Derwent Lightfast vs Polychromos: Which Coloured Pencils Are Best?
- debbielouart1
- Aug 13
- 5 min read
If you're looking to invest in professional-quality coloured pencils, there's a good chance you've come across both Derwent Lightfast and Faber-Castell Polychromos.
But which should you choose?
It's a question that's particularly difficult when you're fairly new to coloured pencils. Both ranges have an excellent reputation, neither is a budget option, and you'll find artists who absolutely love one or the other.
I use both Derwent Lightfast and Polychromos in my own animal artwork, and the truth is that I don't think one is simply better than the other.
They behave differently.
And understanding those differences can make choosing between them much easier.
Derwent Lightfast vs Polychromos at a Glance
Faber-Castell Polychromos
Firmer pencil
Excellent for fine details
Holds a sharp point very well
Layers beautifully
Large 140-colour range
Particularly useful for detailed fur and textures
Derwent Lightfast
Softer, creamier feel
Rich colour application
Excellent lightfastness
Lovely for building smooth layers
100-colour range
Works beautifully alongside other professional pencil ranges
Both are artist-quality pencils, but you'll notice the difference between them as soon as you start drawing.
What Are Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils Like?
Polychromos are one of the pencil ranges I use most frequently in my animal artwork.
They have a relatively firm core, which I find particularly useful when I'm working on fur, whiskers and other areas where I want more control.
Because they hold their point so well, I can create very fine pencil strokes without constantly having to stop and sharpen my pencil.
That doesn't mean they're only useful for details, though.
Polychromos layer extremely well, and that's particularly important for the way I teach coloured pencil.
Rather than trying to achieve the final colour immediately, I gradually build multiple light layers. This allows the colours underneath to influence the layers above and helps create much more depth.
What I like about Polychromos
For animal artwork, some of their biggest advantages are:
excellent control
a strong point for fine fur
beautiful layering
a very large colour range
good earthy and natural colours
the ability to gradually build depth without applying lots of pressure
they've just released a new set of 20 pencils
They're also readily available individually, which means you don't necessarily have to buy a complete set.
In fact, if you're a beginner, I wouldn't recommend rushing out to buy 140 pencils.
A carefully chosen selection of colours can take you surprisingly far.
What Are Derwent Lightfast Pencils Like?
Derwent Lightfast feel noticeably different from Polychromos.
They're softer and creamier, and you can often achieve rich colour more quickly.
That can make them really enjoyable to work with, particularly when you're building up larger areas of colour or want a beautifully smooth finish.
They're still capable of creating fine detail, but because the core is softer, they don't have quite the same firm feeling as Polychromos.
One of their biggest selling points is, of course, in the name: Lightfast.
Lightfastness refers to how resistant a pigment is to fading when it's exposed to light over time. That's particularly important if you're creating original artwork to display or sell.
What I like about Derwent Lightfast
Some of their biggest strengths are:
wonderfully creamy application
rich pigmentation
smooth layering
excellent lightfastness
a beautiful range of natural colours
they combine extremely well with other coloured-pencil brands
I particularly like having Lightfast available alongside my other pencils rather than feeling that I have to restrict myself to a single brand.
Which Is Better for Drawing Realistic Fur?
If your main goal is drawing animals and realistic fur, I'd personally give Polychromos the advantage for fine detail.
Their firmer core makes it easier to create controlled, tapered strokes, and they retain a sharp point extremely well.
But there's an important point here.
Realistic fur isn't created simply by drawing hundreds of individual hairs.
The realism comes from what happens underneath those final details.
I build my animal drawings in layers, establishing the colours, values, shadows and form before adding the sharpest fur details towards the end.
For those earlier layers, the creamy quality of Derwent Lightfast can be lovely.
So this doesn't necessarily have to be an either/or decision.
Which Pencil Is Easier for Beginners?
This is a tricky one because it depends on how you naturally like to draw.
A beginner may initially enjoy the softer feeling of Derwent Lightfast because the pencils produce rich colour relatively easily.
Polychromos can require a little more patience.
But that isn't necessarily a disadvantage.
Learning to use light pressure and gradually build your layers is one of the most useful skills you can develop with coloured pencils.
If you're learning realistic animal drawing, I'd therefore be very happy recommending Polychromos as a first professional pencil range.
They're predictable, controllable and incredibly versatile.
Do You Need a Full Set?
Absolutely not.
This is something I really want beginners to know.
It's very easy to look at professional artists using enormous collections of pencils and assume you need the same thing before you can create good artwork.
You don't.
I'd much rather see a beginner learn how to layer, blend and mix colours using a smaller selection of good-quality pencils than spend hundreds of pounds on a complete set they don't yet know how to use.
One of the advantages of professional pencil ranges such as Polychromos and Lightfast is that individual pencils can be purchased separately.
That means you can gradually build your collection as you discover which colours you actually use.
Can You Use Derwent Lightfast and Polychromos Together?
Yes — and I do.
You don't have to choose one brand and use it exclusively.
Different pencil ranges have different qualities, and combining them allows you to take advantage of those differences.
For example, I might prefer the creamy application of one pencil for a particular layer but choose a firmer Polychromos pencil when I want to add very fine details over the top.
As you become more experienced with coloured pencils, you'll begin to develop favourites from different ranges.
Your pencil case doesn't have to match!
What About Price?
Derwent Lightfast vs Polychromos - which is most affordable?
Both of these are premium artist-quality coloured pencils, so I'd treat either as an investment rather than an essential purchase for somebody experimenting with coloured pencils for the very first time.
Before buying a large set, compare the current price of individual pencils and smaller sets.
You could even buy a handful of individual Polychromos and Lightfast pencils and try them for yourself.
That's often far more useful than reading twenty reviews because you'll quickly discover which feels better in your hand and with your drawing style.
Derwent Lightfast vs Polychromos: Which Would I Choose?
If you asked me to choose just one range specifically for realistic animal drawing, I'd choose Faber-Castell Polychromos.
The firmness, control, ability to hold a sharp point and beautiful layering make them incredibly useful for the way I create animal artwork.
But that doesn't make Derwent Lightfast the loser.
Far from it.
Lightfast are beautiful professional pencils, and their softer, creamy application complements Polychromos extremely well.
If you're building your collection gradually, there's absolutely nothing wrong with owning colours from both ranges.
In fact, that's exactly what I do.
The Pencil Matters — But Technique Matters More
There's one final thing I'd like you to take away from this comparison.
Buying more expensive pencils won't automatically make your drawings more realistic.
The pencils are simply your tools.
Learning how to control your pressure, build layers, observe your reference photograph, follow the direction of the fur and understand when to add detail will make a much bigger difference to your artwork.
So if you're looking at that beautiful box of 100 or 140 pencils and wondering whether you need it before you can become a better artist, you don't.
Start with what you have, learn what your pencils can do, and build your collection as your skills develop.
That's a much better investment in your art.
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