Let’s talk about something basic for artists who are serious about their work: The best colored pencils for fine art.
To give us a little context, here’s the reader question that got me started on this topic.
I want to learn the techniques used in color pencil art and want to know what are the best colored pencils for fine art.
This is a great question for a couple of reasons.
First, there are so many brands, types, and qualities of colored pencils available these days that new artists might throw up their hands in frustration before buying anything.
Second, it does matter what type of artwork you want to create. While you can do all types of artwork with all types of pencils, some do work better than others for some things. That includes fine art.
The Best Colored Pencils for Fine Art
It doesn’t matter what style you work in, what drawing method you use, or what level of artist you are, you want the best tools available. That begins with colored pencils.
But there are a lot of different types and brands of colored pencils out there. How do you decide which one (or ones) are the best for fine art?
There is no easy, one-size-fits-all answer for this question, since much depends on the methods you use and the type of art you want to draw. Your favorite paper also makes a difference, since pencils perform differently on different types of paper.
Much also depends on where in the world you are. Different brands are available in different parts of the world. What’s easy to find here in the US may not be available at all in Europe or Down Under.
But we can begin the discussion with a few basics that apply across the board.
Basic Tips for Choosing Colored Pencils
Buy Open Stock
Sets are great for getting started if you already know what type of pencil you want to use.
If you’re not sure which brand to buy, get three or four pencils from a variety of manufacturers. Test them. See which you like best, then start adding colors. If you find a brand you like, then you can consider buying a set with more confidence.
Try the Different Types
Don’t forget that there are soft pencils (wax-based) and harder pencils (oil-based). You may want to try a few of each of those, too. They do perform differently.
Buy the Best Pencils You can Afford
It’s better to buy a few high-quality pencils and learn to use them well, than to buy a lot of lower quality pencils. It’s much easier to make an informed decision about the medium when you test it at its best.
Look for Artists Producing the Type of Art You Want to Draw
When looking for recommendations from other artists, look for artists who are producing the type of art you want to draw. Study their methods and the tools they use. If they offer product reviews, watch or read those. The honest opinions of people who have used or are using a pencil you want to try is always a good place to start.
The Best Colored Pencils for Fine Art in My Opinion
There you have it. My recommendations about deciding the best colored pencils for fine art for you. It’s nowhere near an exhaustive list. But hopefully it gives you a place to begin your own search for the ideal colored pencil.
Before you buy any pencil, do a little research. Look for honest and open reviews either on the product pages where you normally buy art supplies, or video reviews.
Then make your selections based on that information.
Want to know what I’d buy if I were just starting out? Dream Colored Pencil Shopping List.
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Hi Carrie have you tried the gorgeous Derwent Coloursoft pencils at all? I am an Abassador for Derwent and this is my favourite brand of coloured pencils. I use them in my galllery ehibiting artworks which can often look like a painting because of the luscious blended texture I can create wth them. They are so much fun to use and very widely available all around the world. I like the way that I can build layer upon layer and burnish really well with them. They are not as crayon like as other pencil brands that can also burnish well. They are great for creating all kinds of subject matter that require a rich application of colour such as roses and flowers of all types, glossy apples, shimmering grapes and shiny cars to name a few. What do you think of these beautiful pencils Carrie?
Cindy,
I haven’t tried these pencils, though they are a pencil I have some interest in trying.
The Derwent line I’m more interested in is their new pencil. I think it’s called the Pro Color.
I am very much in favor of Derwent as a company. They seem to be very interested in working with artists to provide the best tools available. That’s a major plus in my book. I just haven’t yet had the opportunity to try their products.
Carrie
You don’t get inktense in US?
Lesley,
I can get Inktense pencils here in the US, but I’ve never used them. Since they’re an ink-based pencil (ink in a pencil form), they aren’t high on my list of drawing tools. I’ve heard very good things about them, and have seen fabulous art being made with them, but I have yet to try them.
Carrie
The pencil is a tool the other depends of the artist that’s my thinking.God bless you Carrie,
Jose,
You are correct. A pencil is a tool, and so is tracing paper. What you do with each is method.
You’re also correct in thinking that how an artist chooses to draw, what tools or methods they use, are totally up to them and are a personal matter. There really is no wrong way to make art unless you’re directly copying the paintings or drawings of someone else and passing them off as your own.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Carrie
I am a beginner and know very little. Your articles are great. Easy to read and very informative. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Jim.
HI Carrie. i’m a colored pencil artist who had trouble with the Prismacolors. But you are right : when they behave, they are lovely to work with.
i use several brands. The Polychromos are my favorite.
But you mention wanting to try Luminance. May i recommend that you move their white to the tippy top of your wish list. The others, i go to mainly for the colors, but the less transparent white is perfect for how i use the pencils. These days, it’s my go-to white. i prefer it even to Polychromos.
Hello,
There’s another good brand called Fantasia Premium Artist. I brought my first at Meijer in Michigan.
It was a 24ct small set but I spent a whole day mixing and coming up with new combos due the great way these blend! Now I’m upgrading to the 36ct.
Leads did not break easily.
For metallic colors I like Faber Castel Polychromos they lay metallic colors the best.
DO NOT buy these cheap sets made in China/Japan! And these wholesale junk pencils!
Different logos, “brands” different designed pencils…same junk.
Might as well buy student grade pencils in the kids art section or in a department store.
I brought Wanshui and Hero.
I got duped into buying some due to high color counts and low price. I even brought the watercolor pencils! $30.00 each.
On dark paper the neon and metallic had no show after go over and over. Also there’s an oil scent. The saturation is lousy and blending..what blending?
Thank you for reading and for your comment, Shannon.
I’d never heard of this brand of pencil before, so I did a little research. It turns out, the company is only about 20 years old and their colored pencils are much newer to the market. All the reviews I looked at indicated they were a good pencil for beginners and artists new to colored pencils, but reviews varied from five stars to one. That’s pretty typical.
The company is located in Indonesia, so these are an Asian product. Dick Blick does carry them in a variety of packages, including a “class pack” containing 24 pencils in each of twelve colors. If nothing else, that tells me the grade level of these pencils is probably scholastic, even though they’re not rated as to grade level.
The company website doesn’t contain much information, so most of what I learned I had to dig for from other sites. The primary information of concern to me is lightfast ratings. I found that information nowhere, so if there was a lightfast chart in the tin, let me know, Shannon.
The pencils are also available through Amazon, Wal-Mart, and other similar locations, as well as Meijer. That’s not as helpful, since Prismacolor is also available in many of the same places and that is a recognized artist-grade pencil.
I guess my take on this product is that they’re probably good for some artists, but may not be suitable for artists who are producing artwork they want to market as an original. For craft work, coloring books, and artwork you want to sell as reproductions, they may be perfectly suitable.
The most interesting thing to me is that the Fantasia pencils (all of them, not just the colored pencils) are apparently encased in Pulai tree wood, not the more typical cedar. I did learn that from the company website. The company pays farmers to raise these trees to maturity (about 30 years,) turning a tree that’s otherwise a “junk” tree into a cash crop.
Thank you again for your comment, Shannon. I have connections to Meijer, having been raised in Central Michigan. I’m always interested in news from “up north!”
i see i’ve been here before!
Today i just want to say that buying open stock pencils is possibly THE most important thought. You can try more brands, you can get the colors that work best for you, you don’t find you always need to buy a whole new set because the most useful colors are nubs while less-favored colors are unused.
Valerie,
Welcome back!
You are absolutely right. When I’m thinking about trying a new brand of pencils, the first thing I look at is price, then at the availability of open stock. If open stock is not available, then the price has to be really good before I’ll buy the pencils.
Another reason to look for open stock is that I use a very limited number of colors for most of my work, so if I can buy those colors by the dozen, I save money per pencil. That also gives me the security of having lots of those most-frequently-used colors in stock.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and to leave another comment.
I was given a set of Koh-I-Noor Progresso pencils. I believe they are solid pigment (no wood). I have not used them yet. Any thoughts on this type?
Susan,
I purchased a set of these several years ago and haven’t used them very much.
You are correct in thinking they are a woodless pencil and are all pigment. I thought that would mean that I could lay down broad layers of color by shading with the side of the pencil, but they have a lacquer-like coating to protect the pigment, and that makes it difficult to use the side of the pencil as I was intending.
I also found them unsatisfactory in regular layering, but it has been at least ten years since I last tried them, and my skills have advanced since then. I should probably get them out and try them again before giving advice.
You will lose nothing by trying them on whatever paper or papers you like. I tried them mostly on Pastelmat, so my experience is limited.
Hi Susan & Carrie! i once had a set of these. i remember liking them, especially for travel, because they worked nicely & broke less than other pencils i would carry with me.
i no longer have any. i used them up, &, at that time, at least, was unable to find them in open stock, a key consideration for me. Hope this helps!
Thank you both for your responses! I’ll give them a try and see how they work for me.