How To Pick Colors For Colored Pe Cil Drawings

 Colored Pencils

Colored pencils are a wonderfully dynamic medium that are highly beloved by artists and hobbyists alike because they're so like shooting fish in a barrel to use—plus they're a lot cleaner and crave virtually no fix-up compared to nigh other art mediums!

Whether y'all're completely new to colored pencils or looking to learn more than most this versatile medium, in this article I'll help yous effigy out which colored pencils to buy by roofing such important topics every bit quality, consistency, type, permanence, brand, and what I consider to be the best colored pencils. Read on to learn everything you demand to know about colored pencils!

If you're curt on time and just want to read most my recommendations, you can jump straight to the Best Colored Pencils section.

Colored pencils have been widely used in classrooms for many decades. Y'all probably used them when you were a kid—remember those hard, gritty sets that were given out to students, with colors that were too pale or as well boring to be satisfying? For this reason, colored pencils were long seen as juvenile (in much the aforementioned style that markers were overlooked every bit a fine fine art medium).

Even when high quality colored pencils emerged in the 1930s, they were mostly used by humble illustrators or graphic designers. Fine artists sometimes used them for sketching and planning, simply not for creating finished artworks. This attitude began to shift from the 1960s onwards, as fine artists began to embrace colored pencils for their versatility and ease of expression. These days, they're considered a legitimate art medium, and are besides hugely popular with colorists.

Why colored pencils are so popular

Photorealistic drawing I did with colored pencils

Colored pencils are capable of rendering art styles that are expressive and abstract, or detailed and photorealistic. While they're ho-hum to utilise compared to moisture media like paint (in terms of laying down color), they're well-nigh unparalleled when information technology comes to control and detail.

Because colored pencils are partially transparent (as well known every bit "semi-opaque"), y'all mostly work from low-cal to dark, gradually building up your colors. Colored pencils, like watercolors, are famous for their translucent quality, which can give your artwork a striking luminance, especially on textured newspaper. If you don't printing too hard, tiny crevices or valleys in the grain of the paper are left untouched by paint and allowed to shine through. For an case of what I mean, check out this colored pencil drawing by David Suff.

With that said, the versatility of colored pencils also allow the application of assuming, opaque colors, either by pressing harder or by layering and blending. For example, check out this colored pencil painting by Alyona Nickelsen, the author of the book "Colored Pencil Painting Bible". Annotation on terminology: colored pencils are mostly associated with drawings, simply if they encompass the whole support/surface they are called paintings, and you tin see why… they really practice await like paintings!

In addition to their versatility, colored pencils are besides practical and hassle-free! They're lite and portable, so you can travel with them and draw on location. They'll also terminal a long time; you don't take to worry almost them drying out like you do with paint or markers. Colored pencils also don't require a bunch of actress accessories that you'd need for a medium like oil pigment, for example: you can can achieve a lot with just a simple set, a sharpener, and a apprehensive sketchbook.

While I also enjoy using other art media, like acrylics, few are as relaxing as colored pencils because you don't have to worry near making a mess, inhaling something toxic or staining your clothes, and afterwards at that place's nothing to wash or make clean-upwardly. With minimal equipment or preparation you tin settle in and lose yourself in a frenzy of creativity!

Colored pencils can be blended to create smooth tonal gradations. This tin be done hands with layering or burnishing, or with the help of solvents, blender pencils/markers, and even baby oil. Yous tin can create blends so smoothen that the end result looks like an oil painting!

You lot tin can create new hues and tones by layering colors (called optical colour mixing), but because you tin't mix new colors directly (similar you tin can with paint by mixing one color of paint directly into some other color of pigment), many creative person-grade colored pencils are available in a wide range of colors that can usually be purchased individually.

Blending example

Colored pencils can also be combined with other media, such as graphite, markers, gel pens, watercolors, crayons, pastels, and gouache! My favorite combination is to use markers to lay downward lots of vibrant colour, and so draw on pinnacle with colored pencils to add detail and give the artwork a more organic feel.

Colored pencils are generally easier to remove than paint or markers, just less so than graphite or watercolors. The pigment does lift off, but some color volition remain. If yous press hard (burnish) or have applied many layers of colored pencils, so the paint will exist more difficult to erase and will likely not erase completely.

You can get erasable colored pencils, such as Prismacolor Col-Erase pencils (affiliate link), if your fashion requires a lot of erasing. They're besides useful for cartoon construction lines and base of operations sketches.

Quality

When purchasing colored pencils, there are many different considerations to proceed in mind that we'll discuss on this page, just the most important conclusion you'll make is whether to get "pupil class" or "artist grade" colored pencils (those are Blick affiliate links).

If your upkeep allows, my recommendation is to ever favor artist grade pencils, which are noticeably superior. They do cost more, but that's considering they contain a higher proportion of pigment, which yields richer, bolder colors.

Creative person grade pencils are too more than lightfast (discussed beneath), and commonly softer, which makes them easier to use and blend. They will as well avowal a wider colour range, and you'll be able to purchase them individually as needed (referred to as "open up stock").

Consistency: Soft vs hard

1 of the biggest factors that will affect your enjoyment of colored pencils is the consistency of the "lead". This tin vary across brands and pencil types, depending on the item combination of ingredients the manufacturer used.

In general, a colored pencil is only a long circular "lead" – fabricated up of paint, gum binder, filler (chalk or dirt) and wax – that's encased in forest (commonly cedar). Manufacturers tweak this recipe to produce pencils that all perform somewhat differently.

I drew this cockatoo with Prismacolor Soft Cadre colored pencils

Soft colored pencils are preferred by many artists, including myself, considering they lay downwardly color easily, and blend well. Some soft colored pencils are smooth and creamy, while others might be crumbly and grainy.

Nearly artist grade pencils are on the softer side, which is partly considering they contain less binder and filler, and more than pigment, resulting in bolder, more than vibrant colors. One downside with soft pencils is that they won't hold a bespeak as well and they'll demand sharpening more often.

Hard colored pencils can exist sharpened to a very fine point that won't crumble, allowing fine lines well-suited to detailed artwork and sure textures (similar hair and fur). Most student grade colored pencils are difficult because manufacturers cut costs past adding more than filler/folder and less pigment, which produces irksome colors. Hard colored pencils can also be less fun to use, because information technology takes more piece of work to apply color, blending is more difficult, and they make y'all want to press harder, which can damage your paper and possibly cause mitt fatigue.

But hard doesn't always mean inferior. For those artists who need hard colored pencils that don't sacrifice color quality (in other words, hard colored pencils that are all the same creative person class) there are products similar the Prismacolor Verithin colored pencils (affiliate link).

In the image below, you tin can run into a side-by-side comparing of an artwork colored entirely in soft pencils (left) and a piece of work-in-progress using only difficult pencils (correct). With the soft colored pencils it was easy to press hard and achieve rich, bold colors. When using the difficult colored pencils, I utilized a lighter touch to reach subtle ombrés and shading.

In summary, your preferred consistency partly comes downwards to personal preference and the style of art you enjoy. Well-nigh people, especially beginners and colorists, will bask a soft colored pencil that lays down vibrant color smoothly and easily. Some might prefer a firmer, more versatile pencil that won't crumble as much and is capable of being sharpened to a decent point when needed.

Types of Colored Pencils

At that place are three main types of colored pencil: wax-based, oil-based, and h2o-soluble. You lot can too get colour sticks and woodless pencils, which consist of the same "atomic number 82" material. I'll likewise briefly address pastel pencils, but they vest in a carve up category.

Note: yous tin can mix these different types of colored pencils in the same artwork. They aren't similar oil paint and acrylics (which don't mix), so yous don't need to worry virtually committing to a specific brand or pencil type.

Wax-based Colored Pencils

Most colored pencils are wax-based. The right amount of wax gives the pencil a polish texture which helps the pigment flow beyond the surface. The wax also helps the mark adhere to the surface or to other layers of pencil, which means that you can put down multiple layers without having to worry well-nigh smearing or adhesion (a common outcome with pastels).

Wax-based pencils are available in a wide range of consistencies: from the difficult pencils fabricated for students, to the soft varieties designed for professionals. Because wax-based pencils are then common, there's likely to be a particular set that fits your required combination of price, quality, and consistency.

I drew this rooster with wax-based Prismacolor Colored Pencils

Example of wax bloom

The only downside to wax-based colored pencils is wax flower, which is a natural oxidation procedure that can cause the wax to ascent to the surface of your artwork, leaving a stake haze. Information technology tin can accept hours or days to announced, just it usually doesn't occur unless you lot apply lots of heavy, dark colors, similar in the instance you run across here from one of my artworks. When I first laid down the colors, I made the background a consistently dark violet-black, only over the years wax bloom has lightened some of those dark areas, as you can encounter in this movie, resulting in a "splotchy" look.

Don't fret though! If you run into some wax bloom, you tin wipe the afflicted expanse with a clean, dry cloth before applying more than color. Once the artwork is finished, you can seal it with a fixative, which will foreclose wax flower from returning.

Depending on your style, wax flower may never be a problem for you. Only artists who utilize lots of dark colors and heavy layers should consider oil-based colored pencils, which don't suffer from wax blossom.

Oil-based Colored Pencils.

Oil-based colored pencils utilize oil to demark the pigment and distribute it on the surface (merely they all the same incorporate some wax). What this means in do is they have a slightly different consistency and they don't suffer from wax bloom.

Most oil-based pencils are medium soft: a bit firmer than many wax-based pencils, simply even so softer than student-grade pencils. Although still quite smooth, they won't lay downwardly colour as rapidly as the Prismacolors, for example, merely they're better at holding a point and arguably more versatile. The firmer atomic number 82 also ways that they're less likely to intermission, and won't need to be sharpened as often. Some artists prefer a more restrained awarding of color, considering it gives them more command.

Oil-based pencils do have a few drawbacks, though. They're more prone to smearing, and are harder to erase. They also tend to exist more than expensive and may have a more limited colour range (depending on the make). Despite the bump in toll, oil-based pencils are not inherently amend or worse than their wax-based counterparts.

I personally don't notice much difference between artist quality wax-based and oil-based pencils. When it comes to practical concerns, such as blending and colour vibrance, I tin happily work with both types. I've found other factors, like class, brand, and consistency to be more than noticeable than whether wax or oil was used in the binder. As if to illustrate this bespeak, most manufacturers don't make information technology obvious if their pencils are oil-based, indicating that it isn't a crucial divergence.

Unless you're worried about wax bloom or prefer the consistency of oil-based pencils, I recommend a high quality wax-based colored pencil that volition likely offer a better combination of price and performance.

If you brand a purchase via the links below I receive a small commission, at no extra toll to you lot, that helps support this site and keep it free!.

If you're looking to try them out, the Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils are hugely popular thanks to their competitive price and huge colour range. Caran d'Ache's Pablo Colored Pencils are also outstanding oil-based pencils, only they're a scrap more expensive.

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Water-soluble pencils (besides called watercolor pencils)

Although there isn't a whole lot of difference between wax and oil-based pencils, that is not the case with watercolor pencils! They can be used dry, simply like regular colored pencils, but the binder they contain is a h2o-soluble mucilage that allows the pigments to exist thinned out with water. Artist quality water-soluble pencils are essentially dry watercolor paints in pencil form.

In practice, this means they are fully capable of producing watercolor paintings past combining them with water and a castor or sponge to alloy colors or create washes. Other furnishings are likewise achieved past drawing on wet paper or dipping the tip of the pencil in water beforehand (creating very soft strokes). Many artists likewise utilise them in combination with regular watercolors and other media (including regular colored pencils). They tin exist difficult to become used to, only if you're fond of watercolors yous should definitely requite these a try.

If you make a buy via the links below I receive a small committee, at no extra cost to y'all.

Just like with other colored pencils, quality differs greatly between brands, with wide swings in cost, even when you limit your search to artist grade products. The very best would take to exist the Caran d'Anguish Museum Aquarelle Pencils, but they are expensive ($4 each!) and overkill for all but the most serious artists. Faber-Castell's Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils are professional person quality and meliorate value for money (simply still effectually $two.l each). They offer an impressive 120 colors and a range of sets. Derwent Watercolor Pencils are a little flake cheaper, simply all the same offer outstanding quality from a reliable brand. They have fewer colors (72), but that's more than plenty for most artists.

The iii brands discussed so far are still pricey when you consider how cheap student grade pencils are. If you're on a tight upkeep, Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua Watercolor Pencils are non quite artist grade, but the quality is excellent for the price, and they boast 48 colors that can be purchased individually as well as in sets. They're a great place to get-go if you lot desire to experiment with the medium. Yous can choice up a set of 12 for less than $15.

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Color Sticks and Woodless Pencils

Color sticks and woodless pencils consist entirely of the core you'd find in colored pencils, handy for artists who like to lay down a lot of color! They offer nevertheless benefits of their wood-encased cousins, such as their power to exist used in combination with other fine art media.

Prismacolor Art Stix resemble crayons, merely incorporate the same paint mix of 48 selected colors from Prismacolor's Premier Colored Pencils. They're useful for laying down more color with broad strokes, only the edges can as well be used for lines and some details.

Koh-I-Noor'south Progresso Woodless Colored Pencils are shaped more than like regular colored pencils, and tin be sharpened and used in a similar way. The barrel is wrapped in a lacquer coating, so they tin can't be used every bit freely (from all sides) equally colour sticks, but they apply pigment more easily than regular colored pencils.

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Pastel Pencils

Instead of wood encasing a lead of wax and pigment, pastel pencils contain the aforementioned same stuff you'd detect in pastel sticks. The only difference is that the pastel core is fabricated a bit harder so that the "lead" doesn't break or crumble.

Pastel pencils, despite their outward appearance, don't really fall into the aforementioned category as colored pencils. While the latter are known for their transparency (discussed above), pastel pencils are opaque and therefore used very differently. Information technology'due south far more common for artists to employ pastel pencils in combination with regular pastels, which is why they're discussed in more item in my Guide to Pastels article.

Color

Because you can't mix colored pencils every bit easily as other media (like paint) to create new hues and tones, about creative person grade colored pencils come up in a wide range of colors.

I generally like to purchase as many colors as I can get, merely it'due south also like shooting fish in a barrel to become overboard. You don't want to stop upward ownership pencils that you never use. I recommend starting off with a 24-pencil set so buying boosted pencils individually every bit yous need them.

In one case you have your pencils, it's a groovy thought to brand a color chart. This will help enormously when you lot're creating art. The nearby epitome is the color nautical chart I made for my 120 Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils.

I didn't blueprint that colour chart myself. You can find costless, bare color charts that other artists accept created past searching in Pinterest or Google Images. Some manufacturers, like Faber-Castell, also provide blank color charts that yous tin utilise.

Permanence

All art media tin can fade over time every bit light and humidity break down the molecular bonds of the colors. The ability to resist this process is chosen "lightfastness" and it's a major business organization for fine artists who want their piece of work to last.

If yous're using creative person class pencils, and you're not a professional artist, I wouldn't worry nigh lightfastness. Because colored pencils apply pigments (as opposed to dyes which fade more easily), creative person class colored pencils will be sufficiently fade-resistant for virtually artists, specially if you plan to digitize your artwork for the web and/or print (which is where most of my work ends upwards these days).

If you're particularly concerned near permanence, exist aware that it doesn't just vary across brands, but besides amongst pencils of the aforementioned brand, depending on the specific pigment used for each color. For this reason, most creative person course brands provide lightfastness ratings for each pencil. For instance, here's the Prismacolor Premier Lightfastness chart. Some brands, like Faber-Castell Polychromas, listing the rating right on the pencils themselves. If you're really serious, bank check out the Colored Pencil Society of America, which conducts their ain lightfastness testing.

This Faber-Castell Polychromos pencil has a rating of *** (very light-fast)

Mediums

If yous make a purchase via the links below I receive a minor commission, which helps back up this site.

Yous don't really need to apply mediums with colored pencils (except for water if you're using water-soluble pencils).

Some artists similar to apply a fixative to their finished works, such as Winsor & Newton Fixative, to foreclose smudging and wax bloom, while others don't exercise this at all. I always employ a fixative, for the reasons above, and because it creates a pleasing sheen that I like.

It basically comes downwards to personal preference. Be aware that using a fixative, which oftentimes come up in gloss and matte varieties, tin change the look of the artwork by intensifying the colors. I tend to like this outcome, but you may not, and so it'south a adept idea to test your fixative on a draft artwork. Because of the fumes, I always spray outside.

Bank check out my Colored Pencil Tools commodity to learn about other accessories you tin can use to enhance your colored pencil art. I cover sharpeners, erasers, fixative, blenders, and more!

Brands

When comparing brands, you'll find that they all have a unique combination of price, consistency, permanence, color range, and pigment concentration. Some brands are objectively better than others, just when it comes to the leading brands, much of the difference comes down to personal taste.

In general, my favorite brands are Prismacolor, Caran d'Ache, Faber-Castell, and Derwent. They accept proven track records and offer high-quality artist form products.

Because different colored pencils of every type tin can be used together on the same artwork, yous needn't feel pressured to choice a brand and stick to information technology. Information technology's a good idea to buy a few individual pencils from different brands, so that you can try them out and run into what you like. Once you discover a item brand that you adopt, it may be worth the investment to buy a set up.

All-time Colored Pencils

I've provided links below to the relevant products and then that you can easily find them on Blick Art Materials, my favorite art supplier. If you make a buy after clicking on i of these links, I'll receive a small-scale commission (at no actress toll to you). Read my disclosure argument to larn more.

When ownership art supplies I prefer to store from Blick because you know you lot'll get authentic products from respected art brands. Buying from Amazon can sometimes exist a mixed bag because many products are sold by third-political party sellers who might sell imitation products of questionable quality or fifty-fifty counterfeit products disguised as name brands. Thankfully that'south never a problem when buying from an established art supplier like Blick!

My overall pick are the Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils, which represent the best combination of toll and performance for most people.

I own and enjoy numerous brands of colored pencils, but I've been using Prismacolors the longest: 25 years! I have the 132-pencil set and they are what I reach for most frequently when creating art with colored pencils.

Prismacolors are amidst the softest colored pencils you can buy, and I love their creamy consistency. The huge range of 150 colors, which can be purchased individually or in sets, are vibrant and blend easily. They're also cheaper than many other creative person class pencils and are widely available in stores.

Merely they're not perfect: their softness means they won't concord a point too as harder pencils, which can exist an annoyance for artists who enjoy detailed work. To counter this problem I likewise take a set of the Prismacolor Verithin pencils that work well with the Soft Core pencils whenever I need a sharp point for details. However, every bit proof that y'all can still reach amazing detail with soft Prismacolors, cheque out this artwork past Morgan Davidson that she was able to create with simply a 12-color set!

Another gripe with the Prismacolors is that their softness means you lot'll have to acuminate them more often, and they can be prone to breakage, so treat them with care. Their lightfastness likewise isn't as skilful as more than expensive brands (like Caran d'Ache), likely a result of Prismacolor's such competitive prices (the best pigments are expensive!).

My pick for best oil-based colored pencils are the Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils. I accept the complete set of 120 pencils and they're a joy to use. They exceed the Prismacolors in several areas (permanence, durability), but toll quite a bit more. Check these out if y'all're worried most wax bloom or the Prismacolors are too soft for your liking.

My upgrade pick are the Caran d'Anguish Luminance Pencils. These wax-based pencils are arguably the best colored pencils you can buy, but also the near expensive. In return for their college prices, you get higher quality pigments that are more lightfast and wonderfully vibrant. They're non as soft equally the Prismacolors (but withal quite smoothen and creamy), and they endure from less wax bloom. Unless y'all're a professional artist or blessed with a abysmal budget, these are overkill, just I couldn't help mentioning them as la crème de la crème.

My upkeep option are the Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils. Every bit discussed higher up, these pencils are not without their flaws, simply the value for coin they offer is hard to beat. I haven't discussed prices much in this article considering they tend to fluctuate (and Blick ever has sales), merely at the time of writing, you can go a prepare of 24 Prismacolors for between $20 to $25! Given what you lot tin can reach with these pencils, that's a bargain!

Paper for Colored Pencils

Afterward you buy your colored pencils you'll need to figure out what kind of paper to buy. Shopping for paper can be maddening because in that location are so many like paper products on the market! For that reason, I've created a separate article to guide you through everything yous demand to know: All-time Newspaper for Colored Pencils

Colored Pencil Tools and Accessories

My Colored Pencil Tools article will help you lot find the best sharpener and erasers for your colored pencils. I also dive into optional tools, like blenders, that can really upgrade the capability of your colored pencils to limited your creative vision!

Colored Pencil Tutorial

Join me in this detailed step-by-footstep colored pencil tutorial equally I show y'all how I colored in the whimsical nature scene below from my Woodland Mandalas Coloring Book!

Level-up Your Colored Pencil Skills!

Brand the most of your new colored pencils with these piece of cake-to-follow video lessons from Skillshare! Get instant access with a xiv-day free trial or use our lawmaking, ARTISFUN30, to get 30% off annual membership! As a Skillshare affiliate I get a small commission that helps support this site.

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Source: https://www.art-is-fun.com/colored-pencils

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