If you're an artist, you probably have noticed that not all pencils are made equal. They differ from brand to brand and yes, there are big and noticeable differences. Prismacolor, for instance; offers a variety of options like soft lead, hard lead, and watercolour pencils, each with its own special features. If you're a beginner and want to test Prismacolour pencils, but don't know which one to take, this guide should help you. Prismacolour is excellent for beginners, but also for more advanced artists.
Here's what you need to know.
What Are Coloured Pencils?
When you're putting together your art supplies for pencil drawings, don't forget to get some coloured pencils. They're made in a similar way to graphite pencils, where pigment is mixed with clay and a binder, plus a bit of wax to help them glide smoothly on paper. You can find coloured pencils in tons of colours and styles, like regular, water-soluble, and those with different lead thicknesses. Unlike graphite ones, you won't need to use a fixative with coloured pencils. Some of them can create sharp lines, while others have a softer feel that makes blending a breeze.
What to Get
Premier Soft Core
These pencils feature a soft lead that can create everything from bright, bold hues to soft, subtle shades. The top-notch pigments deliver stunning, vibrant colours. Versatile and reliable, the Premier Soft Core pencils are perfect for any artistic endeavour. Plus, with their thick cores, they’re built to last. This one is best for blending. The soft lead allows for smooth application, making it easy to blend and shade beautifully.
Scholar
The Scholar series is perfect for beginner artists, featuring a sturdy core that resists breakage. These Prismacolor pencils provide smooth application and vibrant colours, similar to the Premier line. You can use it for blending and many other techniques.
Premier Art Stix
Think of these as the twin of the Premier Soft Core pencils but without the wood. Premier Art Stix features the same soft lead, just in a naked form. No sharpening is necessary, just grab one and start creating. With a thicker lead, they deliver a bolder line and excellent coverage. This one is best for shading and blending.
Premier Veriithin
These pencils are totally different from the Premier Soft Core ones. The Verithin features a hard, slim core that can be sharpened to a precise tip. They’re packed with high-quality pigments that deliver bold and vibrant colours. This is best for adding details thanks to the hard lead that sharpens to a fine point.
Premier Watercolour
These cool water-soluble pencils can transform your sketches into beautiful watercolour art in no time. There are a bunch of techniques to explore. Artists love them because they blend the best of both worlds with watercolour painting and coloured pencils.
Colourless Blender
These are wax-based pencils that don’t have any pigment. You might be wondering why you’d need a colourless pencil. Well, colourless blenders act as enhancers without changing your colours. You can use them to smooth out edges and blend colours together.
Erasable
Col-Erase coloured pencils are perfect for projects that require some tweaking. With a sturdy medium point, you can easily erase and adjust your drawings until they’re just right. The Scholar Erasable series is designed for beginner artists and features a robust core to minimize breakage. Aside from that, they share many of the same qualities as the Col-Erase pencils.
Premier Mixed Media Set
If you can't choose only one, you'd love the Premier Mixed Media Set. With this set, you can have them all. It includes 48 Premier Soft Core pencils, 12 Verithin coloured pencils, 6 Art Stix and a mini sharpener.
Use the set for work on unfinished pieces, illustrating, animating, sketching, and brainstorming ideas.
A Few Prismacolour Features
- The Feel - These pencils are made with a wax base, giving them a creamy texture that makes blending and burnishing a breeze. In contrast, oil-based coloured pencils can be trickier to handle.
- Layering - A Prismacolor pencil layers beautifully, which is a big reason why artists love it. Just be cautious when layering, as they have high pigmentation and can quickly fill the paper's fibres. If you press too hard, you might run out of space for additional colours and layers. It's best to start with a light touch and gradually build up your layers.
- Burnishing - Burnishing involves pushing the pigment into the paper, allowing for smooth layering and blending until no texture from the paper is visible. You can use either the Prismacolor white pencil or a paper blending stump for this technique.
- Adding Highlights - With these pencils, adding highlights is a breeze since the lighter shades have enough pigment to sit nicely on top of darker colours.
- Sharpening - It's better to use a manual sharpener instead of a handheld one since the cores of these pencils are quite soft and can break easily.