Color Pencils

Color pencils are a relatively new medium, they were first introduced in the early 19th century, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that they began being used by more and more artists to create works of art.

Historical Timeline of Color Pencil Companies

During the early twentieth century, the colored pencil core was developed. It was made up of a combination of pigments or dyes and a binder.

In 1761, a small factory in Germany, began making the pencils Kaspar Faber, later to become the world famous Faber-Castell company. Over time the company has improved the quality of the color pencil and has created modern techniques of industrialization of the color pencil. In the early 1920s, the A.W. Faber Company began selling over 60 different shades of colored pencils for artists. They are considered to be one of the top best brands today.

In 1806, the German company Lyra was established.

In 1832, British company Derwent began manufacturing pencils.

In 1834, Staedtler produced their first colored pencils.

In 1890, L. & C. Hardtmuth Company of Austria-Hungary introduced their Koh-I-Noor brand, named after the famous diamond.

In 1924 in Switzerland, a company named Caran d'Ache was founded. One of the top brands of color pencils today, but very expensive.

In 1925, the Schwann Stabilo Company was established in Germany. One of the leading makers of colored pencils.

Either the Derwent Pencil Company was the first company to design and manufacture the watercolour pencil, or Lyra invented the watersoluble colored pencil in 1930. I am not sure which company evented it first. In 1938, the American Corporation Berol introduced Prismacolors. Prismacolors is one of the most popular brands of colored pencils today. They are now manufactured by Sanford.

As you can see, there are several companies that manufacture brands of color pencils, especially in the art market of today. The question is which one do you pick? There are several options to consider, before selecting a brand of color pencil. First, there are 4 base types of pencils available: wax-based, clay-based, oil-based and water-soluble based. There are many pros and cons for each type. Each type can be applied in different ways, using various techniques. The wax-based type of pencils can tend to leave a wax build-up and can require a few coats of fixative. However, the wax-based pencils are more affordable, compared to the oil-based pencils. The oil-based pencils can be expensive and tend to smear or smudge easily, and some are not as soft nor creamy as the wax-based. However, they do not require a fixative and are water-resistant and break-resistant. And the clay-based can be very dry, but great for details. Last of all the water-soluble pencils can be applied either dry or wet, have very rich colors, but must be applied to durable paper if going to apply the medium wet.
My advice is to experiment and explore. Try them all! You may find you might like several, you are not limited.

Below is a list of Professional grade pencils available. I will be adding more as time allows.

Professional Grade Wax/Clay Based Color Pencils

Prismacolor Color Pencils (excellent range of colors, soft, smooth, lightfast)

Prismacolor Verithins (hard, great for details)

Derwent Coloursofts (soft, smooth, velvety, lightfast, little wax bloom, acid free, water-resistant)

Caran d'Ache Luminance Colored Pencils (wide range of colors, smooth, soft and lightfast)

Derwent Artists Pencils (medium to hard lead, dry and slightly waxy texture)

Derwent Studio Colored Pencils (medium to hard lead, water-resistant, great for details, slightly waxy texture)

Professional Grade Oil Based Color Pencils

Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils (wide range of colors, smooth, creamy, soft, water-resistant, lightfast)

Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Premium Oil-Based Colored Pencils (lightfast, translucent, water-resistant, no wax build-up, will mix well with Prismas, great for detailed work)

Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils (wide variety of colors, lightfast, smooth, break-resistant, water-resistant, smudgeproof)

Mitsubishi Uni Artist Colored Pencils (wide range of colors, available in Japan, smooth, blend well)

Professional Grade Water-Soluble Based Pencil Brands

Derwent Watercolor Pencils (smooth, creamy)

Cretacolor Aqua Briques Pencils ()

Cretacolor Aqua Monolith Woodless Watercolor Pencils (rich and smooth)

Cretacolor AquaMonolith Watercolor Pencils (rich and smooth)

Cretacolor Marino Watercolor Pencil ()

Caran d'Ache Supracolor Soft Aquarelle Pencils (water-soluble, lightfast, soft, wide range of colors, luminous colors, oil based)

Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils (smooth, wide range of colors)

Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils (smooth)

Lyra Rembrandt Aquarell Watercolor Pencils (lightfast)

Staedtler Karat Aquarell (smooth, vibrant colors, break-resistant lead, lightfast)

Caran d'Ache Neocolor II (water-soluble, 126 colors, lightfast, soft, Wax Based)

Color Pencils/Sets that I use or have used

Design Spectracolor - an artist grade brand color pencil by Faber Castell, which was discontinued back in 1997, but I still have many that I continue to use. They are very smooth, soft and creamy. Only con of this brand, was that the core pencil lead tended to fall out on some of them. If I see any at auctions, flea markets etc. I snatch them up.

Berol - I still have some of these, from when I attended art college, back in the early 1980s. They certainly have improved color pencils since then. These tend to lean more towards the student/scholastic grade.

Prismacolor Color Pencils - I love these pencils! I have been using them for years. They blend wonderfully, very soft and smooth. They work so well with other mediums. They have an awesome range of colors. The leads do break easy, but if you take care of the pencil, don't use heavy force of pressure and apply and build your layers of colors lightly, I find the leads don't break as much. I was so dissapointed when they discontinued the deco series. However, there new line of colors they have out are wonderful.

Prismacolor Verithins - The Verithins have a hard lead and I use them alot for small detailed work.

Derwent Coloursofts - I love these just as much as the Prismas! Very soft, smooth and blend wonderfully. A great range of colors and they are a wee bit thicker than the Prismas, so make sure they will fit in your sharpener. Wonderful range of pinks! I mix them often with the Prismas.

Derwent Watercolor Pencils - A lot like their color pencils soft, smooth and blend wonderfully. A nice range of colors. Mix really well with Prismas and Lyras.

Lyra Rembrandt Polycolors - A hard lead but I do love the nice range of colors they have. Great for detailed work. Mixes well with the Prismas and the Derwents. Their colorless blender pencil "Splender Blender" is way better than Prismas colorless blender pencil.

Prismacolor Colored Pencil Sets

Our most popular colored pencils, Prismacolor pencils have thick, soft leads made from brilliant, light-resistant pigments. The colors are easy to blend, slow to wear, and waterproof. Each round wooden pencil is unsharpened and lacquered to match the core. Prismacolor sets are packaged in collectible tins. Blick carries open stock, allowing you to replenish your Prismacolor colored pencils individually. Note — Manual sharpening is recommended for these pencils. Clogging can be prevented in electric sharpeners by periodically sharpening a graphite pencil to keep the blades clean. This set contains one each of the following colors: Beige Sienna, Chestnut, Chocolate, Putty Beige, Ginger Root, Peach Beige, Sky Blue Light, Powder Blue, Muted Turquoise, Pale Sage, Kelp Green, and Green Ochre.

Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Premium Oil-Based Colored Pencils

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