Rosemary says, “We are a family business based between Skipton & Keighley in West Yorkshire - England. At present we are mail order only and cannot welcome visitors - we hope this will change soon !

I have been making brushes for over 25 years and have trained a small team of ladies to the same high standard. All the brushes are handmade and not machine made like so many other manufacturers. We buy only the finest tails for our natural hair brushes and have them dressed in Germany before shipping them back to the UK ready to use. The synthetic fibres we use are also of a high quality and shouldn't 'spilt or curl' .

The tails are sourced in Canada & Russia. We pride ourselves on offering a high quality product keenly priced - indeed we believe in most cases we are at least 40 -50 % cheaper than the high street shops when you compare our quality like for like. This is mainly because we have lower overheads and no 'middle man' - you are buying direct from the maker ! The only other person who is involved is the Royal Mail who we thank for offering a first class service to our customers. In most cases if you order before 15.00hrs - or 3 o'clock :) your order will be processed and should be with you the next morning. For overseas customers obviously this differs.

We hope the whole experience of dealing with our company is a pleasure for you. Time costs nothing and therefore if you need to ask something please do so - we always make time for our customers.

My comments: I’ve used Rosemary’s brushes for about a year now and have been very pleased with them. I’ve used the sable watercolour brushes and some of the synthetic brushes for acrylics and oils, and have really enjoyed the ‘feel’ of them. They all have a good spring about them, and keep their shape well during and after painting. The prices are also very reasonable, and you get service with a smile! All in all, a very good place to get your next brush!

Onyx graphite pencils from Derwent Pencils
Derwent Pencils say, “Our new Derwent Onyx pencil is made from smooth dark graphite and allows you to instantly create dense rich jet-black tones, even darker than a Graphic 9B. Its 4mm wide core has a non-crumbly texture which means it will sharpen and hold a fine point for longer making it ideal for hatching. And, it will smudge allowing you to blend it with your finger tip or a Tortillon.
The Derwent Onyx pencil is equally good for quick expressive sketches as well as detailed technical and architectural drawings. If you require really deep tones these can be built up by applying increased pressure. Less pressure will achieve lighter tones ideal for more precise work.
Derwent Onyx is available in two tones, Medium and Dark individually or in a blister containing two of each pencil and an eraser.

My comments: Because you can make light and also very dark marks with the same pencil, you just need to take the one pencil out with you when sketching, instead of a small selection of 2H, HB, 2B and 6B. This obviously makes life a lot easier! Also, because they are made of a hard graphite, they don't wear down very much and they keep a sharp point for much longer than a softer dark pencil. It is therefore easy to make thin dark marks with these onyx pencils, unlike with say a 6B pencil that wears down very fast and looses its point.

So why not give them a go. You can get them from Derwent Pencils, or from your local art store.