Derwent Metallic Mixed Media Set Review: Shimmering Pencils and Paint Pans in One Gift Box

Introduction

The Derwent Metallic Mixed Media Set bundles pencils, paint pans, and a water brush into one compact, gift-ready box. It is a set aimed at anyone who wants shimmer and metallic effects in their artwork without assembling the pieces separately, and it works across both light and dark paper. Here is what you get, how it performs, and a few things worth weighing up before buying.

What’s Inside the Set

The set contains 19 pieces in total: 12 metallic pencils, 6 metallic paint pans, and a water brush, all presented in a box with a magnetic closure and a black foam insert that keeps everything protected and in place. The water brush has a medium brush tip, a cap that posts onto the back so it will not roll off your desk, and a generously sized reservoir you fill by unscrewing the barrel. Pressing the marked section near the brush forces more water through for wetter strokes, while releasing it gives you a finer trickle and more control.

The pencils cover rose gold, red, silver, purple, blue, green, mint, yellow, gold, bronze, graphite, and another silver tone. They are non-water-soluble with a 3.8mm core in a slim 7mm hexagonal barrel, made in Britain, with the pigment name and number printed near the end for open stock reference.

Performance on White and Black Paper

Tested on decent quality paper, the pencils lay down a clear metallic sheen in their dry form, and they do not budge when water is applied afterwards, with no smearing or bleeding. That is genuinely useful when working alongside the paint pans, because pencil lines or areas stay intact even if you wash paint over or around them.

The striking result is the difference in paper. On white paper the colors look nice, but on black paper the sheen and shine of the pencils really come alive. The same applies to the paint pans: several pans are intensely glittery and shimmery, while a couple are more subtle up close, but overall the dark paper delivers the effect this set is designed for. The black paper used in testing was Derwent’s own black mixed media pad, a 300gsm A4 pad with a smooth, hot-press-like surface that handled light water use well, though like any mixed media paper it will buckle if soaked with heavy wet-on-wet work.

Using the Paint Pans and Water Brush

The paint pans activate beautifully with a little sprayed or brushed water. On the white watercolor paper tested, the metallic colors loaded up richly on the water brush and went down with a clear glittering effect. How metallic the finish appears depends on how much water you use: heavy dilution washes out the shimmer, so a loaded, less-diluted stroke shows the effect best.

A couple of pans were noticeably harder to activate on the first test, but once woken up with water they loaded the brush without trouble. The water brush itself holds a substantial amount of water compared to many on the market, which suits outdoor sketching well, though studio watercolorists with a full brush selection will likely reach for their own brushes instead.

In practice, these paints shine most as an accent medium. One artist example saw a name lettered in metallic paint over a traditional watercolor painting, and the glitter finish made that element stand out with real dimension against the surrounding matte color.

Practical Considerations Before Buying

The main criticism of this set is the paint pans: there is no numbering, naming, or color information on the pans or the box, so you have no way of knowing exactly which shades you own without digging around online. For a student or hobby-grade set, that information should really be printed somewhere in the box, and it is the one design choice that feels like an oversight.

Also worth thinking about: if you use the pans while they sit in the foam insert, the surrounding foam will get wet and stained over time. Some buyers may prefer to move the pans into a small metal tin rather than work directly from the box. On the plus side, the pencils sharpen cleanly with no issues, and the foam clearly protected them well. The presentation also makes this an easy gift for artists, crafters, or adult coloring enthusiasts.

Conclusion

The Derwent Metallic Mixed Media Set is an appealing package for anyone who wants reliable metallic effects: non-soluble pencils that hold their lines under wet media, paint pans that glow on dark paper, and a genuinely useful water brush, all in a protected magnetic gift box. The missing pan color labels are a real annoyance, but they do not take away from how well the media perform. If shimmer and metallic accents are part of your workflow, or you are buying a gift for someone who enjoys adding sparkle to their work, this set makes a strong case for itself.