Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua Vs Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils Comparison

Hey Artnerds! Earlier this month, we reviewed Faber-Castell's Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils. Today we're checking out their Goldfaber Aqua watercolor pencils, and comparing the two!

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Full shownotes here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17...

48 pencil set, sent by Faber-Castell
This review was not sponsored or commissioned by Faber-Castell- this review is of my own volition, and all opinions are my own. This is part of a larger series reviewing watercolor pencils.

Part of their Creative Studio Line
Comparing it to Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Line
Created for Student and hobby artists
$1.25 per pencil on Blick https://tinyurl.com/w6codbk
Set of 48- $35.01 on Amazon ( https://amzn.to/2KP4gk3)
Set of 24: $31.99 on Amazon (https://amzn.to/2XHRmtw) vs $25.82 (https://amzn.to/2OcnfHw) for Albrecht Durer
Faber-Castell site promises soft and intense color laydown, outstanding colour brilliants (https://tinyurl.com/vtylxdn)

Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua Compared to Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils

Harder lead, not as buttery as the Albrecht Durer
not a lot of dust

Water swatching:
Colors activate pretty readily
Not as pigmented as the Albrecht Durer

Side by side comparison:
Blues (140, 120) are noticeably different in the Goldfaber Aqua line from the Albrecht Durer line. Leads are harder, not as buttery. Goldfaber pencils feel a bit thinner than the Albrecht Durer pencils, and have slightly smaller leads. Definitely not as pigmented.

Side by Side swatches:
Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils are MUCH more saturated and pigmented than the Goldfaber Aqua. The Goldfaber Aqua are quite pale in comparison. Goldfaber is slightly harder not as buttery, and doesn't feel as nice in the hand.

Colorwheel
104, 107, 121, 126, 143, 120

Some dust, not as dusty as other watercolor pencils I've reviewed
Harder than other watercolor pencils
Color caps are slightly deceptive, esp with the blues, making it harder to select colors quickly

Wet:
Most of the color sloughs off from the paper onto the brush into my wash cup
Water is pretty muddy- maybe a lot of optical brighteners?
Colors are rich and saturated while wet
Colors dried vibrant

Better color activation with the Albrecht Durer- You can see more of the pencil is dissolved- not as many pencil marks

Layer Test:
These pencils get consumed fast
Do that same weird layering thing that the Prismacolors did where top layer activates, bottom doesn't, colors don't really mix
Colors don't really mix this way

Secondary Color Swatches:
Much cleaner than mixes I could achieve.
Compared to Albrecht Durer, doesn't dissolve nearly as well, Albrecht Durer both layers have better activation
Pigmentation is way better in the Albrecht Durer pencils

Verdict:
Do not handle as well as Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils- but that makes sense, they're Student watercolor pencils, not professional. However, when listings say 'highest quality materials', it's understandable that there might be confusion!

In terms of performance, I would put these above Prismacolor Watercolor pencils but below Winsor and Newton watercolor pencils. If it comes down to the Goldfaber Aqua vs Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils though, I recommend spending a little more money and getting the Albrecht Durer.

Color activation, pigmentation, and pigment saturation are better with the Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils. Pencils are also lightfast tested and list lightfastness on individual pencils, so if you care about archival quality, Albrecht Durer is a better pick. Color names listed on pencils make it easier to pick the colors you want, Goldfaber Aqua is more guessing. Goldfaber Aqua pencils feel lighter, and the core is slightly smaller, so you're getting less overall pigment per pencil.

Music:
Kevin MacLeod- DD Groove
Meditation Impromptu 03
Impact Lento
Tranquility
Dream Culture

#FaberCastell #FaberCastellGoldFaber #GoldFaberwatercolorpencils