Does Using Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencil Sets Make A Difference?
Have you ever wondered what is so special about Prismacolor? After watching so many different artist’s videos of such realistic and lifelike colored pencil drawings, I started realizing I keep hearing the same thing…Prismacolor! It seems like everyone’s using these!
So, if you’re like me, you went to the local art supply store to check these out…maybe even buy a set.
But, then you realize the price difference between these and the other colored pencils…the ones you see everywhere, sometimes in the local discount store or even in some grocery stores.
Let me tell you, looking at the price tag on these sets, my eyeballs nearly popped right out of my head and fell on the floor!
It’s no wonder there’s the old saying “starving artist…” they’re all too broke after paying for supplies to buy any food.
And now…. after checking your eyeballs and whether or not they’re still intact…
You have second thoughts on forking out that amount of money for something that basically looks the same as the ones you can buy for $5 or so.
Well, I did the same thing…I’ve never been rich, so I’m not used to spending more cash on something that I can find for less. Or, at least that’s what I used to think…
I mean really, they look the same! Don’t they?
But, then I started looking at the difference between my colored pencil drawings and the ones made by other artists using these Prismacolor pencils…
And, how much richer and colorful the colors looked in the ones using the colored pencils from Prismacolor…they look so much more realistic!
Well, I became determined I’m going to get my hands on at least a small set of them. I wanted to try them out at least, so I started watching for any upcoming sales or coupons I could use…and not long after, I was in luck! Not only were they on sale at 20% off, but I could also use a discount coupon for 40% off along with it from the local art supply store.
So, I finally got my first set of Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils!
I just had to find out if there really is a difference between these and the cheaper brands…
And, oh yes, there is!
They’re not at all like the ones you can buy just anywhere…the Prismacolor pencils actually make blending colors possible…
Yes, sure. Sure you can blend the other, cheaper brands of pencils too, but not as easily or smoothly…nor, can you add as many layers of color to make it look as realistic either. You can only add so many layers before the paper will no longer take any more color. Plus, the cheaper brands still look a bit faded in comparison to the quality of the Prismacolors.
In the image below the first four spheres are done in Prismacolor and the two near the bottom are done using Crayola colored pencils. So, yes, you can get a pretty good result using Crayola pencils…
But, it took me a long time to get them that dark and that’s as dark as they’d get. The paper wouldn’t take any more color since I had to press very hard to get the last layers in as dark as they are. After doing just those two with the Crayolas, I just couldn’t do any more…my fingers hurt!
Plus, it got extremely annoying having to keep sharpening these since the lead kept either breaking or just falling out of the pencil.
I had no problems like this using the Prismacolor colored pencils…went on nice and smooth, no aching fingers involved!
Prismacolor Premier Vs. Crayola
It’s all up to you and what kind of results you want…I like to actually be able to see a richness and depth to my drawings. Plus, these soft-core pencils work so much easier when adding layers of color compared to any other cheaper brand I’ve used in the past. If you’re either a professional artist or are serious about getting the best results in your colored pencil drawings I’d definitely recommend buying a set of the Prismacolor Premier colored pencils.
However, if you’re not sure how much you’ll be using these for your artwork or only do colored pencil drawings once in a blue moon, then you probably won’t need a huge set of these pencils. The pencil sets start out at the smallest, which is a set of 12 and goes all the way up to the largest set, which contains 150 colors. The largest sets have quite a few shades for each color, so you might not need that many different shades if you’re not doing a whole lot of colored pencil drawings.
I’ve found I really love the Prismacolor Premier colored pencils after buying my first set, which is only the smallest one – the 12 pencil set. Now that I know how well these work, I really wish I had bought one of the larger sets. Oh well, at least now I know how great they are myself. The next time I need more though, I’m going for a much larger set.
However, if you just can’t afford even the set of 12 right now, don’t worry. Just use the ones you have already or ones you can afford…don’t let money keep you from practicing! Honestly, I used the cheap brands for years! I just couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for colored pencils…but, that’s when I thought my art didn’t matter to anyone…now, I realize it matters, maybe not to anyone else, but it matters to me. It’s what I love doing…so, why not? Why not give yourself some better quality tools for your art?
What do you think? Have you ever tried using Prismacolor Premier colored pencils? Do you have a brand of colored pencils that you prefer? I’d love to know! Just drop me a comment in the box below…I’d appreciate it!
Let me know if you have any questions too, I’ll be happy to answer as best I can…
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it or found it helpful in some way…if so, please share it with a friend.
Best wishes 🙂 ~Sherry
**I’ll be adding the Prismacolor pencils as a review post very soon with a listing of set sizes available and best prices…so, stay tuned!