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hi,
I really need advice on Prisma color pencils. It is really worth it?? Are the colors vibrant? Has anyone used the Prisma blender pencil to blend the colors?
I'm trying to decide if I should go with the 24 (~$30)colors vs the 120 (~$150) colors. I love to color and watercolor....so my rational was if I were to get into it, I would eventually want all of the colors..why not get them all now vs having to buy each color to add on. For those who has Prisma and has experience using them. How do you like them? Are they worth every penny? Or are they like other color pencils (in terms of quality). Is it worth is for me to get them (the 120 colors) or should I just go with the 24 colors? Any experience, advice, or comments you have will be greatly welcomed.
Go for it! I love mine, and I have all 132 or however many it is they make now. Get them all! But goodness, don't you dare pay full price. Check ebay for much lower prices on the full sets, closer to $50-$60 + shipping.
I use the blender pencils and it works great - I do prefer blending with odorless mineral spirits, though, only because it works better than the blender pencil for going back in to add color.
Dina, I've seen your work and it's sooo pretty! Do you find yourself using all of the colors or sticking to your fav few? I didn't find the Mona Lisa odorless mineral spirits at Mike's, does it go by another name? I'm going to go back to Mike's and get the big Prisma set and thought to pick up the mineral spirits while I'm there. Or should I just go with Gamsol and order it online?
I love my Prismas and use them all the time. I've only used the Gamsol so I'm not familiar with the other one. I buy my Gamsol at Dick Blicks in a quart container.
I bought a couple (red and green for a Christmas stamp) to try before dropping $$$ on a set. They were $1.29 each and if I wasn't happy, it's less than $3 I would have wasted instead of $50.
I have them, love them, and have never regretted buying them. I thought one could only color with the Gamsol/stump technique but after seeing Karen Lockhart (Lockhart Stamp Company) color with them, I realize those accessories aren't needed at all! She just colors using layers upon layers of colors as well as varying amounts of pressure on the pencil. Oh, I have the 120 and have added to it as new colors come out.
I try to use a variety but I do find that there are definitely some that are shorter than others....
The OMS that I have is some generic brand...it works fine though. I had my inlaws bring it when they came overseas to visit and I don't know where they got it - it looks like it might have even come from the hardware store. Just thankful to have it (even though it's a little smelly) and know that it will last a very long time! I hope you have a coupon if you're getting them at Mikes...!
wow, thanks for all of the info. I looked at all of your galleries and it's all such beautiful work. Each card is like a work of art itself. I love to shade and blend, so I'm going for the big set. Not sure if dh will like the cc bill so I'm off to check out the bay first for a more reasonable price.
I have the prisma colors and like them. Everyone says they are soft yet mine feel hard. I also have the blening pencil and can't say I'm crazy about it. It is definately too hard. I use it but I think the gamsol would work better. If you decide to buy check out Dick Blick on the net. I think the pricing is better than some. Happy coloring. Justme2
Why don't you pick up a few individual ones, first? You can do that at some craft stores or specialty SB stores. I did that. I think they're great, but having trouble with the sharpening part.... :(
Dina, where do you live? I LOVE papayas! The unripe ones are so good when you make papaya salad (do a Thai cuisine search for it).
Mike's has Prismas on sale for 30% off until tomorrow.
They're hard to sharpened? Are the color itself soft? I have color pencils but they are hard to apply..you have to put pressure on to get a good color down. And it's not soft. I like the Prang's brand but they work with the mineral spirits?
Vonnie,
can you let me know how well the blending pencil works on the Prisma? I don't want to go the gamsol route and is trying to avoid it b/c of the chemicals. Someone here said they used the Fantastix sticks and it works great, but I don't know...never tried it.
I was wondering this very question! I do the Aquapainter and blender pen with WCCrayons and ink pad lids. Wondering if the prisma pencils, gamsol and blending stump technique is better?? I think by buying 1 or 2 at a time won't dent my pocketboock as much!
I have them, love them, and have never regretted buying them. I thought one could only color with the Gamsol/stump technique but after seeing Karen Lockhart (Lockhart Stamp Company) color with them, I realize those accessories aren't needed at all! She just colors using layers upon layers of colors as well as varying amounts of pressure on the pencil. Oh, I have the 120 and have added to it as new colors come out.
I love them as well, and like you, just color using layers of color and different pressure to achieve the look I want. I bought the Gamsol and stumps, but haven't even used them. Just the pencils alone seem to work well for me.
I got my first set at Michaels with a coupon, and then found out about ebay and got a set of 72 really cheap.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I know Michelle, sometimes I get the "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome. I always want what I don't have. Besides, all the pretty cards here doesn't help either. I have the watercolor crayons, markers, and everythig you can think of. The only thing I'm missing are the Prismas....
I know I can live without it but....is the grass greener on the Prisma side?
Keep in mind that Prismas are artist grade colored pencils! You will absolutely get what you pay for - soft, rich, vibrant pigment with smooth easy lay-down and blending abilities. I bought the 132 piece set (on *bay for $65, including shipping) and have never regretted it. I find I do tend to use some colors more than others - particularly if I'm sticking to things like SU card stock. That right there tends to limit the colors you can use. But when I branch out, I tend to use more of them. So it's all in how you plan to use them. I prefer Gamsol, but have used Mona Lisa with no significant issues. I prefer the OMS over the blender pencil because I don't care for the 'bulkiness' (wax?) that you tend to get when coloring... blending with the pencil... more coloring... more blending, etc. But that's just my experience and personal preference. ;) You use so little OMS anyway for this technique and of course working next to an open window significantly reduces any chance of toxicity as well.
Consider them an investment - just like stamps, or any other tool! ;) They are always worth the price and will serve you well for a very long time.
Keep in mind that Prismas are artist grade colored pencils! You will absolutely get what you pay for - soft, rich, vibrant pigment with smooth easy lay-down and blending abilities. I bought the 132 piece set (on *bay for $65, including shipping) and have never regretted it. I find I do tend to use some colors more than others
I prefer the OMS over the blender pencil because I don't care for the 'bulkiness' (wax?) that you tend to get when coloring... blending with the pencil... more coloring... more blending, etc. But that's just my experience and personal preference. ;) You use so little OMS anyway for this technique and of course working next to an open window significantly reduces any chance of toxicity as well.
Consider them an investment - just like stamps, or any other tool! ;) They are always worth the price and will serve you well for a very long time.
TOTALLY Agree with all of this! Only difference is I use generic OMS from Walmart and love the price and results. Check out *bay. I got small sets of 12 for $4 and low shipping for classes I teach...all the basic colors are there. Maybe look for a small set to start. ALSO consider a 72 set instead of 120. the savings are significant and the majority of the pencils in the 120 that are not in the 72 are shades of gray.
HTHs
Inky Hugs
Risa
I have the set of 120 - purchased way back when someone posted about that set being on sale somewhere (no idea where!) for about $40. It was obviously a great price, but truly, I don't think having that many is necessary. (And, sometimes having that many choices even slows me down! I feel like I need to pick the best green, etc., and look at every single one!) They are great, and I do use them, but not enough to justify having so many or even having spent the $40 I spent on them. $60 or more, plus shipping, is quite an investment... may be wise to just make sure you'll use them enough to justify it.
There were some people at that time who matched up the individual prisma pencils with the coordinating SU shade... maybe you could post that you are looking for that list. If a smaller set of prismas has enough of those colors, I would just go that route.
__________________ Paper Crafts Go-to-Gal member #1507gallery witticisms... a witty blog
i cant live without mine i just got the 120 of them yesterday at Mike's they were 30% off but i knew the manager and she was able to over ride and give me the 50% off that was the coupon for yesterday so i was able to get them for 45.00 i use gamsol by inkyantics and blending stomps...Have fun with them you will fall in love
Regarding the blender pencil - you can achieve about the same look with it (with a little practice with texture, amount of color, etc) as with the OMS, and it works great. The differences I find that others have mentioned - it does seem to leave a little wax bloom...it also is hard to go back in and add-color-and-blend after you have done it the first time.
In this thread here: Forums at Splitcoaststampers in post 19 there is a sample I did comparing the blender pencil to color blended with stumps and baby oil. Maybe that can help with a visual...I tried searching in my gallery for one I'd done with the blender but it's not working for me.
wow, thanks Dina!! Nice visuals!! I'm liking the baby oil option. Does the baby oil leave a residue after you use it to blend? how much of it do you use?
wow, thanks Dina!! Nice visuals!! I'm liking the baby oil option. Does the baby oil leave a residue after you use it to blend? how much of it do you use?
It really takes some practice to get the right amount...if you get too much it does leave an oily halo around your image. But it sure does smell better than the "O"MS.
For those who are buying individually, there is a seller on ebay that has great prices - I haven't ordered from them but have their store bookmarked. Shipping looked really reasonable.
Go for it! I love mine, and I have all 132 or however many it is they make now. Get them all! But goodness, don't you dare pay full price. Check ebay for much lower prices on the full sets, closer to $50-$60 + shipping.
I use the blender pencils and it works great - I do prefer blending with odorless mineral spirits, though, only because it works better than the blender pencil for going back in to add color.
I agree. I have gotten the set of 72 for $20 on ebay. and the 12 set for $5. check the bay out first definately.
hi,
I really need advice on Prisma color pencils. It is really worth it?? Are the colors vibrant? Has anyone used the Prisma blender pencil to blend the colors?
I'm trying to decide if I should go with the 24 (~$30)colors vs the 120 (~$150) colors. I love to color and watercolor....so my rational was if I were to get into it, I would eventually want all of the colors..why not get them all now vs having to buy each color to add on. For those who has Prisma and has experience using them. How do you like them? Are they worth every penny? Or are they like other color pencils (in terms of quality). Is it worth is for me to get them (the 120 colors) or should I just go with the 24 colors? Any experience, advice, or comments you have will be greatly welcomed.
Hi ckv,
Buy the most colors that you can. I have 120 and plan to buy all the other colors too. I just recently started using my prismas and love it! The colors are beautiful. I have recently posted my new cards using them and you're welcome to look. I would love to have all the different shades of colors for shading purposes. I need to practice with gamsol though, I used the wrong ink and the part of the image almost got erased. They are worth the money. This site has the cheapest that I found: www.carpediemstore.com hth!
I just got them too. I had the same dilemma. It was definitely worth it. I found the 120 set on ebay for $47 (shipped). The seller was asenashop if you want to look.
I use them alone, with blender pencils (by prisma) and with gamsol. I haven't used all the colors yet but knew that if I only got 72 I'd end up buying the others eventually too. To me, there was a marked difference between the prisma and other brands. Definitely easier to use, better color, etc. Hope that helps!
Good luck with your decision. I know, it's excruciating!
__________________ Anjou My Gallery * My Blog - Dreaming in Color "Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so." - Belva Davis
Every time this question comes up, I have to say the same thing.....I absolutely HATED coloring until I got my Prismas! Now it's all I want to do!
I use the Mona Lisa brand of OMS which is sold at Michaels. I use stumps I got there, too. They're from China. I've heard a lot of people say the ones from Taiwan are better, but I'm happy with the results I achieve with mine.[IMG]//www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/images/icons/icon12.gif[/IMG]
__________________ "Life is much too important to be taken seriously." Oscar Wilde Proud to be a member of Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge DT! My BlogMy Gallery
I love my Prismacolor pencils. I've had the same 72-pencil set since 1999. I've mostly used the blender pencil but I have tried the odorless mineral spirits too. No regrets at all. I bought my set on eBay for about $30.
Kimberly
__________________ "There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness." -- Dave Barry
Ok, I want the prismas too. When you say blender pen, you mean one from prisma or can I use my one from SU.
Blender pen and blender pencil are two different things. The blender pencil is a neutral colored pencil (kind of clear) that blends the color together. Although not as nicely as the gamsol. The results are just different.
__________________ Ann Here is my oily blog! CLICK HERE Certified Copic Instructor - Local ClassesI love cars, stamping and essential oils!
I have a few to start and try with..but come to sharpening..is a whole other story..sharpen it falls out, try again, it falls out..i'm down to a stub on 1 pencil..what on earth am i doing wrong?? thanks for any replies.
loves ya
__________________ Gail
When the world says give up, hope whispers, try one more time.
Prisma pencil question--HELP!!
