Best products from r/ColoredPencils

While all of the options here are great, some of them are pretty expensive. Scrap Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer, any of the Derwent ones and especially Caran D'ache Museum, too expensive. At the moment I'm working on a watercolor pencil review, reviewing all kinds of brands and while these 3 brands are good, they're all overpriced.

As mentioned Koh-I-Noor Mondelux is great and affordable. This one can easily keep up with the more expensive ones. Another good choice could be Faber-Castell Goldfaber, more affordable, but still good.

I personally haven't tried Prismacolor, would love to add them to my review, but they're simply impossible to get here. I'm sure they're fine, but I'm also sure they suffer the same issue as the colored pencils by Prismacolor.....

Which is lightfastness and that's something you may want to keep in mind when buying watercolor pencils. If you buy the wrong ones, they're going to fade sooner then you'd like. Having studied many tests in this area, adding quite some experience as well, I came to a few conclusions. Scrap Derwent, none of their watersoluble stuff is lightfast, even if the claim so, it isn't. According to tests Prismacolors suffer the same fate, along with many of the cheaper brands. Shockingly, you can also add the famous Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer to this list..... if you expose your work in light, especially when sunlight is involved, Albrecht Dürer watercolor will fade much soon then you'd expect.

If lightfastness is an issue, only 3 watercolor pencils will stand the test of time. Bruynzeel Design Aquarel, Caran D'ache Museum and Van Gogh Water Colour Pencils. As mentioned, Caran D'ache is very expensive. Bruynzeel Design Aquarel is good, but.... they're hard to use. Great for detailed work, bad for quick work.

In my experience the Royal Talens Van Gogh Water Colour Pencils are simply the best out there. Pricewise quite cheap, very pigmented, easy to use and simply the best lightfastness on the market. Yes, in that respect they're not equal to the Caran D'ache Museum, no they're superior.

Simple said.... if you want to stay to true to Montessori go with Prismacolor, but you will not get the best and run the risk of faded work in time. You want the best? Try to get your hands on a full set of 60 Royal Talens Van Gogh Water Colour Pencils. Amazon has them, https://www.amazon.com/GOGH-Pencil-colored-pencil-Metal/dp/B0016GMQ0E They're something different. (Oh and ignore that 3 star rating someone gives claiming these are hard, they're definitely not hard at all, they're medium soft, allowing rought and detailed work).

Alright this answer will vary depending on quality/quantity so I've got some options here and how seriously this artist takes their work matters too I guess. And price is dependent on what stores you have available to you.

First and cheapest option: Artist's Loft
Michaels: http://www.michaels.com/10124971.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Loft-Fundamentals-Colored-Pencils/dp/B00OQJYTZI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501257744&sr=8-2&keywords=artist+loft+colored+pencils


I've used plenty of artist loft products and generally they work pretty well for their price. They are not the fanciest in the business but they are good starter tools and can hold someone over until they decide if they want to pursue that medium or not.

Best price for quality: Reeves

Michaels 24pc: http://www.michaels.com/reeves-colored-pencilsset-of-24/D016855S.html

Joann's 24pc: http://www.joann.com/reeves-colored-pencils-24%2Fpkg/15184609.html

Amazon 36pc: https://www.amazon.com/Reeves-Colored-Pencils-Set-36/dp/B0044SH0GG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501257287&sr=8-1&keywords=reeves%2B36%2Bcolored%2Bpencils&th=1

Personally, I have never used a Reeve's product but I have a couple of artist friends who said this is a good brand for budgets. One of the people who said this was an art student in college and the reviews in general had positive things to say about them. If you're willing to deal with the shipping/wait time then Amazon has you covered.

Most Expensive (outside of the budget) but Highest Quality: Prismacolor

Michael's: http://www.michaels.com/prismacolor-scholar-colored-pencils/M10115539.html?dwvar_M10115539_color=Assorted

Joann's: http://www.joann.com/prismacolor-24-colored-pencil-set/3544582.html

Staples: https://www.staples.com/Prismacolor-Premier-Colored-Pencils-Soft-Core-24-Pack/product_859829

These are the colored pencils most people swear by and once they buy them they don't want to go back. However, they are outside of your budget range unless you get them from Michael's on their little sale they've got going or in-store at Staples. ($20 in store at my local Staples). The prices vary but generally Michael's is the most expensive with these. I'd say these would probably be better for an older more experienced art student but you should know about the brand. Great thing to keep in mind if they want to really step up their art game in the future.

https://www.amazon.com/Prismacolor-Premier-Colored-Pencils-Sharpener/dp/B01FUYQWIO/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_229_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PZ9F77T99J2XV2Q4S2P1


Technically, I like faber castells a bit better, but Prismas are great and you can easily find individual colors when you run out of one (unlike fabers). They're what I use. Protip: pair them when a paintbrush of rubbing alcohol for a super smooth effect :)

I'm going to suggest a manual sharpener that I've been using to sharpen my Prismacolor Colored Pencils for a while now.

Here it is. This is hands down the best sharpener I've ever used and it's very ergonomic. One of my favorite characteristics of this sharpener is that it uses STANDARD blades, unlike this bullshit that uses their (own?) blades. I haven't been able to find replacement blades for my Foray and I've even called customer support to see if they sell the blades alone - turns out they don't.

I want to stress the fact that you should always consider buying a sharpener that uses standard blades because your blade will dull over time. Here are the exact replacement blades I bought for my sharpener.

The sharpener is also heavy and it's barrel shaped; making it easier to sharpen your pencils (IMO).

Both the sharpener and blades are German made.

Hope this helps.

You could get her some fancy paper like DuraLar drafting film in Matte. It's wonderful for prismacolor pencil work! It comes in different sizes and you should be able to find some at Michael's here's a link for reference: https://www.amazon.com/Grafix-Dura-Lar-11-Inch-14-Inch-Sheets/dp/B004B77NNU