10 Best Colored Pencils For Adults 2026 in the United States

The Soucolor 180-Color Artist Colored Pencils Set offers a wide array of 180 vibrant colors, making it an excellent choice for those who enjoy a diverse color palette for adult coloring books, sketching, shading, and blending. The pencils come in a convenient and durable metal tin box, ensuring easy storage and organization. Each pencil is numbered, which helps in quickly finding and using the right color without hassle.

The soft core of the pencils allows for smooth application and easy blending, which is beneficial for creating detailed and colorful illustrations. Additionally, these pencils are designed to be durable and not prone to breaking, cracking, or crumbling, which is a significant advantage during lengthy coloring sessions. The ease of sharpening also means less frustration and more uninterrupted creativity time.

The pigment quality, while decent, might not meet the highest professional standards, especially for those who prioritize lightfastness (the resistance of colors to fading over time). This set is a great choice for beginners, hobbyists, and even kids (above the age of 3) due to its user-friendly design and safe, odorless materials. Professional artists might find the lightfastness and pigment quality somewhat lacking for long-term projects. The Soucolor 180-Color Artist Colored Pencils Set is a versatile and comprehensive set that is well-suited for amateur artists and coloring enthusiasts who value variety and ease of use.

The KALOUR 72 Count Colored Pencils set is particularly well-suited for adult coloring enthusiasts, beginners, and even kids interested in art. One of the standout features of this set is the wide range of 72 vibrant colors, which offers ample variety for any project. Each pencil is clearly labeled with a unique number and color name, aiding in easy identification and selection.

The soft cores are highly pigmented, ensuring rich, vivid colors that are ideal for blending and shading, making it a great choice for detailed artwork and adult coloring books. The cores are also described as break-resistant, adding to their durability and making them reliable during extensive use. The high-quality basswood body makes these pencils easy to sharpen without frequent breaking, which can be very convenient for continuous use.

While the pencils are marketed as perfect for both adults and kids, the soft core might wear down quickly with heavy use, potentially leading to more frequent sharpening. Despite these potential drawbacks, the pencils meet safety standards, making them non-toxic and safe for users aged five and up. This set is well-regarded by many users for its blendability, color range, and ease of use.

The Faber-Castell Polychromos set of 120 colored pencils is a top choice for adult artists who want a wide and rich color range. These pencils stand out because they use oil-based leads that lay down color smoothly, making blending and layering easy for creating depth in your artwork. The pigments are designed to resist fading, so your finished pieces stay vibrant over time, which is a big plus if you want your art to last. The leads are thicker and bonded to resist breaking, which means less frustration with snapped tips during sharpening or use.

Speaking of sharpening, the traditional wood casing is generally easy to sharpen with a good sharpener, allowing for fine points needed in detailed work. The core hardness is balanced to provide good control without the pencils being too soft or too hard, suitable for most adult coloring and drawing techniques. While the set is a bit of an investment, the quality matches professional standards, making it ideal for serious hobbyists and artists who want dependable, high-quality colored pencils. If you are new to colored pencils, this set might feel premium and complex, but it offers a rewarding experience as you explore color mixing and shading.

These pencils fulfill essential qualities such as pigment strength and durability, making them a reliable and enjoyable tool for adult coloring and art projects.