The 10 Best Colored Pencils For Professional Artists
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Best Colored Pencils For Professional Artists
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For this post, I have put together a collection of the best colored pencils currently available.
UPDATED: June 9, 2020.
MY TOP PICK:
If you are looking for the best overall, I recommend the Derwent Artist Watercolor set because it features a range of vibrant colors that can be used wet or dry.
These professional-grade colored pencils will help you take your artwork to the next level. Made with high-quality pigments, these sets are sure to deliver the consistency and excellence you require.
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So whether you are a casual sketchbook creator, an aspiring artist, or an established master, these pencils will let you do your very best work.
Here is my list of The 10 Best Colored Pencils For Professional Artists.
Enjoy!
1. Derwent Artist Watercolor Colored Pencils
Features the control of a pencil and the beauty of the watercolor medium.
Mix with water to create interesting color flows and stunning watercolor effects.
Offers the ability to be used wet or dry allowing you to draw and paint.
Use with wet paper for intense colors with soft edges, or wet the pencil first for rich, textured lines.
Contains the complete range of 72 watercolor pencils.
Presented in a beautiful wooden box.
Check out this video overview and demonstration of the Derwent watercolor pencils (features the smaller set of 24):
2. Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils
Features 150 artist-quality colored pencils.
Includes a sturdy storage case that folds open to display the pencils while in use.
Equipped with creamy and thick cores that provide smooth, even coverage.
Offers soft cores that are ideal for blending and shading.
Features durable leads to reduce the incidence of breakage.
3. ARTEZA Colored Pencils
Features a range of brilliant and saturated colors.
Pencils are clearly labeled and numbered for quick and easy color identification.
Features robust barrels for long use.
Offers soft, yet break-resistant cores.
Includes a double-hinged metal storage tin.
Must-have accessory:
Stay on point with this electric pencil sharpener. Equipped with a quiet motor and razor-sharp helical blade. Say goodbye to all of your dull colored pencils.
4. Creative Art Materials Colored Pencils
Features creamy, soft, water-resistant colors.
Includes 120 pencils.
Ideal for shading, mixed media
Offers exceptional covering power and superb lightfastness
Equipped with 3.7mm leads
5. Faber Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils
Features lightfast pigments.
Equipped with break-resistant tips.
Features waterproof and non-smudge colors.
Offers a color match to all other Faber-Castell lines.
Includes a set of 72 pencils.
6. Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Colored Pencils
Color matched to all other Faber-Castell lines.
High quality pigments of unsurpassed light-fastness and brilliance.
Pigments dissolve completely when brushed with water
Smooth color stroke.
Break-resistant due to special bonding process.
Set includes 120 pencils.
7. Caran D'ache Luminance Colored Pencils
Features cores with high lightfastness and smoothness.
Includes 40 pencils in the set.
Offers the ability to be blended and layered for various effects.
Features pigments chosen for purity-intensity and resistance to UV.
Manufactured in Geneva, Switzerland.
8. Stabilo CarbOthello Chalk-Pastel Colored Pencils
Offers the ability to be dry-blended or smudged with either the fingertips or a blending stump.
Features premium chalk-pastels with high pigmentation and excellent light-fastness.
Partially aquarellable, the pigments can also be worked with a brush and water so that the contours will remain visible.
Includes 60 pencils.
9. Prismacolor Premier Art Stix Woodless Colored Pencils
Features thick, soft cores without the wood case help you quickly lay down thick layers and supple blends.
Offers the benefit of never needing sharpening since they can be used both dull to cover large areas but also can be sharpened for details.
Equipped with a thick 0.25-inch leads provide smooth coverage.
Features richly saturated lightfast pigments.
Includes 36 sticks.
10. Castle Art Supplies Colored Pencils
Features durable center cores to reduce breakage.
Offers highly pigmented colors that allow for easier layering, blending, and shading.
Equipped with pencil barrels made from basswood, offering a comfortable weight in hand.
Includes a tin box for storage and also for easy display while working.
I hope this list of The 10 Best Colored Pencils For Professional Artists has been helpful. If I left out one you think is important, let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading, see also my posts on:
The Top 50 Most Essential Architect Supplies
Good luck!
Brandon Hubbard, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
Have a suggestion for a future blog post? Please let me know in the comments below.
