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I have an old set of EK pencils and as I'm now trying to get back into crafts I'm realizing these are not great. Everytime I try to sharpen one it breaks. I don't want to invest a lot of $ but I don't want "kid" quality either, if that makes sense. Any suggestions?
__________________ Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
I have quite a few sets. I really like the Arteza set. Got a good deal on Amazon. They are a wax based pencil. I also have their water co!or set. As.well.as a.present to myself the full set of Prisms Premiers. Only bad thing about the Arteza is you have to order 4 of a color if you need replacements. And watch Amazon warehouse deals.
Linda E (uncbballfan) happens to be selling an excellent quality large set on the buy/sell board for a good price. Not cheap but for what it is, it is a good investment and an unusual opportunity.
In WC, I love the derwent inktense. You can buy them in sets or individually.
I dont have an opinion on dry. Maybe if you can get a consensus you can take advantage of Prime day sales or their offshoots-a lot of competitors are having them too.
I just bought the large set of Castle pencils. They are wonderful. My new obsession. They are very similar (IMO) better than PrismaColor pencils. They are wax based. I bought the large 120 set and then a smaller skin tone set. I am very happy with both sets.
My coloring book groups everyone loves the Black Widow colored pencils. What I have seen they lay down beautifully. I know this is utterly silly but I did not buy those because the spider, scorpion & cobra on the packaging freaked me out, lol. I do know they are very nice pencils and layer beautifully.
I bought a big set of Zenacolour pencils from Amazon. I find they work great, and can be used with my Prismacolor ones too. I did a blog post on them- all info about price etc is in that.
I like Prismacolor pencils. They can be replaced individually so you can add to your mix of colors as needed. Yes, the leads break depending on whether they were dropped or not, but they blend quite well. I also own quite a few WC Pencils in different brands, but usually go back to Prismacolor with those as well. I think once you learn a color family, it is easy to stick with one line for both regular and WC.
__________________ Lisa Featured Stamper #671 Love sending BRAK cards. Dirty Dozen Alumni.CC927 Favorite Virtual Stamp Night April 19 - 20 Come Join in the Fun Here
Just wanted to mention one thing about colored pencils breaking (any brand). It often comes down to the sharpener you're using, rather than the pencil. Several SCSers recommended this one: T'GAAL Pencil Sharpener so I purchased it and love it. Another thing to note is that you get less breakage by turning the sharpener, rather than the pencil.
Just wanted to mention one thing about colored pencils breaking (any brand). It often comes down to the sharpener you're using, rather than the pencil. Several SCSers recommended this one: T'GAAL Pencil Sharpener so I purchased it and love it. Another thing to note is that you get less breakage by turning the sharpener, rather than the pencil.
I'm probably one of those who raved about these. I love the fact you get the dial on the side to adjust the sharpener, depending on what you need. Anything from a really rounded stubby lead to practically a dart!
Just be careful buying on Amazon- the prices can vary by ridiculous amounts depending on the colour you pick.
Just wanted to mention one thing about colored pencils breaking (any brand). It often comes down to the sharpener you're using, rather than the pencil. Several SCSers recommended this one: T'GAAL Pencil Sharpener so I purchased it and love it. Another thing to note is that you get less breakage by turning the sharpener, rather than the pencil.
Thanks for the tip about turning the pencil. I think that's what I do, but it's been a while since I used my colored pencils so I can't be sure. I will turn the pencil going forward.
I'm probably one of those who raved about these. I love the fact you get the dial on the side to adjust the sharpener, depending on what you need. Anything from a really rounded stubby lead to practically a dart!
Just be careful buying on Amazon- the prices can vary by ridiculous amounts depending on the colour you pick.
Yes, yes you were. And your rave reviews is how one found its way to my craft room, and I'm super happy it did.
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
I don't know if I've mentioned this here before, but if your pencil lead breaks, a drop of super glue holds it in the pencil nicely. Then it just gets sharpened away when you get to the glued part. It works great for me.
I bought a battery operated pencil sharpener from Westcott. That is one of the best sharpener's I have ever owned. It sharpens your pencils to a stiletto point. I bought mine at Dollar General for $4.
If anyone is following this thread that needs a budget sharpener Dollar Tree has these sharpener's that are shaped like fantasy animals- mermaid cats, unicorn's etc... Do not discount them for quality. I picked up a couple to sharpen my crayons. I sharpened my Crayola Twistables to a fine point edge with those sharpeners. I was so surprised by how beautiful they sharpened. Yes, I wrote I sharpened Crayola Twistables. You all read that right. I love Crayons. They are an art medium that does not get enough love.
I'm sure this thread will have a lot of responses. One thing to consider-do you have issues with your hand? If you do (arthritis or such), you will want a softer pencil like the Prismacolor. Another softer pencil I have been enjoying is the Schpirrer Farbens. The SF are an oil-based pencil as opposed to wax-based. I think they are around $50-55 dollars for a 96 set. The Black Widow pencils (I only have a couple of sets) are a much harder pencil lead. One of the advantages of the BW's is that you can buy individual sets. So, you could buy one and test to see if you like them or not. If you buy all of the sets at once it would be a little over $100, but you would have 144 different colors. Last time I checked you could get Prismacolors (150 set) for around $90. Hope you get enough info to help with your decision. BTW, if I end up getting more of the BWs, the tins have to go, lol!
I am also a fan of crayola and Roseart. I do own more expensive ones but seem to go for the cheapies often. Probably because the grandkids always have them out on my craft table so they can color and I rarely put them away. lol
"Thanks for the tip about turning the pencil. I think that's what I do, but it's been a while since I used my colored pencils so I can't be sure. I will turn the pencil going forward."
I understood Sue to say do NOT turn the pencil, turn the sharpener. I have the Spectrum Noir colored pencils, and the video that accompanied them stressed not turning the pencil. Obviously this means you need a portable, hand-held sharpener.
Add me to the Crayola & Rose Art fan club. I don't use Rose Art but Cra-Z-Art. Just last month I bought the largest sets of both brands as an upgrade. I really love Prang. If you know your color pencil mediums or you know to how to layer and shade your student grade pencils can behave like artist brand. It's always about technique, for the most part, over the brands.
Just wanted to mention one thing about colored pencils breaking (any brand). It often comes down to the sharpener you're using, rather than the pencil. Several SCSers recommended this one: T'GAAL Pencil Sharpener so I purchased it and love it. Another thing to note is that you get less breakage by turning the sharpener, rather than the pencil.
Here is my FYI: About two months ago I bought the T'Gaal sharpener on the recommendation of people here. I was really disappointed. For me, the various settings made absolutely no difference. I tried every sort of pencil in the house; watercolour, sketching pencils, pencil crayons...nothing worked well. Don't know why, when there were a number of glowing endorsements on this sharpener. (sad sigh) Another small thing I might mention - I didn't like that I couldn't see what was happening with the pencil as it was sharpening. I had to keep pulling it out and peeking.
A GREAT FEATURE of the Faber Castell Pencils, whether you're getting the expensive ones or the children's pencils, the leads are glued into the pencil. Which then makes the leads less likely to break. It DOES save your pencils! As for a pencil sharpener, I like the Faber Castell Pencil Sharpener.
Thank you all for the input. Turns out my DD has a large set of Prismacolor pencils which she said I could borrow to try out. I've only used them once and it was on textured paper so I wasn't impressed. LOL I didn't realize it was textured until I started to color. Now I need to stamp something on normal paper and give them a try.
__________________ Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
I have a set of colored pencils from Dick Blick that are really nice for a less expensive set. I mostly use the Prismacolor pencils that my husband bought me for Christmas a number of years ago, but the Blick’s are a nice alternative.
I don't use color pencils but I do use watercolor pencils. I have and like Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils (permanent when dry and can be used on fabric), Stampin' Up and a set of Prima watercolors. Arteza.com is currently offering 60% off many of their products. After watching a few Youtube videos on their watercolors, I took advantage of the offer and ordered a set of 72 watercolor pencils and a set of 24 brush markers to add to my coloring collection.
If the lead in your pencil keeps breaking, it was probably dropped at some point. This is from a Product Information Specialist at Dick Blick:
What you will want to do is put your pencils on a cookie sheet - preferably lined with wax paper or a silicone pad - and put the pencils in the cold oven. Heat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and let them bake at that temperature for 2-5 minutes.Then let the oven completely cool down to room temperature before you take them out. They may still be warm so be careful when handling them. Do not put them in the microwave because they have metal lettering on them and they will spark or catch fire.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
When my pencil lead breaks inside the pencil, I put a tiny drop of super glue on it and stick it back inside. Works like a charm. The glue gets sharpened away when you reach that part of the pencil.
When my pencil lead breaks inside the pencil, I put a tiny drop of super glue on it and stick it back inside. Works like a charm. The glue gets sharpened away when you reach that part of the pencil.
Thanks for this information. SCS'rs are so smart and giving of their knowledge. Happy Stampin'!
good quality yet inexpensive coloring pencils?
