10 Best Pencils For Artists 2025 in the United States

The Faber-Castell Polychromos Artists' Color Pencils offer a high-quality option for artists and art enthusiasts, featuring 120 assorted colors. One of the standout features is the premium quality of these pencils, known for their vibrant, long-lasting colors due to the excellent lightfastness of the pigments. This means your artwork will resist fading over time, retaining its original brilliance.

The oil-based leads provide a smooth, buttery color laydown that is easy to blend, allowing for seamless layered effects which can be highly beneficial for detailed and nuanced artwork. The thick 3.8 mm leads are SV-bonded, making them break and water-resistant, which adds to their durability and reduces the frequency of sharpening and breakage during use. This set is housed in a sturdy metal tin, providing convenient storage and organization for the 120 pencils.

A point to consider is that these pencils are categorized as having a hardness degree of H, which may not be suitable for those specifically looking for a wide range of graphite hardness options. However, if your focus is on colored pencils rather than graphite hardness, this should not be an issue. Manufactured by Faber-Castell, a reputable brand in art supplies with a history dating back to 1761, you can trust the professional quality and consistency of these pencils.

The Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils Soft Core 36 Count are designed with artists in mind, particularly those who enjoy rich colors and smooth shading. These pencils have soft, thick cores that allow for easy blending and layering of colors, which is great for creating shadows and gradients in artwork. The pigments are richly saturated and lightfast, meaning your drawings are less likely to fade over time. The leads are sturdy enough to resist cracking and chipping, which makes them reliable for detailed coloring and adult coloring books. With 36 assorted colors, the set offers a broad palette for creative expression.

As soft-core colored pencils, they do not offer the fine point or hardness typical of graphite pencils, which may limit their use for precise line work or fine details. Colored pencils generally do not erase as cleanly as graphite pencils, so making corrections can be more challenging.

These Prismacolor pencils are excellent for artists who want vibrant, smooth colors for shading and coloring projects. They excel in adding depth and richness rather than in precise graphite-style drawing, making them a strong choice for coloring enthusiasts and artists focused on color work.

The Castle Art Supplies 72 Colored Pencils Set offers a comprehensive range of colored pencils designed for adult artists, professionals, and colorists. The set is organized in a handsome presentation tin box, with pencils arranged by color families, making it easy to select the right color without hassle. The pencils feature a soft core made from an advanced formulation, providing a smooth, creamy laydown that is resistant to crumbling under pressure, ensuring durability and consistent performance.

This quality makes them particularly suitable for detailed work and prolonged use. The pencils are intensely pigmented, allowing for rich coverage and effortless blending and burnishing, which is ideal for layering and adding texture on various surfaces like paper, canvas, wood, and more. However, these pencils may not offer the same level of erasability as graphite pencils, which could be a drawback for some artists who frequently adjust their work.

The set includes a unique fold-out tutorial to help users refine their skills, adding an educational element that can be beneficial for both novice and experienced artists. Castle Art Supplies is well-regarded in the art community. While the pencils are designed primarily for coloring, their quality and ease of use make them a versatile addition to any artist's toolkit. Those seeking high-quality colored pencils with a focus on color richness and smooth application will find this set to be a valuable option.