Why I Dumped Prismacolor

[JessieNebulous]

Why I Dumped Prismacolor; a video essay and comparison of vintage and current Prismacolor Premiere colored pencils.

I have a bone to pick with Prismacolor, and laid it out in this video. But if you don't want to watch, it boils down to this: my first set of Prismas were manufactured in the 90's, before the company moved production to Mexico. They were great pencils. My new set of current Prismas break all the time, which is a waste of the product and my money.

After doing some research and comparing both sets, I've determined that at least part of the problem is that the cores simply AREN'T centered in the casing. The cores are uneven, which you can plainly see because the ends are not capped (and thus not protected). I show multiple examples in the video of uneven cores, split casing, and broken leads.

And there's this major concern floating around YouTube about "counterfeit" Prismas. I think people have GENUINE prismas, and they're breaking because the quality control simply sucks. I think professional artists who recommend Prismas to newer artists do so based on past experiences with previous Prismas, prior to the Mexico move, and that the company is taking advantage of this, and its young and newbie customer base, to rest on their laurels while lowering standards but still making bank. And that doesn't sit right with me, especially since they are marketing their pencils as "professional quality." I give more information and side by side comparison in the video if you're interested.

So, what do ya'll think? What has been your experience with Prismas? Have you had these problems with the Premiere pencils? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

[Artyczar]

Wow, I didn't know. My Prisma Premiere set is also from the late 1990s. At least, most of them still are. I have probably replaced single colors here and there, but not for a really long time because I got partial to different brands. This was because I found them to be just slightly too waxy, but they still sufficed when I needed colors that I didn't have in the other brands.

This is great information, and I will no longer recommend them. I usually feel bad recommending expensive bands to newbies because of the price. I personally pay pretty astronomical prices for all my supplies, but of course, I totally understand that new artists don't need to do this because they are still building a practice. However, I also don't think you should work with cheap shit either because sometimes there is a reason for superior products that make your artmaking smoother and much more precise. Brushes are one example of this. Paint is another. There are student grade alternatives that flow just as well as professional supplies. They might not be the cheapest deals, but they definitely are not the highest priced.

Anywho, I appreciate your video and this post!

 

[Artyczar]

I wanted to come back and recommend an alternative that I have found--less expensive, not necessarily professional grade, but I have found that they work as well as them, and that's the Blick Studio Artists' Colored Pencils. I still use some of these with my Fabers and Carans. The colors are really vibrant, and I haven't had trouble with them breaking. Just thought I'd mention them.

EDIT: I just read that Blick Studio Artists' Colored Pencils are professional grade. Maybe that is why I really like them and they work so well.

 

[ZenDruid]

Great information and recommendations Jesse, thanks! I inherited a 12-piece set of Berol Prismacolor pencils that my daughter used in school. Probably in the late 80's. Made in their Danbury Connecticut plant. I'm guessing they're student grade because the ends are not sealed. I've used them and like them, haven't used them enough to dislike them, no breakage problems yet.

 

[JessieNebulous]

Wow, I didn't know. My Prisma Premiere set is also from the late 1990s. At least, most of them still are. I have probably replaced single colors here and there, but not for a really long time because I got partial to different brands. This was because I found them to be just slightly too waxy, but they still sufficed when I needed colors that I didn't have in the other brands.

This is great information, and I will no longer recommend them. I usually feel bad recommending expensive bands to newbies because of the price. I personally pay pretty astronomical prices for all my supplies, but of course, I totally understand that new artists don't need to do this because they are still building a practice. However, I also don't think you should work with cheap shit either because sometimes there is a reason for superior products that make your artmaking smoother and much more precise. Brushes are one example of this. Paint is another. There are student grade alternatives that flow just as well as professional supplies. They might not be the cheapest deals, but they definitely are not the highest priced.

Anywho, I appreciate your video and this post!

I agree with your response, and thank you for watching my video! I'll definitely try out the Blick pencils sometime.

 

[E.J.H.]

I had heard of this issue, reason why I chose a polychromos set as a gift for my daughter a couple of years back.
At the moment she is more interested in digital art, and has generously allowed me to play with them. Find them pretty good.
Only problem I have with colored pencils in general is that it´s "monk´s work" as the dutch say, you need sooo much patience!

It´s a very stupid move, cutting corners like that, when you sell especially a high end brand, a reputation is easier lost than regained....

 

[Flowercat]

I never tried them myself, as i dont see the point of spending so much money.
I used cheap children colored pencils ever since i could hold them and im quite happy wiht them.
Its shocking to hear that such an expensiv brand is thks badly produced.

 

[JessieNebulous]

I never tried them myself, as i dont see the point of spending so much money.
I used cheap children colored pencils ever since i could hold them and im quite happy wiht them.

Hey, if you're happy, you're happy.

 

[JessieNebulous]

I had heard of this issue, reason why I chose a polychromos set as a gift for my daughter a couple of years back.
At the moment she is more interested in digital art, and has generously allowed me to play with them. Find them pretty good.
Only problem I have with colored pencils in general is that it´s "monk´s work" as the dutch say, you need sooo much patience!

It´s a very stupid move, cutting corners like that, when you sell especially a high end brand, a reputation is easier lost than regained....

Absolutely! Prisma has built up an excellent reputation over the years, and it's so hard to get that back once it's gone. And I do believe they're beginning to lose that with their longterm customers. Not good business, at all.

 

[JennieJo]

Why I Dumped Prismacolor; a video essay and comparison of vintage and current Prismacolor Premiere colored pencils.

I have a bone to pick with Prismacolor, and laid it out in this video. But if you don't want to watch, it boils down to this: my first set of Prismas were manufactured in the 90's, before the company moved production to Mexico. They were great pencils. My new set of current Prismas break all the time, which is a waste of the product and my money.

After doing some research and comparing both sets, I've determined that at least part of the problem is that the cores simply AREN'T centered in the casing. The cores are uneven, which you can plainly see because the ends are not capped (and thus not protected). I show multiple examples in the video of uneven cores, split casing, and broken leads.

And there's this major concern floating around YouTube about "counterfeit" Prismas. I think people have GENUINE prismas, and they're breaking because the quality control simply sucks. I think professional artists who recommend Prismas to newer artists do so based on past experiences with previous Prismas, prior to the Mexico move, and that the company is taking advantage of this, and its young and newbie customer base, to rest on their laurels while lowering standards but still making bank. And that doesn't sit right with me, especially since they are marketing their pencils as "professional quality." I give more information and side by side comparison in the video if you're interested.

So, what do ya'll think? What has been your experience with Prismas? Have you had these problems with the Premiere pencils? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Many thanks. I am reasonably new to Prismacolour. - purchased over past 5 years. I thought it was me. I have stopped using them. I am looking for alternatives.

 

[ErikRak]

I used some Prisma in the past. They were too waxy / oily for me. Here in Belgium they don't sell in art shops and when you buy on Amazon / ebay there are a lot of counterfeits. I use Faber-Castell and Caran d'Ache but a very good brand far less expensive is Royal Talens Van Gogh . Thanks for that post Jessie.

 

[classic]

It seems that broken leads are usual with cheap low quality pencils (colored as well as graphite), and non centered leads go together. Other issues are wood quality or split problems. In the past I did try some low cost sets for children's painting. I found all these. Additionally, the very cheap ones were very hard, they could easily damage the paper (especially if a child tries to use them), and they left too few pigment on the paper (it was impossible in practice to obtain any saturated colors). After this experience I was sure that those pencils weren't recommended at all for children, because they would make them hate the art! I remember I saw a mother looking for cheap pencils in a big shop. I explained my objection to her and recommended her to look for other less cheap sets. I tried myself the school pencils from Stabilo (rather weak) and Pelikan (slightly better). I like better the "Stabilo Original" series (much more expensive), that are partially water soluble (this means that the lines remain quite clearly visible, and some of the pigment gives a color to the paper surface. These "Original" pencils have rather slim leads, unlike Polychromos or other types.

My sister (architect) used Caran d'Ache aquarela pencils (Prismalo series, I don't know if they are still in production) since she was student. I learned about them from her, however when I looked for pencils to buy myself I went for Albrecht Durer (Faber Castell water soluble series) that were much less expensive. At the time I thought that I could use them for watercolor work instead of the legacy watercolors in pans or tubes (I understood later that this isn't true! ). I like Polychromos too and have a number of pencils from that series. Both types were available in the shops where I used to look for supplies, and this made the decision easier to take.

About lead breaking: I read somewhere (perhaps in a "Wet canvas" post, I don't remember well) the suggestion to try to keep the pencils warm. This makes the wax softer and prevents them from breaking, as the lead becomes more elastic. I didn't try it till now, as I don't use colored pencils much, nevertheless it makes sense from a technical point of view. You can try to keep the pencil box placed on the computer's box or under a light on the desk (I don't know how this is effective with the today's low power LED lamps). Just an idea that could make things better, I hope.

 

[Marksmomagain]

I had some problems w the Premiers a few years ago, and one of the stores I shop at stopped carrying them for awhile because of the breakage issue. Nowadays I honestly just don't have that problem. I buy from actual stores, and have never ordered off amazon. I also buy off the clearance racks, and if the prices are marked down enough on twisted-core or cracked pencils, I buy those to sharpen by hand if I need. Although.... a lot of those pencils can be successfully sharpened in a crank or electric sharpener, I've done many, many like that. Probably hundreds. I can't turn down new Prismacolors in the clearance bin for $.10 to $.25 apeice. Or wildly discounted sets.

Most of my pencils are vintage. I have several thousands mainly Eagle and Berol Prismacolors, Venus and Eberhard Faber Spectracolors, Design Spectracolors, Karismacolors and Laurentians, plus a smattering of other brands. Within those pencils there are some cracked and uneven-core ones and those are 30-50yrs old. They almost all sharpen just fine.

I also use Polychromos, Luminance, all of the Derwent lines, Albrect Durer, Bruynzeel, Koh-I-Nor and etc.

I'm a nerd and I keep records of pretty much everything art supply related, and I've had eleven pencils that I would consider total junk. Most of those were Prismacolors from ten(?) years ago and I quit buying the new ones for a time. Now, I buy them again, and since I only shop in real stores, I inspect each pencil individually, whether I open a set or box in the store or buy singles open stock. I do alot of cp work, and although I use many different brands, Prismacolors are a big part of what I use. It's what works for me.

P.S. I use Derwent Super Point and M&R Crank sharpeners and a couple vintage Boston electrics.