Caran d’Ache Luminance vs. Derwent Lightfast - Which Should You Choose?

The Caran d'Ache Luminance and the Derwent Lightfast pencils are both top-tier professional colored pencils.

These pencils are two of the most popular brands among artists (including myself) because of their blending, lightfastness, and vibrant colors.

In this article, we'll compare both sets in detail to find out which one is best for you.

Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).

Which Is Better? A Short Answer

Overall, the Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils are slightly better than the Derwent Lightfast, thanks to their superior blending and layering capabilities. 

Both brands offer excellent build quality and lightfastness, but your choice will depend on your needs. 

If you prioritize blending and smooth layering, the Luminance pencils are ideal. However, if you focus on creating fine details, the Derwent Lightfast pencils might suit you better.

Quick Overview of the Caran d'Ache Luminance

Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils are considered the best in the industry by many artists. And when you read the key features of these pencils it becomes pretty clear why that is.

Key Features

• Core Type: Wax-based, soft and creamy.
• Blending: Exceptional blending capabilities for smooth transitions.
• Layering: They can handle many layers and are ideal for glazing.
• Lightfastness: Fade-resistant for up to 100 years.
• Colors: 100 vibrant, natural shades; highly opaque but some are slightly transparent.
• Build Quality: Durable and break-resistant core; high-quality barrel.
• Unique Benefits: Ability to draw lighter colors over darker ones and a matte finish.

In short, the Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils blend super easily, they are super pigmented, the colors are lightfast, and the build quality is excellent.

Pros and Cons

What I Like:

• Easy blending and glazing.
• Long-lasting, fade-resistant.
• Allows for highlight burnishing ( i.e. applying light colors over dark ones).

What I Don't Like:

• High price point.
• Soft core is unsuitable for fine details.
• Some colors can be a bit transparent.
  

Who Should Use Caran d’Ache Luminance?

The Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils are ideal for professional artists who prioritize blending, vibrant colors, and archival-quality artwork.

If you'd like to know more about the Caran d'Ache Luminance, check out this review I wrote covering these pencils in more detail.

Quick Overview of the Derwent Lightfast

Key Features

• Core Type: Oil-based, surprisingly soft for oil pencils.
• Blending: Smooth blending despite being oil-based.
• Layering: Handles many layers but lacks glazing capabilities.
• Lightfastness: 100% lightfast under museum conditions.
• Colors: Vibrant colors with some transparency; can’t layer lighter over darker post-burnishing.
• Build Quality: Strong, well-protected core with a sleek wooden barrel design.
• Unique Benefits: Combines detail-friendly firmness with good blending ability.

Pros and Cons of the Derwent Lightfast

What I like:

• Blend really well for oil-based pencils.
• Hold a sharp point for details.
• Fade-resistant and professional quality.

What I Don't Like:

• You cannot glaze or apply light colors over dark.
• High price point.

Who Should Use Derwent Lightfast Pencils?

The Derwent Lightfast colored pencils are best suited for professional artists focusing on details and durability, especially for work intended for display.

If you'd like to know more about the Derwent Lightfast pencils, check out this article where I review these pencils in detail.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Now that we've briefly covered the key features of each brand, let's compare them and find out which one is better for your needs.

1. Blending

Belding is probably one of the most important aspects of colored pencils. At least, I think so.

Blending is a technique I use most often, so it's important to me that the pencils I use blend smoothly.

In my experience, the Caran d'Ache Luminance are superior at blending thanks to their creamy wax-based core.

The Derwent Lightfast also blend really well, especially if you consider that they are oil-based. However, they don't blend as easily and smoothly as the Luminance do.

Ratings for Blending

• Caran d'Ache Luminance: (9.5/10)
• Derwent Lightfast: (8/10)

2. Layering

Layering is another technique that is vital when it comes to colored pencils. The more layers a pencil can handle, the deeper and more vibrant the colors will be.

If you can only layer a limited number of times mixing colors will become difficult and the colors might look a bit dull.

The Caran d'Ache Luminance are great for layering. Honestly, you can layer infinitely, even after burnishing.

Their soft core allows for glazing and highlight burnishing meaning you can even color lighter colors over dark ones and you can make subtle color shifts.

The Derwent Lightfast can also layer pretty well. However, due to their oil-based core, you can only a limited number of times. Once you've burnished the pencils, you can't add any more layers.

These pencils also don't allow for glazing and are not the best for highlight burnishing.

Rating for Layering

• Caran d'Ache Luminance: (9.5/10)
• Derwent Lightfast: (7/10)

3. Color Vibrancy and Transparency

Vibrancy and pigmentation are very important to me. Without these, my bold supercar drawings will look dull.

The Caran d'Ache Luminance have great color vibrancy. Most colors are very opaque, but some colors are a bit transparent.

The Derwent Lightfast are also very vibrant and pigmented. And just like the Luminance, most colors are opaque with a few outliers.

Vibrancy and Transparency Ratings

• Caran d'Ache Luminance: (8/10)
• Derwent Lightfast: (7.5/10)

4. Detail Work

When drawing cars, coloring all the details is very important for me and for how realistic my drawing will turn out.

The Caran d'Ache Luminance are not great for drawing small details. You'll need to sharpen them often to keep the sharp point. However, they are quite useful softly adding details by highlight burnishing.

The Derwent Lightfast are good for drawing small details. They are not the best at it, but they do a good enough job in most cases.

Ratings for Drawing Details

• Caran d'Ache Luminance: (6/10)
• Derwent Lightfast: (8/10)

5. Lightfastness

Lightfastness can be an important feature of the colored pencils you use, especially if you're selling your art and want to make sure the colors will look good for years to come.

The Caran d'Ache Luminance have really good lightfastness ratings. Most colors have the highest possible rating (LFI).

The Derwent Lightfast also have great lightfastness ratings. Derwent Claims these pencils won't fade for over 100 years under museum conditions.

Ratings for Lightfastness

• Caran d'Ache Luminance: (10/10)
• Derwent Lightfast: (10/10)

6. Build Quality

For me, build quality is very important. I hate it when I try to sharpen a pencil and the point just keeps breaking and breaking until I've sharpened the whole pencil away...

Luckily, the Caran d'Ache Luminance and the Derwent Lightfast have the best build quality I've ever seen on colored pencils.

You can do with them whatever you want and the core won't break.

Sharpening is also a pleasure. The point of either of these brands has never broken when I tried to sharpen them.

Ratings for Lightfastness

• Caran d'Ache Luminance: (10/10)
• Derwent Lightfast: (10/10)

7. Price

Now the price.

Yes, these are the 2 most expensive professional colored pencils you can buy right now.

But with that, you do get the best pencils in the world that will be a blessing to color with.

I'm not allowed to include a precise price, but if you'd like to know how much they cost, check the links below.

Caran d'Ache Luminance

From Amazon »

Derwent Lightfast

From Amazon »

I've been thinking for a while about what kind of rating I should give these pencils based on the price. 

Do I give them a 1/10 because they're the most expensive pencils out there? Do I give them a 10/10 because of their price/quality ratio?

I settled with the price/quality ratio as I think that's a better representation of the price in this case. In this ratio, I included not only the build quality but also the other qualities of the pencils like blending layering, etc.

Price/Quality Ratings

• Caran d'Ache Luminance: (9.5/10)
• Derwent Lightfast: (9/10)

Head-to-Head Comparison Results

Recommendations and Use Cases

Now that we've compared the Derwent Lightfast and the Caran d'Ache Luminance in detail, here are some recommendations based on some use cases.

Choose Caran d’Ache Luminance if:

• You prioritize blending and smooth transitions.
• You need to draw light colors over dark.
• You value a matte finish in your artwork.

Choose Derwent Lightfast if:

• You need a balance of blending and fine detail capabilities.
• You prefer oil-based pencils for their firmness.
• You want vibrant colors and strong build quality.

Caran d'Ache Luminance

From Amazon »

Derwent Lightfast

From Amazon »

Luuk Minkman

Full-Time Artist Specialized in Automotive Art

I'm an artist and I draw realistic cars with alcohol markers and colored pencils. I have been doing so for a decade. I'm sharing everything I know about drawing on this blog. On here, you can find all you need to know to learn how you can draw realistic cars and other subjects yourself. Stay updated by following me on Instagram.