Staedtler's watercolor pencil lineup
The Karat Aquarell is Staedtler's artist-line watercolor pencil. German manufacturing, consistent quality control, and a product history going back to the 1970s. None of that guarantees a good pencil, but they've had a long time to get the formula right, and they largely have. I find myself recommending these more often than people expect, because the name just doesn't carry the weight of Faber-Castell or Derwent.
Staedtler doesn't get much attention in watercolor pencil circles. Part of that is marketing, and part of it is genuinely unexciting packaging. The pencils themselves are better than their profile suggests. If you've been skipping past them in a catalog, it's worth going back.
Pigment and color quality
The color saturation is good, especially in the blue and green ranges. Prussian blue, phthalo green, viridian: those colors come out rich and clear. The cool spectrum is genuinely one of the stronger points of this set. Warmer tones are decent without being exceptional. The yellows are clean but not as luminous as Faber-Castell's cadmium equivalents, and the oranges sit in the middle of the pack.
What I notice most is consistency. On other sets I've used, the pigment load varies noticeably between colors; some are dense and rich, others feel thin. The Karat Aquarell is more uniform across the range. It's not the highest average quality in the market, but the quality doesn't drop out unexpectedly on individual colors the way it can with Prismacolor.
Water performance
The dissolution is clean. Pigment lifts off the paper evenly and spreads without clumping or leaving granular patches. In that sense it's about on par with Derwent: predictable, controlled, no surprises. I did four wet layers in one test without the surface muddying, and a fifth where the result started to show some cloudiness but remained workable.
They don't bloom as dramatically as Caran d'Ache Supracolor when you push them wet-into-wet. If you like big fluid color movements, the Karat Aquarell feels slightly restrained by comparison. But that same quality makes them very controllable for detailed work. The pigment goes where you put it. For botanical illustration purposes, I find that reliability valuable.
Lightfastness
Most colors in the Karat Aquarell range come in at lightfastness III or IV, which puts them in solid territory for hobbyist and semi-professional work. That's better than most student-grade pencils and comparable to Derwent. A few colors, particularly some of the purples, drop to a II rating, meaning they're more susceptible to fading over time. Worth checking before you use those colors in work for clients or pieces you want to keep for decades.
For wall art, portfolio work, or anything you plan to frame and display, the III/IV colors are fine. Just build a habit of checking the individual rating on any color you're planning to use in important work.
Staedtler vs Faber-Castell: is the price difference worth it?
Staedtler Karat Aquarell typically runs 20 to 30 percent cheaper than the equivalent Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer set. The quality gap is real but narrower than the price difference. In a direct comparison, Faber-Castell edges ahead on pigment richness and overall lightfastness. The FC leads also perform slightly better on fine-line botanical detail, which matters to me in my own work.
For most everyday watercolor pencil use, though, the Staedtler holds its own. If you're journaling, painting landscapes, experimenting with technique, or working in a style where absolute top-end pigment quality isn't required, the savings are meaningful and the performance is more than adequate. I wouldn't tell someone to spend an extra $30 on Faber-Castell just for the name. The decision should come down to whether your specific work actually demands the performance difference.
Best for
- ✓ Beginners buying their first artist-grade set
- ✓ Students learning watercolor pencil technique
- ✓ Adults who want quality without overspending
- ✓ Artists needing a reliable everyday set
Not ideal for
- ✗ Professional illustrators or fine artists
- ✗ Anyone needing archival-grade lightfastness
- ✗ Botanical artists requiring precise color accuracy
- ✗ Artists ready to invest in professional-grade tools
Staedtler Karat vs Derwent Watercolour
Two of the best mid-range options. Here is how they compare across every test dimension:
| Criteria | Staedtler Karat | Derwent Watercolour |
|---|---|---|
| Pigment Quality | 7.8 / 10 | 8.3 / 10 |
| Lightfastness | 7.5 / 10 | 8.0 / 10 |
| Water Solubility | 8.0 / 10 | 8.8 / 10 |
| Value for Money | 8.8 / 10 | 8.5 / 10 |
| Build Quality | 8.2 / 10 | 8.2 / 10 |
| Best for | Beginners, everyday use | Fine line, detailed work |
| Set sizes | 12–48 colors | 12–72 colors |
Staedtler wins on value. Derwent wins on pigment and lightfastness. If budget is your primary concern, Staedtler. If you want a set to grow into, Derwent.