By Jasmina Susak • Updated on April 16, 2025 • Includes FREE drawing tutorials
After 10 years of working with colored pencils on a daily basis, I can confidently say which are the best and most popular artist-grade colored pencils in the world.
To me, a good colored pencil is the one that doesn’t leave visible pencil strokes when I press hard. This is why I use wax-based colored pencils. They’re soft, creamy, and spread easily over the paper.
When I started drawing, I used graphite pencils only. Then everyone around me kept asking why I don’t try working with colors. I was given some orange and green colored pencils by acquaintances and decided to introduce them to small areas of my graphite drawings. As you can see in the examples below, my graphite shading skills were already pretty decent, but the areas with colored pencils definitely weren’t. Still, that was the beginning of my journey with colored pencils.
Tip: I always suggest beginners start with graphite pencils and practice values before moving on to colored pencils, because values are more important than colors. In my case, it just happened that way.
Then in 2014, when I launched my YouTube channel and opened my social media accounts, I bought my first Prismacolor Premier 150 set because everyone was bragging about how they were the best. Since then, I’ve only been buying individual colored pencils, because I don’t use them all equally. For example, I still have the Lilac from that first set, but I’ve gone through trillions of browns and grays. Fortunately, we can buy single colored pencils — imagine having to purchase the whole set every time we run out of blacks and whites (which I also use a lot!).
For example, for the portrait of actress Hedy Lamarr (see the time-lapse drawing video below), I used only Black, White, and Cool Grays by Prismacolor Premier. If you want to practice values first, you can use these pencils instead of graphite. They blend much better and smudge less than graphite or charcoal. I narrated the entire drawing process, and the real-time video is available at Colored Pencil Tutor.
Note:
I am neither promoted nor affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this article, and you won’t find any links to colored pencil products on this site. I’m simply sharing my personal experience. You’ll have to find and purchase the pencils yourself, and I don’t guarantee their quality. This is just my opinion based on what works for me.
I quickly realized that wax-based colored pencils were exactly what I needed. So I bought the Caran d’Ache Luminance set of 76. Later in 2020, they added more colors, and now they manufacture a full range of 100 colored pencils. Although they’re oil-based, I thought I should also have the Polychromos set by Faber-Castell because they’re so popular, so I bought the biggest set — even though I rarely use them.
I also bought many other colored pencil brands to include them in PenPick, the application I developed. I ended up featuring 28 brands in total. As a PenPick member, you can upload your own reference photo, click or tap on any area, and the app will suggest which colored pencil to use from any of the 28 brands. To learn more and join PenPick, visit the website.
Colored Pencil Brands in PenPick:
- Prismacolor Premier – 150 colored pencils
- Faber-Castell Polychromos – 120 colored pencils
- Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 – 100 colored pencils
- Arteza Expert – 120 colored pencils
- Caran d’Ache Pablo – 120 colored pencils
- Castle Arts Gold Standard – 120 colored pencils
- Castle Arts Soft Touch – 120 colored pencils
- Crayola Colored Pencils – 120 colored pencils
- Derwent Artists – 120 colored pencils
- Derwent Coloursoft – 72 colored pencils
- Derwent Chromaflow – 72 colored pencils
- Derwent Inktense – 100 colored pencils
- Derwent Lightfast – 100 colored pencils
- Derwent Procolour – 72 colored pencils
- Derwent Studio – 72 colored pencils
- Faber-Castell Black Edition – 100 colored pencils
- Holbein Artists – 150 colored pencils
- Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor – 72 colored pencils
- STAEDTLER 146C – 72 colored pencils
- Tombow Irojiten – 100 colored pencils
- Black Widow – 180 colored pencils
- Koh-I-Noor Polycolor – 144 colored pencils
- Faber-Castell Goldfaber – 48 colored pencils
- Shuttle Art – 174 colored pencils
- Mitsubishi Uni – 100 colored pencils
- Kalour – 180 colored pencils
- Schpirerr Farben – 96 colored pencils
- Arrtx – 72 colored pencils
When you join the Colored Pencil Tutor website, you get access to over 500 real-time drawing videos, step-by-step tutorials, and the PenPick Colored Pencils tool — which includes the 3 most popular colored pencil brands I talk about in this blog.
Which colored pencils are the best?
There are many colored pencil brands out there, but in this blog, I’m sharing the three I personally use and recommend. These are professional-grade pencils trusted by many artists around the world — and I’ll tell you exactly why.
1. Prismacolor Premier
- Wax-based, artist-grade colored pencils
- Vibrant, rich pigments
- Lightfast — won’t fade over time
- Soft and creamy, spreads easily over the paper
- Perfect for blending, burnishing, layering, and smooth gradients
- Great for coloring large, even surfaces
- Not overly expensive — excellent value for the money
- Huge range of colors (150), especially skin tones and grays
- Broadly available and easy to buy as single pencils
To show you these pencils in action, I’ve narrated my drawing of Thor. In the real-time video below, I explain how I draw the red fabric of his cape, step by step.
To watch the full real-time video (and access 500+ hours of content), join us at the Colored Pencil Tutor website. If you draw along, feel free to upload your result in the comment section at the bottom of this blog — I’d love to see it and give you some feedback.
If you’re wondering how I decide which colors to use in my drawings, check out my free blog: How to Choose the Right Colored Pencils for Your Drawings. In short, I use the PenPick – Color Picker for Artists. To learn more and start using the app, visit the website and join us there.
Narrated Real-Time Drawing Video: Red Fabric in Colored Pencil
List of the pencils used:
- Creating Shadowed Areas: Dark Umber by Prismacolor Premier – Used to create the shadowed areas in the fabric.
- Adding Crimson Red Layer: Crimson Red (Prismacolor Premier) – Applied over the dark umber to create the red fabric faults.
- Creating Smooth Gradient: Dark Umber (Prismacolor Premier) – Used again to press slightly around the lines created earlier, creating a smooth gradient between the shadowed and highlighted areas.
- Final Layer of Crimson Red: Crimson Red (Prismacolor Premier) – Used again to go over the dark umber and other areas, pressing very hard to create the final look of the fabric faults.
- Highlights and Other Colors: White (Prismacolor Premier) – Used to create highlights over the fabric faults.
Common Prismacolor Issues and My Advice
- Many artists complain that Prismacolor Premier pencils break easily. Since they’re wax-based, they really can be more fragile. But here are 3 simple tips to avoid that:
- Protect them even before you use them.
Don’t let your pencils fall on the floor or toss them onto the table. I always place mine on a soft cloth. Even if the wood doesn’t crack, the core inside might — and that can happen during shipping or manufacturing too. - Use a good, manual sharpener — and replace it often.
Old sharpeners won’t cut cleanly and can damage the wood, which affects the core. I change my sharpener every 2–3 weeks. Electric sharpeners are hard to control and can eat up a lot of our expensive pencils. They can also break the leads inside — that’s why I neither use them nor recommend them. - Sharpen gently and hold close to the blade.
When sharpening, grip the pencil near the tip — not far from the sharpener. If you hold it too far back, the wood and core move separately, which can cause the lead to break. (See the image below — don’t do this!)
So, sharpen them gently. When you sharpen, hold your pencil firmly and as close to the tip and sharpener as possible. Sharpen slowly, without pushing too hard into the blade.
- Also, Prismacolor often forms a white haze called “wax bloom” a short time after the drawing is finished. If you spray your final drawing with a fixative, it will help protect it from smearing and reduce the glare. You can choose between glossy and matte fixatives, depending on what you prefer. Simply wipe away the white film with a cloth or tissue, then spray the drawing. A workable fixative lets you continue working on the piece after spraying. A final, non-workable fixative is used when the drawing is completely finished and ready to be framed.
- There are some other issues too, like the pencils being a bit too soft or certain colors having low lightfastness. That’s also why I keep the next two brands in my collection. Keep reading…
2. Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901
- Wax-based, artist-grade colored pencils
- Incredible lightfastness – over 80% of the colors are rated as highly lightfast
- Rich, deep pigments perfect for layering
- Slightly harder than Prismacolor, but still creamy and smooth
- Excellent for both light layers and heavy burnishing
- Amazing for bold colors and dramatic contrasts
- Available open stock (you can buy singles)
- Worth the price if you’re serious about quality and long-term artwork preservation
Since Luminance pencils are very expensive (a single one costs at least $4 USD when purchased individually), I recommend using a pencil lengthener — not just for Luminance, but for any brand. It lets you keep using the pencil even when it becomes too short to hold comfortably. We want to use them till the last atom! The pencil lengthener also brings back that balanced feeling, like you’re holding a new pencil again. It supports round, triangular, and hexagonal pencils securely in its nickel-plated ferrule with a sliding ring. I’ve written more about pencil lengtheners and other useful tools for colored pencil drawing in this blog.
In the video below, you can see how I drew Keanu Reeves as Neo from The Matrix using only Luminance pencils. With lots of blending and burnishing, his skin looks smooth and realistic. I have many more real-time videos available at the Colored Pencil Tutor website. Come join us there, get your colored pencils to work, and start creating your own masterpieces.
Visit my blog How to Draw Portraits with Colored Pencils for FREE tutorials, real-time narrated drawing videos, and lots of useful info.
3. Polychromos by Faber-Castell
- Oil-based, artist-grade colored pencils
- Harder core — great for precision and fine details
- Excellent for layering without wax buildup
- Rich pigmentation and consistent color quality
- High lightfastness across most of the range
- Great for drawing hair, fine textures, and sharp edges
- Doesn’t smudge as easily as softer, wax-based pencils
- Works well with mixed media (watercolor base, graphite, etc.)
- Available individually and in sets up to 120
Polychromos, as oil-based, can also be easily blended with wax-based colored pencils like Prismacolor, so I sometimes use them together in my drawings. For example, in the real-time narrated video below, you can see how I colored the sky using Polychromos and created a smooth gradient with just three colored pencils.
Watch the full video and draw along with me!
At the beginning, you’ll also learn how to sketch in 1-point perspective — a great foundation for realistic scenes. Upload your results in the comment box at the bottom of this blog.
Narrated Real-Time Drawing Video: How to Draw in 1-point Perspective – Beach in the Maldives
Colored pencils used in the video below:
Sky:
- Phthalo Blue 110 (Polychromos) – Darkest sky areas
- Phthalo Blue 152 (Polychromos) – Midtones
- Phthalo Blue 145 (Polychromos) – Brighter sky
- Powder Blue (PC 1087) (Prismacolor) – Brightest area
Roofs:
- Warm Grey 30% (PC 1052) (Prismacolor) – Base
- Cool Grey 10% (PC 1059) (Prismacolor) – Blending tops and bottoms
- Warm Grey 70% (PC 1056) (Prismacolor) – Shadows
- Copenhagen Blue (Prismacolor) – Horizon line
Water:
- Non-Photo Blue (PC 919) (Prismacolor) – First layer
- Light Aqua (Prismacolor) – Second layer
- White – For blending
- Cool Grey 90% / 50% (Prismacolor) – Shadows and reflections
- Villas: Black or Cool Grey 90% – Floors and beams
- Road: Cool Grey 10%, 20%, 30%, 50% – From top to bottom gradients and boards
- Sand: Cream, Jasmine, Eggshell – Mixed for natural tone
If your sketch doesn’t look good, or you just want to color, download my pencil sketch below.
If I had to choose only one brand, it would be Prismacolor, for many reasons:
- They have 150 pencils, which is more than the other brands I use
- They were my first colored pencil love ❤️
- I can’t live without their Warm, Cool, and French Gray tones
- The Prismacolor company follows me on Instagram 🙂
- and many more reasons…
Frequently Asked Questions:
If you can afford it, I recommend getting all the available colors from the brand you choose. The more colors you have, the easier and more enjoyable your workflow will be.
For example, below you can see my drawing of a cheetah cub from 2013, done with just one or two brown pencils. On the right is a cheetah I drew in 2023 using a much wider range of colors. Of course, you can also see how much I’ve improved with experience.
Prismacolor Premier is soft, easy to blend, and great value for beginners.
Yes — for smooth blending, rich colors, and professional results. But even cheaper sets can work if you know how to use them.
Wax-based (like Prismacolor) are softer and blend more easily. Oil-based (like Polychromos) are harder and better for fine details.
Absolutely. I often mix Prismacolor and Polychromos in my work — they blend beautifully together.
Most use Prismacolor, Luminance, and Polychromos. I use all three depending on the drawing.
Yes, if you plan to sell or display your work. Luminance and Polychromos have great lightfast ratings. Prismacolor is more mixed.
Wax-based pencils like Prismacolor Premier are the best for blending without using any solvents.
Ask in the comments and I’ll answer it.
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