Whether you are making your unique drawings or expressing your creativity in coloring books, colored pencils are an amazingly popular art medium. We all know coloring books are an easy way to practice and improve one’s art skills while also providing a relaxing and enjoyable activity. And many people agree that colored pencils are the perfect way to add color and texture to these pages, allowing users to express their creativity in unique ways.
With their ease of use and accessibility, colored pencils are often the go-to choice for creating beautiful artwork. But which colored pencil brand should you use? Welp, today I am going to focus on the ever-popular Prismacolor pencil. I frequently use Prismacolor pencils in my art studio and today I’m going to lay out 4 major reasons why!
OK so right away you might be asking: what ARE Prismacolor pencils?
Excellent question! Here’s the answer: Prismacolor pencils are soft core colored pencils made of graphite, clay and binder (no lead!). They use a high pigment content in this core – to try to make their pencils more vibrant than other pencils. And they’ve been working on this colored pencil recipe and creating colored pencils since 1938!
If you scrolled through any of my coloring videos for even a few minutes, you’ll notice that I use Prismacolor pencils fairly frequently. So this is where you may be wondering why. Why the heck did I make Prismacolor pencils my good ol’ fallback art medium?
Personal plug in 3…2…1…
And I use them a LOT! From creating custom portraits to using them on coloring books and pages – Prismacolor pencils are a constant supporting actor in my art studio.
I’m going to get to the 4 reasons why I use Prismacolor pencils in a moment, but a quick reminder you can find links to my favorite drawing and coloring supplies at the bottom of this post. That includes links to Prismacolor Pencils. ALSO, if you like this post be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter so you can see more posts, join me in the art studio with videos while I work and enjoy FREEBIES!!
Getting back on track: here are 4 reasons why I often use Prismacolor pencils:
Reason number one – High Pigment Concentration! In other words, they mix a lot of color into the pencil core with all that other binder stuff. Why does pigment concentration matter? Because I want my art to POP off the paper visually. That means the colors are more vibrant and intense. When I color an image I want it to get your attention – that means I need some powerful colors. This is especially true when I’m using coloring books. That’s when I can let loose with colors, play with different vibrant hues and not worry so much about being extremely realistic like I have to be when doing custom portraits. This image is an example when I needed seriously high pigment concentration to color a tetradic color scheme! (Click the image to watch me color it in!)
Reason number two – Easy blending and color laydown! Again, go scroll through my coloring videos for a few minutes and you’ll see that I love to blend and layer my colors. OK so what is layering? That’s when I put many super thin layers of color over each other on paper. The colors of each layer blend together. To do this technique well, I need the colored pencils to blend together smoothly. When colored pencils blend easily it also makes it WAY easier to create soft shading transitions from dark to light.
(In this image I had to use LOTS of blending and layers to get a rich, dark skin tone. Click to image to watch me color it!)
This easy blending characteristic seems to help Prismacolor pencils play well with other mediums as well. I’ve successfully colored them over pastels, markers and ink.
So what about you? Do you layer your color pencils or do just one thick layer of color and move on? Leave me a comment and let me know! I genuinely want to know who else layers their pencil colors. ALSO if you want to learn more about layering color pencils, here’s a tutorial on How To Layer Colored Pencils.
Let’s pause and address the occasional crack in the pencil:
I will say, that soft core that allows for easy blending can also crack – especially if you drop your pencils. But there’s a way to fix it! The sun! Just put your pencil on a warm sunny windowsill for a few hours. The heat from the sun will melt the soft core a little bit. This can help smooth away any cracks.
Reason number three – Multiple options! What options matter to me? Color. I need a large range of colors to choose from. Yes, I know I just said I layer colors and blend them on paper to create the hue I want. But I still want a variety of color options right from the get-go. Currently Prismacolor offers 150 colors. All these color choices mean I can go for accuracy! Want a specific warm, rich brown? Got it! Need a crisp, cool green? They got that too! Have you ever heard the saying “Variety is the spice of life?” Well variety is a necessity for my colored pencils.
(In this image, I had to use a VARIETY of colored pencils – over pastels – to get this colorful picture! Click on the image to watch.)
Reason number four – affordable price point! OK, these are not the cheapest pencils you can find. HOWEVER, they also aren’t the most expensive. You can find a small pack of Prismacolor pencils at an affordable price. And because they are blendable, you can layer those colors together to get other colors. YES, I will totally agree there are super luxurious pencils out there – but they are way more expensive. And I’m a working mom on a tight art budget.
Alright, speaking of being a working mom – my kids are going to be home soon and I have to wrap this up. But before I go there is ONE SIDE NOTE: One bummer thing to look out for with these pencils is wax bloom. Wax bloom is a natural oxidation process of wax-based materials. Kind of like rust is an oxidation of iron. So wax bloom shows up as a cloudy white film over the color you just put down. IT DOESN’T ALWAYS HAPPEN. Wax bloom is super duper common in warmer climates and for artists who apply greater pressure when working with colored pencils. But if you do happen to get wax bloom, just wipe your drawing gently with a clean, dry cloth and spray it with fixative to seal out air. If you find your drawings are prone to wax bloom, you can use a workable fixative while you layer your colors and then finish with a final fixative.
Not sure what fixative to use? NO Problem! I have a whole other post reviewing my top favorite fixatives!
Let’s do a quick recap! Why do I use Prismacolor pencils for my art and in coloring books and pages? With their pigment-rich cores and smooth laydown, Prismacolor pencils provide an unparalleled coloring experience that can bring your coloring books to life. These blendable colored pencils offer a wide range of colors that make it easy to create beautiful works of art. They offer a wide variety of vivid colors. And they don’t hurt my wallet or my budget when I buy more.
Whether you are an experienced artist or just starting out, Prismacolor pencils are a fantastic choice for your artistic and coloring book projects.
OK, that’s it for today! Thank you for joining me in the studio. Remember to subscribe to my monthly newsletter so you don’t miss the next posts and videos!
About Me: Hi everyone I’m Lisa Marie from Artistry by Lisa Marie. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been a professional artist for over a decade. When I was 15 years old I apprenticed in an artist’s studio for several years then earned a Masters in Art History in Florence, Italy while studying the techniques of the Renaissance masters. Today I create custom portraits and coloring books and pages.
👉 MY FAVORITE COLORING SUPPLIES
Ohuhu Markers: https://amzn.to/3CQ0GP8
Prismacolor Pencils: https://amzn.to/3ygINHc
Pan Pastels: https://amzn.to/3llrzoe
Ohuhu 10″x7.6″ Mixed Media Art Sketchbook: https://amzn.to/3zNlHdh
Wood Mahl Stick: https://amzn.to/3wvRn5M
Neenah Vellum Bristol Cardstock Paper: https://amzn.to/3odJa3D
Flymax Paint Marker .7mm White: https://amzn.to/3oNnsDT
Tombow Mono Zero Eraser 2.3mm: https://amzn.to/39YmRtA
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink: https://amzn.to/3HBc5ba
Some of the links above are affiliated links, at no extra cost to you.