colored pencil supplies
Head over to my Free Resources page and pick up my FREE ‘Colored Pencils – A Complete Beginner’s Guide’ for tips, techniques, ‘how-to’s’ and inspiration! You’ll also receive a FREE video tutorial with full narration!
Oil and water-based pencils
Choosing colored pencils can be daunting. What’s the difference between wax-based and oil-based pencils?
All pencils contain pigments. Some just have more oil in them, others more wax. Both types can be used interchangeably.
Oil-based pencils have a hard core and can achieve a really sharp point that rarely breaks. These pencils are exceptional for details but are more time consuming to blend than wax-based pencils.
Wax-based pencils tend to be creamy, soft and smooth. They’re great for blending and layering and many artists love them for creating portraits. They’re popular and inexpensive. It’s not so easy to create details as they don’t get as hard a point and need sharpening often. One of the issues with wax-based pencils is that they are prone to ‘wax bloom’, a white colored film that naturally occurs when using dark colors. Prismacolor Premier wax-based pencils were the most popular, but recent changes in manufacturers mean they are now prone to breakage, so I don’t recommend them.
Faber Castell Polychromos oil-based pencils
These are international renowned for their superior build quality and rich pigments. They’re an investment, because of they’re expensive, but will last a long time. They can be purchased open stock as well as in tins. Easily layered and blended for highlights and transitions, they provide sharp lines and keep a sharp point. Almost all but two are lightfast. This means the pigment won’t fade for many years, and will stay vibrant. The wooden casing is made from high quality wood and the shavings are super thin for less waste.
Set of 120
Set of 72
Set of 60
Set of 36
Set of 24
Caran D’Ache Luminance 76 wax-based pencils
For wax-based pencils, Luminance are really creamy. They’re also an investment, but unlike other brands, won’t require sharpening after every couple of uses. Although the largest set is only 72, you’ll more than likely use all the colors in the set. Artist’s love these for their lightfast qualities. This is an important consideration when selling art.
Set of 76
Set of 40
Set of 20
Luminance White Pencil
The Luminance white pencil is considered THE most opaque of all colored pencils. Many artists purchase this one alone as they love it so much! It is rated much higher than the Polychromos or Prismacolor white, which are more transparent. It’s archival.
For intense bright highlights, however, I recommend Brush and Pencil Titanium White Powder mixed with Touch up Texture. Available from BrushandPencil.com. It’s also archival and will not flake or yellow.
Wanshui 168 oil-based pencils
I’m so surprised about these pencils! It’s hard to believe such an inexpensive brand of oil-based colored pencils can actually be good.
Watch my video as I reviewed this set to create an iris botanical illustration.
Odorless mineral spirits
Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) create a painterly look to your drawings that is absolutely beautiful. It also removes graininess. The pencils listed on this page will all blend successfully with it. All OMS brands work the same; I’ve just used Turpenoid over the years. Because very little is needed, I store it in a smaller container with a screw top. Apply with an old brush.
papers
Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper pad is a great paper for colored pencils. It’s smooth, sturdy and has a little bit of tooth to grab the pigment. Colors blend really well on it. The paper feels professional and is a joy to work with. It’s really inexpensive too! I use it for my botanical illustrations.
Legion Stonehenge paper by the sheet is probably THE best paper for colored pencil work. It’s not at all the same paper that’s in the paper pads, so don’t get confused! It’s a high quality paper also used for watercolor, pen and ink, etc. It can accept a LOT of layers. Buy a sheet and cut it down to size.
Sharpeners
I use three types. My favorite electric sharpener for colored pencils is the X-Acto Electric Pencil Sharpener. I find this is the best for colored pencils as they rarely break. The sharpener has a helical cutter. I like that the sharpener allows for different sizes. Mostly what I like is that it will not over-sharpen, as the motor automatically cuts off once fully sharpened.
The Afmat Artist Manual Pencil Sharpener also has a helical blade. It has two different settings: it can sharpen to a super sharp point or a more blunt point. It has a crank handle and can fit the Derwent, but not the Caran d’Ache pencils. Those require sharpening with an X-acto knife as even the Xacto School Pro sharpener above will break the leads. This sharpener is economical, lightweight and doesn’t require electricity or batteries. See my YouTube review, unboxing and demo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YWLkh9ueEc
A handy little manual pencil sharpener is the General’s Pencil Sharpener. I recommend this one as it’s never broken my pencils yet. This pack comes with 2 white charcoal pencils that I often use when I want sharp details for eyes, whiskers and fur.
Erasers
Erasers can be tricky to use with colored pencils. After making a mistake on an owl drawing for a commission, I found out that color can be lifted with a kneaded eraser! It can be pressed onto colored pencil work and lifted off – no rubbing – just pressing and lifting. It removes a substantial amount of pigment, but doesn’t eraser completely. Faber Castell Kneaded Erasers come in three colors with plastic containers.
x-acto knife
An X-Acto knife is a useful tool for scraping away colored pencil to uncover a layer below. Use this technique, known as scraffito, for fur, feathers, whiskers, hair, and so on.
storage
I love my wooden storage drawers! They’re beautiful and keep all my colored pencils organized in one place. I lay foam liners inside the drawers to protect them.
I also like this bamboo hexagonal storage. It’s a lazy susan and great for tools as well as colored pencils. It comfortably holds 150+ colored pencils and turns smoothly.
Drawing board
A drawing board is really nice to own. I take it from my easel to my art table, This one’s made of masonite.
light pad
My artistic life became a lot more enjoyable once I discovered a Light Pad! I use it when I want to trace complex drawings.
This video shows you exactly how I use it.
This USB panel is slim and portable. It has adjustable lighting to get the desired brightness and is a 9 x 12 inch size. The light is bright enough to even transfer designs onto 140lb watercolor paper!
heated Pad
A heated pad (sold for reptile use!) can be used under your colored pencil work to soften pigments for easy blending. It also creates a more vibrant, painterly look to your artwork and removes the graininess. It considerably cuts down on time! If you struggle with arthritis (or any other hand issue) or dislike burnishing, you’ll LOVE this! It makes colored pencil work a real joy and I’m so glad I discovered it! It’s a great alternative to the expensive Icarus Heated Pad.
16.5 x 11 20W (I use this size and wattage)
Watch THIS video for a full review and demo to see how it works!
mask
Instead of using expensive frisket film to block subject areas, I use a sticky drawer liner that is fully repositionable and easy to remove so you can apply colored pencils.
Here’s my mak how-to video featured in Colored Pencil magazine.
Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, I receive a small compensation, at no extra cost to you.