10 Best Colored Pencils 2026 in the United States

The Shuttle Art 138 Colored Pencils set offers an impressive range of 138 vibrant colors, making it a great choice for anyone from beginners to more experienced artists who want a wide palette to work with. These pencils have soft cores, which means the colors are easy to blend and layer, perfect for smooth shading and creative effects. The cores are also designed to resist breaking, which is helpful during sharpening or heavy use. Each pencil is numbered and named, accompanied by a DIY color chart, making it easier to find and organize colors, a nice feature for both adults and kids working on detailed projects.

The set comes with useful extras like a sketch pad, coloring book, sharpeners, and pencil extenders all neatly packed in a sturdy metal case, offering solid storage and portability. Shuttle Art is a trusted brand with a strong reputation, backed by many positive reviews. The price is reasonable considering the extensive color selection and accessories included, making this a good value for hobbyists, students, and casual artists looking for a versatile and enjoyable colored pencil set.

Derwent Inktense Pencils come in a large set of 100 vibrant, water-soluble colored pencils, making them ideal for artists who want a wide color range to work with. Their 4mm cores are highly pigmented with a firm but blendable texture, allowing both detailed dry drawing and smooth, ink-like watercolor effects when mixed with water. These pencils are unique because once dry, the colors become permanent and won’t smudge or react to water again, which is great for layering and preserving your artwork. The round barrel shape is comfortable for extended use.

Derwent is a well-known brand with a strong reputation among artists, and the high customer ratings indicate that most users are very satisfied. While the quality and color variety are excellent, this set is a premium option that might be pricey for beginners or casual users. Also, the pencils are best paired with water brushes and specific Inktense paper to get the most out of their water-soluble feature, which could mean extra costs.

If you’re an adult or student serious about watercolor pencil art and want professional-grade results, this set offers a great balance of rich colors, permanence, and versatility.

The Crayola Colored Pencils Set with 120 colors is a great choice for kids and classrooms thanks to its large color range and trusted brand reputation. These pencils have a smooth, creamy core that makes coloring and blending easy, which is especially helpful for young artists just starting out. The pencils come pre-sharpened, so kids can dive right into their artwork without any hassle.

While Crayola is known for quality and safe materials, these pencils are designed primarily for casual use rather than professional or archival artwork, so they may not offer strong lightfastness (resistance to fading over time) or very hard cores that some artists prefer for fine detail. The set is quite affordable considering the quantity, making it an excellent value for schools, homeschooling, or families with multiple children.

With so many colors, some shades might be quite similar, which could be a bit overwhelming or unnecessary for beginners. If you are looking for a fun, reliable, and budget-friendly pencil set mainly for kids or general coloring activities, this Crayola set delivers well without being overly specialized.