I have used Polychromos (my normal), and Derwent Coloursoft, and Derwent Drawing Pencils. I really like them all, but generally use the Polychromos because they are oil based, and thus don't suffer from wax bloom (worth mentioning), and also the pencils stay sharp for longer. I would happily use Caran d'ache because of their quality reputation, but they are expensive. I have not been tempted to use prismacolors (which are less available in the UK anyway) because I have seen too many reports of quality issues. Apart from the number of poor lightfast colours you mention, I have heard of too many with broken leads inside the casing, and the lead also being off-centre, which causes issues when you try sharpening them if you use a sharpener rather than a knife. Also worth mentioning that you can mix them. For example, I often do mammals and birds with the Derwent Drawing pencils, but if there is a part that is a brighter colour (Drawing pencils are only rather dull earthy colours), then I can add in that part with Polychromos. Jackson's and Great Art, amongst others, do all the Derwents and the Polychromos, both in sets and open stock.
I agree Jason. Cost our materials is a big consideration for all of us. I'm glad that your reviews take this into consideration as it makes it more realistic for all of us.
Hi Jason. Great review as always and very helpful. I was wondering what your thoughts are for paper with mixed media pieces? specially pastel and coloured pencil? i know coloured pencil isn't your full area of expertise but I've been trying to find a decent paper (in the uk) that doesn't cost the earth just to practice on. Ive been using the daler rowney murano pastel paper and Faber-Castell sketch paper with my derwent, polychrome and faber pastel pencils, just using the pastels for a bokeh background. Ive seen coloured pencil artists using a hot pressed smooth paper and it looks good but not so good for pastels. It's just for practising but my goal is to eventually create some nice pieces to hang in my home. I hope you can help! it's been doing my head in for ages lol and I haven't the budget to keep buying different types of paper.
Thanks for all the great info. As a newbie to pencils it raises a lot of thoughts and questions. Very possibly your other videos cover them. For me i would have like a bit more light. I know that is hard so we all do what we can. It could be me though.
Enjoyed you talking about the different colored pencils. I am a new person to adult coloring and I would have loved to paint like you do, but I do not think I have the skills you need. I was wondering if you ever have painted a bald eagle?
Hi Jason, Faber Castell's catalog says they can be mixed with paraffin oil, did you happen to try this? I copy the text that appears in the catalog for more information: To create even areas of colour, paint over the strokes made with Polychromos artists’ colour pencils using a bristle brush and paraffin oil (baby oil or salad oil). Oil paints also dissolve the artists’ colour pencils, which is why they are often used to draw preparatory sketches for oil paintings. The lines subsequently dissolve when they are painted over.
Thanks this was a great demonstration! I just started coloring (you know the adult kind of books) and because I used really cheap pencils, I almost gave up. Now I'm out to buy something more decent and the Faber Castell eco pens look good.
Hey Jason, great video as usual! But I have a problem, can't find that Derwent Coloursoft has a 120 range, but only 72. Do you have a older set, or perhaps a newer one? The Derwent Artists have a 120 set. I have them both and should love to find a lager Coloursoft set as I prefer those.
Really excellent review Jason fantastic comparisons and I can remember when you showed the drawings on Facebook I really couldn't tell the difference and I use both the Derwent Coloursoft and the Polychromos. Excellent video
This is an excellent review and I'm glad to see you using colour pencil. However, I was surprised that you not include the Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 artist’s pencils, Swiss made in its Geneva Manufacture . A friend of mine using these and swears by them. I have tried her pencils and found them very nice to use. Myself I have used the Prisma and Derwent as these are the ones I can afford.
+Ian Bartlett HI - I only had those sets myself - I have heard very good things about the Luminance but they are VERY expensive and for me that is prohibitive.
Jason Morgan - Wildlife Art That's completely understandable. The Luminance are very expensive. I managed to get a set of Caran d'Ache Pablo pencils online cheapishly (Pablos are their professional OIL based line), but I never seem to come across Luminance bargains. I think they are so much better known (and thus more popular) than the Pablos that they're rarely on sale. I did buy a few Luminance pencils open stock here in the UK, just to try them out - but I much prefer the oil based Pablos. (Although my favourites are still the Polychromos). Guess the oil based professional pencils work better with my style of applying them than the wax based ones. To each their own. :) - Anyway, thanks for a great review. PS. Cowling & Wilcox is a pretty good place to find Faber-Castell and Caran d'Ache open stock in the UK.
Great review, Jason. I have Derwent Coloursoft and have not worked with them much, as I am into pastels currently. However, I am very confused, as Lisa and a few others swear by the Polychromos. Is it ok to combine the wax based with oil based?
I really enjoy the Polychromos and the Pablos (from Caran d'Ache). I prefer the Pablos over the Luminance. I suppose I just like working with the professional oil based pencils more than the professional wax based ones (like Luminance and Prismacolor Premier). I do agree that it would have been nice to have had at least one of the Caran d'Ache lines represented, though.
I just bought the 120 set of Polys and love them. Years ago I got rid of my Prismas (they kept breaking and sometimes the lead fell out of the barrel). A couple of months ago I found an old set of Faber-Castell Spectracolor that I had in high school! For being over 30 years old, they still perform beautifully. This is part of the reason why I bought the Polys. For those folks who live in the US, you can buy open stock Polys at either Dick Blick stores or online at dickblick.com!
Michael Rapino Hi Jason, you might want to try Marco RENOIR, much better quality than Raffine, though the pencil feels so thin and fragile, especially next to the nice size of polychromes and most Derwent lines, and like they are round. Much softer "oil" based per claim, pigmented also more vibrant in most colors than Raffine, some colors hit and miss so some great and some just ok, blend much better than Raffine too. No open stock, no light testing but doubt it would be great? They do have 72 sets, I think I saw 120 once on Aliexpress, site with thousands of vendors from and ships most free, but can't say for certain? from China. No color names, only numbers on pencils. They also carry a set that has black barrel that are the same pencil with same numbers as Renoir, bought both and found out the hard way, but, I was pleasantly surprised and when you search can find great deals on 72 set. BTW, enjoyed your review you now have another new subscriber.
Strategy for allotting budget at art store : Watercolour Paper quality > watercolour paint quality Pastel Paper quality > pastel quality Colour pencil quality > Paper quality
You should see the cheap rubbish pencils they sell for kids in Hobbycraft, my friend bought me some Christmas.. Not to be ungrateful, but she needn't have bothered, as they are absolute rubbish. Probably only cost a few quid. They had barely any pigment in them at all. It's shocking that Hobbycraft even sells them... I'd buy kids a set of Crayola pencils, before I bought some of those. Or even the Eco pencils you sell here.
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One of the deciding factors are if the brand is available as open stock.
Andre van Wyk yea her in Serbia we only have faber castel and stadler
I have used Polychromos (my normal), and Derwent Coloursoft, and Derwent Drawing Pencils. I really like them all, but generally use the Polychromos because they are oil based, and thus don't suffer from wax bloom (worth mentioning), and also the pencils stay sharp for longer. I would happily use Caran d'ache because of their quality reputation, but they are expensive. I have not been tempted to use prismacolors (which are less available in the UK anyway) because I have seen too many reports of quality issues. Apart from the number of poor lightfast colours you mention, I have heard of too many with broken leads inside the casing, and the lead also being off-centre, which causes issues when you try sharpening them if you use a sharpener rather than a knife.
Also worth mentioning that you can mix them. For example, I often do mammals and birds with the Derwent Drawing pencils, but if there is a part that is a brighter colour (Drawing pencils are only rather dull earthy colours), then I can add in that part with Polychromos. Jackson's and Great Art, amongst others, do all the Derwents and the Polychromos, both in sets and open stock.
I agree Jason. Cost our materials is a big consideration for all of us. I'm glad that your reviews take this into consideration as it makes it more realistic for all of us.
Hi Jason. Great review as always and very helpful. I was wondering what your thoughts are for paper with mixed media pieces? specially pastel and coloured pencil? i know coloured pencil isn't your full area of expertise but I've been trying to find a decent paper (in the uk) that doesn't cost the earth just to practice on. Ive been using the daler rowney murano pastel paper and Faber-Castell sketch paper with my derwent, polychrome and faber pastel pencils, just using the pastels for a bokeh background. Ive seen coloured pencil artists using a hot pressed smooth paper and it looks good but not so good for pastels. It's just for practising but my goal is to eventually create some nice pieces to hang in my home. I hope you can help! it's been doing my head in for ages lol and I haven't the budget to keep buying different types of paper.
A scientific approach to Art...impressive, thanks.
Thanks for all the great info. As a newbie to pencils it raises a lot of thoughts and questions. Very possibly your other videos cover them.
For me i would have like a bit more light. I know that is hard so we all do what we can. It could be me though.
Enjoyed you talking about the different colored pencils. I am a new person to adult coloring and I would have loved to paint like you do, but I do not think I have the skills you need. I was wondering if you ever have painted a bald eagle?
Hi Jason, I always thought that there were only 72 Coloursofts in the range, not 120 so I'm a bit confused. I do like them, however.👍
Hi Jason, Faber Castell's catalog says they can be mixed with paraffin oil, did you happen to try this?
I copy the text that appears in the catalog for more information:
To create even areas of colour, paint over the strokes made with Polychromos artists’ colour pencils using a bristle brush and paraffin oil (baby oil or salad oil). Oil paints also dissolve the artists’ colour pencils, which is why they are often used to draw preparatory sketches for oil paintings. The lines subsequently dissolve when they are painted over.
Thanks this was a great demonstration! I just started coloring (you know the adult kind of books) and because I used really cheap pencils, I almost gave up. Now I'm out to buy something more decent and the Faber Castell eco pens look good.
very helpful and not all surprising the polychromos performed well, I am surprised that for the money, their eco pencil was very close. Great video.
Really liked your comparisons.
Do you still stand behind your choice from years ago?? Just curious.
Best regards.
What about Lyra's Rembrandt colour pencils?
Hey Jason, great video as usual! But I have a problem, can't find that Derwent Coloursoft has a 120 range, but only 72. Do you have a older set, or perhaps a newer one? The Derwent Artists have a 120 set. I have them both and should love to find a lager Coloursoft set as I prefer those.
+Li Ela yes it comes in 72 my mistake - SORRY! :(
+Jason Morgan - Wildlife Art (wildlife art) oh, I was hoping for a lager set ;-) even if I have to say 72 has been enough for my drawings so far .
Luv the video. Nice, simple & practical review. Only request is to include Caren d'Ache colored pencils. Thanx
Really excellent review Jason fantastic comparisons and I can remember when you showed the drawings on Facebook I really couldn't tell the difference and I use both the Derwent Coloursoft and the Polychromos. Excellent video
This is an excellent review and I'm glad to see you using colour pencil. However, I was surprised that you not include the Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 artist’s pencils, Swiss made in its Geneva Manufacture . A friend of mine using these and swears by them. I have tried her pencils and found them very nice to use. Myself I have used the Prisma and Derwent as these are the ones I can afford.
+Ian Bartlett HI - I only had those sets myself - I have heard very good things about the Luminance but they are VERY expensive and for me that is prohibitive.
Jason Morgan - Wildlife Art That's completely understandable. The Luminance are very expensive. I managed to get a set of Caran d'Ache Pablo pencils online cheapishly (Pablos are their professional OIL based line), but I never seem to come across Luminance bargains. I think they are so much better known (and thus more popular) than the Pablos that they're rarely on sale. I did buy a few Luminance pencils open stock here in the UK, just to try them out - but I much prefer the oil based Pablos. (Although my favourites are still the Polychromos). Guess the oil based professional pencils work better with my style of applying them than the wax based ones. To each their own. :) - Anyway, thanks for a great review. PS. Cowling & Wilcox is a pretty good place to find Faber-Castell and Caran d'Ache open stock in the UK.
This is a great comparison; you do lovely work!
Hi Jason
Have you reviewed watercolour pencil I have started using them but I am not sure what to buy, would value your opinion
Excellent video, thank you Jason!!
Great review, Jason. I have Derwent Coloursoft and have not worked with them much, as I am into pastels currently. However, I am very confused, as Lisa and a few others swear by the Polychromos. Is it ok to combine the wax based with oil based?
as far as I know I cant see wwhy not
Actually, prismacolor has 150 colors, also it would've been nice if you'd just mentioned the luminance they're the best so far, nice review though :)
Hello, no, Prismacolor are not the best on this point of view, the best are the "Luminance" from Caran d'Ache brand.
+Fred Liviou um...thank you, but that is exactly what I said ! did you read the whole comment?
anyway, yes they totally are the best.
Ooops ! What have I done here....Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking about when I wrote this comment !!!
Best.
+Fred Liviou haha ^^ it's okay, it can happen sometimes...
I really enjoy the Polychromos and the Pablos (from Caran d'Ache). I prefer the Pablos over the Luminance. I suppose I just like working with the professional oil based pencils more than the professional wax based ones (like Luminance and Prismacolor Premier). I do agree that it would have been nice to have had at least one of the Caran d'Ache lines represented, though.
Great comparison video, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for creating and sharing. Very informative.
derwent coloursoft only has 72, isn't it?
I just bought the 120 set of Polys and love them. Years ago I got rid of my Prismas (they kept breaking and sometimes the lead fell out of the barrel). A couple of months ago I found an old set of Faber-Castell Spectracolor that I had in high school! For being over 30 years old, they still perform beautifully. This is part of the reason why I bought the Polys. For those folks who live in the US, you can buy open stock Polys at either Dick Blick stores or online at dickblick.com!
polychromos,luminance and prisma are the big 3
Coloursoft had 120 colours? wow... Now they only have 72. What happened there, I wonder? Never knew they were 120 originally.
definitely the best set for parents to get their kids is the faber castell eco set
Searching online I can't seem to find thin colored pencils, that are archival, to replace Verithin which is not. Any ideas, anyone, please?
Hi Jason.. there's Luminance also
Belinda Roca
Belinda Roca
I'd love to know what you think of Marco Raffine colored pencils! Great video.
I own a set of the macro raffine pencils, I'd say they are slightly better than crayola but nowhere near as good as prismas or polychromos
Michael Rapino Hi Jason, you might want to try Marco RENOIR, much better quality than Raffine, though the pencil feels so thin and fragile, especially next to the nice size of polychromes and most Derwent lines, and like they are round. Much softer "oil" based per claim, pigmented also more vibrant in most colors than Raffine, some colors hit and miss so some great and some just ok, blend much better than Raffine too. No open stock, no light testing but doubt it would be great? They do have 72 sets, I think I saw 120 once on Aliexpress, site with thousands of vendors from and ships most free, but can't say for certain? from China. No color names, only numbers on pencils. They also carry a set that has black barrel that are the same pencil with same numbers as Renoir, bought both and found out the hard way, but, I was pleasantly surprised and when you search can find great deals on 72 set. BTW, enjoyed your review you now have another new subscriber.
Hi Jason, can you tell me what the difference is between derwent pencils and derwent colour soft. Thank you
Colour soft are a LOT softer. Not great for fine details. Better for blending.
Strategy for allotting budget at art store :
Watercolour Paper quality > watercolour paint quality
Pastel Paper quality > pastel quality
Colour pencil quality > Paper quality
Prismascolor come in 150 colors not 132
Rozalyn Leslie i have the 132 set.
I use the Derwent prismacolor are $100 for 36 where I live and you can’t even get polychromos
nice content 😊
You could have zoomed a bit more. Thanks anyway.
I love polychromos
Prismacolor have 150 color pencils
The eco colored pencils aren't color pencils, they are just colored pencils with colored led.
You should see the cheap rubbish pencils they sell for kids in Hobbycraft, my friend bought me some Christmas.. Not to be ungrateful, but she needn't have bothered, as they are absolute rubbish. Probably only cost a few quid. They had barely any pigment in them at all. It's shocking that Hobbycraft even sells them... I'd buy kids a set of Crayola pencils, before I bought some of those. Or even the Eco pencils you sell here.