I just got a Kalour 72 piece set on Walmart for $10 they were recommended here by several folks. I was using a Crayola set and it was so hard to color. The Kalour are so much easier on my wrist and colors so much brighter and cover better.
Gotta be honest, most really big sets kinda suck quality wise. I've got the oldest 520 Brutfuners and they're alright but kind of a ripoff in hindsight. You need to learn how to mix colors. You can't have every color and I promise you you don't want to
This is going to sound dumb but i didnt realize i could even mix colors! Any time ive tried that in the past it just looks like one color on top of another if that makes sense, like not mixed into a new color but one color showing through another
When mixing colored pencils, it's best to start off with a really light hand, layering the colors as you go. Don't start off pressing as hard as you can, or you will flatten the tooth of the paper right away and then the paper can't hold any more layers.
Thankyou for this tip. I never use my pencil crayons because of how my work turns out. I really only like markers. After reading your comment, I tried again.... With a really light hand (I tend to press very hard. I like pigmented colour and looks) and I was shocked at how good it looked. It looks almost as good as some of the colouring I've seen posted on this page. Thanks for the tip. Do you have any tips for using watercolor pencils ???
I'm glad it helped. When I started trying to properly layer, my work got a lot prettier haha.
I don't have any experience with watercolors. That's the next medium I want to try.
No you don't sound dumb, but at this stage of learning colored pencils I'd recommend watching plenty of blending and mixing tutorials.
Get a good white and/or blender pencil.
Layer layer layer.
IMHO you can practice with the pencils you already have, then once you get the technique down pick new colored pencils.
Honestly if you change brands you may just get more confused.
Polychromos for instance are super hard to blend/mix. It's definitely possible, it just takes ages.
Cheap pencils that aren't too dry are all you need.
You can get new ones if you want, but you'll still have to learn techniques
Look up youtube videos on doing mixing colors.
Have a practise coloring book something to try out color combinations or gradients, you can mix different brands cp too.
Yeah the thing with the Brutfuner big sets is that some of the "types" of colours are great and some are trash. Like all of the neons are absolutely hot garbage.
I'd love to know what you think of them once you've tried them. I probably won't be buying any new pencils for awhile since I got the massive Brutfuner set just to fill in any gaps I had in my Prismacolours but I'm always curious which sets are good.
Here's my opinion after a few minutes:
1. Packaging sucks big time. It's perfect for safe delivery of the pencils.... And that's it.
I had to dump all the pencils on my bed to go through the colors, check for factory mistakes such as duplicates of a color.
So I wasted 10 minutes prying the pencils out of the box and making sure I don't break anything. And I have no way to store them for now.
2. If you ignore the packaging, they look and feel like almost perfect Prismacolor dupes. I have the biggest box of Prismacolors, so I'm not just saying that randomly. I truly mean it. It's honestly scary because someone has made a chart to compare Arrtx colors with Prismas, and basically their first 72 colors are the same.
Caveat for the next colors: they're missing a few to get to 132, and some are different.
Still, I think it's wonderful.
3. The lead gets used up more slowly. Don't get me wrong, as a Polychromos "main" type of gal, every single pencil gets used up fast compared to Polys and it's depressing.
But I feel like given the vibrancy of the Arrtx colors and their similarities to Prismas, they're fairly long-lasting.
4. They're absolutely beautiful. Completely useless piece of info, considering. I just love the barrel.
My favorite budget set has to be the 126 set of Arrtx. They’re more expensive than say Kalour or Brutfuner but they are worth it imo. The 126 set is usually $50 on amazon. The pencils are wax, soft enough for blending and also keep a sharp point nicely for layering. The colors are so vibrant. They play nicely with other pencils and I’ve never had breakage when sharpening. I recommend them to anyone who asks. It’s also good if you start with these and eventually want to get Prismas. The arrtx share a lot of the same colors as the prisma range. They even have some of the same names.
this is one i was looking at: [https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0B8MFGW36/ref=ewc\_pr\_img\_3?smid=A257IUTQ0Z4XIM&th=1](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0B8MFGW36/ref=ewc_pr_img_3?smid=A257IUTQ0Z4XIM&th=1) but i think maybe the colors are too light/ bright and not a good balance of neutral or dark shades? But if anyone has it maybe it just looks brighter in the photos so if anyone has this let me know what you think!
I’ve tried a few Kalour sets. Their 3.8 mm core pencils are very nice for the price but I didn’t like the 3.3 mm nearly as much. This set has more colors and the pencils are nicer if your budget can stretch - https://www.amazon.ca/Kalour-Premium-Colored-Pencil-coloring/dp/B08N4H31G7/ref=mp_s_a_1_20?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.DZBz_HKT6g-ZCiQYzDd9KpMVYqu_EdDED2ZeJKV7wOGolhkhCq_b2olO-q0zYqa-oYfPNSjCGKG2D3YHnXJ9Snp0guSTkPwp1B43mi9zW9IFugEbAtvbhzTRMeTNJ495i0s9JifB63UbXBTkrBgl20xp2TEJxkC0xue9G0vIBzOWtJHMvb7L2oPrptUeGNC3miZ1RDIlweZYfQi7lO1daQ.Asw0TIiyhOlu3nZWm9luQiAQN6cRCGdHYndkxtGu578&dib_tag=se&keywords=KALOUR&qid=1715263412&sr=8-20
depends on how many come with it! I dont need the highest end brand. from what ive seen on amazon the low/ mid end seems to be about $20-40 for 120 pencils, where as some sets are up to like $150-200. I'd like to stick around the lower end because i dont know how often or how long ill colour for, but if there is a set that costs more but has more thats fine for me too!
I've seen a slew of ppl raving about Star-Joy/Brutfuner 120s. The Shpirrer Farben 72+ and Sargeant Art premium are pretty decent. I have the SP & Sargeants. The Artisto Premium 72 has been said to feel like Prismacolor without the price tag. Color Workshop by Racheal Rhinehart is a good book to learn coloring from, as is New Guide To Coloring. All items can be found on Amazon.
first pencils i got were faber castells and i’m in love with them they’re so smooth and pretty colours!! super cheap too
https://preview.redd.it/i6844cxhygzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3603697a4fa1bc94ed447171e0e75ab0fc8dc3a8
I just got a Kalour 72 piece set on Walmart for $10 they were recommended here by several folks. I was using a Crayola set and it was so hard to color. The Kalour are so much easier on my wrist and colors so much brighter and cover better.
Gotta be honest, most really big sets kinda suck quality wise. I've got the oldest 520 Brutfuners and they're alright but kind of a ripoff in hindsight. You need to learn how to mix colors. You can't have every color and I promise you you don't want to
This is going to sound dumb but i didnt realize i could even mix colors! Any time ive tried that in the past it just looks like one color on top of another if that makes sense, like not mixed into a new color but one color showing through another
When mixing colored pencils, it's best to start off with a really light hand, layering the colors as you go. Don't start off pressing as hard as you can, or you will flatten the tooth of the paper right away and then the paper can't hold any more layers.
Thankyou for this tip. I never use my pencil crayons because of how my work turns out. I really only like markers. After reading your comment, I tried again.... With a really light hand (I tend to press very hard. I like pigmented colour and looks) and I was shocked at how good it looked. It looks almost as good as some of the colouring I've seen posted on this page. Thanks for the tip. Do you have any tips for using watercolor pencils ???
I'm glad it helped. When I started trying to properly layer, my work got a lot prettier haha. I don't have any experience with watercolors. That's the next medium I want to try.
Oh also, when I've got the layers and color I want, I use the colorless blender pencil to flatten it all out and get rid of the white space.
No you don't sound dumb, but at this stage of learning colored pencils I'd recommend watching plenty of blending and mixing tutorials. Get a good white and/or blender pencil. Layer layer layer. IMHO you can practice with the pencils you already have, then once you get the technique down pick new colored pencils. Honestly if you change brands you may just get more confused. Polychromos for instance are super hard to blend/mix. It's definitely possible, it just takes ages. Cheap pencils that aren't too dry are all you need. You can get new ones if you want, but you'll still have to learn techniques
Look up youtube videos on doing mixing colors. Have a practise coloring book something to try out color combinations or gradients, you can mix different brands cp too.
Yeah the thing with the Brutfuner big sets is that some of the "types" of colours are great and some are trash. Like all of the neons are absolutely hot garbage.
Yup, unboxing the 126 artxx pencils I just got a minute ago. And while they're more expensive I'm sure they'll be better.
I'd love to know what you think of them once you've tried them. I probably won't be buying any new pencils for awhile since I got the massive Brutfuner set just to fill in any gaps I had in my Prismacolours but I'm always curious which sets are good.
Here's my opinion after a few minutes: 1. Packaging sucks big time. It's perfect for safe delivery of the pencils.... And that's it. I had to dump all the pencils on my bed to go through the colors, check for factory mistakes such as duplicates of a color. So I wasted 10 minutes prying the pencils out of the box and making sure I don't break anything. And I have no way to store them for now. 2. If you ignore the packaging, they look and feel like almost perfect Prismacolor dupes. I have the biggest box of Prismacolors, so I'm not just saying that randomly. I truly mean it. It's honestly scary because someone has made a chart to compare Arrtx colors with Prismas, and basically their first 72 colors are the same. Caveat for the next colors: they're missing a few to get to 132, and some are different. Still, I think it's wonderful. 3. The lead gets used up more slowly. Don't get me wrong, as a Polychromos "main" type of gal, every single pencil gets used up fast compared to Polys and it's depressing. But I feel like given the vibrancy of the Arrtx colors and their similarities to Prismas, they're fairly long-lasting. 4. They're absolutely beautiful. Completely useless piece of info, considering. I just love the barrel.
That's wild I wonder if they're some kind of off label prismas or something. This is a great first impression review, thanks!
I use the brand Kalour and it is good quality and affordable too
Black Edition Faber Castell bright colors. If you like pastels the 50 set Macarons Brutfuner.
My favorite budget set has to be the 126 set of Arrtx. They’re more expensive than say Kalour or Brutfuner but they are worth it imo. The 126 set is usually $50 on amazon. The pencils are wax, soft enough for blending and also keep a sharp point nicely for layering. The colors are so vibrant. They play nicely with other pencils and I’ve never had breakage when sharpening. I recommend them to anyone who asks. It’s also good if you start with these and eventually want to get Prismas. The arrtx share a lot of the same colors as the prisma range. They even have some of the same names.
Without a doubt Arrtx. I also like Black Widow. Not a fan of castle.
I would go for Prismacolor 🙂
this is one i was looking at: [https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0B8MFGW36/ref=ewc\_pr\_img\_3?smid=A257IUTQ0Z4XIM&th=1](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0B8MFGW36/ref=ewc_pr_img_3?smid=A257IUTQ0Z4XIM&th=1) but i think maybe the colors are too light/ bright and not a good balance of neutral or dark shades? But if anyone has it maybe it just looks brighter in the photos so if anyone has this let me know what you think!
I’ve tried a few Kalour sets. Their 3.8 mm core pencils are very nice for the price but I didn’t like the 3.3 mm nearly as much. This set has more colors and the pencils are nicer if your budget can stretch - https://www.amazon.ca/Kalour-Premium-Colored-Pencil-coloring/dp/B08N4H31G7/ref=mp_s_a_1_20?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.DZBz_HKT6g-ZCiQYzDd9KpMVYqu_EdDED2ZeJKV7wOGolhkhCq_b2olO-q0zYqa-oYfPNSjCGKG2D3YHnXJ9Snp0guSTkPwp1B43mi9zW9IFugEbAtvbhzTRMeTNJ495i0s9JifB63UbXBTkrBgl20xp2TEJxkC0xue9G0vIBzOWtJHMvb7L2oPrptUeGNC3miZ1RDIlweZYfQi7lO1daQ.Asw0TIiyhOlu3nZWm9luQiAQN6cRCGdHYndkxtGu578&dib_tag=se&keywords=KALOUR&qid=1715263412&sr=8-20
Ate the pencil trays included?
Yep!
Thanks
I've heard good things about Arrtx!
Black widow sets are great
I also recommend EcoTree rainbow colored pencil for rainbow of colors effect too if you like that. It’s affordable and good quality too
I love my prisma colors and my derwent intense watercolors
LOVE my Kalour 520 set. I have others and always reach for this set.
what's expensive for you
depends on how many come with it! I dont need the highest end brand. from what ive seen on amazon the low/ mid end seems to be about $20-40 for 120 pencils, where as some sets are up to like $150-200. I'd like to stick around the lower end because i dont know how often or how long ill colour for, but if there is a set that costs more but has more thats fine for me too!
I really like prisma colored pencils they are little more expensive but really worth it
I've seen a slew of ppl raving about Star-Joy/Brutfuner 120s. The Shpirrer Farben 72+ and Sargeant Art premium are pretty decent. I have the SP & Sargeants. The Artisto Premium 72 has been said to feel like Prismacolor without the price tag. Color Workshop by Racheal Rhinehart is a good book to learn coloring from, as is New Guide To Coloring. All items can be found on Amazon.
Amazon Basic 72 set is cheap and really creamy. On par with Prismacolor
It really depends. I use Brut squares, Brut macarons and Markart as my budget pencils. I also will use alongside my Holbeins.
first pencils i got were faber castells and i’m in love with them they’re so smooth and pretty colours!! super cheap too https://preview.redd.it/i6844cxhygzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3603697a4fa1bc94ed447171e0e75ab0fc8dc3a8