Thank you for the kind words and the acorn!
I read the discussion about pencils. I know watercolour pencils are not exactly the same as regular ones, but if someone's trying to decide what to get, here's my two cents.
These Derwent pencils have been my trusty companions for many years. Compared to other brands like Cretacolor, they have better pigments both wet and dry.
The best watercolour pencils hands down, however, are Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle. They are pricey, but they are worth it. As they are sold in singles, I'm replacing my most used Derwent pencils one by one.
The reason I prefer watercolour pencils over regular colour pencils is the difference in vibrance.
Before and after applying water.
I like the control the pencils provide compared to just using straight up watercolour. It does, however, put more stress on the paper, so it requires a high quality paper, such as Arches, or there is a risk that particularly detailed areas (like eyes) might end up losing fibres and messing up the whole picture right at the finish line.
I use cheaper paper when I'm just playing around, like with this gecko-tiger-weasel creature, but if I'm making a portrait, I always use the fancy paper.
