You might find that you like some colors in one brand better than in the other brands. Prismacolor is a good place to start, though.
Welcome to my paintings website - Wholesale Art Mall.
I have a very good sharpener and Prismacolors always break when I sharpen them. I have given up on them and I don't like the waxy bloom. I prefer Faber-Castell Polychromos, Derwent Coloursoft and Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor. I know that most books on drawing with colored pencils use Prismacolors but I wonder if those books were written when there weren't many colored pencils except Prismacolors or if the artists got used to them and just didn't change. I don't like them because of the breakage. My pencil sharpener has eaten most of them.
I'm Primarily a Graphite Artist
so take this with a grain of salt; but I have a good sized set of Derwents I've been building up for years, and I quite like them. They laydown a nice even color; dont fade that I've ever noticed, sharpen nicely and hold a good point. My daughter bought me my first 12 "Watercolor" set and I have about 72 now and 30 something "Ink Tense" I much prefer the Inktense. The Watercolors give more of a softer Pastel look.
I dont know much about the Dry Pencils, I prefer to apply a little water and wash the colors.
Hope this helps BB.
So dry colored pencils can have water applied....just like the water color pencils? Cool! I will have to experiment. I'm learning to use colored pencils after using graphite for years.
Uhm no,
I seem to have mistated something and confused you.
You can use Water Color Pencils Dry of Course and the Derwents are designed with that in mind.
I believe you will also find the Ink Tense are color fast after the inital wash dries allowing some interesting effects, but the Dry Only Pencils like dont have a Water soluable matrix with the pigment, and will not work as substitues.
I will say, I do agree with the poster above who found the Prisma Color Dry pencils really break too easy when sharpening, I found I had to use the barrel for a much wider pencil, with a much steeper bite to get an acceptable point without breaking. Still as I said, Color is always secondary to me, something I use to outline, highlight, or in some otherway accent a predominantly black and white drawing. I do a little outdoor sketching in pure color but thats about it.
I noticed that like me your picking up Color Pencils after a long time with Graphite,
check out your local library, Here in Frederick the Library system is not all that big, but we have a good selection of books like the Pencil Artists Handbook, and Barrons Colored Pencils; which will give you a good grounding, and lots of cool stuff to study.
One nice thing about using the libary is besides being able to check out a book for a few weeks, before buying your own copy; Librarys track checkouts, and your patronage will encourage them to buy/stock more art books, for kids, and other artists. Blessings, BB.
I've used Berol Prisma colors and Derwent. Prismacolors are waxy, but they allows for good layering and color mixing with heavy application. Just be sure to use crystal clear when completely finished otherwise the waxiness comes to the top layer and you would then need to gently buff it off. I have artwork that is 30 years old and they are in very good condition. I like the variety of color with Derwent. You can also layer colors to mix, but will not get the waxy quality as in the Prismacolors. Personally, I think Prismacolor is great for general use and beginners. Use the Derwent if you will be sketchy in your approach and not heavy use of color.Be sure to sharpen the pencil by hand so you do not waste the color and it helps prevent breakage.
Thanks for the reply. I re-read your post and I didn't realize that the Derwents were watercolor pencils. That's how new I am to colored pencils, though I do have a small set of watercolor pencils. Don't remember the brand name. My biggest problem is finding to to sit down and draw; and I have lots of potential subjects here since my family and I have a small farm with dairy goats, chickens, guineas, rabbits, cats, and a garden. I also enjoy knitting, weaving, and spinning and I make goat milk soaps. So I always have plenty of chores or hobbies to keep me busy and out of trouble! :)
Well Derwent does make a full line of dry pencils, and I favor their Graphite line, but the "Watercolor" line and the "Ink Tense" line are both water soluable.
but as to your other comment about living on a small farm; I suggest you look into the work of Andrew Wyeth if you haven't:
Andrew Wyeth
www.andrewwyeth.com/ - This is the official website of the American artist Andrew Wyeth.It includes images, exhibition history, research resources, and copyright information.
Yes they are watercolor pencils. You can use them like color pencils and then add washes of water to blend them together.You can also scribble a spot of color on a separate sheet, add water and paint.
I love goat milk soap especially if it is creamy. I bought a soap long ago and I think the person added dry milk it was so creamy. It was fabulous. Do you sell your soap online?
Yes, I do have a website and sell my goat milk soaps online, as well as craft shows and several farmers markets here in the area where I live. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to promote my website here or not, but if you'll email me privately at: kntgbarb@gmail.com, I'll send you the URL. Thanks for asking!
And to make this "art related", I have one customer who uses my soap to clean her paint brushes.
It depends if you LOVE color pencil drawing, then invest in one of the larger setes of Prismacolor. I hate it, but I am a painter. If you're not sure, the dickblick brand of color pencils is just like prismacolor. (but a lot cheaper, the dickblick brand is very good quality for on the cheap) I'm not sure but I think you can even mix prismacolor and dickblick brand, you can't really use another brand of color pencil with prismacolor. Both sell by the pencil or the set. So you can just buy the smallest set and add on with colors you really need or want. Also prismacolor sells those sticks which are like the color pencil lead in a pastel form so you can do more painter applications.
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