100 colours + 2 blenders
The complete Luminance 6901 range
Swiss made in Geneva. 81 colours rated LFI, the highest rating.

Every Luminance colour Caran d'Ache makes. All 100 of them. Including eight shades you will not find anywhere else on the Caran d'Ache colour chart, a pencil blender and a full blender, all sitting in high density foam in one box. If you have ever reached for a colour and found it missing, this is the cure. Forever.

★ Art Shed Staff Tip
Use the blank spaces in a sketchbook to make your own swatch chart of all 100 colours, light pressure on one side and full pressure on the other. It becomes the most useful reference you own.
Perfect For
Professional illustrationRealismBotanical and wildlife artCommissionsColour obsessivesThe ultimate gift

What You Get in the Box of 100

◉In the Box100 pencils + 2 blenders
All 100 Luminance colours, including 8 shades unique to Caran d'Ache, plus a pencil blender and a Full Blender.
★LightfastnessASTM D-6901 rated
Every colour rated LFI or LFII under ASTM D-6901, the coloured pencil lightfastness standard.
✎Lead3.8mm permanent
Creamy, wax based, high pigment lead that layers, blends and burnishes. Water resistant once down.
✓Made InGeneva, Switzerland
FSC certified cedar barrels, colour matched to the lead, with the colour name and number printed on each.

The complete range is a different way of working. Instead of mixing a colour you pick it up. Subtle skin tones, a full family of greys, earths for landscapes and fur, brilliant brights and the deep darks realism needs, all in one box. Eighty one of the 100 colours are rated LFI, the top lightfastness rating under ASTM D-6901, and the rest are LFII.

You also get both kinds of Caran d'Ache blender. The pencil blender is perfect for small, controlled areas and the Full Blender, a colourless oil and wax medium, smooths bigger passages. The box measures about 35 x 20 x 6cm, with each pencil held in high density foam.

Which Luminance Set Is Right for You?
Box of 12: The way in. Core colours to find out what the fuss is about.
Box of 20: A proper working palette for drawing and illustration.
Portrait Box of 20: Twenty skin, hair and fur tones built for portraits of people and pets.
Box of 40: Our pick for serious drawing. Warm and cool versions of the colours that matter.
Box of 76 + 2 Blenders: The classic Luminance palette plus two full blenders.
Box of 100 + 2 Blenders (you are here): The complete range, every Luminance colour.
Wooden Box of 76: The classic palette in a mahogany coloured birch wooden box.
Wooden Box of 100 + 12: The complete range in a light oak case. The ultimate.

The Caran d'Ache Difference: Swiss Made Since 1915

Caran d'Ache has made drawing tools in Geneva for more than a century, and they still make them the slow way, in their own Swiss workshops at Thônex just outside the city. Not outsourced, not rebadged, not made wherever is cheapest this year. Every Luminance pencil is designed and made in Switzerland, from the pigment-rich lead to the FSC certified cedar that wraps it.

It is still a family company too. The Hübscher family has led Caran d'Ache since the 1930s, and today Carole Hübscher runs it as the fourth generation. That continuity is why the quality does not wobble from batch to batch. The Luminance pencil you buy this year lays down exactly like the one you bought five years ago, which matters when you are matching colours across a body of work.

This is the company that launched Prismalo in 1931, the world's first watercolour pencil, so coloured pencils are not a side line for them, they are the whole point. Luminance is their flagship, the pencil they put their name to for professional, archival work. We have stocked Caran d'Ache at Art Shed Brisbane for years, and Luminance is the pencil our coloured pencil artists save up for.

A Century of Colour in Geneva
1915 Founded in Geneva as a pencil factory.
1924 Renamed Caran d'Ache, after the Russian word for pencil, karandash.
1931 Launches Prismalo, the world's first watercolour pencil.
Luminance Built to the ASTM D-6901 lightfastness standard for coloured pencils.
100 The Luminance range grows to 100 colours, including shades unique to Caran d'Ache.
Today Still family owned, still made in its own Geneva workshops.

Why Professional Artists Choose Luminance

  • Lightfastness you can prove. Made to ASTM D-6901 with every colour rated LFI or LFII. Your originals and commissions keep their colour.
  • A lead that does the work. Creamy and pigment rich, so colour goes down in fewer layers and burnishes to a painterly finish.
  • Colour you can find again. Every barrel matches its lead and carries the colour name and number, so reordering is easy.
  • Responsibly made. FSC certified cedar, designed and made in Switzerland.
  • Open stock. Every colour is sold individually, so your box never has to run out.

Working with the Full Luminance Palette

With 100 colours, choose rather than mix. Lay your local colour, then glaze over with a slightly warmer or cooler neighbour to build depth without muddying.

Burnish final layers with the blender or a light colour for a painterly finish, then go back in with sharp detail. The 3.8mm leads keep a good point for whiskers, eyelashes and texture.

For mixed media, lay a dry underpainting first and finish with Luminance on top.

Browse more coloured pencil sets, all our pencil sets, or the full Caran d'Ache range.

Questions About the Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901 Box of 100 + 2 Blenders

Does the Luminance Box of 100 include every colour?

Yes. It contains all 100 Luminance 6901 colours, including 8 shades unique to the Caran d'Ache colour chart, plus a pencil blender and a Full Blender. 81 of the colours are rated LFI and the rest LFII under ASTM D-6901.

What makes the Luminance colour range different?

Luminance now runs to 100 colours, including shades that are unique to the Caran d'Ache colour chart, with a strong spread of skin tones, earths and greys alongside the brights. The colour number and name are printed on every pencil and the barrel matches the lead colour, so you always know exactly what you are reaching for.

How lightfast are Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils?

Luminance is made to ASTM D-6901, the international lightfastness standard for coloured pencils, which rates colours from LFI (the best) down. Caran d'Ache rates every Luminance colour LFI or LFII, and in the full 100 colour range 81 colours are LFI. That is why galleries and collectors are happy to hang Luminance work, it is built to resist fading for up to 100 years under normal display conditions.

Luminance vs Polychromos: which is better?

They are different, not better or worse. Luminance has a creamy, wax based permanent lead that lays down rich colour quickly and burnishes beautifully, and its lightfastness ratings are the headline. Faber-Castell Polychromos is oil based, slightly firmer and holds a sharper point for fine detail. Lots of artists use both, Luminance for rich layers and burnishing, a firmer pencil for crisp details on top.

How do you blend Luminance pencils?

Layer light pressure first, then build up. You can burnish with a white or light colour for a smooth, painterly finish, use a colourless Caran d'Ache pencil blender to melt layers together, or use the Full Blender, a colourless oil and wax medium, for larger areas. Luminance's creamy lead responds to all three.

Why is Caran d'Ache considered such high quality?

Because they still make it themselves. Caran d'Ache has made drawing tools in its own Geneva workshops since 1915, is still family owned, and controls everything from pigment to finished pencil. Luminance is their flagship coloured pencil, made to the ASTM D-6901 lightfastness standard in FSC certified cedar. That consistency is why professional artists trust it for work they want to last.

What is the best way to sharpen Luminance pencils?

Use a quality sharpener with a sharp blade and turn gently, or use a craft knife for a long point. The lead is soft and creamy, so avoid cheap blunt sharpeners that chew the wood and snap the lead. Store the pencils flat in their box to protect the leads.

Where can I buy Caran d'Ache Luminance in Australia?

Right here. Art Shed Online is an authorised Australian stockist of Caran d'Ache, buying through the official Australian distributor, so you get genuine Swiss-made Luminance, never a grey import. We ship fast Australia wide, and our team are artists who use these pencils themselves, so ask us anything. The Box of 100 is the complete range in one box.

(NU0185050)

SKU NU0185050
Barcode # 7630002345583
Brand Caran d'Ache
Shipping Weight 1.6000kg
Shipping Width 0.050m
Shipping Height 0.050m
Shipping Length 0.050m

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