How Artist Pencils are Made - On Location at Derwent | Jackson's Art

Our On Location series reveals where some of the best-loved art materials are made, and provides insight into the working methods of the people who make them. This time, we travelled to England’s beautiful Lake District in Cumbria to visit the Derwent pencil factory. Here, highly experienced workers produce a wide range of artists’ pencils, drawing tools, and accessories, from their heritage Artists coloured pencil range and innovative Inktense collections to their premium Lightfast pencils.

0:00 The Lake District
0:06 Inside the Derwent factory
0:30 Introduction

0:52 The pigment mixing area - An expert colour mixer consults a recipe form, known as a ‘works order’. This form lists the correct ratio of each part. A scoop is used to attain the right weight and proportion of the separate ingredients as they are tipped into a paper sack.

1:00 Pigment Mixing - Once this batch preparation is complete, the sack is taken to a bank of mixing machines. A particular machine will be selected based on the colour to be mixed. The mix is poured into the machine, and water is added to make a paste.

1:43 Billeting - With the colour mix completed, it can go one of two ways, depending on the type of product. Mixes intended for pencils are put through a Loader. This machine begins the process of turning the mix into the ‘strips’ that form the colour core of a Derwent pencil.

1:59 The 'Billet' - The billets are loaded into the Press. The Press can be fitted with dies of varying diameters appropriate to the product being produced.

2:14 Rolling Cans - These are loaded into Rolling Cans, which continuously roll the strips. This rolling motion ensures they remain straight and prevents warping.

2:42 Waxing - With the exception of pastel and charcoal pencils, which are now ready for Woodwork, all other pencil strips are loaded into tins for wax preparation.

3:45 Blocks and Watercolour pans - Before the billets are pressed, an imprint template must be selected, which embosses the batch with the appropriate branding and relevant product information.

4:30 Woodwork - The cedar wood comes in slats, thin strips of wood which are sent through a Grooving Machine. This applies eight or nine grooves to each slat. A special, customised PVA glue is applied, and the slats are then sandwiched together with the pencil strips inside.

6:17 End Rounding, Stamping, and Sanding - The painted pencils are now loaded onto a machine that gently rounds off the ends. Information unique to each brand of pencil is then stamped onto the barrels using heat and force to apply the hot foil. To complete this stage, a sanding belt shapes and sharpens the pencil tips.

6:55 Dipping - Each pencil must now be vat-dipped with two-colour end-tips applied at a slant. Pencils are loaded onto angled dipping boards and queued for the Dipping Machine. The machine slowly lowers the tips into the dipping lacquer to avoid any sloshing or waves, left submerged for a short time, and lifted out again.

7:16 Unloading - Before packing, the pencil racks are removed from the Hot Box, and a machine is used to transfer the pencils from the dipping racks into cartons that create a ‘gross’ (approximately 144 pencils per gross).

7:28 The Lab - Derwent’s Laboratory is a clean, modest space comprising three compact rooms with workbenches, cupboards, and scientific-looking apparatus. The main room is where regular tests are conducted on current batches of art materials as they pass through the different stages of their production journey.

7:37 The Standards - A shade testing book allows staff to compare the mix with examples against the 'standards'.

7:58 Force Gauge - All sample cores, whether graphite or colour, are tested on a Force Gauge, which breaks the strip and reports the breaking strain.

8:05 Packing - This is the area where staff box, shrink wrap, and label all the products before they make their way across the world.

8:33 Outro
8:57 - Credits

Read and watch our 'In Conversation' film interview on our blog: https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2025/10/31/in-conversation-with-derwent/?utm_campaign=in_convo_ol_derwent&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_content=youtube_social_organic_video_to_blog

Read our 'On Location' article on our blog: https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2025/10/31/on-location-at-derwent/?utm_campaign=in_convo_ol_derwent&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_content=youtube_social_organic_video_to_blog

Go Behind The Brand: https://www.jacksonsart.com/behind-the-brand-derwent?utm_campaign=in_convo_ol_derwent&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_content=youtube_social_organic_video_to_ecom

Shop Derwent on our website: https://www.jacksonsart.com/brands/derwent?utm_campaign=in_convo_ol_derwent&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_content=youtube_social_organic_video_to_ecom

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