Coloured Pencil Materials & Starter Guide: Tools, Surfaces & What You Need to Begin
Coloured pencils are a versatile and portable medium that suits everything from quick sketches to detailed realism. Before you begin, it helps to understand the different types of pencils, the papers they work best on, and the essential tools that support clean and consistent results. This page provides a clear breakdown of the core materials you will need, along with optional accessories and links to related articles for deeper exploration. It is designed for anyone starting with coloured pencils or moving to them from another medium.
Choosing Your Coloured Pencils
Your first requirement is a set of coloured pencils. With so many brands available, choosing your first range can feel overwhelming, especially if you are new to the medium. There is no single perfect choice. Most artists use several ranges and switch between them depending on the subject and the effect they want. Some pencils are soft, others are firm, some are inexpensive, others are premium. Pigment strength, colour temperature and lightfastness also vary between brands. The best option depends on the type of work you plan to create, and many artists eventually find that two or three ranges cover their needs more effectively than one. The next section explains the differences between the main types of coloured pencil.
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Coloured pencils fall into several distinct categories, each offering its own working qualities and advantages. Wax‑based pencils are the most familiar and usually have a soft, responsive core that allows smooth colour laydown and gentle blending. Oil‑based pencils are generally firmer, producing crisp detail, clean edges and greater durability, which makes them well suited to controlled mark‑making. Water‑soluble pencils contain a binder that dissolves in water, allowing the artist to use them dry or activate them to create fluid washes similar to watercolour. Ink‑based pencils, such as Inktense, behave differently again. When activated, the pigment becomes permanent, which allows bold, saturated colour that will not re‑lift once dry. Each type interacts with paper in its own way, and understanding these distinctions will help you select the ranges that best support your subject matter and working style.
What each pencil type offers
- Wax‑based pencils Soft cores, smooth colour laydown and gentle blending. Well suited to portraits, animal studies, botanical work and any subject that benefits from gradual transitions and layered colour.
- Oil‑based pencils Firm cores, crisp detail and clean edges. Ideal for realism, architectural subjects, fine line work, intricate textures and drawings that rely on precision.
- Water‑soluble pencils Dry or activated use with the option for fluid washes. Useful for sketchbooks, loose studies, mixed‑media work, underpaintings and illustrations that combine line with soft colour.
- Ink‑based pencils Permanent colour when activated with strong saturation. Effective for bold graphic styles, expressive illustration, vibrant landscapes and work that benefits from fixed, non‑lifting colour.
Choosing Your Coloured Pencil Paper
Choosing the right surface can make a noticeable difference to the way coloured pencils behave, and with so many papers available it can take time to find the one that suits your drawing style. For beginners, two practical options are a hot pressed watercolour paper for a refined, smooth finish, or a lightly textured drawing paper, such as a vellum surface, that offers a bit more grip for layering. A white surface remains the most popular choice, providing a clean, neutral base that enhances colour accuracy and allows fine detail to stand out clearly. Tonal papers introduce a mid ground that can influence the atmosphere of a drawing and reduce the need to build every value from scratch. Cool tones complement subjects with blue or violet undertones, warm tones suit yellows, oranges and browns, and black paper can create strong visual impact through the contrast between dark and light.
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Textured papers offer a different experience again, as the tooth grips pigment more effectively, producing richer colour and reducing the number of layers required to achieve full coverage. Many artists switch between papers depending on the subject and the working feel they prefer, so trying a few surfaces is the most reliable way to find what supports your approach.
When selecting your paper, the weight plays a role in how well it supports your chosen style. Heavyweight surfaces (around 220gsm and above) offer more stability and can handle multiple layers, making them ideal for detailed or photo‑realistic work. Thinner papers are perfectly suitable for sketching, colour studies or practice pieces where you don’t need the surface to hold extensive layering. Whichever surface you choose, it also helps to think about how long the work needs to last. Practice pieces can be created on any good acid‑free paper, while artwork intended for clients or long‑term display benefits from an archival surface that will remain stable over time. For a simple explanation of how different papers affect the lifespan of your drawings, Acid‑Free vs Archival – Why Paper Quality Matters covers the essentials.
When selecting your paper, the weight plays a role in how well it supports your chosen style. Heavyweight surfaces (around 220gsm and above) offer more stability and can handle multiple layers, making them ideal for detailed or photo‑realistic work. Thinner papers are perfectly suitable for sketching, colour studies or practice pieces where you don’t need the surface to hold extensive layering. Whichever surface you choose, it also helps to think about how long the work needs to last. Practice pieces can be created on any good acid‑free paper, while artwork intended for clients or long‑term display benefits from an archival surface that will remain stable over time. For a simple explanation of how different papers affect the lifespan of your drawings, Acid‑Free vs Archival – Why Paper Quality Matters covers the essentials.
How various surfaces influence your results:
- White paper Neutral base, accurate colour, suited to realism, botanical work and detailed studies.
- Tonal paper Mid‑ground values, atmospheric effects, suited to portraits, wildlife and subjects with strong colour temperature.
- Black paper High contrast, luminous colour, suited to dramatic compositions and work that relies on light against dark.
- Textured paper Strong pigment grab, faster coverage, suited to bold colour work, landscapes and drawings that benefit from richer saturation.
Related articles that may be of interest
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Essential Coloured Pencil Tools
Although coloured pencils are easy to pick up, a few practical accessories make the drawing process cleaner, more accurate and far more enjoyable for beginners. These tools help you create reliable outlines, keep the surface free from smudges, correct mistakes without damaging the paper and maintain sharp points for detailed work. You do not need every product mentioned here, the basic version of each tool is usually enough to begin with. As you gain confidence, you may find that certain alternatives offer more precision or convenience, so each category below includes the essential item followed by a couple of useful variations that can support you as your skills develop.
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Outline tools
A graphite pencil is the basic tool for creating an outline. It is simple, reliable and light enough not to show through coloured pencil layers, making it ideal for sketching your initial shapes or marking a grid.
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Erasers
A standard polymer eraser is the basic choice for everyday corrections. It is inexpensive, easy to control and gentle enough for removing light marks without damaging the paper surface.
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Sharpeners
A handheld sharpener is the basic tool for maintaining a clean, reliable point. It is inexpensive, easy to use and suitable for most coloured pencils, making it the simplest option for beginners. Be aware that the width of pencil barrels can vary between brands.
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Tools
A soft brush is the basic tool for keeping your drawing surface clean. When you erase or build up heavier layers of pencil, loose pigment and eraser crumbs collect on the paper. Removing this dust with a soft brush prevents smudging and avoids transferring oils from your hands, which can affect how the pencil adheres to the surface. It also stops you blowing debris across the page, which can leave moisture spots on the artwork.
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Blenders
A blender pencil is the basic tool for softening edges and merging colours. It contains a colourless wax or oil‑based core that helps smooth out visible lines and gently pushes pigment into the paper, which can be useful if you prefer a more polished finish. Not every coloured pencil artist uses blenders, but they can be helpful when you want a softer transition between colours.
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Protection
Glassine paper is the basic tool for protecting your drawing as you work. It is a smooth, glossy paper that resists air, water and grease, creating a clean barrier between your hand and the artwork. This prevents smudging and stops skin oils from affecting how the pencil adheres to the surface. You can also use glassine to cover your work when you are not actively drawing, or to store and package finished pieces.
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Non‑essential tools can be useful as your practice develops, offering small refinements that support comfort, precision and organisation. Masking tape is often used to secure the paper or maintain clean edges, giving you a steadier surface when working on detailed areas, while indent tools and the Slice knife provide controlled ways to create crisp marks, preserve highlights or lift pigment without disturbing surrounding work, which can be particularly helpful in fine detail or textured subjects. As your palette grows, colour charts become a practical way to keep track of your pencils and understand how each shade behaves on different papers, making colour selection more efficient. And when pencils become too short to hold comfortably, pencil extenders allow you to continue using them without strain. These tools aren’t essential for beginners, but they offer practical advantages once you’re more familiar with the medium.
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Before you buy your first coloured pencil range
Before investing in your first set of coloured pencils, it can help to spend a little time exploring how different ranges perform and whether they suit the subjects you enjoy drawing. Looking at the work of other artists can be inspiring, but their preferred pencils may not always match your own techniques, so it’s worth researching a few brands independently and paying attention to any recurring strengths or weaknesses. Reviews and videos can be helpful, though some may be sponsored, so take recommendations with a degree of caution. If a range interests you, try buying a handful of colours open stock or borrow a few pencils from another artist to see how they behave on your chosen paper. And if you plan to work on a commission basis, checking the lightfast ratings is important, whereas artists producing prints may prefer ranges with more vibrant colours even if the ratings vary. A little research at this stage can save money and help you choose pencils that genuinely support your style. Below are some articles on this subject that may provide further help and advice.
COMING SOON! Start your coloured pencil journey with our basic beginner's guide!
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Compare the qualities of popular pencil brands allowing you to select the best ones for your style.
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Compare popular brands in the search for your first set.
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​Related Articles You May Find Helpful
Once you’re familiar with the basic materials, you may find it helpful to explore a few related coloured pencil articles to deepen your understanding of the medium. The basic starter guide expands on the fundamentals and introduces simple techniques to help you get started. The coloured pencil comparison guide offers side‑by‑side tests covering softness, layering, blending and opacity, giving you a clearer sense of how different ranges behave. If you’re deciding which pencils might suit the subjects you enjoy drawing, delve in to the 12 popular Coloured pencil brands and their best uses, and see which ranges tend to work well for portraits, wildlife, botanical work and other popular themes. These resources build naturally on what you’ve learned here and help you make informed choices as your practice develops.
