These comprehensive artist colored pencils from the Austrian pencil factory Cretacolor harbor extra-thick leads of 6.4 mm in diameter and are thus predestined for opaque and extensive work. The large diameter allows a softer consistency of the lead, which in turn promotes high color intensity and a soft stroke. The leads are highly pigmented and have a slightly waxy and rich color application. The colors can be mixed or painted over so that layers of color can be worked with, and they can be combined with other materials. Available in sets of 12 or 24 shades.

The production of colored pencils is a science in itself and correspondingly complex. A and O are of course the pigments, from the kind of their processing (their digestion) and the added quantity depends on the Fabintensität. In other words, a high pigment content does not necessarily result in high color intensity if the breakdown is poor.
The color smear on the paper is determined by the binder content in the lead, the type of fillers and colorants, and the proportion of waxy components. Finally, the lead diameter also plays a role: leads with a small diameter require more binder for greater breaking strength and therefore appear somewhat harder when drawing. Leads with a larger diameter allow a softer consistency (i.e. less binder), which goes hand in hand with a high color intensity and soft stroke. So-called hydrophile or lipophilic additives (water- or fat-loving additives) determine whether a color is watercolorable or permanent.
All these parameters - type of pigments and additives, proportion of binders and lead diameter - also affect the resulting color. The color palette of our color and watercolor pencils therefore turns out quite different.