolour pencils I haven't really had the chance to work with them much, and to be honest I didn't think they were worth the hassle. How wrong I was! I didn't realise just how highly pigmented watercolour pencils are, and all the great things you can do with them. 

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​Supracolor Soft pencils are superior quality and give intense colour and brilliant coverage. They have a dense lead which can cover larger areas with ease, and despite their softness they feel robust and sturdy in the hand. They're comfortable to hold and have their name and colour code debossed in gold. Even the small pack of 30 has some really interesting colour tones, all of them vivid and vibrant. 

They blend seamlessly, especially with the addition of water. Using these is almost like painting, but with the precision that only the point of a pencil can give.

These pencils can be used not only with water but smudged and blended with fingertips to give a soft effect, similar to pastels. When you do add water though, a whole new world opens up! You can put a water wash down on the page first and colour over the top, colour first then wash, or dip the pencil tip into water which I prefer. Check out my quick video tutorial of the differences between wet and dry colouring with Supracolors.

Here is some practicing I've been doing with the pencils.

You can purchase both of these products with FREE UK DELIVERY on Cult Pens here:
L'Espirit des Alpes colouring book - £21.99
30 Caran D'Ache Supracolor pencils - £59.99