It's the great Derwent quality, they come sharpened in a tin with a pencil sharpener. They feel a bit smoother than the drawing pencils in the orange tins, the same as ones that come in 6 piece sketching set with a regular black and white. If you're looking to make this a gift I'd pare this with a Strathmore STR-412-109 50 Sheet Toned Gray Sketch Pad, 9 by 12" or Mi-Teintes Pastel Pad, Gray Tones, 9"X12" Fold Over so they can be used right away. These work on the smooth black sketch paper pads too.Raven and Pure would be the closest to the drawing set black and white, Forrest has a green tint and oyster a slight pink tint, Midnight has a blue tint but reflects slightly red when black paper is tilted in the light, Arctic looks even whiter than Pure. Use them where you might use black and white charcoal, chalk, or Conte but don't want the powder. I would recommend using fixative on finished work.In the picture I sampled the pencils on white, black, and toned grey paper. Use them where ever you'd use a black or a white charcoal or pastel pencil but don't want to deal with all the powder.