Which colour pencils to buy?

[Jade]

Hi all

I want to buy some fairly good colour pencils on a budget (i.e. not £100's) and saw Kirsty Partridge on YT recommended Sanford Prismacolour premier for realism type drawings when starting out

I've found 24 for £22 on eBay which is doable money wise (hopefully authentic!) but I'm also drawn towards watercolour but haven't got the money atm for both. I'd originally thought of getting WC pencils to kill two birds with one stone and try both. Any experience/ advice/tips on what to buy?

Thanks

 

[Nerys]

See JacksonsArt UK they sell open stock color pencils and watercolor pencils. I used to buy from them before Brexit.
Caran d Ache had a reasonably priced watercolors cp set of 16.
When I bought it was below 20.
My Prismacolors Premier open stock from USA get them via my daughter who lives studies overseas she brings for me when she visit me. Buys at Dick Blick. There are fakes of Prismas sold see complaints on Reddit. Faber Castell Black Edition nice colors, is affordable here in EU. Derwent UK Coloursoft is bit similar to Prismas and bit bigger barrels easy on hands.
DD bring for me Kalour set 72 cp was amazons choice sale usd 10 and surprisingly good for chinese cp and so many new colors.
I had stopped buying sets. Buy open stock mostly pinks and greens.
Reddit has a subreddit r/coloringpencils lots of info there too. Try different brands buy few open stock see which you like best.

 

[Bartc]

I like to use WC pencils or sticks at times. They do indeed bridge both worlds. Best to try some out in a local art store first if one is nearby that permits this. Buying blind when on a budget can be a trap for disappointment.

I find Derwent a good brand overall in pencils of any kind, BTW.

 

[TK H-H]

I'd probably recommend Derwent too. I really like their pencils, and they have a range of different Artist quality lines depending on what you're looking for.
Coloursoft, Procolour, Chromaflow, Drawing, etc. I've seen their larger WC pencil sets go for decent prices too.

I've liked every line I've tried by them. I haven't tried the Chromaflow, but they seem to be a bit more budget-friendly and I've seen good reviews for them.

Prismacolors are nice (soft and easy to blend), but I've personally found their quality control has declined over the years. I used to use them often, but since the quality went down, I stopped using them. I do have an older set that is still nice, but I don't find myself reaching for them often anymore.

I really like Faber-Castell's Polychromos too, but they're more costly. They're one of my favorite sets.

Given you like to draw cats, you might like Derwent's Drawing line. It only has 24 colors, but they're all beautiful nature-oriented colors, and the pencils are buttery soft and wonderful to work with.

Though now that I look them up, it looks like the cost of the Drawing line has gone way up...

 

[Jade]

Nerys, Bartc and TK H-H thank you so much! I have gone down various rabbit holes recently trying to work out what to do! All of this information is so helpful.

I'd decided on FC black edition yesterday, prismacolour the day before! Open stock may be an idea. I can think about the likely colours I'll use as some may not be so necessary. Bartc - trying before I buy is something I hadn't thought of. We have Hobbycraft in the UK which I can probably do that at. I'm buying this for a birthday at the end of the year (getting prepared! ) so I think I may have to ask hubby to come art shopping for it!

TK H-H the Derwent drawing line isn't something I'd seen. I had started thinking the nature colours might make sense for my animals, so I'll check them out, thank you! Even if they're too expensive it might be that I go for open stock in that colour palette.

Nerys I have wondered about fakes! I think I'll check out Jackson's UK too. Very good idea to buy open stock of different brands too.

Thank you for all the reviews and information y'all! Really appreciate it.

I've always loved stationary but didn't realise there was so much choice in pencils and so many people like me!

 

[TK H-H]

The open stock will definitely help. You can always grab colors of different brands to test out too. See which ones you prefer.

I actually got half of my Derwent Drawing as open stocks. I had bought the 12 pack to try, loved them, and bought the other 12 colors as open stocks and put them in my own case. I didn't want to pay for the 24 set and have half of them be duplicates. It wasn't too costly.

 

[Jade]

The open stock will definitely help. You can always grab colors of different brands to test out too. See which ones you prefer.

I actually got half of my Derwent Drawing as open stocks. I had bought the 12 pack to try, loved them, and bought the other 12 colors as open stocks and put them in my own case. I didn't want to pay for the 24 set and have half of them be duplicates. It wasn't too costly.

It's such a good idea re open stock. And I can choose the colours I'd like too. I've been shocked how expensive pencils can be.. you want to get it right.

 

[Jade]

Just an update that after a lot of research (thank you YouTube) and as I had a limited budget and am not drawing professionally, I got 48 x (not very used) arteza coloured pencils for £20 inc postage on eBay. These are the first coloured pencils I've used and I'm happy with them. Enough choice of colours, seem to blend quite well and to do what I want them to do. When I need to replace pencils I might try individual polychromos as a comparison. I thought I'd come back with an update in case anyone else is looking for more budget CPs.

I also bought a Sakura Jelly Roll pen today to add highlighting to eyes exciting!

Thanks for all your help.