Prismacolor Premier | A highly revered soft and creamy wax-based coloured pencil

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​Anyone visiting the Prismacolor website looking for rich information on these pencils will be rather dissatisfied, as there is very little detail at all. What we did find, however, we thought we would delve into and dissect in this article, whilst doing our own research into the history of these pencils.

We know how popular these coloured pencils are, and that many of you reading this article, will have been using them for years, maybe even decades. There will be those new to the brand, and those who no longer use them, having swapped to another brand altogether. 

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 was first manufactured in 1938!

Prismacolor claim:

Bring out the soft side of any illustration or art project with Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils with soft cores. These pencils feature creamy cores that are the artist’s choice for blending, shading, and layering.

• Soft, thick cores are perfect for shading and shadows
• Ultra-smooth, even color laydown

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The Prismacolor Premier pencils are definitely soft, probably one of the softest pencils currently available. They are also very creamy, which means that the application is going to be smoother and easier to apply than most coloured pencils.

​We purchased a small tin of Prismacolor Premier pencils after seeing so many fantastic pieces of art having been created with them, so we could trial them ourselves. If there was ever an oil paint in pencil form, these would fit the description perfectly. They blend so well, with a butter-like feel, and the pigments are as vibrant as they look. In our opinion, it almost spreads over the paper like an oil paint, and this allows the artist to achieve highly pigmented drawings with less effort. It is likely that this is what appeals to many artists.  

This piece of work depicting the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, was produced using just 6 colours from the Premier range. Using the white and black pencils to achieve the values, rather than using a large amount of colours, is what makes this drawing effective. Including other products such as metallic pencils and pens, can add further interest in your work and can also add an additional level of realism to your coloured pencil work. Soft lead pencils like Prismacolor Premier allow for even coverage with less hard edges,  so you can cover an area faster than if using a harder pencil. A soft pencil does not create hard edges, so they are easier to blend.
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try this tutorial

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Wax bloom issues

The wax used in the Premier Soft Core coloured pencils is a soft wax, which makes their colour lay down smooth and creamy. Wax bloom is not limited to the Prismacolor pencil.

What is wax bloom and what causes it? Wax bloom is a natural oxidation process of wax-based materials, just like rust is an oxidation of iron. It appears as a cloudy white film over a drawing or colour lay down. If you are plagued with wax bloom, simply wipe your drawing with a clean, dry cloth and spray it with a final fixative to seal out air. If you find your drawings are prone to wax bloom, you may want to use a workable fixative intermittently as you layer your artwork and then finish with a final fixative. Wax bloom is especially prevalent in warmer climates and for artists who apply greater pressure when working with coloured pencils.
​Taken directly from the Prismacolor.com Q & A section.

Prismacolor claim:

Prismacolor: " The Premier soft core colored pencils have leads that are strong enough to be sharpened to a precise point. That means you can effortlessly switch between powerful lines, delicate blends, and silky shadowing. "

• Thick, robust leads resist cracking and chipping

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The cores are 4mm wide, which is standard for a soft, wax-based pencil. The extra thickness adds a little more support, but this does not make them unbreakable. Softer pencils, by their very nature, are more prone to breakages and the way you sharpen them will create some dust during use. You can sharpen them to a point for creating a certain degree of fine detail, however the point does not stay sharp for long and you may wish to use a harder pencil such as the Prismacolor Verithin. This is not a fault, simply a characteristic of a soft, wax based pencil.

That said, we are very aware of the complaints surrounding these pencils. Online searches offer a long list stating split barrels, warped wood, leads that constantly break, or even fall out of the barrel completely. If you have purchased a set and find your pencils constantly breaking, it may be worth contacting the seller, as they may have purchased a faulty batch or there may have been damage during transit, especially if you have purchased your pencils from an international seller. It may also be worthwhile complaining to Prismacolor direct as they may offer a solution, although if you are outside the states, it is unlikely they will be able to offer any help.  We note that many complaints are directed at the manufacturer. Claims that once production was moved to Mexico, the quality appeared to fall below previous standards.

As these pencils are mass produced, there will always be problems, but we note that complaints span over a decade, and some artists will have given up on them entirely because of it. Mass production allows them to provide products at a competitive price, but this will mean that the quality can suffer. For those buying from outside the USA, you may not benefit from such great prices, due to high shipping costs. For those of you who may question if it is worth even buying these pencils, do note that there are many happy customers, who have never had any issues with their pencils. Read reviews from buyers and check the ratio of complaints to rave reviews.

Help to minimise the breakage issues

We sharpened our pencils to 3 different lengths. The short point is the factory set length, which is obtained using the large 10.5mm hole. The standard length comes from a standard 8 mm pencil sharpener and the long length is made with the Kum pencil sharpener. Below we discuss how to sharpen your pencils to minimise breakages, and how to check your pencils for weakness, allowing you to take more care during the sharpening process.

Check the end of the pencils for defects, such as off centre leads or cracks in the barrel. An early warning as to what kind of issues you may encounter with some of your pencils. The split in the wood of the red pencil seen in the next image, can warn of a weakness running through the pencil which may cause perpetual breakages. Off centre leads may benefit from being held in a crank sharpener, where movement is eliminated and the pencil is secured.

The longer the point on your pencil, the more likely it is to break during use. The softer the lead, the more dust it will produce. It is impossible to avoid this if your pencils are prone to this issue. The yellow pencil has a long point and this is going to break and crumble as soon as you apply any pressure. There is less breakage and dust on the red pencil, which is a standard length, but it is the shortest point that provides the most stability, as the stocky lead protects it better. The Prismacolor pencils leave the factory with short leads.

Caring for your Prismacolor soft core pencils

• Avoid dropping your pencils onto a hard surface. Put them somewhere safe, where they cannot roll onto the floor.
• To avoid damaging the leads. Store your pencils safely when not in use. Placing them in a pencil wrap or a pencil chest, will help to protect them. 
• Damaged wax leads? Do not place them in the microwave, instead put them in the sun for a short while, to help soften the wax.
• During use, place your pencils in a jar, with the tips pointing up. Your pencils are safer when contained this way, rather than placing them on your desk, where they could roll onto the floor.

Karismacolor pencils - Prismacolors' European pencil

Blenders & Burnishers - How to use them

How a sharpener can help your pencil techniques

Coloured pencil mini tutorial - How to layer

Lightfast information and colour chart

Prismacolor: " The Premier soft core colored pencils have pigments of unmatched quality "

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• Lightfast, richly saturated pigments

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These pencils contain less binder and filler, and more pigment, which provide more vibrant colors. This also makes them softer and creamy during application. Prismacolor uses the ASTM D6901 lightfast rating system for their Premier range. Lightfast 1 and 2 are classed as excellent, LF 3 is classed as good but are less lightfast and LF4 and LF5 are the least lightfast, meaning they will fade faster. As with most pencil ranges, the earthy colours are the most lightfast and the pinks, purples and blues are the least lightfast. Any artwork created using LF3, LF4 and LF5 colours will require extra protection, especially if you are using these colours on work destined for paying customers.

Of the 150 colours, the lightfast ratings are as follows;
LF 1 = 59     LF 2 = 26   LF3 = 25    LF4 = 14    LF5 = 26

There are 84 colours that offer very good and excellent lightfast ratings, so buying the full set of 150 may not be cost-effective. You may simply wish to buy the most lightfast colours (1 & 2) and mix them with other coloured pencil brands that have high lightfast ratings too, such as the Derwent Lightfast, Caran d'Ache Luminance, Royal Talens Van Gogh and the Faber Castell Polychromos. 
Lightfast ratings may not be important to you if you use the pencils for colouring books, during art demonstrations or to create art where you will be selling prints from the original drawing.
PROTECTION
If you do want to protect your work and have used pencils with lower lightfast ratings, there are ways to do this. You could apply a UV fixative over the completed drawing, however this will not provide 100% protection, so it is recommended that your drawing is placed in a frame and protected using UV filter or museum quality glass. To offer further protection, ensure the framed piece is not hung in a sunny area where strong sunlight will hit it for extended periods.

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CHARACTERISTICS

Base: ​Wax based

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Hard or soft lead:  Soft

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Lightfast rating:  ASTM D-6901

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Costs: RRP £1.90 (ave)

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No. of colours: 150

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ADVANTAGES
* Vibrant and strong colour application
​* Lightfast - ASTM - 6901
* Soft pencils
* Great blendibility
* Affordable (outside the USA, less so)
* Open stock
* Large range of colours
* Extensively available in the USA

DISADVANTAGES
* Some colours have poor lightfast ratings
* Customer complaints of poor quality wood and consistent breakages
   - complaints span over a decade
* Wax bloom issues
* Few UK suppliers for open stock or sets
* Soft pencils can break easier

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Design and packaging

The packaging on the Prismacolor Premier pencils, like all brands, has changed over the years. Looking at the older designs, it is the illustrations of today that are far more attractive and visually compelling, which will certainly improve their appeal and their sales.

Image source: EhPencils

Image source: Prismacolor

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The artwork on their current designs are highly competent, as well as vibrant and engaging. They show off the range of colours the Premier range offers and against the stark black, make the designs highly eye-catching. 

Sets available:

Individual pencils

Metal tin of 12

Tin of 12 - Landscape

Tin of 12 - Under the Sea

Tin of 12 - Botanical Garden

Box set of 23 - Magna art

Metal tin of 24

Tin of 24 - Highlighting & Shading

Tin of 24 - Portrait

Metal tin of 36

Metal tin of 48

Metal tin of 72

Mixed Media set of 79

Metal tin of 132 colours

Box set of 150 colours

If you wish to know what colours are found in each set, we came across a website by Jenny's Crayon Collection, who has created a list providing this information. View the Prismacolor Premier sets and colours charts.

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Products & Accessories

Prismacolor also have other products that can be used alongside their pencils. These include the Verithin pencil range, which are ideal for adding the finer detail that the soft cores may struggle with. Prismacolor also sells markers, pastels, graphite pencils and water soluble pencils. Their accessories include blenders, sharpeners and an accessory kit.

BLENDER
​This blender is a colourless version of the Prismacolor Premier pencils and helps to soften hard edges. It will smooth out applications without altering the tones in your colour palette. Colours remain bright and brilliant. Waterproof formula. You can find out more about the Prismacolor blender as well as other ways on how to blend your coloured pencils in our article.

VERITHIN COLOURED PENCILS
The Verithin pencils have a hard core and are ideal for use with the Premier soft core pencils. Thin cores are perfect for details, edges and lettering. They are available in 36 colours.

PENCIL SHARPENER
The Prismacolor Premier pencil sharpener has one blade that provides a fine point and a separate blade that sharpens your Prismacolor pencils to a medium point. The blades are premium sharpened steel.

ACCESSORY KIT
The Prismacolor Premier coloured pencil accessory kit includes a colourless blender pencil and dual-tip colourless blender pen. There is also an ebony graphite pencil and a pencil extender, a plastic eraser, a kneaded eraser and a sharpener.

Where can you buy stock?

As a UK based website, we know how few stockists there are of the Prismacolor Premier pencils. We provide you with three links, that direct you to online stores based in the UK, who sell these pencils. They may also ship internationally too. Links to other sellers for those outside the UK will be added soon.

Coloured pencil shop

Rainbow Fine Art

Artist Pencils Online

The metamorphosis of the Prismacolor pencil

Heinrich Berolzheimer founded the The Eagle Company, based in North America in 1856. In 1969, Berol Ltd (established in 1845), purchased The Eagle company. Throughout the years, Berol has amalgamated with others but its name is still in use in the UK and Canada. Today, the Prismacolor pencil is manufactured under the Newell group. Having moved through numerous companies, production has too, and this will have seen fluctuations in quality.

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Eagle & Turquoise Prismacolor

The Eagle Turquoise Prismacolor

The Eagle Prismacolor

​The artist grade Prismacolor pencil range was launched in 1938 by the Eagle Pencil Company, which was based in North America and marketed as Eagle Prismacolor. The Eagle Turquoise pencil line was started earlier in 1901. Some of the oldest looking Prismacolor coloured pencils, used both names, bearing the title Eagle Turquoise Prismacolor. The Cold Grey Very Light 963 pencil seen above, was discontinued in the early 1990's and replaced with the grey tones you find today. There were 8 colours in this collection and none were replicated in the new colour palette.
Image credits: www.brandnamepencils.com

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Berol Prismacolor

The Berol Prismacolor

​Berol Ltd. purchased the Eagle Pencil Co. in 1969 and placed their brand name on the pencil. The pencils became the Berol Prismacolor. In 1986, Chairman Kenneth Berol, announced the family's intention to sell the company as there was no sixth generation family successor. The next era of the Prismacolor pencil was in motion once again.

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Empire Prismacolor

The Empire/Berol Corporation Prismacolor

​In 1986, Berol was acquired by the Empire Pencil Corporation of Tennessee to form the Empire/Berol Corp.  Due to this amalgamation, this was the only Prismacolor pencil that was produced without a company name on the barrel. Empire owned the company for a short period before it was purchased by Sanford in 1995. Berol still continued to produce pencils under its own brand name during this time.

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Berol Karismacolor - The European Prismacolor

The Berol Karismacolor pencil.

The European version of the Prismacolor pencil was called Karismacolor. This was manufactured in the UK under the Berol name. We believe these pencils were initially manufactured during the Empire years, which began in 1986. When Sanford acquired the Berol company in 1995, production of the Karisma pencil was moved to the USA. Due to falling sales, the European market became unviable and the line was discontinued at the beginning of 2005.
Read our comprehensive guide to the Berol Karismacolor Coloured Pencils.

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Sanford Prismacolor

The Sanford Prismacolor

November 2, 1995 saw the Newell Company acquire the Berol Corporation with Berol being placed in its Sanford division. The merging of the two companies made Berol a branch of the Sanford Corporation. The Berol name continues to be used in the UK and Canada. The Prismacolor pencil was previously known as 'thick core' but it changed to 'soft core'  

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Prismacolor Lightfast

The Sanford Prismacolor Lightfast

A new range called the Prismacolor lightfast, was created when Sanford took over. Some lightfast colours were taken from the current collection and renamed using long-winded names ie: True Green (PC910) became Titanate Green hue (LF110) and Sienna Brown (PC945) became English Red light (LF145)however, new colours were also introduced such as Cadmium Orange hue (LF118). These pencils were measured using the ATSM lightfast guide, and each colour marked with LF1 and LF2 ratings. It is unknown why this line was discontinued (maybe quality issues?), but some were absorbed back into the collection, when the line was discontinued in 2011, so they have not disappeared entirely.

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The current Prismacolor

The Prismacolor Premier

The Scholar Prismacolor

Todays Pismacolor pencil is known as the Premier line. This is the artist grade, with each pencil rated between 1 and 5 under the ATSM D-6901 lightfast system. The earthy colours are known for their superior lightfast ratings. The jewel colours (pinks, blues, purples and some of the light/pastel tones) tend to have the lowest. There are currently 150 colours available.
The Scholar range is the student grade, which are not lightfast. They are harder than the Premier line which presents fewer breakages. They are also sold in box sets, ideal for school use. There are 60 colours in the line.

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Historical links

A pencil with over 100 years of history, having changed hands several times, and prior to the explosion of the Internet, means that its history is not documented in one place. In the course of our research, we have come across many websites and artists that provide this information, some of which we have used in our article. We share these sites and artists below, and encourage you to visit any of the links, if you want to learn even more about the history of Prismacolor. 

All sources used for historical information:
Colour My World - Pt 1      -      Colour My World - Pt 2      -     ​Brand Name Pencils      -       Grace's Guide

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​Article written: February 2016
Last updated: May 2022