Prismacolor Premier Review
Article written: February 2016
Thick cores of color last long to bring bold statements to life, while soft leads make them the best tool to blend in or shade away. They’re vivid and intense in one stroke and subtle and soft in the next, making them perfect for any project, big or small. Smooth coverage and a wide array of colors to choose from make it easy to find a soft spot for these premium pencils.
Taken from the Prismacolor website - www.prismacolor.com
HISTORY
Prismacolor first began in 1938 and was known as the 'Eagle Pencil Company' which was then changed to Berol in 1969, the Newell Company merged with Berol in 1995 which made Berol a branch of the Sanford Corporation. Sanford UK is an amalgamation of 6 companies and sold the Karisma pencil which was the European version of the Prismacolor pencils, sadly Karisma pencils were discontinued in 2005.
Prismacolor first began in 1938 and was known as the 'Eagle Pencil Company' which was then changed to Berol in 1969, the Newell Company merged with Berol in 1995 which made Berol a branch of the Sanford Corporation. Sanford UK is an amalgamation of 6 companies and sold the Karisma pencil which was the European version of the Prismacolor pencils, sadly Karisma pencils were discontinued in 2005.
Base: Wax based |
Hard or soft lead: Soft |
Lightfast rating: ATSM-6901 |
Costs: RRP £1.60 (ave) |
150 colour Box set
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Colours Available: 150
26 Greens, 23 Blues, 15 pinks, 15 purples, 13 yellows, 8 oranges, 6 reds, 19 greys, 16 browns, 1 black, 1 white, 3 metallics, 1 red/blue, 3 neon (colour counts are estimated due to working from a colour chart, actual colours may vary) Sets Available: Open stock (Individually) In tins of 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 96, 132 or 150 colours |
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ADVANTAGES
* Vibrant and strong colour application * Soft pencils * Great blendibility * Relatively Cheap * Large range of colours * Extensively available in the US at great prices |
DISADVANTAGES
* Many colours have poor lightfast qualities * Many complain of poor quality wood and breakages with complaints ongoing for at least 10 years * High wax bloom * Few UK suppliers for open stock or sets |
My thoughts on these pencils:
Premier pencils packaging
I decided to purchase a small tin of Prismacolor Premier after seeing so many people using them, many giving rave reviews and producing some amazingly vibrant and detailed pencil work. I personally love these pencils - they remind me of an Oil pencil (if ever there was such a thing, a little like those wax crayons I used as a kid) they are so thick and buttery and they blend wonderfully with the pigments being as vibrant as the 'leads' appear, my main issue is both with the poor lightfast qualities of many of the colours and ongoing quality issues which puts me off using them in any of my work. I shall keep an eye out for an improvement in these issues and if both improve, my Coloured pencil collection may just grow a little more because I really do love the wide range of colours they have.
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Negatives: brittleness and sharpening leads:
Amongst these reviews were many complaints though such as "the leads continuously break", "the wood is warped", "the 'lead' falls out the barrel of the casing" etc.etc. however, whilst trialling these pencils, I did not have any problems but I suspect if I used them on a daily basis needing to order open stock regularly, I may find some are prone to such problems. If you wish to read an in depth review regarding these issues, click the link: Pencil Topics
Softer pencils are more likely to break by their very nature and you may find that it works better by sharpening to a shorter point rather than a longer one, as a longer lead can put on extra pressure, resulting in more breakages. Find out more about this by clicking the link below.
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