Jack Verhaeg

Jack Verhaeg UK based artist I like drawing people & my house is full of pencil shavings

Guesses on how long this has taken so far? Coloured pencil, my biggest piece to date 🫠 No prizes for guessing the subjec...
25/05/2026

Guesses on how long this has taken so far? Coloured pencil, my biggest piece to date 🫠 No prizes for guessing the subject matter…

30/04/2026

🎇🥀 One of these will last… 🥀🎇
This is what we’ve been building to. A flower photographed at its peak, drawn with Derwent Lightfast pencils, framed, and hung — while the real thing quietly wilts beside it.
From the first swatch to the final frame, this has been about one idea: making work that outlasts its subject. The smooth laydown, mixing colour on the page, the precision you can get from a fine point — all of it made possible knowing the colours will still be there over the years.
Thanks so much for following along this month, and to Derwent for making it happen. Have you tried these Lightfast Pencils? I’d genuinely love to know what you make of them!
Featuring Derwent Lightfast pencils. .

24/04/2026

Draw with me… and with the help of Derwent Lightfast Pencils! ✏️

This one’s all about achieving a glow effect in coloured pencil — and it’s mostly about contrast. Start with your darkest colours and work inwards, leaving the paper itself to do the heavy lifting at the brightest points. The oil-based core blends beautifully as you move through the gradient — amber to flame to red to black — giving the whole thing a paint-like quality that’s hard to get any other way.
Have a go and let me know if you manage the same effect. And if you’ve tried these Lightfast Pencils before, I’d love to know what you think!
Final part of the series still to come — the one I’m most pleased with 🌺
Featuring Derwent Lightfast pencils.

🎇 Aglow 🎇Flowers and fine art have always been excellent bedfellows. For this piece I wanted to give this anthurium an e...
17/04/2026

🎇 Aglow 🎇
Flowers and fine art have always been excellent bedfellows. For this piece I wanted to give this anthurium an extra-special glow — and given it’s destined for display, I wanted it to last. So: Derwent Lightfast Pencils. 100% lightfast for up to 100 years under museum conditions, which is reassuring if you’re planning to hang something in the hallway, a gallery, or even above the lavatory.
A few things I found useful, slide by slide:
✏️ Sharpen those pencils!— the oil-based core is smooth but robust, which means the tip holds up well for detailed work. Useful when you’re working small and precision actually matters — like the dappled reflections you can see on the petals.
🌑 Shadows aren’t always black — I barely touched the black pencil for the petals. Layering ‘Purple’ and ‘Deep Rose’ built the depth while keeping things vivid, even in the darkest areas. The oil core lets you be precise whilst getting those deep, almost photographic blacks. That means they hold up when you choose even the most ✨ dramatic ✨ of frames, like I have.
🎇 Building the glow — self-glowing flowers haven’t been invented yet, (but science is working on it… maybe) so this required a bit of artistic licence. White (or bare paper) for the brightest edges, then graduating through warm colours to that inky background. Layering the oil-based pigment gradually is what keeps the transitions smooth rather than muddy.
Still one more to come — and it’s the big one 🌺
Featuring Derwent Lightfast pencils.

10/04/2026

These flowers change day-by-day 🥀 But the materials don’t. ✏️✨🎇

The thing I love about Derwent Lightfast pencils as a professional artist is that they give me the confidence to create work that actually lasts. And that’s not just down to lightfastness (though yes — they meet the ASTM D6901 standard, the most rigorous test going). It’s the oil-based core that really does it.
Layering feels seamless — you can build depth gradually without the colours fighting each other. If, somehow, the range of colours doesn’t provide what you’re looking for, you can experiment with layering to get the exact tone you need. They are so blendable that you can mix colour directly on the page, almost like working with oil paint. Which is rather useful when your subject is an anthurium and you’re trying not to make it look like a potato.
Whether big or small, sketch or masterpiece, you want your work to last (Though Michelangelo would have loved these.) Does anyone have the number for the Louvre? (I think they’ve blocked me 🙂)
More to come — a closer look at the techniques behind the glow.
Featuring Derwent Lightfast pencils.

03/04/2026

Swatching time! 🌺 Thanks to Derwent for sending me this presentation box of 100 Lightfast pencils — not only is the box itself gorgeous, there’s something about the smell of fresh pencils that’s deeply satisfying. (Imagine it’s a scratch ‘n’ sniff reel. Go on.)
I’m inspired by these deep, rich reds — and this month I’m going to draw something with them to make the most of those gorgeous colours! Hopefully it’ll be something worth keeping. �Check back throughout April as I take you through the whole process from start to finish.
Featuring Derwent Lightfast pencils.

floating through life 💗
26/11/2025

floating through life 💗

prints prints prints
18/08/2025

prints prints prints

Fresh off the drawing board 🐱🐱🐱
13/03/2025

Fresh off the drawing board 🐱🐱🐱

Lucky cats but make them porcelain
11/03/2025

Lucky cats but make them porcelain

Address

Oxford

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Jack Verhaeg posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category