It is the colored pencil that the lead kneaded with pigment, wax, fats and oils, etc. is dried and put in the thin central canal of an axial pencil frame of wood. By far, one of the most popular brands in the world of colored pencils is Prismacolor. The reason behind their popularity is their price-to-performance value, even if some consider them to be on the pricier side. And with flexible size options, varying from 12 to 150 different colors in a single set, we absolutely fell in love with them! A fair competition to Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils set is LYRA Rembrandt Polycolor Art Pencils. These are also oil-based colored pencils but these offer a different set of pros & cons compared to the aforementioned brand. Regardless of your artistic experience or preferences, our expert recommendations can help guide you to the best colored pencil product for your unique needs. So, go ahead and unleash your creative potential with these exceptional colored pencil options.

Normally pencil companies try to impress you with a ton of blues. Holbein keeps their blue family smaller than usual (they gave that space to the greens!) but I don’t see any missing blues. The blues they offer are all unique tones and values. A nice selection of periwinkles too! Then, there are watercolor pencils where the binder is water-soluble, and the pigments can mix with water. They contain a dry watercolor pigment, which can be used along with water and brushes.While we have had some other oil-based pencils on this list like Polychromos and Lyra, these pencils are better for mixed media because they are significantly softer and silkier than other oil-based colored pencils.

And even soft colored pencil people often add a few firm pencils to their projects. I may color the leaf with soft Derwent Lightfast pencils but then add fine veins with a firm Caran d’Ache Pablo. And I frequently use Pablos to crisp up the edge of something that’s looking mushy in Prismacolor. As I said, I love my pencils soft and buttery but that’s my personal preference. Soft pencils fit my style of coloring well. But I don’t recommend soft pencils for everyone and I don’t recommend them for every project. Oil-based colored pencils are not that common – as evident from the abundance of wax-based pencils on our list as well. Other than being better at blending, these pencils are also resistant to water, and since oil is a stronger binder, the lead is way less prone to breaking or chipping.

Holbein Artist Colored Pencil Sets 

Holbein offers about 18 browns and beiges which run from warm red browns to cool chocolate umbers. A nice selection.