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Coloured pencil reviews & articles


Click on any of the images below to view the article of interest to you. New articles are added to the website every three months. We also like to keep current articles updated, sometimes changing the format of the page entirely to add more information or make it more aesthetically pleasing, so please do visit often. You can SUBSCRIBE to our quarterly newsletter if you want the latest articles sent straight to your email as soon as they are available. Not all articles below are currently available to view. A few may be in progress right now or will be created in the near future. I hope you find these articles very informative and should you wish to request a specific article, get in touch via our contact page. 
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Pencil ranges

STARTING OUT WITH COLOURED PENCILS
COLOURED PENCIL CHECKLIST
COLOURED PENCIL COMPARISONS
Do coloured pencils pique your interest as a medium but not sure what you need or where to begin? Read this article for some great pointers.
Compare Coloured pencil ranges with this checklist including availability, lightfast information and thoughts on each range.
Looking to purchase a brand of Coloured pencils and not sure which one to pick? Maybe this article will help you choose.
BEROL KARISMACOLOR
CARAN D'ACHE LUMINANCE
CARAN D'ACHE MUSEUM AQUARELLE
The Berol Karisma coloured pencils were sadly discontinued in 2005 but are still loved by many pencil artists. Take a read of what could be the most comprehensive article on the internet about these pencils.
Find out more about the Luminance pencils and why they are one of the best coloured pencil ranges out there.
Have you ever tried water-soluble pencils? Find out how they can save on the usage of normal pencils, especially for larger drawings. Read our article and view the lightfast colour chart.
DERWENT COLOURSOFT
DERWENT DRAWING
DERWENT INKTENSE
Why are the Derwent Coloursoft pencils so popular amongst pencil artists? Find out more about them and see what they can achieve.
Have you tried the Drawing pencil range by Derwent yet? Chalky, soft pencils perfect for smooth blending. Rich pigments in 24 earthy tones. 
Wondering what the Derwent Inktense pencils are all about? Take a look at this trial review that offers personal thoughts on these pencils as well as lightfast information.
DERWENT LIGHTFAST
DERWENT METALLIC
DERWENT PROCOLOUR
Derwent released their first 100% lightfast coloured pencil range this year and I decided to try them out on both smooth and textured surfaces, see how I got on. 
Article to follow
Read a personal review on Derwent's Procolour pencils with a couple of trials on both white & black paper, including lightfast information.
LYRA POLYCOLOR
FABER CASTELL POLYCHROMOS
PRISMACOLOR PREMIER
Article to follow
The Polychromos pencils by Faber-Castell are probably the most loved oil based pencil out there. They have 120 highly lightfast colours and made from high quality materials.
Want to know more about these very popular USA made pencils - used and loved by many artists alike and known for their vibrancy & softness.
PRISMACOLOR VERITHIN
ROYAL TALENS VAN GOGH
WH SMITH COLOURING
Article to follow
Ever tried the Van Gogh Coloured pencils? See how these pencils compare to other pencil brands and where you can buy open stock in the UK.
Want to try coloured pencils without breaking the bank? Nip into your local WH Smith store and pick up a box of 48 brilliant pencils for just £10.99! Find out more about these pencils.

Papers suitable for coloured pencils

Art Spectrum Colourfix papers
ART SPECTRUM COLOURFIX
Colourfix smooth warm paper pad
ART SPECTRUM COLOURFIX SMOOTH - Blog
Canson Mi-tientes 'Touch' paper
CANSON MI-TIENTES 'TOUCH'
An article offering information and a personal review by Karen on the textured paper known as Colourfix by Art Spectrum.
For anyone who is a fan of the Colourfix paper, did you know that Art Spectrum, also has a smooth version too? Find out more about the Colourfix Smooth, compare between other surfaces and see where you can buy some. 
A highly innovative and unique surface - this versatile, finely textured paper is perfect for pastel, charcoal, pencil, & acrylic artists and suitable for both dry and wet media techniques.
St Cuthberts Bockingford watercolour papers
ST. CUTHBERT'S BOCKINGFORD
St Cuthberts Bockingford NOT tints paper
ST.CUTHBERT'S BOCKINGFORD (NOT) TINTS
St Cuthberts Somerset papers
ST. CUTHBERT'S SOMERSET
Looking for a smooth watercolour paper suited to pencils and paints that is acid free and archival? Bockingford might be the one for you.
​​
A tinted watercolor paper available in 5 colours, suitable for pastels, pencils and acrylics. Find out more on our blog.
Looking for an acid-free & archival tonal paper? This paper is available in three textures and eight colours, including black. Suitable for pastels, pencils, charcoal, pen and ink and animal friendly! Click the image to find out more about this paper. 
Clairfontaine Pastelmat pads
CLAIRFONTAINE PASTELMAT
Stonehenge paper pads
LEGION STONEHENGE
Strathmore Bristol 500 papers
STRATHMORE BRISTOL 500
How does this textured paper work with coloured pencils? Take a look at this article to see. A universal paper suitable for many artists & mediums.
​Are you a pencil artist and want to know more about the popular Stonehenge paper? Find out more in this article.
For those artists that like to work on a very smooth paper, the archival Strathmore 500 plate surface may be just what you are looking for. See how it compares with coloured & graphite pencils.
Assorted hot pressed watercolour papers - 7 set available at SAA
ASSORTED HOT PRESSED PAPERS
UArt dark sanded paper
UART DARK SANDED PAPER
Ursus tan paper
URSUS COLOURED CARD
Compare hot pressed watercolour papers before buying your preferred paper. See what size, weight and brightness each one is as well as the texture. We also include the information on which are vegan friendly too.
Here I trial my coloured pencils on the latest UArt dark sanded paper. How did it compare to other papers? See how I got on.
​
An acid free coloured paper suitable for pencil artists and craft work. This is a low cost, high colour, paper available in 56 tones including high white, suitable for graphite pencil work.
WORKING WITH COLOURED PAPER - For coloured pencil artists
WORKING WITH TEXTURED PAPER - For coloured pencil artists
ADVICE FOR BECOMING A COMMISSION BASED ARTIST
Are you a coloured pencil artist looking to find out how coloured paper can aid your artwork? Check out a few examples and hints and tips in this article.
Are you a coloured pencil artist thinking of trying the pencils on a textured paper? Here are a few hints & tips to get you started. 
Are you thinking of stepping out into the commission business and want some pointers and advice as well as tips on how to price your art? This article may help.

Coloured pencil accessories

Mertal pencil sharpeners
SHARPENING PENCILS - HINTS & TIPS
Blenders and burnishers Prismacolor, Caran d'Ache and Derwent
BLENDERS AND BURNISHERS
Ghiant transfer spray
GHIANT TRANSFER SPRAY
This article gives lots of information about different types of sharpeners as well as explanations on how they can play a huge part in your art techniques too.
Find out more about Blenders & Burnishers including how to get the most out of them for improving coloured pencil art.
The perfect way to transfer outlines offering less mess and wastage than carbon sheets. A popular product among artists. Find out how it compares.
DERWENT BLENDER PENS
LOXLEY FIXATIVE - Blog
ZEST-IT PENCIL BLEND
This article gives lots of information about different types of sharpeners as well as explanations on how they can play a huge part in your art techniques too.
Read our blog for some hints and tips on when to use a fixative, how to apply and why you should NEVER use hairspray as a cheap alternative. Pencil artist Karen M Berisford, also explains how fixative plays an important part in her own pencil work.
In this article, I mixed pencil blend and Derwent Lightfast pencils on both the Pastelbord surface and the Strathmore Bristol plate surface, check out the review. ​
PENCIL STORAGE CHEST
JAKAR BATTERY POWERED ERASER - Not currently available
If you have a lots of coloured pencils and unable to find a suitable storage unit, this may be the answer. Holds upto 250 pencils/slim pens.

Why not try one of our Coloured Pencil Tutorials

If you are completely new to coloured pencils, why not try one of our tutorials which show you, in great detail and explanation, how to create the subjects below. By following the explanations below each progress image, you will learn how to build up base layers and create fine details to aid realism in your work. If you are new to coloured pencils, you may wish to start with the 'Beginners' tutorials, work through the 'All artists' ones and then go on to the 'Intermediate' tutorials which are more challenging.
Enjoy!
Derwent coloured pencils and a watermelon pencil drawing
Tonal Layering with Coloured pencils | Learning the basics
Blueberries drawing using Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils
Blueberries in Coloured pencils tutorial
Drawing waves in coloured pencils
Creating waves tutorial in coloured pencils

FOR BEGINNERS...

Watermelon Tonal layering Exercise - Coloured Pencil Tutorial
Click the image to give it a go

ALL LEVELS...

Blueberries Tutorial in
​Coloured Pencils 
Available now!

ALL LEVELS...

How to create waves in
​Coloured Pencils
Available now!

Snow leopard eyes in coloured pencils
Snow Leopard Eye in Coloured pencils on Black Colourfix
Glass jar tutorial in coloured pencils
Peacock feather in Coloured pencils

ALL LEVELS...

Glass jar 3-D drawing
​Coloured Pencil Tutorial 
Click the image to give it a go

FOR INTERMEDIATES...

Snow Leopard Eye
​Coloured Pencil Tutorial 
Click the image to give it a go

ALL LEVELS...

Peacock Feather
​Coloured Pencil Tutorial 
Click the image to try the tutorial

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Our quarterly newsletter is filled with reviews, recommendations, hints and tips on various art products as well as new tutorials that you may enjoy.  ​Please note we NEVER spam
No part of this website should be copied or re-used anywhere without written permission by Karen M Berisford - 2011 - 2021
All images on this website are copyright of Karen M Berisford unless otherwise stated - Website design by Karen M Berisford. All rights Reserved.
  • Home
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  • re-do the 'About' page then copy over to actual 'About' page