Colored Pencil Comparison: Wax-Based or Oil-Based

A colored pencil comparison between wax-based and oil-based pencils is the topic for today’s post. It comes in response to the following reader question.

Hi Carrie,

Which pencils do you consider best, oil- or wax-based? I have never used any pencils other than Derwent Coloursoft which I believe are wax-based. What are the Pros and Cons of each?

There can be a lot of confusion about the differences and some artists go so far as to discount the distinctions altogether. So what’s truth and what’s hype?

Colored Pencil Comparison: Wax-Based or Oil-Based

Colored pencils are manufactured much the same as oil paints, watercolors, and other mediums. Powdered pigments are mixed with a substance that helps them perform the way artists want them to perform.

With oil paints, that substance is called a vehicle and is usually linseed oil, safflower oil, or walnut oil, although there are other vehicles available. The vehicle makes the pigment brushable and influences how quickly it dries.

Colored pencils use a binder. The binder makes it possible to form powdered pigments into a thin “lead” that can be used in pencil form. It also makes the pigment transfer to paper easily and stick there.

All colored pencils use a combination of some form of wax and oil as the binder. Wax-based pencils have more wax than oil. Oil-based pencils have more oil than wax.

The amount of wax compared to oil affects the way the pencils behave, as does the type of wax used in the binder.

Colored Pencil Comparison: Which is Best?

I don’t really consider one type of pencil better than the other. They’re just different. Each type has advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a look at those.

Wax-Based Pencils

Wax-based pencils are generally softer than oil-based pencils. They go onto paper more smoothly and blend extremely well by layering, burnishing, or with solvents.

Because they’re softer, they don’t hold a point very long and can be difficult to draw details with. I used Prismacolor pencils for decades and have been able to get wonderful detail, but it requires a lot of sharpening.

The pigment cores also are more apt to break if you use heavy pressure or sharpen them to too long a point. In addition, they can be susceptible to breakage if you drop them on a hard surface or if they get rough handling during shipment.

Finally, wax-based pencils can produce wax bloom, a misty sort of film that happens when the wax in the binder rises to the surface of the drawing. It is easily wiped away, but is still a nuisance. Especially if you use a lot of pressure or dark colors.

Oil-Based Pencils

Oil-based pencils are generally harder than wax-based pencils. They hold a point longer and are excellent for drawing details. They’re not as likely to break while you’re drawing or if you drop them, although both are still possible.

Oil-based pencils don’t generally produce wax bloom because they contain less wax.

They also be easier to correct if you make a mistake.

But they don’t always layer color as smoothly, so drawing even color requires either heavier pressure or more layers. I recommend more layers.

Using Wax- and Oil-Based Pencils Together

You can use both types together. That’s what I do.

Most of the time, I start with Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils (oil-based) and do as much layering as I can.

Toward the end of the process, I switch to Prismacolors (wax-based) where I need more color saturation or if I need a specific color.

But you don’t have to do it that way. You can intermix them at any point in a drawing.

Both types of pencils work on most types of paper. There are some combinations that work better than others. For example, I find that Prismacolor and Stonehenge are a near perfect combination, but I don’t much care for Prismacolor on Canson Mi-Teintes.

Prismacolor also works well on Bristol Vellum for me, but I don’t like Faber-Castell Polychromos on Bristol Vellum.

The type of pencil that works best on any specific paper really has more to do with your drawing methods than with the pencils or paper. So although you can get decent results with any paper-pencil combination, you will probably have to experiment to find the best combination for your work.

The Colored Pencil Comparison that Really Matters

The much more important comparison is the grade of the pencil; the quality.

Scholar pencils contain more binder (whatever it may be,) less pigment, and sometimes inferior pigment.

Student grade pencils are better than Scholar grade, but not as good as artist or professional grade pencils. For a more in-depth discussion on this topic, read Frequently Asked Questions About Colored Pencils.

You can create good art with scholar or student grade pencils, and if you’re on a budget, it’s better to start with student-grade pencils than not start at all.

But don’t go cheap. Always buy the highest quality pencils your budget allows. Select wax-based or oil-based pencils based on your personal preferences and you’ll be ahead of the game.

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