That being said, these pencils are what Stabilo calls a “partially aquarelle” set. This color gap is particularly noticeable in the smaller 12 and 24 count sets (although this will be an issue with any small set that you go with). There are a few “earthy” tones but for people who are looking to build up detailed areas of a darker part of a drawing or simply prefer darker tones to their work in general, you may find yourself having to pick through other larger sets to find the exact color that you are looking for. What is somewhat lacking is in the darker colors. And for their size, they produce a good amount of color intensity when you want it. In addition to this, there is an acceptable selection of blues and greens. You will find a nice selection of yellows and reds. Stabilo has seemed to put a lot of focus on “brighter” colors.

Part of this has to do with the color choices. This is important for a pencil with such a thin core as a very subtle color output would result in you having to make a lot of passes to get the intensity that you are looking for. The color that is produced is relatively vivid. But where they may struggle is in producing large amounts of color which are necessary for more subtle parts of a drawing such as blue skies, the sides of solid buildings, etc. They will be great for drawing hair/fur, small tree branches, or providing high levels of detail onto various objects that you may be drawing. Since these pencils do have such a thin core, their focus will be on intricate areas of an art piece.

Asking prices typically fall into the intermediate-range and set sizes range from singles up to 39. And being semi water-soluble, it can also enjoy some of the benefits of a watercolor pencil while still retaining many of the more traditional features of a dry colored pencil. It comes with an extremely thin 2.5mm diameter core which makes it great for intricate areas. Stabilo’s Original Colored Pencil set is a wax-based pencil that is designed for artists ranging from beginners up to seasoned professionals.

Stabilo aquatico pencils