I use them for professional art/illustration and not for adult colouring books but imagine that they would also be very good for that use depending on the quality of the paper. Layer colors – Colored pencils layer nicely, allowing the color that’s layered on top to alter the appearance of the color underneath.

They sharpen beautifully without the need for an expensive sharpener (I currently use a Lego one from a kids’ stationery set) and have had very few problems with breakages or not being able to get a proper point. When applied fully, wax-based pencils can produce an almost “buttery” surface that is conducive for blending, layering, and mixing. Offering sets ranging from 12 to 120 colors, the Caran d'Ache Pablo pencils present a diverse and extensive color selection. Obviously after six years of developing crazy testing techniques for art supplies, talking to many people working at large and small art supply companies, my understanding of certain art supplies has obviously increased, I would not refer to myself as an expert, far from it, but I would however refer to myself as fairly knowledgeable in the field.Before we get into the nitty gritty of this article, please let me say that I am in no way telling artists how they should or should not categories their supplies, how we all categorise our art supplies is a completely personal affaire as is the way we use them. And I found that Lyra Rembrandt’s Polycolor colored pencils are a great overall choice for most artists.

However, one of the hardest cores I have ever tested and reviewed is perhaps the Derwent Artists core and yet this is market as a wax pencil, but its hardness is down to the type of wax used, binding agent and many other factors. The colours in the box of 72 cover a great range with a lot of emphasis on greens (11 in total) and browns (6 in total) which is ideal for all of those nature colouring books like Secret Garden, Enchanted Forest, Animal Kingdom and Tropical Wonderland. White or Cream Colored Pencil – A lighter pencil is used to work colors already applied to the surface working the medium into the tooth of the paper. With their intense pigmentation, these pencils are perfect for artists who want to make a statement with their work. I can recommend this set to any artist as their starter kit or even as a gift because it is affordable and an excellent quality set with many benefits.The main drawback with these is that the quality will be lower than artist-grade pencils similar to other budget-friendly brands. But, there were a few cases where people received damaged pencils that kept on breaking when sharpened.

These are interesting in that they are a wax and oil hybrid pencil so while they aren’t exclusively oil we felt the need to mention them at least. The pencils are soft, not scratchy and lay down colour easily and smoothly on all of the paper types I’ve come across so far in my colouring books. The Art-n-Fly colored pencils are one such pencil that dispels this myth in that the oil based core is incredibly smooth almost a creamy consistency. If you love oil-based media, then these pencils are a must-have – they help you achieve the colour quality as well as the blending that is so desirable in this medium.These Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor colored pencils are oil-based and come in a 12, 24, 36, and 72-piece set.