Royal & Langnickel Sketching Set Review

I received this sketching set as a gift for Christmas. Thank you to the very generous friend for the gifts!

Now, onto the art set. This is a sketching and drawing set by Royal & Langnickel. I have found their paint brushes to be of nice quality, especially for the price. Therefore, considering my satisfaction with their brushes I am eager to try out this set.

First a list of what it includes:

12 graphite pencils - 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, and 6B

3 Charcoal pencils - soft, medium, and hard

4 vine charcoal sticks

6 graphite sticks - B, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B

3 Charcoal sticks - soft, medium, and hard

1 Tortillon

1 Sandpaper block

1 metal two hole pencil sharpener

Plastic eraser - not quite sure as R&L call it a drawing eraser

Kneaded eraser

Reusable plastic container

The Swatch Test

I have swatched both the graphite and the charcoal media in the pages of my sketchbook below.

As for my initial impressions of the art set, they look to be of nice quality considering that they are intended for I think the beginning to Intermediate artist.

The pencils have a nice black, white and gray color scheme which give them a nice look which looks nice alongside other brands like Tombow, Derwent and others, who also have their own unique looks and colors for their pencils.

I like how the gradients are easily identifiable on these pencils as well. A few of them, the paint is a little uneven on the label, but it didn't completely prevent me from being able to read it.

As for the graphite leads, they appear to be fairly well centered for the most part, which is also nice and indicates a pretty nice pencil.

As the graphite pencils came pre-sharpened, I could begin swatching right away. So I did. When I finished I noticed that there wasn't a lot of difference between the B grades until the 3B and 2B pencils. The others looked pretty similar. This is unlike my other professional brands of graphite pencils. The H grades were clearly lighter than the B grades, but between each of them, there was not a lot of difference except between the hardest to hard grades.

The graphite is smooth, however and I noticed that it has very little roughness in it. In one of the H grade pencils, there was a little scratchiness in the graphite and therefore, there might be some impurities, but it didn't hinder my swatches terribly.

The biggest change in the pencils gradients which I noticed were the thinness in the lines I could make. This was due to a noticeable difference between the size of the leads. This is true for professional pencils, but it seemed more obvious here. I'm not sure if they used this to achieve a darker shade easier as well or not. However, this can be useful in the future if I want to draw wide or thin lines with normal pencils and not use a mechanical pencil.

Overall, I give these pencils a 4/5

Graphite Sticks

Now onto the graphite sticks. I have been wanting to try these for a long time for an art challenge. I'm very excited that I get to finally try them.

Most of the labels can be read easily, but a few are faded. However, I'm also wondering how one will know which is which with use. I will keep these in the box and carefully sorted in the container for protection from breakage as well as knowing which is which.

The graphite is smooth and with these, I noticed a much greater difference in the gradients and hard to softness of the graphite. You can either use it to get an edge or use the sandpaper block to make an angle or shape to use them. I have swatched them all in this way.

I also used the leftover powder to make a swatch of at the bottom of the paper. This can be useful to save in a separate container for later.

Overall I think I will have a lot of fun with the sticks and I give them a 4.5/5

Charcoal Pencils

The charcoal pencils come unsharpened. I've seen other companies do this as well and I think it's because charcoal is much softer than graphite and therefore can break easily.

I sharpened them using the metal sharpener and it works quite nicely. However, it doesn't bring them to a point right away unlike my other sharpeners. Although, this isn't a terrible problem as I can use the sandpaper. It just makes for an extra step is all. But, the sharpener did not break the lead and it sharpened them easily. I noticed it created some very nice shavings as well.

I also noticed that these appear to be out of a different kind of wood than the graphite pencils. They appear to be ceder wood and the graphite pencils appear to be possibly pine or something like that.

The leads all appeared to be centered prior to sharpening.

As for the gradients, there isn't a lot of difference. They feel much like my Master's Touch Charcoal pencils as well as the darkness of them. However, it is smooth and this is very nice.

As for the charcoal sticks, the labels are very nice and easy to read. The charcoal is very smooth here as well and the shade gradients are not very obvious here either, but still smooth.

Overall, I give both the charcoal pencils and the sticks each a 4.5/5

Now, onto to the accessories:

Pencil sharpener: All metal and smooth on the inside. The blades are nice and sharp and there are two holes, one for larger pencils, the other for standard. So far, it sharpens them easily and well. However, shavings can get stuck at the bottom and you might have to carefully tap them out or blow them out carefully with air. 4/5

Blending Stick: The paper is very tight and this one is quite small.

Drawing eraser: This eraser is very hard compared to many I have. It is white and comes in a sleeve which is a good trait for drawing erasers.

Kneaded eraser: The kneaded eraser is blue in color and is not easy to get out of the cardboard box. I wish they had packed this one better and possibly in a small container as kneaded erasers can dry out with time, so it's best to keep them in a plastic bag or container when not in use. This one is blue in color which they usually are gray. I am concerned that the dye might come out onto the paper at some point.

Sandpaper block: This is a very small sandpaper block containing only about four sheets of fairly rough paper. I noticed that it really roughs up the drawing sticks. I think in the future I will make my own and get a little finger grit sandpaper. It also does not have a lot of area in which to use it unlike others I have used in the past. 2/5

The Instruction Booklet

The book is formatted in a step by step format, primarily. It begins with an introduction to the art materials contained in this set as well as a bit about how to use them and some useful tips. 

One thing I dislike in the introduction is that they show the different gradients for the compressed sticks as well as the charcoal pencils, but they do not do this for the drawing pencils. Rather, they merely show the tips of the pencils instead. 

There are two drawing tutorials in the booklet. One is a leaf and the other is a nature landscape. These are both to teach shading and what the different gradients of pencils do as well as different strokes you can use with the pencils. I thought these to be useful and I learned a few things as well. 

One thing I wished was contained in one of the tutorials was use of more gradients or all of them, just so you could get more of a variety. 

Another thing was in the Supply Lists of both of the projects, they contained items which are not included in this set, nor would I expect a beginner to have these things. 

The three items being:

• Tracing paper
• Stylus
• Graphite transfer paper

I do have these items, but they are a more recent addition to my art supplies in the last year. I do use them quite a lot and feel the need now to demonstrate techniques with these tools in the future as well as where to find them. 

Rating: 3/5

The Instruction Video

I watched the entire instructional video on YouTube. It is located here:

This video is meant to be used in conjunction with the Instruction Booklet, therefore, I advise this. There are also line drawings, which the artist refers to on this website. 

You can print them off if you wish, or free-hand the sketches. 

The video gives some additional tips as well as video footage of the artist drawing the projects. You can draw along with her or pause it or watch the entire video and use the book as reference. Any of these out other methods can be useful. 

Overall, I found the video to be better than the booklet on explanation and demonstration of techniques. This is something especially needed for a beginner. Intermediate artists can benefit from this video as well. There are additional videos on the Royal & Langnickel channel. The artist has a channel as well with many helpful videos here:

The two projects showcased in the video and instruction book, I will draw them and later, I will go into more detail of these in further posts as I believe it will be better to do so.

In conclusion of this extensive review, I would recommend this set to beginner and intermediate artists. It is a good set to start with, especially if some of the basics are difficult to find. It also allows you to try out different forms of media as well. 

Overall Rating

Pros:

• Economical
• Contains most of the basic supplies for drawing and sketching
• Supplies of good quality
• Contains companion lessons which teach various techniques
• Fun and relatively easy to use
• Great for beginning and intermediate artists or those wishing to try out another medium
• Great for travel as a reusable case is included
• Can be an economical solution for professionals who enjoy sketching things and don't want to risk losing their expensive art supplies

Cons:

• Does not contain any kind of sketchbook or at least some good drawing paper. 
• Some of the supplies listed in the booklet are not typically used by a beginning artist and they may not be aware of them. (Stylus and graphite transfer paper specifically)
• This is not intended for professionals. 
• I am not sure if the supplies are available in a pack or individually for replacement if used up

Overall Rating of entire set:

4/5

Once again,

Thank you for reading! 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!