Coloured pencil reviews & articles

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We add new articles to our website every three months and make it a point to update existing ones to include more information or enhance their appearance. Remember to visit us often for the latest updates. To access articles of interest, click on any of the images below. 

Pencil ranges

Beginners Guide to Coloured pencils

Are you seeking a comprehensive guide on how to use coloured pencils? Our guide offers valuable advice on choosing your first pencil brand, along with brand information, useful tips, and the significance of a colour chart. To begin your journey with this medium, we have identified the top seven essential items.

Coloured pencils checklist

This checklist covers a wide range of coloured pencils and provides essential information such as the base content, lead strength, colour count, stock availability, lightfast ratings, and environmental pros and cons. Additionally, it also includes a personal review of each range.

Exploring coloured pencil brands

How does one coloured pencil compare with another? In this article we trial each brand allowing you to compare multiple characteristics along side others. We continue to update this list as we trial more brands.
UPDATED 2025
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Berol | Karismacolor

The Berol Karisma coloured pencils were sadly discontinued in 2005 but are still loved by many pencil artists. Find out more about these pencils in what could be the most comprehensive article found on the internet.

Caran d'Ache | Luminance

Exploring Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils: An in-depth look at their lightfastness, blendability, opacity, and suitability for detailed artistic work.
UPDATED 2025

Caran d'Ache | Museum Aquarelle

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.
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Derwent | Chromaflow

The Chromaflow pencil was released in June of 2021 by Derwent. In this article, we analyse the quality and application of the pencils and see how they compare to other brands,  particularly the Prismacolor Premier pencil.

Derwent | Coloursoft

Why are the Derwent Coloursoft pencils so popular amongst pencil artists? Find out more about them and see what they can achieve.

​Drawing | Derwent

Read an artist's personal review on Derwent's Drawing pencil range - discussing information, lightfastness and overall use of these high quality, soft lead pencils.
UPDATED 2025

Derwent | Inktense

Inktense pencils are different from traditional watercolour pencils because they have been formulated to create vivid ink-like colours. This article offers a thorough evaluation of the capabilities of these pencils.

Derwent | Lightfast

Why are the Derwent Coloursoft pencils so popular amongst pencil artists? Find out more about them and see what they can achieve.
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Procolour | Derwent

Read about the Derwent Procolour pencils covering trials on both white & black paper, also includes lightfast information.

Lyra | Polycolor Grey Tones

Read our blog on Lyra Polycolor Profi-Plus Grey Tones pencils to learn about their blending, durability, lightfastness, and how they compare to other oil-based brands like Polychromos and Derwent Lightfast.
NEW 2025

Polychromos | Faber Castell

​Polychromos artists' pencils are valued internationally by professionals and semi-professionals for their unsurpassed quality. View our paper trial to see which paper works particularly well with the Polychromos pencils.
UPDATED 2025

Premier | Prismacolor

In this article, we analyse the claims found on the Prismacolor.com about these pencils. We share our personal views, as well as those of other artists', found from our online research, and explain the metamorphosis of the Prismacolor pencil, which spans over a 100 years!​​
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Verithin | Prismacolor

ARTICLE TO FOLLOW

Van Gogh | Royal Talens

Discover Royal Talens Van Gogh coloured pencils: vibrant hues, key traits, and market insights in a concise guide to their design and appeal for artists.
UPDATED 2025

Colouring pencils | WH Smith

Explore the WHSmith coloured pencils: their qualities, performance, and techniques to maximise results from these low-cost art supplies.
UPDATED 2025

Papers suitable for coloured pencils

Art Spectrum | Colourfix

Art Spectrum® Colourfix™ papers are sheets of acid-free, 300gsm hot pressed watercolour paper with a fine, deep tooth. It is a superb surface for pastels, oils, acrylics, inks, oil pastels, gouache, watercolours and dry media such as charcoal and pencils. Available in 20 lightfast colours.
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Art Spectrum | Colourfix smooth

For fans of the Colourfix paper, did you know that the company also has a smooth version too? Find out more about the Colourfix Smooth, compare between other surfaces and see where you can buy some. 

​Canson | Mi-tientes 'Touch'

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 Cuthbert's Mill | Bockingford

Looking for a smooth watercolour paper suited to pencils and paints that is acid free and archival? Bockingford might be the one for you.
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St Cuthbert's Mill | Bockingford Tints (NOT)

Discover everything you need to know about Tinted Bockingford NOT watercolour paper—its exceptional pigment retention, blending ease, and unique tinted options. Perfect for artists seeking quality and versatility.
UPDATED 2025

St Cuthbert's Mill | Somerset

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

This paper is held in high esteem, especially among pastel artists. In this article we analyse the performance features in depth and explore its capabilities when used with other mediums like; coloured pencils, watercolours, oil pastels, charcoal, acrylics and mixed media.​

Legion | Stonehenge

This is a high quality, affordable paper with quality fiber composition, archival properties and its suitability for multiple mediums including pencils. Want to know more about this popular paper, read our article.
UPDATED OCTOBER 2022

Strathmore Bristol | Plate & Vellum

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.

Hot-pressed watercolour papers

Read information on different hot pressed watercolour papers before buying. Compare the size, weight and brightness of each and see which are vegan friendly too.

UArt | Dark sanded paper

This dark sanded paper by UArt is ideal for soft pastels and other mediums such as pencil. In this article we review the paper using coloured pencils. We will extend this article soon.

Buntpapierfabrik Ludwig Bähr | Ursus

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.
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12 popular black papers for artists

During our search for the 12 black surfaces in this article, we found many more, with companies producing their own ranges, in varying shades of black and different textures. The following article provides you with a selection of the most popular brands, including some lesser known.
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Ampersand | Pastelbord

​The marble-dust tooth holds more layers than pastel paper and works well with all types of pastels, it is suitable for other mediums such as charcoal, conte crayon, coloured pencils, watercolour pencils, ink and acrylics. This article provides valuable information showcasing its remarkable adaptability and delves deep into the intricacies of this surface.
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Help | Working with tonal papers

Can coloured paper help to advance your techniques and improve your art? In this article, we provide lots of examples and offer you plenty of hints and tips to get you started.

A Coloured Pencil Artists Guide

Are you a coloured pencil user thinking of trying your pencils on an abrasive surface and need some advice on how best to approach it? Here are a few ideas to get you started. 

The Art Business | A useful guide to starting your art career

Learn how to kickstart your art career with this helpful guide to the art business. This introduction provides valuable insights and tips for beginners.

Coloured pencil accessories

Blenders for Coloured Pencils

In this article we show you how to achieve smooth, mixes of colour when using blenders and solvents. We explore each product, and show you how effective they can be in your own work. We cover pencil blenders, burnishers, blender pens, powder blenders and solvents.​UPDATED ARTICLE
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Sharpening pencils

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.

Pencil storage chest

Finding suitable storage for your pencils and pens can be difficult, so when we came across this pencil chest made by 'Creations by Rod', we wrote an article about it. They make 24 unique designs including the pencil chest, which are aimed at the creative market.

Derwent | Blender pens

A personal review on the Derwent blender pen. If you are new to solvents, this may be the ideal product to trial, find out the pro's & con's of this product.

Ghiant | Transfer spray

The perfect way to transfer outlines with minimal mess and less wastage than carbon sheets. A popular product amongst artists. Find out how it compares.

Zest-it | Pencil blend

In this article, we trial Zest-it pencil blend by mixing it with Derwent Lightfast pencils on the Pastelbord surface and the Strathmore bristol plate surface. See how we got on. 
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Loxley | Spray fixative

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.

LUMI LED TASK LIGHT

In our latest blog post, artist Karen M Berisford discusses her search for a new studio light that provides bright, natural light for close-up work and balanced coverage when working on larger portraits. She turns to The Daylight Company to find the ideal light. ​

This product is ideal for artists who spend extended periods of time working at their desks or easels. The ergonomic arm support offers crucial support, reducing strain on the hand and arm, thereby alleviating stress on the muscles and joints.​

Why not try one of our Coloured Pencil Tutorials

Our tutorials are designed to accommodate artists of all skill levels. We offer clear, step-by-step written instructions accompanied by images, enabling you to effectively recreate the portraits. Additionally, we provide a colour chart to assist you in matching your pencil colours, should you not have the specific brands we use. Our tutorials also guide you on layering techniques, pencil grip, blending methods, and the intricacies of adding fine details to your drawings, all of which contribute to achieving a realistic finish in your artwork. For those new to coloured pencils, we suggest starting with the first tutorial, which covers essential layering and blending processes, before progressing to the subsequent tutorials, each designed to build upon the skills learned in the previous ones.
Enjoy!

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