Maddie Riley I just found my tin of prismacolor colored pencils yesterday and I just bought a 12 pack crayola for a quick project. It just matters how you use them. I do agree with her though, the lead breaks too much on the prismacolor and for the price that they are, I learned to never buy them again. I'm happy she shows substitute brands here
Plz. When she said that Prismacolor breaks more than it should, that was an instant *NOPE* for me. That is the *CORE* reason I use Crayola. they dont break on me like that. I was gifted a box of Artistic pencils a long time ago. can't remember the brand name but GEEZ......you talk about BREAKING. Nope. if I do sell my art, the person better deal with Crayola if they're able to tell in the first place.
Tips to sharpen prisma colors... (thank you art teacher) -hold the pencil at the end and turn the shaprener not the pencil...it's a bit weird feeling but it works well (I don't know if it helps to use the prismacolor sharpener but thats what I use) -if colorpencil keeps breaking microwave the pencil for 3-5 seconds or enough for the core to melt into eachother and fix the breaks
Everyone's upset and complaining about their Prismacolors saying they break a lot or that they just got them and aren't happy with them and I'm just here like "I've had 0 problems and none of mine (the soft lead) have ever broken (my verithin ones with hard lead have broken a couple times), not even from sharpening". I personally think they are actually a really good brand of colored pencils with great color options. Maybe I just treat my pencils differently or better or something? Idk. They work well for mu purposes, anyway. I just had to comment my love for their colored pencils while everyone else isn't.
Ooh, and while I'm not a color layering person (bc I don't have extra money to spend on replacing colors all the time), I do have a friend who uses them and puts layer upon layer of Prismacolor and really thickly, and she has no problems either.
Maybe you just treat yours well because mine used to crumble apart so easily. But also, as she mentioned in the video, the lead not being centered may be an issue and I remember off the top of my head that the lead seemed lopsided in my pencils.
the prismacolor premiers breakage issue has been going on for quite some time. I had issues with a few pencils from my very first set that I bought about 2 years ago. From what I understand, this problem has occured ever since Prismacolor sold the company, apparently now the Premiers are a little cheaper quality. I bought an electric sharpener just because that issue occurred quite a few times on one pencil alone.. it was the cloud blue pencil, I had sharpened it and it kept on breaking right after, so it ended up I sharpened it down to a small stub of a pencil before it actually stopped breaking.. It was disheartening too, My prismacolors were new at the time. I had bought the largest set, now I have 2 of these sets just in case, but I have bought Polychromos and also Pablos since and I tend to use them more. Premiers have a large variety of colors so I still use the Premiers as needed as well. From what I also have seen, the price on the Premiers open stock, is much more expensive than both the Polys and Pablos for whatever reason..This was the case last I checked at least.
The ones I still have from the 80's are a totally different animal...buttery & rich. Also, my first art tutor taught me to sharpen with a pen/pocket/Swiss Army knife...saves loads of lead & you can sharpen only if needed & it's super sharp. I treasure my vintage Prismas & I'm sad that quality has plummeted (esp since that open stock option is so fab), but as you say, there are more pencilly fish in the sea. ;)
fxrsniper1 she didn't say how much she spent on her giant prismacolor set that she ended up selling (which is what she was comparing to the oil based pencils)
I paid $105 for my Prismacolors for the 150. Comparing that to the Polychromos 120 at currently $168 on Amazon (Remember Quality Vs. Price), I'd say that's more than fair.
fxrsniper1 the price is mainly based on the brand (if it's a big brand or a small brand) and how many colors there are usually. At least that's how it is in my town XD
To any & all... DONT GIVE UP ON YOUR PRISMACOLORS! The "breaking while being sharpened" problem can easily be fixed. My experience... After using my Prismas for awhile, they, too, started breaking while sharpening even though I was using many types of sharpeners and several techniques. I even had a couple of my Polychromous break! Got so bad, I was trying to sharpen them more than I was getting to use them. Finally, I bought a HELICAL blade sharpener (many brands - mine was a Laneco brand - less than $20 on Amazon), as that was one type I hadn't tried. It changed my colored pencil sharpening life! I've been using it for several months now, and haven't had one pencil break on me! That's amazing! I've used it with all my colored pencils except the Luminance as they're just too "fat" to fit in my sharpener's one hole. Also, helical sharpeners put a lovely extra-long point on my pencils that I love, much like those expensive Kum and Blackwing 2-step handhelds do. Please, if you've invested in Prismas especially, do yourself a favor and invest in the proper type of sharpener. If your Prismas are new, it will take a few weeks or months depending on how much you use your pencils, to start having the breaking problem, BUT, you will eventually have that problem. It's just the nature of the beast. :) It doesn't matter if your sharpener is wall-mounted ( just like the types used in schools with the funny looking blades), or handcranks, or plugs into an outlet, or whatever (mine is battery operated so I can use it anywhere), just as long as it has the helical blades, that's the secret. For cores that are off center, I sharpen as usual, then shave off the extra wood with a craft knife/box cutter/razor blade. That will last you for several sharpenings. I have no affiliations with anyone, just trying to save y'all from going thru what I did. The Prismas are so inexpensive now and there's no reason to not buy them as long as you also get the proper type of sharpener and know a trick or two. I've never had a problem with Prismas and wax bloom either, as I work in several light layers. Had that problem once with other brands (one was oil based!), on swatches where I was using a lot of pressure because they're just swatches, right? So, I suspect wax bloom is linked to using a lot of pressure. That's just my working theory for now. If you ever get it, it can just be wiped off with a soft cloth. Prismacolors' soft cores (and vividness/brightness!), are what makes them so special. The lack of Quality Control is a huge problem, but is the reason, I think, the prices have come down so much, so many more of us can afford them now who couldn't even 3 years or so ago. You just need to know how to properly deal with their problems, and you and your Prismas will get along just fine. ;) PS. You won't find all the helical sharpeners by using "helical" in your search as many don't bother putting that in their title or description. Learn what the blades look like and check out all their pics. Always sharpen some graphite pencils every now and then to keep the cores of (any) colored pencils from gumming up the blades. Graphite will also help coat and lubricate the blade(s). Helical blades almost never need sharpening. Your less than $20 investment is going to pay for itself in a very short amount of time, not to mention saving you a LOT of frustration/time and saving on the pencils themselves. You wouldn't buy a car then not buy any gas and oil to go in it, would you?
Thanks for the tip. I will try out the helical blades as you mentioned. I just bought 150 Prisma color premier pencils because they were the most affordable for the quality I needed. I don't want to spend so much on more expensive pencils when I'm still a newbie.
I HAVE SOME PRISMA TIPS. I personally love prismacolors and don't really like Faber-Castell. But that is just me. I hate that they got bought out though and the quality has gone down...I try and find old cases in local art stores sometimes. Try hard not to drop your pencils. If you buy them individually look for the centered lead like she said!!! If your pencil keeps breakings while sharpening, the lead may be broken somewhere in the pencil. Pop your pencil in the microwave for a bit and it can bind it together again! it doesn't always work but it sometimes does the trick. Also make sure you have a good sharpener! I always get ones that have german made blades as they always seem to work the best.
The microwave tip is valid. It melts the wax to fill in the cracks. It melts the wax to fill in the cracks.... O my!!!..Use your sharpener...softly..softly..thanks for the post.
Quik question, I'm gonna buy prisma colours tommorow and i reallh want yo kbow alot about them, cause i wnat to have just good pencols unlike my 2000 pencils i have rn For how should i microwave them cause i have no clue if it's 1 minute or like 10 seconds😅
I bought prisma color last year, and I just recently figured out how to use them... I never considered something was wrong with the pencils themselves but more about my techniques... so I kept on learning and now I'm completely satisfied with them, I love them!
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍 Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
that just happened to me. I just ordered the Prismacolors after seeing my success with them in art class. But then I saw this video, and now I'm second-guessing myself and reading the comments.
How do y’all feel about the pencils now it’s been a month or so ? I haven’t used them because I’m happy with polychromos but I bought an anniversary tin and some of the colours are discontinued and are limited edition. (Meaning I won’t be able to repurchase the colours). How is the colour selection and overall quality ?
@@jaderalston7725 Ive had prismacolors for a while, they're great pencils and I haven't had a problem with them. Everyone always say they break easily but mine only break like once a week lol
@@hannahwang7220 Once they arrived, they were actually great. None of them broke unless my dog decided to chew on it. So I'm actually glad I bought them. :D
I thought I had lost my mind. I started using Prismacolor years ago and was so excited by their quality, performance and endurance. But over the years they just went to hell in a hand basket. I truelly believe now that we've been pencil scammed. They've replaced a dream product with a cheaper to produce, extremely inferior doppelganger and made the mistake of thinking we wouldn't notice. WELL WE NOTICED!!!!!! How dare you.
I must be extremely lucky. I have the 150 set plus two smaller ones and I've never had a single pencil continually break, and I've used my 24 set I got from Walmart so much they're all nubs, and have bought about 20 open stock to replace in my large set so I'm definitely well acquainted with using them, sharpening, and dropping them (I'm clumsy). They're all from Mexico. I don't doubt people are having constant issues with them, but in my own experience with them I just haven't, and I use a handheld sharpener. I did just get polychromos though and OMG!!! Theyre amazing ^-^
I'd love for anybody who like me has not had the breakage issues to comment and share how you sharpen them. Maybe its the way I sharpen them that makes the difference for me? I dont own an electric I just feel they eat my pencils away faster than by a handheld. I do use the prismacolor sharpener and use a fair amount of pressure, perhaps thats a reason I never have had the breakage issues though that would make no difference with them coming internally damaged like many report. But the prisma sharpener is amazing for a handheld, and you can get it for 5-10 bucks so if it doesnt help you've not thrown too much away and you still have a good handheld that works great for other pencils too
same I've been using Prismacolor for a good 5 years now and I've never had any break. Then again I use the prismacolor sharpener so I don't know if that has anything to do with it.
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍 Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
I too have Caran d'Ache pencils and the Faber Castelle Polychromos and I bought three boxes of the Prismacolours one for myself and one each for my granddaughters. We are all delighted with our Prismacolours. We have no experience of breakage after using them for over a year; The Caran d'Ache are very nice BUT they are very very expensive I suppose because the Swiss franc is very high against the euro. The Polychromos I like too but I still reckon the Prismacolours are great, the colours are beautiful and the price very correct and affordable. The latest boxe of 72 are on sale on 'Amazon' for 40 euros. I would really recommend them.
Now a 72 set of Prismacolors are sold at 38 usd on amazon.com! :D :D Best colors I've ever used and I love how they seem to burst over with color- I barely have to put pressure to color in and they blend so, so beautifully! :D My definate favourite :)
As I wrote before my two granddaughters and I are very pleased with our Prismacolor pencils. They are so bright and they blend really well and we have had no problems with breakage. Plus the price is so good they are more than worth what I paid for them.....40 euros.....for 72. Happy coloring to you.
maureen1938 the pencil on the box is number 666 though so I'm kinda skeptical about buying those. I have polychromos on my wish list for Christmas already though.
I have sharpened my Prismacolour pencils with cheap sharpeners and 'GUM" and the Prismacolour sharpener and haven't had breakage with any of them. Maybe I'm just lucky I don't know. As I wrote before I purchased three boxes two as presents and have no problems up to now. The colours are fantastic and easy to put down on paper.
Honestly I’m annoyed by them too ..I order them from abroad cause I live in a very far country (Romania) ..you can’t find them here anywhere so it is quite hard for me .I order them each 4-5 months and they are a huge investment and I get them and always always the white ,tuscan red are done after 2 drawings because when i try to sharp them boom they are destroyed ..just like that
Hint: I buy coloured pencils at the thrift stores. Just got an unopened box of 72 Prismacolors for $3, Usually over a hundred loose pencils of various brands ( Fabre C, etc) for $2. My favourite are ‘Laurentien’ brand. Best of all, I often come across older sets at thrift stores.
I have a lot of different brands of pencils: Caron D'ache, Polychromos , Lyra, Prismacolor Premier, and many others but for me the best of them is the Prismas. I don't know if I'm just lucky or what but I never had a breakage while sharpening and I don't treat them gingerly. I find I can layer 4 or 5 colors and have no problems. But I respect your opinion. Your work is phenomenal!
That's great and thank you so much! I've had greater success with the prismas when they were owned and manufactured by Berol (basically the vintage ones you can still buy on eBay and second hand).
It's nice to see someone point out the imperfections of such a popular product. I'm also glad I'm not the only one who had issues sharpening them. I always feared it was me, especially with others saying it's me, even though I would do my absolute best to be careful, but still find that only about 1/4th of it as useful because of how much breaks and that's before having to s harpen to get the fine detail you want.
+Jillian Crawford I totally understand. You're definitely not alone in reading comments and my experience. I'm hoping maybe someone from the company may stumble across this video. People who invest in their products should get their money's worth, and if enough people stop spending their money on these pencils, that'll be enough incentive (imo) to improve the quality of the product. If they were to use a double adhesive inside the wood casing like Bruynzeel pencils do, they'd reduce breakage. It's crazy.
*I'm using these STAEDTLER ones I got from Walmart recently, they're triangle barreled so they feel awesome in my hands, the 48 pack was the same price as a Prisma 24.. I've always bought Prisma, obviously I love how it feels to glide across the paper and beautiful bright colors buuuut I just work better with a harder pencil and if you're on a budget and wanna try something cool you can pick up right at Walmart those staedtlers are pretty good!*
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍 Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!899
Saw the title and intrigued me to find out why, Im not disappointed and enjoyed listening to you chat about your passion. I love to draw (when I can) and this has been very helpful. Thank you and will have to add the oil pencils because I'm tired of the breakage, Idk why i paid as much as I did when i get a few uses out one entire pencil because the rest has to be sharpened due to breakage. 👍🌺
+Bombshell nailS Thank you! And I'm sorry you've had issues with Prismacolors, but I do hope you like oil based pencils and they'll work out better for you in the future. I'm happy you found this video useful and thank you for watching! Happy holidays!
Prismacolor is now made in Mexico. All of my new Prismas are marked Mexico! The quality control is horrible. I really liked them and I do try to use them up because I have them. I probably will not buy them again. I may love the polychromes, (getting them for Christmas.) and if so I will stick with them. I have many off center in the 150 box of prismacolor. I bought and was dissatisfied. I use them to color pictures with the children now. When they break or get worn, I don't worry about them. The rest of my pencils are off limits to the children. All the best, Sean
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍 Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!888
+Caroline DC I will be creating a video on this in the near future. Are you currently using any type of blending mechanism? IE a blending pencil or odorless mineral spirits?
I'm using a blender pencil, but whenever I try to blend a darker color into a lighter one, the blending pencil just makes it look patchy. I don't know what I'm doing wrong
+Caroline DC I would try blending light into dark instead in a soft, circular motion with the pencil and see what kind of result you get. Also, Mona Lisa odorless mineral spirits make it easier to blend (use a filbert brush to blend) and it'll also give it a more painterly finish. Unless you don't want to use solvents, which I completely understand. Also make sure your paper you're using a suitable for colored pencil (assuming it is). I typically will use mixed media 140 lb or higher or Strathmore colored pencil 140 lb).
Caroline DC I would recommend a paper with no tooth for a smooth finish. You could also take the white prismacolor and blend with it. Since polychromos is oil based you can also use mineral spirits or turpentine. But, be very careful using those. Portion the spirits/tine off in a separate container, due to the fumes. Even the Mona Lisa gives off odorless fumes. So not to inhale anything toxic, portion off the container.
Aaahh thank you so much for this video!! It was super informative and I was actually planning on buying some prismacolor pencils soon. I'm excited about looking into the alternatives you suggested!! ^^
Honestly, what I hated most about the softness of prismacolors is that it would result in an INSANE amount of lead being used. Like, I kept sharpening and wiping dust off my paper and thinking "am I pushing down too hard?" because it was wearing away at the pencils so much and I would use way too much lead for a single drawing in comparison to a pencil with thicker lead.
This isn't the first time I've heard about the breaking leads in Prismacolor pencils. It's disappointing, as they were the first I ever used (25 years ago)!!!! It sounds like I'll be investing in Holbein's if I decide I need colored pencils again. Thanks!
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍 Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
Received my 150 set on Nov 9 2021 and spent the last three weeks swatching them all and blending and getting my notebook set up. Zero problems. Bought mine through Amazon and use the Prismacolor sharpener. I hold the pencil still, turn the sharpener, AND store my pencils in.a case. I have a. full set of polys and enjoy them. Different tools for different jobs. All good!
Prismacolors are nice but if you don't use them soon after purchase (within 8 months to a year) I've seen that the pencils themselves essentially "dry" out. The cores become very brittle and pretty much kills the usefulness of the pencil, the cores constantly break even when you sharpen them properly. I *do* like prismacolors pencils for some applications, they're also great for beginners if you get them on sale. I'm not as huge on colored pencils as I used to be since I've transitioned from 2D to 3D design anyways but I do very much enjoy the mentioned Faber Castles. They are quite fun to use for design work.
I never understood the craze about prisma colors I'm an artist that uses cheap supplies or things I get foe free but I did buy a 48 pack of prisma colors because I found them at the goodwill for a $1.50 and there pretty cool but I still wouldn't pay $100 even though I've now tested them out. anyway cool video
lovely627 using bad materials produces not lasting works, you can draw a decent piece but it will fade away over time, even paper is important. Learn about lightfastness, and take materials a little bit more seriously... Of course do it only if you care about your work...
Pablo Andrés Morales Muñoz well I have art pieces that I've made 6 to 7 years ago that still look perfectly fine and haven't faded just because I don't have hundreds of dollars to use on art supplies doesn't mean I don't care. it's just people think they need very expensive supplies to make good artwork and you don't always need to buy expensive things like all of the art I've done since even back when I was kid still look fine none of pieces have deteriorated now if I was doing a commissioned price then yea i would get better materials but as of now I see no reason to spend money I don't have on expensive materials I don't need
+Pablo Andres Munoz Your comment is really patronising :\ Implying someone doesn't care about their art because they don't have the money to spend hundreds of dollars on their materials... wow.
I really enjoy prismacolor pencils, I'm not much of a colored pencil artist and they work great for what I need. They are very controversial in the art community, it seems people really like them, or really don't! Haha good video
They have a special place in my heart because they're the first artist-grade pencils I ever tried. They're so soft and buttery, I still like them, despite the known issues. I can burnish with them or blend with solvent. They do seem to wear down much faster than my oil-based pencils and they don't layer as well as my Caran D'ache. When I do use them, it's usually mixed with another brand; I can't give up my Polychromos black or Caran D'ache white. But think they're really great for professionals as well as hobbyists that don't want to spend a bundle.
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍 Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
iv been using prismacolors for a while and i must say the breakages can be quite annoying when your on a deadline, however there is a pencil sharpener by Derwent that claps to your desk that minimalises breakages because it grinds the pencils and minimises stress on the lead when sharpening
Thank you for sharing in this video. I too started with Prismacolor and familiar with their pros and cons. The lead breakage and coming out became too frustrating for me. There were time I ended up going through 4 pencils of the same color for an art piece. I have been getting to know other brands and trying to find one that flows and builds nicely. Thank you again. Your input is appreciated.
As a coloured pencil artist, Prismacolor pencils were what I started off with. The points you make in this video are spot on. Two of the main reasons I stopped using them were one, they would always break (I mostly believe it is due to the cores of the pencils being off centre), and two, the wax blooming that would occur within a few days (it can be partially avoided if you spray with a fixative right away). Because I started selling my work, I had to stop using them for that very reason. While Prismacolors are great for beginners, I would recommend trying Faber Castell Polychromos, which are oil based, so that the whole wax blooming disaster is non existent. Slightly more expensive, but totally worth it.
I'm having a melt down trying to use my Prismacolor pencils . I used to love them back in the day . Now I feel like I'm using crayons . I thought it was the temp of my home or something . Thanks for sharing your story . Now I feel better and can buy something that will make art more relaxing again .
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍 Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍 Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
I debated going Prismacolor or Faber Castell when I decided I wanted to get into colored pencil drawing. I went Prismacolor because they were cheaper and I had used them a little bit before and I knew they were good. But after a few months, I'm thinking I might need to give Faber Castell a shot. If the pigment is as good as Prismacolor without needing to resharpen as often, it might be worth the extra money.
As someone who often uses crayola and roseart colored pencils I've had since high school (I'm a 3rd year illustration major in college now), using Prismas is always a treat tbh
Carandache are gorgeous pencils too. Not as many colors. But they're amazing. Glad you know ur stuff. So many people say "prismacolor is the best-" and go recommending it to people that don't know any better.
Thank you! I appreciate it! I try to just leave it open to people as far as their personal preference, but in my opinion the modern made Prismacolors are a waste of money. Sometimes if they haven't used any other brand, then Prismacolors are the best they've used so far.
Excellent review- I really find your videos refreshing as you offer non-mainstream alternatives (aside from Polychromos, of course). I've heard of Pablos by Caran D'Ache, but Luminance always seems to steal the limelight. Holbein always comes across as a very high quality, artist-grade brand (famed for their watercolours and gouache), but I've never heard of their pencils. Perhaps it's the lack of carriers, like you said. Have you tried Luminance before though? I wonder how you'd compare them to your favourite pencil brands/lines. I'd love to try Holbeins and Pablos, but just spoilt myself to a set of Polychromos (a bit of an upgrade to the Derwent Studio I use currently). One day.... :)
Hi Claudia! Thank you for your kind comments and input! I will check out your channel and videos! Let me know what you think of the Polychromos! I plan to do an actual demo with the Holbein colored pencils here in the future. I believe the lack of popularity with them has to do with the lack of carriers, like you mentioned. I believe if they were available here in the US, it would put Prismacolor out of business. I used to own a set of Luminance, which I actually really enjoyed, and they were a definite upgrade from Prismacolors as far as wax based pencils were concerned. Probably the reason why they outshine Pablo's is that they're more available open stock in Blick art supply stores, and they are Caran D'Ache's highest lightfast rated pencil (and have the highest light fastness of any pencil on the market). I ended up having to part with them because at the time, I was having to downsize to pay for some expenses. Normally, I won't part with any art supply that I really love, but I was looking to go to strictly oil based pencils anyways. I now own some vintage Prismacolors when they were owned by Berol and performed at the top of their game (the quality now is sad in comparison). Thank you for commenting again! Much appreciated!
Oh yes, I see now that Pablos cost just over half of Luminance- I now really see why the Pablos are so attractive. Seems like a great place to start for people considering Caran D'ache. And thank you for your response, it's very informative! I'll keep an eye out for your holbein demo- already on tenterhooks from seeing your overview of them in your other video (the amount of colours is simply jaw-dropping and I can't wait to see how you use them) I'm not yet uploading videos but do plan on doing so in the near future :) I am on Instagram as Claudia.Sketches - I think I found you there too!
What a great video. Thanks for putting this together. I paint windows for a living but do some colored pencil work for fun. I have used prismacolor forever. Yeah the breakage can be annoying. I am going to try the Holbein. Thanks again, I will subscribe and like.
Really happy with this review, even as a beginner I get annoyed with the waxy buildup and white film that you speak of, it tends to leave white speckles behind when you color a piece and knowing that there are alternatives that work to avoid this is really good to know. Also like the idea of keeping a blending pencil on the side. Does that work well with oil based pencil being that it is wax however?
I've used these in my road kit, for non time waste quick stuff, they take a lot of abuse, weather changes, etc. I do have the sharpening problem, when the cylinder gets rolled, or I'm too careless with how I bang them around, but all those colors and the convenience of whipping them out when you have a few minutes is convenient and economical. I do have an assortment of other brands, and you are right about the haze factor with the waxed based ones versus oil, thanks, happy art, forever!
Have used Prismacolour since the early 80's. Everything she said has always been true. The waxing over till the colour flakes off, limited layering with some colours being incapable of colouring over (particularly lighter colours over dark for highlights) and yes some colours being softer and breaking continually. You end up rendering to the limitations of the pencil. I could get good transitions so long as the layers were light (could use 6-7 colours) However this made the end result soft without a lot of opacity. Tried switching papers and going to illustration boards etc. with no significant improvement. I will have to try one of these pencils out.
I knew it ! I was ready to comment that the man in your portrait looks like Gerard and then you said that it actually is a portrait of him. 😍😍😍😍😍😍 I loved MCR (and still do)
I especially fell in love with the DD series since I am a killjoy. He's living his dream and that makes me happy. Too bad Ilive in Europe and I couldn't go to comicon...
I really enjoy my prismacolors they work well for me. I've had mine for about 2 years now, I use a sharp hand sharpener and take my time sharpening to prevent breakage which I find works well.
Alice Lovz Art it depends on the set you have.If you have the 150,they are amazing for realism but if you have the 12,24 or 36 i believe it’s harder to achieve realism
Thank you very much for doing this video. I'm not sure it's what many people want to hear (even though it 110% true)...but the deal with these pencils don't expressly appear until a person really gets serious about colored pencil work and needing sharpened cores (and with these having such a soft core, they wear down more quickly...needing more sharpening) than if a slightly harder cored pencil is used. I have a very similar story. However, it didn't take me 15 years to figure out that these were not all they were 'cracked' up (pun intended) to be. Despite the fact that the company considers them lightfast (according to their website, and they probably are...most of them except some magenta/purple colors), I personally have a very hard time with them being labeled as artist grade. No pencil of artist/professional grade quality should ever leave the manufacturing plant (which is in Mexico) in the condition that 99% to 100% of their pencils do. There is zero quality control. This is seen if you buy a set, in store or online, or by open stock, in store or online. The core being centered has very little to do with core breakage...it's really a sharpening issue...as this company does not use a double gluing process as Faber-Castell and Caran d' Ache. If you haven't tried Caran d'Ache Luminance white, you are missing an awesome white. Check it out! Colored pencils are my main medium. Think about if a manufacturer did something similar to oil or acrylic paint brushes. People wouldn't buy them! Why?! Because they had major quality control issues! I believe that the cores of these pencils are what keep people hooked (as well as the price and discounting), even with all of the problems with breakage, sharpening issues, warped casings, cores not centered, the list is endless. I feel that if people really wanted them to be better made...they'd stop buying them until they got their act together. Then at the very least the pencils could be sharpened and stay together in one piece. At that point the artist can decide whether wax bloom is something they want to deal with. I count myself very fortunate because when I started using colored pencils I was encouraged to try many of the professional/artist grade pencil brands as I could. In fact, the projects called for multiple different brands, and this was such a huge help in determining what colored pencil lines that I preferred. If people only knew what they were missing using a variety of brands, Together, they'd probably throw their Prismas in the trash. I've used Faber-Castell Polychromos, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer, Caran d' Ache Pablo, Caran d Ache Luminance, Caran d' Ache Museum Aquarelle, Caran d'Ache Neocolor ll's, Derwent Watercolor, Derwent Inktense, Derwent Drawing, Derwent Graphitint, in addition to the Prismacolor Premier, Prismacolor Art Stix, and Prismacolor. At this point I don't use many if any Prismacolor brand products. But that's me. Every artist is different. However, I really would appeal to those that only use Prismacolor Premiers to experiment with other brands because this is actually healthy and it certainly broadened my taste, my own artwork, and it showed me that brands that have been here for over a hundred years...really know quality...and how to turn out a colored pencil. You don't know what product/pencil brand is the best for you, if you refuse to try other things. Doing so has not been without it's rewards...my work has taken on a whole other dimension and its actually improved the quality of my work. Experimenting with other products can open doors you never knew were there. So whether you ditch your Prismas or include other brands in the mix...you benefit as an artist in ways only you will discover. Happy Coloring!
I completely agree with you, and thank you for sharing your story and response. I also believe it's essential to try out new and other products. I have a lot of the brands you mentioned, which I'll do tutorials and reviews on in the future, and each one has its pros/cons and it's own unique quality. I also believe if someone is not able to afford them, there are always ways to work around it: find another artist who has them and ask if you can try them out, sample them at art stores, look for the open stock in clearance (people break pastels all the time and are usually marked 50% off in art stores in the clearance bin). Anyways, you totally get it. Thank you for responding and i hope you continue to enjoy your supplies and this channel. I appreciate your input.
You are very kind. It's so great to meet someone that understands and "gets it." I did want to mention that I've been eyeing the Holbein colored pencils on Amazon...but not being able to try them out through open stock...has been a bummer. I realize sometimes the descriptions on Amazon are not always completely accurate, so I wanted to make sure that I heard you correctly. Did you say the Holbein you are using are watercolor (water-soluble) pencils? Oh, and I just had to laugh when you got your cases mixed up...all because I have like at least 10 of those cases and get them mixed up too! I try to put the Caran d'Ache in red so as to recognize the brand. But it's a problem when you own more than one set of a certain brand. Lol! If you happen upon a labeling system that works for you...please share it with me! Thanks again for doing this video...it really is needed information and you presented it well.
I posted a couple months ago about how I had no issues with breakage with my prismas. Well now that i've worn the sharpener in a while, I started having a lot of breakage. Bought a new prisma handheld and back to having no problems. So for those who already have prismas, a sharp blade makes a big difference!
+Melanie 157 Great tip! Thank you! It may even help to sharpen them manually with a blade (although the soft cores may be too soft for a blade like that).
While it is true that they break a lot, they don't break much more than any other coloured pencils I've used. I just personally really like them because of my experience with various coloured pencil brands
Id been using premier for about 15 yrs and ive had my problems with them so much i bought a back up set to try out. 72pc Azteca oil based colored pencils. And i fell in love. No blender necessary. Everything goes on so smoothly. Ill never waste money on prismacolor again. Theres a reason walmart sells ao much prismacolor. Its cheap and easy to use. But if youve been doing it l ou ng enough, eventually youll branch out and find your niche. Good luck!
on a colored pencil package i bought a wile ago, it said by dropping a colored-pencil will break the lead, so just be careful when using them so the don't accidentally hit the ground. poly chromes are good, I've been using them for a little over a month, and am honestly thinking about using them over my other colored pencils I have.
Polychromos are so incredible. If you're thinking about using them regularly, you won't regret it. They produce beautiful layering and transitions like I've never seen before.
+Little Teemo I absolutely love Faber-Castell. I have their pencils, markers, graphite, and they are top notch quality. They've never disappointed me in performance.
My Prismacolor Premiers break quite often with a hand sharpener, which is quite annoying. So I'm using a small box cutter to sharpen my pencils to a point and they break less often for the effort. Also, I have a LOT of lead nubs that are perfectly good to use but are way too tiny to hold even in my fingers because of the breakage. I found a small way to work with the latter problem, though. I bought myself a Staedler lead holder, and use the spring-hold mechanism to grab onto one portion of the nub. From there I've worked a 4-6mm nub down to a 2mm nub or less; basically a tiny ball that would break in half with any more pressure applied to it. Got lots of mileage out of those alone.
I´m from Germany, where Prismacolors aren´t available easily but as I wanted to try them out I had ordered some from a free lance artist who sells them along with sharpener for cosmetics (for eyeliners and stuff like that), on a phonecall she told me that she advises to use this sharpener and it works very well, far better than a regular sharpener, you might want to try this out, too. Greetings from Germany!
Southpaw Creative Arts Thanks, I was probably fortunate that this artist was a woman who probably out of necessity and/or frustration came up with this idea, I for myself didn´t even know that such a sharpener could exist :D!
Ah the cosmetic sharpener is a great idea. When I was younger and used prismas I only had access to cosmetic sharpeners from my mom/grandma when they'd give me their extras. I rarely remember having any breakage issues. I didn't see massive breaks and wearing away of the pencil until I had bought an electric sharpener. Recently I found my set and tried to use them again but that same electric sharpener chewed them all up.. and then it broke. hehe
i was a colored pencil artist for a few years and loved the vibrancy of Prismacolor (i feel they're unmatched). However, forget about sharpening them with small handheld sharpeners. It wont work. Get a quality manual crank handle sharpener like the swordfish Ikon and run a hard lead graphite pencil through them every few rounds between colored pencils and pastel pencils and you will love them.
i know this is not something half of these comments seem to understand but not every pencil tin gets to you the same way, when bought off of amazon any number of things can happen to it, and as the rest of the comments show, it honestly depends on the case and not every case will be like yours, just be sure to anyone reading this, to not expect anything perfect if its getting shipped to you, the transportation can break it, it could hit a bump in the back of the UPS ect. (theyre fsoft, of course itll be delicate and easy to break) its about luck, not the company so please be aware of that, this video is up to explain their reasons not explaining why you shouldnt buy them, as of the waxy layer, if you dont care, great, once again this is her problems, if youre buying them, GREAT, please dont regret your decision, this is just her simple to reply to some people who had simple questions, she isnt even bashing the company, she said it in her own words, i wish you all goodluck on your artistic journey's
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍 Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
There is a workaround for the breakage issues, which involves heating them for a minute or two by moving a heated hairdryer over them to remelt the binders
Lonita Fraser you've never actually owned a prismacolor pencil have you? Next time a pencil breaks every two seconds when sharpening cut the case open. It's NOT broken inside. The core is misaligned
I've owned Prismas for years, thanks; and feel no need to cut them open when they break. Reheating them, and sharpening with sandpaper rather than a sharpener (because that promotes the breakage of a misaligned core), works just fine.
Yes you are very right,I've been through a lot of the dark blues and especially the greens they break like crazy and it drives me crazy because of the cost of them.
Interesting how different artists always have different experiences with certain supplies. I recentley started using prismacolors (i love them) i received a 24 set of the sanford prismacolors that my grandmother (a fellow artist) had lying around. They werent even sharpened! The only problem i had was the indigo blue pencil. I got the 72 set and the color expansion was awesome. At this point prismacolors have declined in price so much that they're worth working around some of the problems. They work for my purposes and I'd recommend trying a smaller set first, if you like them, then expand.
+Randy Romero you're welcome - in the long run, I think people lose their money if they get a bad batch. Brunyzeel is a great alternative, but their color collection is limited to 48. I'll be doing a review of them.
I personally don't like Prismacolor because of the breaking as well. I tend to go for pastels or pens, so I'm not really one to ask about colored pencils, but nice review!
I actually got a 72 piece set of Prismacolor pencils for Christmas and I love them a lot. I don't really have any problems with breakage and sharpening isn't a hassle for me (maybe I'm one of the lucky ones). The colors are very vibrant and look very clean and smooth on paper. Just looking at it is really satifying, see all the beautiful vibrant colors drawn and blended oh so very well together. The only thing that I just really don't like is how expensive they are. The set I have know was most likely around $140. I once saw a 132 box set in an art store and it was well over $220. For a poor person, Prismacolor is the most expensive option that you could probably afford. Now that I know there's a 150 piece set, I'm wondering how much that costs.
My worst experience with Prismacolor pencils was that recently I had the actual WOOD of a pencil split all the way down the pencil on me. I was able to harvest the core and it still works for small areas, but to be honest this set was very old. I've had it since junior year of high school and my teacher probably had them sitting around longer than that. (I graduated in 2014) but other than that, I've had a wonderful experience with Prismacolors! I do understand why people don't like them though.
Could you do a video with a side-by-side difference of polychromos and prismacolour? Unless you already have a video like that, then please just leave a link :)
+Queen of Loserville I can definitely do one like that soon. I only use vintage Prismacolors from 90's and before that, but that video will be up later today or this week. In the meantime, Lachri Fine Art does have a Prismacolor vs. Polychromos video if you want to check that out. :-) ruclips.net/video/WH0tz1NyvPk/видео.html
I use Marco renoir fine art colored pencils. I love them, best art about them is that they are oil based. Beautiful blending, with the look of oil paint. Its almost impossible to break these pencils.
Well, she didn't knock the quality of the drawings she was producing with them, she knocked their manufacturing quality - which she is absolutely spot on about. They changed the location where they manufactured them a few years ago, and the quality dropped at that point on.
I also have never experienced any breakage that people keep talking about. When I purchased my 72 set I also purchased their small hand held sharpener - which is made is for these pencils. I have had no problems - NONE!!!
I have had no problems with Prismacolor Premier and I have Faber Castell as well as Caran D'Ache Pablo Pencils, used them, and returned back to my favorite Prismacolor pencils. They blend so nicely and you do not have to use a solvent.
Thank you for saying this. I have a large set I bought years ago and was about to use them for commissioned portraits. So I must know that my portraits will be archival and won't change.
Buff the afflicted areas with a firm, natural hair paintbrush. This will stop the bloom and render it a bit shiny (e.g., wax polish on shoes, same concept), I don't use a pencil sharpener anymore (for Prismacolors) but an X-ACTO knife. There is a bit of a learning curve but it's been worthwhile.
I have had my Prismcolors for ages. I obtained them to draw and color on Polymer clay. They are wonderful, and in the end, it's all a choice of the artist. Many people cannot afford the hightest quality of pencils these days, and it shouldn't be an issue. Buy whatever you can afford, and just enjoy drawing, coloring and painting. It's meant to be a pleasure not a burden anyway. God bless all us artists who arn't rich, and those who are rich, feel free to buy us some expensive pencils and post them out. Thankyou.
I've been using Prismacolor pencils for over 30 years now. Never had any problems with them. They are my absolute favorite. I have other brands but don't compare to Prismacolor. I don't have any problems sharpening them either. Everyone has a preference. And mine will always be Prismacolor!!!!❣️
I have been using prismacolor for almost 10 years, and I have had maybe 3 of my pencils totally break and not even sharpen. I have had over 300 prismas. So it barely happens.
Not gonna lie I went to watch this video to see if I could bash on prismacolor xD. But someone beat me to it so instead... I love using Faber Castell Polychromos as well since they glue the leads in the case to prevent breakage and they pack a punch in brilliance! I use the markers too and love that they use the same color code throughout all their lines AND Faber owns their own cedar forest to sustainably make their pencils. Not to mention they've been around 200 years so they have the recipe down pat. One down side is that they don't have the color range prisma has (which nobody really does) and I've noticed Faber-Castell is trimming down their line from 172 to 120 which is a shame. For those that still want a wax based pencil, I also love Derwent's Coloursoft line because they're the closest to how prismacolors used to be in my opinion. Just keep in mind both brands are European if you're wanting to stay in US products.
We automatically are given Prismacolor in school and I've noticed the 2 pencils that continuously break are black and white. Personally (even tho I'm not too knowledgeable on different brands) I think the prisma black is the richest I've used and it sucks that you need like 5 on hand for a piece. Surprisingly, weird off brands and cheap sets have great colors in them and I often mix them with prismas and they look great. I totally understand what you mean by waxy and at times I really like that because I'm a blinder but I definitely can tell at times they also get too waxy and can suck in layering.
+marisol escobedo I have heard there is a Prisma brand, but I haven't been able to find it. I've used Krylon Workable Fixativ to see if maybe any of the haze was reduced. It did help, but didn't get rid of it entirely.
Hello. Good to know. I was looking into purchasing Watercolor Pencils and looked at Prisacolor. I usually paint with a tube and the new pencils blend nicely. Now I will keep looking. Thank you.
Had my polys for a good four years now and have only had to replace one of two. No breaking and beautiful layering. Would not choose any other pencil to use now. I have a few prismas for lighting effects and stuff but I love my fabers!
@@the-red-ghostdepends on what suits you and your style. But a couple of both and mess about with them. Then you can decide which ones you’re more comfy with :)
Someone once told me that if you put your Prismacolor down after using it, and you can hear it make contact with your desk, you are likely to have broken it inside somewhere. Gawd, I hope not! But having said that, I have always remembered the comment and I treat mine like a newborn baby - just in case lol
ANd if they do break, put them in the microwave for a few seconds. They let sit for an hour. This melts the wax slightly and then they solidify again. Problem solved.
GAH, I've been having that same waxy problem with my prismas for years now and have HATED layering it but just assumed there was nothing I could do, BUT LORD THE ONES YOU SUGGESTED LOOK SO MUCH BETTER... God I'll have to invest in one of those sets because the wax is so annoying I hate it. But yeah I have so many prisma sets but I literally hate using them so I'm really glad you made this video.
Thank you! I'm very happy to hear you found it informative. Yeah, the waxy layering is a bit cringe worthy at times. If you decide to invest in a set, I'll just politely make the suggestion of going to your local art supply stores and buying a few brands open stock: Polychromos, Polycolor, Luminance or whatever floats your boat. See what really works for you before spending a small fortune. I think everyone has their pencils that just work for them, and sometimes the fun is finding that special one. Best of luck!
After I first watched this video (abt a year ago), I gave away my prismacolor pencils. Coulda shoulda sold them but I couldn’t do that right then. I bought the Caran de Arche colored pencils and the other ones you talked about. I had started with prismacolor but back then (circa 2000) there weren’t any blenders I found worked well. I haven’t done anything with my new colored pencils, other than to admire their loveliness. Lol I’m working now on watercolor paintings, teaching myself as I always do. I didn’t know I could draw or paint until in my late twenties. One day I could only draw stick figures, then I saw that I could draw figures and stuff easily. I took it as a gift from the gods. Not my place to turn down a gift from wherever it came from. Jane, I’m a strange artist that very much enjoys watching your videos. Your very funny and I need that so badly. Lol. Anyway you give great advice to us struggling artists. I have never been someone that wanted to sell my artwork, that would be too much like a job. For those who do sell their pieces, that’s great. It’s just not me. 🥰❤️
+EVR purple I no longer own the set. It was sold on eBay ages ago, unfortunately. Perhaps I'll do a giveaway on a few of the vintage prismacolors I have. Maybe. We'll see.
i got prismacolor the day i watched this video and im being honest, i kinda hate them. they kept on breaking like every two seconds and when i sharpened them the core thing kept on getting stuck in the sharpener. also that painting of Gerard is great
+Emosnowflake Thank you! :) I'm very sorry to hear about your pencils. I've experienced the same issues, clearly. I know it's hard when it's a gift; maybe you could return them as a defective item and get a different brand you'd like?
I just bought prismacolor they were on sale for 5 lol and I'm still getting used to them I'm not sure if I like them or not. I hate the wax though but I just need to get used to the wax and them XD
For those who are like "i just bought some" these are still good for beginners. You are not archiving your work, these are great learning tools. In fact many ppl are saying that they dont notice the issues stated in the video, I personally dont but im not archiving or doing it professionally. Its okay to use them, practice and learn. If you get more serious get more serious tools. Its okay, you're okay and not any leas valid for using tools others personally dont like.
Straight to the topic, GREAT VIDEO! I have the Premiers and the Goldfabers... I thought I was doing something wrong with the Prismacolor Premiers because I don't like the white film after checking my drawing back, I thought it was my mixed media paper. I started using my 12 set of Goldfabers, I'll test them for a while, and if they are better, I'll buy a big set of them.
no worries .. you will still like them , everyone I know still likes theirs.. I don't know anyone personally that has ever sold theirs either.. And you can buy them open stock ( single pencils) as well you have a few that break.. also try different sharpeners if you do have one that breaks.. I bought an electric sharpener after I got my first set because of that problem and it worked just fine for the problem.
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍 Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!888
Really great info. Especially the comment about using white. My daughter and I have both had issues with that color and the layering. We will be researching some of the pencils you spoke about,THANKS.
While I'm over here drawing with Crayola
Maddie Riley I just found my tin of prismacolor colored pencils yesterday and I just bought a 12 pack crayola for a quick project. It just matters how you use them. I do agree with her though, the lead breaks too much on the prismacolor and for the price that they are, I learned to never buy them again. I'm happy she shows substitute brands here
I actually still use them, and artists loft too. personally i never liked prismacolor
Maddie Riley same
Plz. When she said that Prismacolor breaks more than it should, that was an instant *NOPE* for me.
That is the *CORE* reason I use Crayola. they dont break on me like that. I was gifted a box of Artistic pencils a long time ago. can't remember the brand name but GEEZ......you talk about BREAKING.
Nope. if I do sell my art, the person better deal with Crayola if they're able to tell in the first place.
IMO crayola sucks, Prang is my favorite cheap colored pencils they hold up well and have pretty vibrate colors
*when you very very very recently bought prismacolors*
Absolute Disney Maniac i love their pencils
I use their pencils daily and I love them so much and haven't really noted the problems she's stated.
Absolute Disney Maniac I got a set today :/
How long have you been using them? If you use them for very long you WILL begin to see the issues she is discussing
Gina Powell I've been using them for 4 years
Tips to sharpen prisma colors...
(thank you art teacher)
-hold the pencil at the end and turn the shaprener not the pencil...it's a bit weird feeling but it works well (I don't know if it helps to use the prismacolor sharpener but thats what I use)
-if colorpencil keeps breaking microwave the pencil for 3-5 seconds or enough for the core to melt into eachother and fix the breaks
lot of work just to sharpen your pencil.
Microwave???? Is that even safe 😂
Or just buy a good quality rotary sharpener.
They are wax based Pencils microwave helped me a lot
That's how I sharpen my pencils anyway isn't that normal 😂😂
Everyone's upset and complaining about their Prismacolors saying they break a lot or that they just got them and aren't happy with them and I'm just here like "I've had 0 problems and none of mine (the soft lead) have ever broken (my verithin ones with hard lead have broken a couple times), not even from sharpening". I personally think they are actually a really good brand of colored pencils with great color options. Maybe I just treat my pencils differently or better or something? Idk. They work well for mu purposes, anyway. I just had to comment my love for their colored pencils while everyone else isn't.
Ooh, and while I'm not a color layering person (bc I don't have extra money to spend on replacing colors all the time), I do have a friend who uses them and puts layer upon layer of Prismacolor and really thickly, and she has no problems either.
I'm also very surprise that people are having problem with the lead because mine broke prior to me using it maybe once.
teamleobaby
Maybe it depends where they are and where they get if from, like getting is from Georgia vs. getting them in Wyoming
Maybe you just treat yours well because mine used to crumble apart so easily. But also, as she mentioned in the video, the lead not being centered may be an issue and I remember off the top of my head that the lead seemed lopsided in my pencils.
the prismacolor premiers breakage issue has been going on for quite some time. I had issues with a few pencils from my very first set that I bought about 2 years ago. From what I understand, this problem has occured ever since Prismacolor sold the company, apparently now the Premiers are a little cheaper quality. I bought an electric sharpener just because that issue occurred quite a few times on one pencil alone.. it was the cloud blue pencil, I had sharpened it and it kept on breaking right after, so it ended up I sharpened it down to a small stub of a pencil before it actually stopped breaking.. It was disheartening too, My prismacolors were new at the time. I had bought the largest set, now I have 2 of these sets just in case, but I have bought Polychromos and also Pablos since and I tend to use them more. Premiers have a large variety of colors so I still use the Premiers as needed as well. From what I also have seen, the price on the Premiers open stock, is much more expensive than both the Polys and Pablos for whatever reason..This was the case last I checked at least.
A suggestion I have is to not go off topic. No offense really, but you do tend to wander off topic quite a bit.
TheSeriousTalker /TsT EXACTLY
She probably has adhd
@Gabby Isn't ok or she had caffeine
Lieutenant Lazybones true
I disagree she was very informative and on point
I bought mine in 1991 and still have the same large set. Are the vintage ones better quality than the ones made now?
faeriesmak
y e s
+faeriesmak Yes they didn't sell to Sanford until 1995, and even after that they were fine for a while.
Southpaw Creative Arts Thanks! I will guard those things carefully knowing that I can't replace them. Great video!
I found an old set at my grandmother's house with no idea that they were higher quality, but rarely use them anyway.
The ones I still have from the 80's are a totally different animal...buttery & rich. Also, my first art tutor taught me to sharpen with a pen/pocket/Swiss Army knife...saves loads of lead & you can sharpen only if needed & it's super sharp. I treasure my vintage Prismas & I'm sad that quality has plummeted (esp since that open stock option is so fab), but as you say, there are more pencilly fish in the sea. ;)
$53 vs $160 and $258. Comparing Prisma at $53 to these is not really a fair comparison, just my opinion
fxrsniper1 she didn't say how much she spent on her giant prismacolor set that she ended up selling (which is what she was comparing to the oil based pencils)
I paid $105 for my Prismacolors for the 150. Comparing that to the Polychromos 120 at currently $168 on Amazon (Remember Quality Vs. Price), I'd say that's more than fair.
Same here. I just got the prismacolors for 89.99 since the polychromos are still up there in price.
Prismacolor 150 is for $80 now on Amazon
fxrsniper1 the price is mainly based on the brand (if it's a big brand or a small brand) and how many colors there are usually. At least that's how it is in my town XD
To any & all... DONT GIVE UP ON YOUR PRISMACOLORS! The "breaking while being sharpened" problem can easily be fixed. My experience... After using my Prismas for awhile, they, too, started breaking while sharpening even though I was using many types of sharpeners and several techniques. I even had a couple of my Polychromous break! Got so bad, I was trying to sharpen them more than I was getting to use them. Finally, I bought a HELICAL blade sharpener (many brands - mine was a Laneco brand - less than $20 on Amazon), as that was one type I hadn't tried. It changed my colored pencil sharpening life! I've been using it for several months now, and haven't had one pencil break on me! That's amazing! I've used it with all my colored pencils except the Luminance as they're just too "fat" to fit in my sharpener's one hole.
Also, helical sharpeners put a lovely extra-long point on my pencils that I love, much like those expensive Kum and Blackwing 2-step handhelds do. Please, if you've invested in Prismas especially, do yourself a favor and invest in the proper type of sharpener. If your Prismas are new, it will take a few weeks or months depending on how much you use your pencils, to start having the breaking problem, BUT, you will eventually have that problem. It's just the nature of the beast. :) It doesn't matter if your sharpener is wall-mounted ( just like the types used in schools with the funny looking blades), or handcranks, or plugs into an outlet, or whatever (mine is battery operated so I can use it anywhere), just as long as it has the helical blades, that's the secret.
For cores that are off center, I sharpen as usual, then shave off the extra wood with a craft knife/box cutter/razor blade. That will last you for several sharpenings. I have no affiliations with anyone, just trying to save y'all from going thru what I did. The Prismas are so inexpensive now and there's no reason to not buy them as long as you also get the proper type of sharpener and know a trick or two.
I've never had a problem with Prismas and wax bloom either, as I work in several light layers. Had that problem once with other brands (one was oil based!), on swatches where I was using a lot of pressure because they're just swatches, right? So, I suspect wax bloom is linked to using a lot of pressure. That's just my working theory for now. If you ever get it, it can just be wiped off with a soft cloth.
Prismacolors' soft cores (and vividness/brightness!), are what makes them so special. The lack of Quality Control is a huge problem, but is the reason, I think, the prices have come down so much, so many more of us can afford them now who couldn't even 3 years or so ago. You just need to know how to properly deal with their problems, and you and your Prismas will get along just fine. ;)
PS. You won't find all the helical sharpeners by using "helical" in your search as many don't bother putting that in their title or description. Learn what the blades look like and check out all their pics. Always sharpen some graphite pencils every now and then to keep the cores of (any) colored pencils from gumming up the blades. Graphite will also help coat and lubricate the blade(s). Helical blades almost never need sharpening. Your less than $20 investment is going to pay for itself in a very short amount of time, not to mention saving you a LOT of frustration/time and saving on the pencils themselves. You wouldn't buy a car then not buy any gas and oil to go in it, would you?
If you still use Prisma premier, you should try the Prismacolor premier colored pencil sharpener. it's great
Thanks for the tip. I will try out the helical blades as you mentioned. I just bought 150 Prisma color premier pencils because they were the most affordable for the quality I needed. I don't want to spend so much on more expensive pencils when I'm still a newbie.
I HAVE SOME PRISMA TIPS.
I personally love prismacolors and don't really like Faber-Castell. But that is just me. I hate that they got bought out though and the quality has gone down...I try and find old cases in local art stores sometimes.
Try hard not to drop your pencils.
If you buy them individually look for the centered lead like she said!!!
If your pencil keeps breakings while sharpening, the lead may be broken somewhere in the pencil. Pop your pencil in the microwave for a bit and it can bind it together again! it doesn't always work but it sometimes does the trick.
Also make sure you have a good sharpener! I always get ones that have german made blades as they always seem to work the best.
Tigerparadise_Art thank you!!!
The microwave tip is valid. It melts the wax to fill in the cracks. It melts the wax to fill in the cracks.... O my!!!..Use your sharpener...softly..softly..thanks for the post.
Quik question,
I'm gonna buy prisma colours tommorow and i reallh want yo kbow alot about them, cause i wnat to have just good pencols unlike my 2000 pencils i have rn
For how should i microwave them cause i have no clue if it's 1 minute or like 10 seconds😅
kippen strontje 3-5 seconds
Don't use pencil sharpeners on soft colored pencils, only use knives. Way less waste and breakage.
I bought prisma color last year, and I just recently figured out how to use them... I never considered something was wrong with the pencils themselves but more about my techniques... so I kept on learning and now I'm completely satisfied with them, I love them!
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍
Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
@@johnartgallery347 ....... I don’t have any videos???
Me seeing this 5 minutes after ordering:
Anxiety levels: *high.*
that just happened to me. I just ordered the Prismacolors after seeing my success with them in art class. But then I saw this video, and now I'm second-guessing myself and reading the comments.
How do y’all feel about the pencils now it’s been a month or so ? I haven’t used them because I’m happy with polychromos but I bought an anniversary tin and some of the colours are discontinued and are limited edition. (Meaning I won’t be able to repurchase the colours). How is the colour selection and overall quality ?
@@jaderalston7725 Ive had prismacolors for a while, they're great pencils and I haven't had a problem with them. Everyone always say they break easily but mine only break like once a week lol
@@hannahwang7220 Once they arrived, they were actually great. None of them broke unless my dog decided to chew on it. So I'm actually glad I bought them. :D
@@jaderalston7725 which ones did you buy?
I thought I had lost my mind. I started using Prismacolor years ago and was so excited by their quality, performance and endurance. But over the years they just went to hell in a hand basket. I truelly believe now that we've been pencil scammed. They've replaced a dream product with a cheaper to produce, extremely inferior doppelganger and made the mistake of thinking we wouldn't notice. WELL WE NOTICED!!!!!! How dare you.
What, super Rae dizzle compared every prisms color in history and confirmed that they were always really good and the quality did not drop
not true
I must be extremely lucky. I have the 150 set plus two smaller ones and I've never had a single pencil continually break, and I've used my 24 set I got from Walmart so much they're all nubs, and have bought about 20 open stock to replace in my large set so I'm definitely well acquainted with using them, sharpening, and dropping them (I'm clumsy). They're all from Mexico. I don't doubt people are having constant issues with them, but in my own experience with them I just haven't, and I use a handheld sharpener. I did just get polychromos though and OMG!!! Theyre amazing ^-^
I'd love for anybody who like me has not had the breakage issues to comment and share how you sharpen them. Maybe its the way I sharpen them that makes the difference for me? I dont own an electric I just feel they eat my pencils away faster than by a handheld. I do use the prismacolor sharpener and use a fair amount of pressure, perhaps thats a reason I never have had the breakage issues though that would make no difference with them coming internally damaged like many report. But the prisma sharpener is amazing for a handheld, and you can get it for 5-10 bucks so if it doesnt help you've not thrown too much away and you still have a good handheld that works great for other pencils too
Yes and it's honest to God the best handheld I've ever had and super cheap, it's the only reason I've not broken down and invested in an electric
same I've been using Prismacolor for a good 5 years now and I've never had any break. Then again I use the prismacolor sharpener so I don't know if that has anything to do with it.
@@Melanie-157 i sharpen with knife. Unless i need a really sharp point. It lets me use as much lead as posible.
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍
Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
I too have Caran d'Ache pencils and the Faber Castelle Polychromos and I bought three boxes of the Prismacolours one for myself and one each for my granddaughters. We are all delighted with our Prismacolours. We have no experience of breakage after using them for over a year; The Caran d'Ache are very nice BUT they are very very expensive I suppose because the Swiss franc is very high against the euro. The Polychromos I like too but I still reckon the Prismacolours are great, the colours are beautiful and the price very correct and affordable. The latest boxe of 72 are on sale on 'Amazon' for 40 euros. I would really recommend them.
Now a 72 set of Prismacolors are sold at 38 usd on amazon.com! :D :D Best colors I've ever used and I love how they seem to burst over with color- I barely have to put pressure to color in and they blend so, so beautifully! :D My definate favourite :)
As I wrote before my two granddaughters and I are very pleased with our Prismacolor pencils. They are so bright and they blend really well and we have had no problems with breakage. Plus the price is so good they are more than worth what I paid for them.....40 euros.....for 72. Happy coloring to you.
maureen1938 the pencil on the box is number 666 though so I'm kinda skeptical about buying those. I have polychromos on my wish list for Christmas already though.
maureen1938 woww! really?I just got them I didn't even sharpen one how do u suggest sharpening without an expensive sharpener
I have sharpened my Prismacolour pencils with cheap sharpeners and 'GUM" and the Prismacolour sharpener and haven't had breakage with any of them. Maybe I'm just lucky I don't know. As I wrote before I purchased three boxes two as presents and have no problems up to now. The colours are fantastic and easy to put down on paper.
Honestly I’m annoyed by them too ..I order them from abroad cause I live in a very far country (Romania) ..you can’t find them here anywhere so it is quite hard for me .I order them each 4-5 months and they are a huge investment and I get them and always always the white ,tuscan red are done after 2 drawings because when i try to sharp them boom they are destroyed ..just like that
so I saw the price on both. at this point I may just stick to Crayola ._.
Taylor yeah I know thing is I'm pretty poor
@Taylor I think she was just using Crayola to emphasise how pricey the featured materials in the video are. I can't afford them as well lmao
Marco Renoirs are fairly inexpensive for an artist grade pencil.
you can get the 24 set of premiers for $10 on ebay
Vivoxy I bought some for 7 dollars on amazon
Hint: I buy coloured pencils at the thrift stores. Just got an unopened box of 72
Prismacolors for $3, Usually over a hundred loose pencils of various brands ( Fabre C, etc) for $2.
My favourite are ‘Laurentien’ brand.
Best of all, I often come across older sets at thrift stores.
I have a lot of different brands of pencils: Caron D'ache, Polychromos , Lyra, Prismacolor Premier, and many others but for me the best of them is the Prismas. I don't know if I'm just lucky or what but I never had a breakage while sharpening and I don't treat them gingerly. I find I can layer 4 or 5 colors and have no problems. But I respect your opinion. Your work is phenomenal!
That's great and thank you so much! I've had greater success with the prismas when they were owned and manufactured by Berol (basically the vintage ones you can still buy on eBay and second hand).
It's nice to see someone point out the imperfections of such a popular product. I'm also glad I'm not the only one who had issues sharpening them. I always feared it was me, especially with others saying it's me, even though I would do my absolute best to be careful, but still find that only about 1/4th of it as useful because of how much breaks and that's before having to s
harpen to get the fine detail you want.
+Jillian Crawford I totally understand. You're definitely not alone in reading comments and my experience. I'm hoping maybe someone from the company may stumble across this video. People who invest in their products should get their money's worth, and if enough people stop spending their money on these pencils, that'll be enough incentive (imo) to improve the quality of the product. If they were to use a double adhesive inside the wood casing like Bruynzeel pencils do, they'd reduce breakage. It's crazy.
*I'm using these STAEDTLER ones I got from Walmart recently, they're triangle barreled so they feel awesome in my hands, the 48 pack was the same price as a Prisma 24.. I've always bought Prisma, obviously I love how it feels to glide across the paper and beautiful bright colors buuuut I just work better with a harder pencil and if you're on a budget and wanna try something cool you can pick up right at Walmart those staedtlers are pretty good!*
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍
Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!899
Saw the title and intrigued me to find out why, Im not disappointed and enjoyed listening to you chat about your passion. I love to draw (when I can) and this has been very helpful. Thank you and will have to add the oil pencils because I'm tired of the breakage, Idk why i paid as much as I did when i get a few uses out one entire pencil because the rest has to be sharpened due to breakage. 👍🌺
+Bombshell nailS Thank you! And I'm sorry you've had issues with Prismacolors, but I do hope you like oil based pencils and they'll work out better for you in the future. I'm happy you found this video useful and thank you for watching! Happy holidays!
Prismacolor is now made in Mexico. All of my new Prismas are marked Mexico! The quality control is horrible. I really liked them and I do try to use them up because I have them. I probably will not buy them again. I may love the polychromes, (getting them for Christmas.) and if so I will stick with them. I have many off center in the 150 box of prismacolor. I bought and was dissatisfied. I use them to color pictures with the children now. When they break or get worn, I don't worry about them. The rest of my pencils are off limits to the children. All the best, Sean
Sean Mooney that’s what happens when all the products are made under greedy executives who only want cheap labor in sweatshops
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍
Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!888
I have a set of Fabercastell polychromos pencils but I'm having trouble blending the colours, especially skintones.. Do you have any tips?
+Caroline DC I will be creating a video on this in the near future. Are you currently using any type of blending mechanism? IE a blending pencil or odorless mineral spirits?
I'm using a blender pencil, but whenever I try to blend a darker color into a lighter one, the blending pencil just makes it look patchy. I don't know what I'm doing wrong
+Caroline DC I would try blending light into dark instead in a soft, circular motion with the pencil and see what kind of result you get. Also, Mona Lisa odorless mineral spirits make it easier to blend (use a filbert brush to blend) and it'll also give it a more painterly finish. Unless you don't want to use solvents, which I completely understand. Also make sure your paper you're using a suitable for colored pencil (assuming it is). I typically will use mixed media 140 lb or higher or Strathmore colored pencil 140 lb).
I'll give that I try thank you! As for paper I use Aurora paper with a light tooth, it's 200grams (I don't know how many lb's that is unfortunately)
Caroline DC I would recommend a paper with no tooth for a smooth finish. You could also take the white prismacolor and blend with it. Since polychromos is oil based you can also use mineral spirits or turpentine. But, be very careful using those. Portion the spirits/tine off in a separate container, due to the fumes. Even the Mona Lisa gives off odorless fumes. So not to inhale anything toxic, portion off the container.
Aaahh thank you so much for this video!! It was super informative and I was actually planning on buying some prismacolor pencils soon. I'm excited about looking into the alternatives you suggested!! ^^
+sabrina williams Thank you, Sabrina! I'm very happy you found it useful!
This is the color pencil review I needed. Thank you AJ!
+Cheryl Hooper (nyxinus) Thank you! Your comment made my day!
Honestly, what I hated most about the softness of prismacolors is that it would result in an INSANE amount of lead being used. Like, I kept sharpening and wiping dust off my paper and thinking "am I pushing down too hard?" because it was wearing away at the pencils so much and I would use way too much lead for a single drawing in comparison to a pencil with thicker lead.
Is that Gerard Way or am I crazy?
Oh, it is xD Sorry, I didn't get that far in before asking
Adrian Danae finally the comment I was looking for XD
Aurora a same here... hello, fellow fandom.
It is :3
ayyye
This isn't the first time I've heard about the breaking leads in Prismacolor pencils. It's disappointing, as they were the first I ever used (25 years ago)!!!! It sounds like I'll be investing in Holbein's if I decide I need colored pencils again. Thanks!
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍
Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
Received my 150 set on Nov 9 2021 and spent the last three weeks swatching them all and blending and getting my notebook set up. Zero problems. Bought mine through Amazon and use the Prismacolor sharpener. I hold the pencil still, turn the sharpener, AND store my pencils in.a case. I have a. full set of polys and enjoy them. Different tools for different jobs. All good!
Prismacolors are nice but if you don't use them soon after purchase (within 8 months to a year) I've seen that the pencils themselves essentially "dry" out. The cores become very brittle and pretty much kills the usefulness of the pencil, the cores constantly break even when you sharpen them properly. I *do* like prismacolors pencils for some applications, they're also great for beginners if you get them on sale. I'm not as huge on colored pencils as I used to be since I've transitioned from 2D to 3D design anyways but I do very much enjoy the mentioned Faber Castles. They are quite fun to use for design work.
I never understood the craze about prisma colors I'm an artist that uses cheap supplies or things I get foe free but I did buy a 48 pack of prisma colors because I found them at the goodwill for a $1.50 and there pretty cool but I still wouldn't pay $100 even though I've now tested them out. anyway cool video
lovely627 using bad materials produces not lasting works, you can draw a decent piece but it will fade away over time, even paper is important. Learn about lightfastness, and take materials a little bit more seriously... Of course do it only if you care about your work...
Pablo Andrés Morales Muñoz well I have art pieces that I've made 6 to 7 years ago that still look perfectly fine and haven't faded just because I don't have hundreds of dollars to use on art supplies doesn't mean I don't care. it's just people think they need very expensive supplies to make good artwork and you don't always need to buy expensive things like all of the art I've done since even back when I was kid still look fine none of pieces have deteriorated now if I was doing a commissioned price then yea i would get better materials but as of now I see no reason to spend money I don't have on expensive materials I don't need
ok, it is your art not mine...
+Pablo Andres Munoz Your comment is really patronising :\
Implying someone doesn't care about their art because they don't have the money to spend hundreds of dollars on their materials... wow.
I feel triggered.
I really enjoy prismacolor pencils, I'm not much of a colored pencil artist and they work great for what I need. They are very controversial in the art community, it seems people really like them, or really don't! Haha good video
They have a special place in my heart because they're the first artist-grade pencils I ever tried. They're so soft and buttery, I still like them, despite the known issues. I can burnish with them or blend with solvent. They do seem to wear down much faster than my oil-based pencils and they don't layer as well as my Caran D'ache. When I do use them, it's usually mixed with another brand; I can't give up my Polychromos black or Caran D'ache white. But think they're really great for professionals as well as hobbyists that don't want to spend a bundle.
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍
Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
iv been using prismacolors for a while and i must say the breakages can be quite annoying when your on a deadline, however there is a pencil sharpener by Derwent that claps to your desk that minimalises breakages because it grinds the pencils and minimises stress on the lead when sharpening
Same for the Dahle 133!
Thank you for sharing in this video. I too started with Prismacolor and familiar with their pros and cons. The lead breakage and coming out became too frustrating for me. There were time I ended up going through 4 pencils of the same color for an art piece. I have been getting to know other brands and trying to find one that flows and builds nicely. Thank you again. Your input is appreciated.
excellent video- thanks so much for sharing! Very tempted to purchase the Holbein's!!
+Kari Powell Thank you! Let me know how you like the Holbein if you end up purchasing them.
As a coloured pencil artist, Prismacolor pencils were what I started off with. The points you make in this video are spot on. Two of the main reasons I stopped using them were one, they would always break (I mostly believe it is due to the cores of the pencils being off centre), and two, the wax blooming that would occur within a few days (it can be partially avoided if you spray with a fixative right away). Because I started selling my work, I had to stop using them for that very reason. While Prismacolors are great for beginners, I would recommend trying Faber Castell Polychromos, which are oil based, so that the whole wax blooming disaster is non existent. Slightly more expensive, but totally worth it.
I'm having a melt down trying to use my Prismacolor pencils . I used to love them back in the day . Now I feel like I'm using crayons .
I thought it was the temp of my home or something .
Thanks for sharing your story . Now I feel better and can buy something that will make art more relaxing again .
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍
Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
6:03 HA! I KNEW IT WAS GEE! The entire time, I thought,"oh, that looks like Gerard"
Basically just a fan account Princess
Sameeeee
SAME
Same :v
lucas likes art YESSSS👏👏👏
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍
Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
I debated going Prismacolor or Faber Castell when I decided I wanted to get into colored pencil drawing. I went Prismacolor because they were cheaper and I had used them a little bit before and I knew they were good. But after a few months, I'm thinking I might need to give Faber Castell a shot. If the pigment is as good as Prismacolor without needing to resharpen as often, it might be worth the extra money.
As someone who often uses crayola and roseart colored pencils I've had since high school (I'm a 3rd year illustration major in college now), using Prismas is always a treat tbh
Carandache are gorgeous pencils too. Not as many colors. But they're amazing. Glad you know ur stuff. So many people say "prismacolor is the best-" and go recommending it to people that don't know any better.
Thank you! I appreciate it! I try to just leave it open to people as far as their personal preference, but in my opinion the modern made Prismacolors are a waste of money. Sometimes if they haven't used any other brand, then Prismacolors are the best they've used so far.
Excellent review- I really find your videos refreshing as you offer non-mainstream alternatives (aside from Polychromos, of course).
I've heard of Pablos by Caran D'Ache, but Luminance always seems to steal the limelight. Holbein always comes across as a very high quality, artist-grade brand (famed for their watercolours and gouache), but I've never heard of their pencils. Perhaps it's the lack of carriers, like you said.
Have you tried Luminance before though? I wonder how you'd compare them to your favourite pencil brands/lines.
I'd love to try Holbeins and Pablos, but just spoilt myself to a set of Polychromos (a bit of an upgrade to the Derwent Studio I use currently). One day.... :)
Hi Claudia! Thank you for your kind comments and input! I will check out your channel and videos! Let me know what you think of the Polychromos!
I plan to do an actual demo with the Holbein colored pencils here in the future. I believe the lack of popularity with them has to do with the lack of carriers, like you mentioned. I believe if they were available here in the US, it would put Prismacolor out of business.
I used to own a set of Luminance, which I actually really enjoyed, and they were a definite upgrade from Prismacolors as far as wax based pencils were concerned. Probably the reason why they outshine Pablo's is that they're more available open stock in Blick art supply stores, and they are Caran D'Ache's highest lightfast rated pencil (and have the highest light fastness of any pencil on the market). I ended up having to part with them because at the time, I was having to downsize to pay for some expenses. Normally, I won't part with any art supply that I really love, but I was looking to go to strictly oil based pencils anyways. I now own some vintage Prismacolors when they were owned by Berol and performed at the top of their game (the quality now is sad in comparison). Thank you for commenting again! Much appreciated!
Oh yes, I see now that Pablos cost just over half of Luminance- I now really see why the Pablos are so attractive. Seems like a great place to start for people considering Caran D'ache.
And thank you for your response, it's very informative! I'll keep an eye out for your holbein demo- already on tenterhooks from seeing your overview of them in your other video (the amount of colours is simply jaw-dropping and I can't wait to see how you use them)
I'm not yet uploading videos but do plan on doing so in the near future :) I am on Instagram as Claudia.Sketches - I think I found you there too!
What a great video. Thanks for putting this together. I paint windows for a living but do some colored pencil work for fun. I have used prismacolor forever. Yeah the breakage can be annoying. I am going to try the Holbein. Thanks again, I will subscribe and like.
+Scot Campbell Thank you, Scot! Welcome! I hope you enjoy your new Holbein pencils when you get them.
Scot Campbell What do you mean by paint Windows?
Scot Campbell Ohhhhhhhh!!! I get it now
CX_FlameWheel hahaha! You must've seen my channel.
Really happy with this review, even as a beginner I get annoyed with the waxy buildup and white film that you speak of, it tends to leave white speckles behind when you color a piece and knowing that there are alternatives that work to avoid this is really good to know. Also like the idea of keeping a blending pencil on the side. Does that work well with oil based pencil being that it is wax however?
I've used these in my road kit, for non time waste quick stuff, they take a lot of abuse, weather changes, etc. I do have the sharpening problem, when the cylinder gets rolled, or I'm too careless with how I bang them around, but all those colors and the convenience of whipping them out when you have a few minutes is convenient and economical. I do have an assortment of other brands, and you are right about the haze factor with the waxed based ones versus oil, thanks, happy art, forever!
Have used Prismacolour since the early 80's. Everything she said has always been true. The waxing over till the colour flakes off, limited layering with some colours being incapable of colouring over (particularly lighter colours over dark for highlights) and yes some colours being softer and breaking continually. You end up rendering to the limitations of the pencil. I could get good transitions so long as the layers were light (could use 6-7 colours) However this made the end result soft without a lot of opacity. Tried switching papers and going to illustration boards etc. with no significant improvement. I will have to try one of these pencils out.
Absolutely love Polychromos, they work well with a lot of other mediums, watercolor, and markers too.
+Connie Faye Yes, they are quite versatile and amazing. Have you tried their Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils? Those are quite amazing as well.
I'm not a huge fan of watercolor pencils, I mostly use tube or pan watercolor. I especially love PH Martin's Liquid Watercolor.
I knew it ! I was ready to comment that the man in your portrait looks like Gerard and then you said that it actually is a portrait of him. 😍😍😍😍😍😍 I loved MCR (and still do)
Aha! You're the first that caught it with the thumbnail. :) I know how you feel ♥️
At least they're all following their dreams. Have you read Gee's comics?
Yes! I've read all of his comics :) I'm ready for the 3rd installment of TUA. How about you?
I especially fell in love with the DD series since I am a killjoy. He's living his dream and that makes me happy. Too bad Ilive in Europe and I couldn't go to comicon...
You make me want to go back and read all of them again!
I really enjoy my prismacolors they work well for me. I've had mine for about 2 years now, I use a sharp hand sharpener and take my time sharpening to prevent breakage which I find works well.
Alice Lovz Art it depends on the set you have.If you have the 150,they are amazing for realism but if you have the 12,24 or 36 i believe it’s harder to achieve realism
Thank you very much for doing this video. I'm not sure it's what many people want to hear (even though it 110% true)...but the deal with these pencils don't expressly appear until a person really gets serious about colored pencil work and needing sharpened cores (and with these having such a soft core, they wear down more quickly...needing more sharpening) than if a slightly harder cored pencil is used.
I have a very similar story. However, it didn't take me 15 years to figure out that these were not all they were 'cracked' up (pun intended) to be. Despite the fact that the company considers them lightfast (according to their website, and they probably are...most of them except some magenta/purple colors), I personally have a very hard time with them being labeled as artist grade.
No pencil of artist/professional grade quality should ever leave the manufacturing plant (which is in Mexico) in the condition that 99% to 100% of their pencils do. There is zero quality control. This is seen if you buy a set, in store or online, or by open stock, in store or online. The core being centered has very little to do with core breakage...it's really a sharpening issue...as this company does not use a double gluing process as Faber-Castell and Caran d' Ache. If you haven't tried Caran d'Ache Luminance white, you are missing an awesome white. Check it out!
Colored pencils are my main medium. Think about if a manufacturer did something similar to oil or acrylic paint brushes. People wouldn't buy them! Why?! Because they had major quality control issues! I believe that the cores of these pencils are what keep people hooked (as well as the price and discounting), even with all of the problems with breakage, sharpening issues, warped casings, cores not centered, the list is endless. I feel that if people really wanted them to be better made...they'd stop buying them until they got their act together. Then at the very least the pencils could be sharpened and stay together in one piece. At that point the artist can decide whether wax bloom is something they want to deal with.
I count myself very fortunate because when I started using colored pencils I was encouraged to try many of the professional/artist grade pencil brands as I could. In fact, the projects called for multiple different brands, and this was such a huge help in determining what colored pencil lines that I preferred. If people only knew what they were missing using a variety of brands, Together, they'd probably throw their Prismas in the trash.
I've used Faber-Castell Polychromos, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer, Caran d' Ache Pablo, Caran d Ache Luminance, Caran d' Ache Museum Aquarelle, Caran d'Ache Neocolor ll's, Derwent Watercolor, Derwent Inktense, Derwent Drawing, Derwent Graphitint, in addition to the Prismacolor Premier, Prismacolor Art Stix, and Prismacolor. At this point I don't use many if any Prismacolor brand products. But that's me.
Every artist is different. However, I really would appeal to those that only use Prismacolor Premiers to experiment with other brands because this is actually healthy and it certainly broadened my taste, my own artwork, and it showed me that brands that have been here for over a hundred years...really know quality...and how to turn out a colored pencil. You don't know what product/pencil brand is the best for you, if you refuse to try other things.
Doing so has not been without it's rewards...my work has taken on a whole other dimension and its actually improved the quality of my work. Experimenting with other products can open doors you never knew were there. So whether you ditch your Prismas or include other brands in the mix...you benefit as an artist in ways only you will discover.
Happy Coloring!
I completely agree with you, and thank you for sharing your story and response. I also believe it's essential to try out new and other products. I have a lot of the brands you mentioned, which I'll do tutorials and reviews on in the future, and each one has its pros/cons and it's own unique quality. I also believe if someone is not able to afford them, there are always ways to work around it: find another artist who has them and ask if you can try them out, sample them at art stores, look for the open stock in clearance (people break pastels all the time and are usually marked 50% off in art stores in the clearance bin). Anyways, you totally get it. Thank you for responding and i hope you continue to enjoy your supplies and this channel. I appreciate your input.
You are very kind. It's so great to meet someone that understands and "gets it." I did want to mention that I've been eyeing the Holbein colored pencils on Amazon...but not being able to try them out through open stock...has been a bummer. I realize sometimes the descriptions on Amazon are not always completely accurate, so I wanted to make sure that I heard you correctly. Did you say the Holbein you are using are watercolor (water-soluble) pencils?
Oh, and I just had to laugh when you got your cases mixed up...all because I have like at least 10 of those cases and get them mixed up too! I try to put the Caran d'Ache in red so as to recognize the brand. But it's a problem when you own more than one set of a certain brand. Lol! If you happen upon a labeling system that works for you...please share it with me! Thanks again for doing this video...it really is needed information and you presented it well.
I posted a couple months ago about how I had no issues with breakage with my prismas. Well now that i've worn the sharpener in a while, I started having a lot of breakage. Bought a new prisma handheld and back to having no problems. So for those who already have prismas, a sharp blade makes a big difference!
+Melanie 157 Great tip! Thank you! It may even help to sharpen them manually with a blade (although the soft cores may be too soft for a blade like that).
While it is true that they break a lot, they don't break much more than any other coloured pencils I've used. I just personally really like them because of my experience with various coloured pencil brands
Thanks for sharing. I would love to get the Faber Castell pencils and have had them on my wishlist for a while.
you can draw with anything. some of my most detailed work was with dollar store ink pens. its all about technique.
Id been using premier for about 15 yrs and ive had my problems with them so much i bought a back up set to try out. 72pc Azteca oil based colored pencils. And i fell in love. No blender necessary. Everything goes on so smoothly. Ill never waste money on prismacolor again. Theres a reason walmart sells ao much prismacolor. Its cheap and easy to use. But if youve been doing it l ou ng enough, eventually youll branch out and find your niche. Good luck!
on a colored pencil package i bought a wile ago, it said by dropping a colored-pencil will break the lead, so just be careful when using them so the don't accidentally hit the ground.
poly chromes are good, I've been using them for a little over a month, and am honestly thinking about using them over my other colored pencils I have.
Polychromos are so incredible. If you're thinking about using them regularly, you won't regret it. They produce beautiful layering and transitions like I've never seen before.
Your love for the pencils comes through :)
Feeling much better now :D I'm from Germany. I grew up with Farber Castell and i just love them. Now i know I'm not alone :).
+Little Teemo I absolutely love Faber-Castell. I have their pencils, markers, graphite, and they are top notch quality. They've never disappointed me in performance.
My Prismacolor Premiers break quite often with a hand sharpener, which is quite annoying. So I'm using a small box cutter to sharpen my pencils to a point and they break less often for the effort. Also, I have a LOT of lead nubs that are perfectly good to use but are way too tiny to hold even in my fingers because of the breakage. I found a small way to work with the latter problem, though. I bought myself a Staedler lead holder, and use the spring-hold mechanism to grab onto one portion of the nub. From there I've worked a 4-6mm nub down to a 2mm nub or less; basically a tiny ball that would break in half with any more pressure applied to it. Got lots of mileage out of those alone.
+GlitteryGecko It's definitely good to know you've found a way to work around the issue! It takes dedication!
I´m from Germany, where Prismacolors aren´t available easily but as I wanted to try them out I had ordered some from a free lance artist who sells them along with sharpener for cosmetics (for eyeliners and stuff like that), on a phonecall she told me that she advises to use this sharpener and it works very well, far better than a regular sharpener, you might want to try this out, too. Greetings from Germany!
+Robert Heilmeier Fantastic tip! It may be due to how soft the leads are. They may work better with a cosmetic sharpener.
Southpaw Creative Arts
Thanks, I was probably fortunate that this artist was a woman who probably out of necessity and/or frustration came up with this idea, I for myself didn´t even know that such a sharpener could exist :D!
Ah the cosmetic sharpener is a great idea. When I was younger and used prismas I only had access to cosmetic sharpeners from my mom/grandma when they'd give me their extras. I rarely remember having any breakage issues. I didn't see massive breaks and wearing away of the pencil until I had bought an electric sharpener. Recently I found my set and tried to use them again but that same electric sharpener chewed them all up.. and then it broke. hehe
I have a 72 Prismacolor set, all pens are centered well and almost no problem with brokening.
That’s great! Some people have great experiences, and no problems. Others have constant issues. It seems to be a crap shoot.
Seems so! Hope I'll not have a bad experience with Prismacolor, because I really love their rich colors.
i was a colored pencil artist for a few years and loved the vibrancy of Prismacolor (i feel they're unmatched). However, forget about sharpening them with small handheld sharpeners. It wont work. Get a quality manual crank handle sharpener like the swordfish Ikon and run a hard lead graphite pencil through them every few rounds between colored pencils and pastel pencils and you will love them.
i know this is not something half of these comments seem to understand but not every pencil tin gets to you the same way, when bought off of amazon any number of things can happen to it, and as the rest of the comments show, it honestly depends on the case and not every case will be like yours, just be sure to anyone reading this, to not expect anything perfect if its getting shipped to you, the transportation can break it, it could hit a bump in the back of the UPS ect. (theyre fsoft, of course itll be delicate and easy to break) its about luck, not the company so please be aware of that, this video is up to explain their reasons not explaining why you shouldnt buy them, as of the waxy layer, if you dont care, great, once again this is her problems, if youre buying them, GREAT, please dont regret your decision, this is just her simple to reply to some people who had simple questions, she isnt even bashing the company, she said it in her own words, i wish you all goodluck on your artistic journey's
I love my Prismacolors and I don´t have any problem with them :)
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍
Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!
Don't feel too bad. They aren't American made anymore. They now make them in Mexico, and they break like crazy now.
very sad ha. we have some to i just about fliped when isaw thaw that :(
There is a workaround for the breakage issues, which involves heating
them for a minute or two by moving a heated hairdryer over them to
remelt the binders
Lonita Fraser you've never actually owned a prismacolor pencil have you? Next time a pencil breaks every two seconds when sharpening cut the case open. It's NOT broken inside. The core is misaligned
I've owned Prismas for years, thanks; and feel no need to cut them open when they break. Reheating them, and sharpening with sandpaper rather than a sharpener (because that promotes the breakage of a misaligned core), works just fine.
Yes you are very right,I've been through a lot of the dark blues and especially the greens they break like crazy and it drives me crazy because of the cost of them.
Interesting how different artists always have different experiences with certain supplies. I recentley started using prismacolors (i love them) i received a 24 set of the sanford prismacolors that my grandmother (a fellow artist) had lying around. They werent even sharpened! The only problem i had was the indigo blue pencil. I got the 72 set and the color expansion was awesome. At this point prismacolors have declined in price so much that they're worth working around some of the problems. They work for my purposes and I'd recommend trying a smaller set first, if you like them, then expand.
Thank you for opening my eyes to Prismacolor pencils. I really hated that they break so easily. I will be switching brands.
+Randy Romero you're welcome - in the long run, I think people lose their money if they get a bad batch. Brunyzeel is a great alternative, but their color collection is limited to 48. I'll be doing a review of them.
I personally don't like Prismacolor because of the breaking as well. I tend to go for pastels or pens, so I'm not really one to ask about colored pencils, but nice review!
Poe Musica you get breaking with your pencils. Weird.
Ashley Garcia
I haven't experience breaking of the Prismacolors because I have a quality electric sharpener and I take care of them pretty well.
Im lucky I still have my set from around 20 years ago.they are still going great!
I've been half listening and half looking at the Gerard drawing.
Welp, thanks for sharing this, I was gonna buy some prismacolor pencils this week.
I actually got a 72 piece set of Prismacolor pencils for Christmas and I love them a lot. I don't really have any problems with breakage and sharpening isn't a hassle for me (maybe I'm one of the lucky ones). The colors are very vibrant and look very clean and smooth on paper. Just looking at it is really satifying, see all the beautiful vibrant colors drawn and blended oh so very well together. The only thing that I just really don't like is how expensive they are. The set I have know was most likely around $140. I once saw a 132 box set in an art store and it was well over $220. For a poor person, Prismacolor is the most expensive option that you could probably afford. Now that I know there's a 150 piece set, I'm wondering how much that costs.
My worst experience with Prismacolor pencils was that recently I had the actual WOOD of a pencil split all the way down the pencil on me. I was able to harvest the core and it still works for small areas, but to be honest this set was very old. I've had it since junior year of high school and my teacher probably had them sitting around longer than that. (I graduated in 2014) but other than that, I've had a wonderful experience with Prismacolors! I do understand why people don't like them though.
Could you do a video with a side-by-side difference of polychromos and prismacolour? Unless you already have a video like that, then please just leave a link :)
+Queen of Loserville I can definitely do one like that soon. I only use vintage Prismacolors from 90's and before that, but that video will be up later today or this week. In the meantime, Lachri Fine Art does have a Prismacolor vs. Polychromos video if you want to check that out. :-)
ruclips.net/video/WH0tz1NyvPk/видео.html
I use Marco renoir fine art colored pencils. I love them, best art about them is that they are oil based. Beautiful blending, with the look of oil paint. Its almost impossible to break these pencils.
Verminna Lee Where can you get them?
Amazon
Thank you for the suggestion, they sound like they're worth trying.
Oh cmon..premiers are great pencils. I've made some awesome drawings with them and so have many others. There's nothing wrong with them.
That's simply an opinion.
Michael Steven I can't use prismacolors they are like using oil pastels to me. I'm MUCH better with Faber castell pencils.
I like oil pencils much better than wax ones.
Well, she didn't knock the quality of the drawings she was producing with them, she knocked their manufacturing quality - which she is absolutely spot on about. They changed the location where they manufactured them a few years ago, and the quality dropped at that point on.
I also have never experienced any breakage that people keep talking about. When I purchased my 72 set I also purchased their small hand held sharpener - which is made is for these pencils. I have had no problems - NONE!!!
I have had no problems with Prismacolor Premier and I have Faber Castell as well as Caran D'Ache Pablo Pencils, used them, and returned back to my favorite Prismacolor pencils. They blend so nicely and you do not have to use a solvent.
Thank you for saying this. I have a large set I bought years ago and was about to use them for commissioned portraits. So I must know that my portraits will be archival and won't change.
Buff the afflicted areas with a firm, natural hair paintbrush. This will stop the bloom and render it a bit shiny (e.g., wax polish on shoes, same concept), I don't use a pencil sharpener anymore (for Prismacolors) but an X-ACTO knife. There is a bit of a learning curve but it's been worthwhile.
I have had my Prismcolors for ages. I obtained them to draw and color on Polymer clay. They are wonderful, and in the end, it's all a choice of the artist. Many people cannot afford the hightest quality of pencils these days, and it shouldn't be an issue. Buy whatever you can afford, and just enjoy drawing, coloring and painting. It's meant to be a pleasure not a burden anyway. God bless all us artists who arn't rich, and those who are rich, feel free to buy us some expensive pencils and post them out. Thankyou.
I've been using Prismacolor pencils for over 30 years now. Never had any problems with them. They are my absolute favorite. I have other brands but don't compare to Prismacolor. I don't have any problems sharpening them either. Everyone has a preference. And mine will always be Prismacolor!!!!❣️
I have been using prismacolor for almost 10 years, and I have had maybe 3 of my pencils totally break and not even sharpen. I have had over 300 prismas. So it barely happens.
Not gonna lie I went to watch this video to see if I could bash on prismacolor xD. But someone beat me to it so instead... I love using Faber Castell Polychromos as well since they glue the leads in the case to prevent breakage and they pack a punch in brilliance! I use the markers too and love that they use the same color code throughout all their lines AND Faber owns their own cedar forest to sustainably make their pencils. Not to mention they've been around 200 years so they have the recipe down pat. One down side is that they don't have the color range prisma has (which nobody really does) and I've noticed Faber-Castell is trimming down their line from 172 to 120 which is a shame. For those that still want a wax based pencil, I also love Derwent's Coloursoft line because they're the closest to how prismacolors used to be in my opinion. Just keep in mind both brands are European if you're wanting to stay in US products.
We automatically are given Prismacolor in school and I've noticed the 2 pencils that continuously break are black and white. Personally (even tho I'm not too knowledgeable on different brands) I think the prisma black is the richest I've used and it sucks that you need like 5 on hand for a piece. Surprisingly, weird off brands and cheap sets have great colors in them and I often mix them with prismas and they look great. I totally understand what you mean by waxy and at times I really like that because I'm a blinder but I definitely can tell at times they also get too waxy and can suck in layering.
i love them and they work well
u guys do knw they have a spray for the wax...so u can layer them..and avoid the wax...i just knw its prsima brand but i dont knw wht its called
+marisol escobedo I have heard there is a Prisma brand, but I haven't been able to find it. I've used Krylon Workable Fixativ to see if maybe any of the haze was reduced. It did help, but didn't get rid of it entirely.
they have them at walmart
marisol escobedo using paint thinner can also help. It allows you to blend a lot of colors without having too many thick layers.
I have a basic set of 12 and they haven't done any of those things. I use an electric sharpener so maybe that's it but they've never broken on me
Hello. Good to know. I was looking into purchasing Watercolor Pencils and looked at Prisacolor. I usually paint with a tube and the new pencils blend nicely. Now I will keep looking. Thank you.
Had my polys for a good four years now and have only had to replace one of two. No breaking and beautiful layering. Would not choose any other pencil to use now.
I have a few prismas for lighting effects and stuff but I love my fabers!
Prisma is so expensive we're I live should I just buy the polycromos?
@@the-red-ghostdepends on what suits you and your style. But a couple of both and mess about with them. Then you can decide which ones you’re more comfy with :)
It's not only centering of the lead. Faber Castell "glues" their leads to the case. They're just great
dude I thought that was Jonny depp from cry baby shit
Larinda Nomikos fuck I don't know
Phantom Party
I did too
Someone once told me that if you put your Prismacolor down after using it, and you can hear it make contact with your desk, you are likely to have broken it inside somewhere. Gawd, I hope not! But having said that, I have always remembered the comment and I treat mine like a newborn baby - just in case lol
+Kate O lol it's highly likely since the cores are so soft! I wouldn't doubt it.
ANd if they do break, put them in the microwave for a few seconds. They let sit for an hour. This melts the wax slightly and then they solidify again. Problem solved.
GAH, I've been having that same waxy problem with my prismas for years now and have HATED layering it but just assumed there was nothing I could do, BUT LORD THE ONES YOU SUGGESTED LOOK SO MUCH BETTER... God I'll have to invest in one of those sets because the wax is so annoying I hate it. But yeah I have so many prisma sets but I literally hate using them so I'm really glad you made this video.
Thank you! I'm very happy to hear you found it informative. Yeah, the waxy layering is a bit cringe worthy at times. If you decide to invest in a set, I'll just politely make the suggestion of going to your local art supply stores and buying a few brands open stock: Polychromos, Polycolor, Luminance or whatever floats your boat. See what really works for you before spending a small fortune. I think everyone has their pencils that just work for them, and sometimes the fun is finding that special one. Best of luck!
After I first watched this video (abt a year ago), I gave away my prismacolor pencils. Coulda shoulda sold them but I couldn’t do that right then. I bought the Caran de Arche colored pencils and the other ones you talked about. I had started with prismacolor but back then (circa 2000) there weren’t any blenders I found worked well. I haven’t done anything with my new colored pencils, other than to admire their loveliness. Lol I’m working now on watercolor paintings, teaching myself as I always do. I didn’t know I could draw or paint until in my late twenties. One day I could only draw stick figures, then I saw that I could draw figures and stuff easily. I took it as a gift from the gods. Not my place to turn down a gift from wherever it came from. Jane, I’m a strange artist that very much enjoys watching your videos. Your very funny and I need that so badly. Lol. Anyway you give great advice to us struggling artists. I have never been someone that wanted to sell my artwork, that would be too much like a job. For those who do sell their pieces, that’s great. It’s just not me. 🥰❤️
Can you do a giveaway if your not going to use them anymore
+EVR purple I no longer own the set. It was sold on eBay ages ago, unfortunately. Perhaps I'll do a giveaway on a few of the vintage prismacolors I have. Maybe. We'll see.
I just love the Holbien's too
i got prismacolor the day i watched this video and im being honest, i kinda hate them. they kept on breaking like every two seconds and when i sharpened them the core thing kept on getting stuck in the sharpener. also that painting of Gerard is great
+Emosnowflake Thank you! :) I'm very sorry to hear about your pencils. I've experienced the same issues, clearly. I know it's hard when it's a gift; maybe you could return them as a defective item and get a different brand you'd like?
Southpaw Creative Arts I'll have to look into that
I just bought prismacolor they were on sale for 5 lol and I'm still getting used to them I'm not sure if I like them or not. I hate the wax though but I just need to get used to the wax and them XD
For those who are like "i just bought some" these are still good for beginners. You are not archiving your work, these are great learning tools. In fact many ppl are saying that they dont notice the issues stated in the video, I personally dont but im not archiving or doing it professionally. Its okay to use them, practice and learn. If you get more serious get more serious tools. Its okay, you're okay and not any leas valid for using tools others personally dont like.
Straight to the topic, GREAT VIDEO! I have the Premiers and the Goldfabers... I thought I was doing something wrong with the Prismacolor Premiers because I don't like the white film after checking my drawing back, I thought it was my mixed media paper. I started using my 12 set of Goldfabers, I'll test them for a while, and if they are better, I'll buy a big set of them.
Damn it! I already ordered them! 😪
Milk and Cookies I think u got the wrong emoji XD
Milk and Cookies, stop sleeping! Wake up!
no worries .. you will still like them , everyone I know still likes theirs.. I don't know anyone personally that has ever sold theirs either.. And you can buy them open stock ( single pencils) as well you have a few that break.. also try different sharpeners if you do have one that breaks.. I bought an electric sharpener after I got my first set because of that problem and it worked just fine for the problem.
Melanie Martinez AND Gorillaz in the same comment section!
It is okay mine have worked fine.
me:*has this video on in the background while painting*
person: “-gerard way-“
me: *goes into cardiac arrest*
Do like art? It's so amazing😍 I was impressed with your video! Keep up the good work 👍 Have a nice day 🧡👍
Absolutely stunning Beautiful! 🤩,happy to watch!😛👍😜👍 wonderful!888
I am a simple fangirl. I see Gerard Way, I subscribe.
hi ^-^
SAME
Same
Relatable hahaha
Why you're words sounds weird 🤔😑😦🤦
Really great info. Especially the comment about using white. My daughter and I have both had issues with that color and the layering. We will be researching some of the pencils you spoke about,THANKS.
Hi I love your art work and your channel:) I wanted to know what coloring pencils would be good to get for a beginner?