Best Colored Pencils For Coloring Books

Best Colored Pencils For Coloring Books UK


Coloring books are not just playtime for kids anymore…

Nowadays, many adults are finding coloring books to be a therapeutic pastime or hobby.

To color books, the first thing you need is colored pencils. As there are a lot of options nowadays for adult colored pencils, it can be confusing to choose the best colored pencils for coloring books, especially for the new beginners.

Colored pencils for an adult come in a wide range as they are very popular among beginners as well as professionals and as such, they differ in both price range and quality.

The best colored pencils for coloring books are lightfast, long-lasting, easy to blend and have vibrant colors and fine point.

With that said, amongst so many options and categories, finding the best colored pencils for coloring books can be pretty difficult.

Hence, here’s why I’m writing this detailed review on the best colored pencils for coloring books based on their features, pros and cons so that you can select the best colored pencils for you considering your needs and wants.

Let’s get started…


01) Sanford Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils

150 Count

Sanford Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils main image

Features:

  • Set of 150 colored pencils
  • Soft core
  • Wax pencils
  • Comply with ASTM 6901
  • Easy to use

Description:

Sanford Prismacolor Premier Pencils are high-quality artist quality colored pencils for a complete artistic experience with the 150 strong shades. These wax-based pencils have a soft, thick lead that is perfect for layering and shading.

Although these are premium professional grade colored pencils, they are equally great for beginners too.

Pros
  • Highly blending pencil
  • Even coverage
  • Wide range of colors
Cons
  • High wax bloom
  • Poor build quality

Review:

If you’re looking for a complete set of colored pencils that can give you a whole artistic experience while working with them, the Sanford Prismacolor Pencil set is the one for you.

I found them to be highly blendable pencils and perfect for laying out even coverage. Though there have been complaints about the building quality of the wooden exterior and they might create a waxy sheen over the surface of your work, they are still one of the best colored pencils for adult coloring books.


02) Cool Bank 72 Colored Pencils Zip-Up Set, Artist Pencils Set for Coloring Books

Smooth Color Cores and Coloring Pencils in a Strong Travel Case, Perfect for Adults, Artists & Students

Cool Bank 72 Colored Pencils main image

Features:

  • Set of 72 colored pencils
  • Comes in a strong travel bag
  • Non-toxic formula
  • Creamy consistency
  • Suitable for all age group

Description:

Cool Bank 72 Colored Pencils Zip-Up Set is a travel-friendly, greatly organized set of pencils that are perfect for almost everyone; adults, artists and students alike. The non-toxic formula of the pencils creates a creamy texture which is great for coloring.

The strong travel bag doesn’t only make them easy to carry around, it also makes them super easy to organize and identify colors too.

Pros
  • Easy color identification
  • Vibrant colored pencils
  • Easily organizable
Cons
  • Needs frequent sharpening

Review:

Cool Bank 72 Colored Pencils Zip-Up Set is one the best colored pencils I have ever used and is so easy to carry around making them travel friendly, whilst being easy to organize too. This is also one of the very few colored pencils that are compatible with almost all users covering, artists, students and adults.

If you are someone who travels quite often and carries around their must have colored pencils, Cool Bank Zip-Up Set is the one for you! However, the fact that they need frequent sharpening bothered me a little. So, perhaps take this into consideration before investing in them if it’s the sort of thing that will bother you.


03) Derwent Lightfast Coloured Pencil Set of 36

Additional Colours, Supplied in a 72 Tin

Derwent Lightfast Coloured Pencil main image

Features:

  • Set of 36 professional colored pencils
  • Oil-based colored pencils
  • 100% lightfast
  • Comply with ASTM D-6901 and blue wool scale ISO 105
  • Smudge-proof strong point

Description:

Derwent Lightfast Coloured Pencils are artist-grade pencils that are 100% lightfast, durable and highly blendable pencils. These professional-grade pencils are very pigmented and blend beautifully.

The oil-based colored pencils core allows them to be used with oil mediums too. They have very strong, fine points that are perfect for smudge-proof detailing.

Pros
  • Extraordinarily pigmented
  • Remarkably durable
  • Well-blend colored pencils
  • Can be used with an oil medium
Cons
  • Limited shades of colors
  • Premium price range

Review:

The Derwent Lightfast Coloured Pencil Set of 36 is without a doubt one of the best colored pencils I have used. I found these artist grade pencils perfect for adult coloring books.

Although this set has a limited choice of colors, the quality of the color pencils is top-notch, so you can be safe in the knowledge that you’re investing in something extraordinarily premium when purchasing these pencils.


04) SCHPIRERR FARBEN – Colored Pencil for Adults and Children

Color Pencil Set, Oil-Based, Soft Core Art Pencils for Coloring, Sketching and Doodling, 96 Colors

SCHPIRERR FARBEN main image

Features:

  • Set of 96 assorted colors
  • Oil-based pencils
  • Soft core
  • Bold point type
  • Non-toxic formula

Description:

SCHPIRERR FARBEN Colored Pencils have a soft, creamy texture as they are oil-based pencils and although the point is soft, it’s quite firm and bold.

The non-toxic formula makes these coloring pencils great for children as well as adults. The high-quality coloring pencils are also numbered and identified for the artist’s convenience.

Pros
  • Strong and smooth lead
  • Sharpens well without breaking
  • Affordable
Cons
  • The odor is a little unpleasant
  • Quality of wood is not satisfactory

Review:

I found SCHPIRERR FARBEN Colored Pencils to be one of the best colored pencils because of their accordance between quality and price.

Some might find the odor of the pencils to be a little disturbing; be aware of that before buying. Also, the quality of the wood might not be satisfactory enough. But considering the price range, I found them to be more than just ‘pretty good’.


05) Castle Art Supplies Gold Standard 120 Colouring Pencils Set with Extras

Quality Oil-based Coloured Cores Stay Sharper, Tougher Against Breakage | For Adult Artists, Colourists | In Zipper Case

Castle Art Supplies Gold Standard set photo

Features:

  • Set of 120 pencils in a zipper bag
  • Oil-based
  • Velvety texture
  • Fine point
  • Resistance to breakage

Description:

Castle Art Supplies Gold Standard Colouring Pencils have oil-based colored pencil cores for which the texture of the pencils are very velvety. In spite of the softness of the core, it’s very strong and resistant to breakage.

These oil pencils ensure a great experience when used in coloring book work. They are specially made to be in keeping with the mature artists in mind.

Pros
  • Long-lasting
  • Luminance pencils
  • Good quality wood
Cons
  • Not so good on dark backgrounds
  • Sharpening is not pleasant
  • Too much softness creates difficulty working with sharp edges

Review:

Castle Art Supplies Gold Standard Colouring Pencils give a wholesome experience of coloring book for the adult artists whilst beginners may not find them quite as easy to use.

I personally found them to be a good quality colored pencil that are great to invest in. However, these coloring pencils are not so good on darker backgrounds and sharpening can give you a hard time. So, keep these in mind before purchasing.


General Information About Colored Pencils For Coloring Books

What is a colored pencil?

A colored pencil is a pencil that contains different shades of colors to draw with it. Colored pencils are the simplest forms of colors that are easy to use. Starting from kids to seasoned artists, almost everyone has used coloring pencils at some point in their lives.

Just like pencils, coloring pencils also have a barrel shape, cylindrical wooden case. Sometimes, the shape of the wooden case is hexagonal, sometimes round. Unlike the charcoal or graphite pencils, the core of the coloring pencils are mostly wax or oil-based in many different shades and colors.

Different colored pencils

There are many different coloring pencils available in the market and all differ in their lead material. The major types of colored pencil are wax-based, oil-based and water-soluble (watercolor pencils). All of these types have their own usability, pros and cons.

How to use colored pencil for coloring book

Using coloring pencils to color books is something that more or less everyone has done in their childhood. But it’s not only for the kids. Nowadays, adult coloring books are very popular as a hobby that helps people to relax greatly.

Colored pencils are the first thing that come to mind whenever we think of a coloring book as it is the primary tool to color books with. Coloring pencils are most feasible for adult coloring books because of their sharp point, excellent layering, blending capacity and wide range of strong colors.

Color range of colored pencils

To color books, you need to have a wide range of color options available to let your creativity bloom. Especially for adult coloring book beginners, it’s very important to work with as many different shades as possible to help them explore and learn. So, make sure to buy a set of colored pencils that are rich in different vibrant colors.


Conclusion / Roundup

To conclude my discussion about the best colored pencils for adult coloring books, I would say that there are many sets and directions available for finding the best coloring pencil; so many that at times it can get puzzling. Hence, follow the path you feel comfortable with that matches your vision and preferences.

After you’ve spent a few hours working with your selected choice of coloring pencils for adult coloring, you’ll find the best pencil for you although it always makes sense to take help from the professionals along the way.

Use your own instinct and preferences but listen to the expert’s experiences and learn from them too.

I’ve tried to portray some general ideas about coloring pencils and to share my experience of using some of the coloring pencils that I found to be the best ones…

…hope my article to help you discover the best colored pencils for adult coloring books comes in handy 😉


FAQs

Are pens or pencils better for coloring book?

Pens or pencils? It totally depends on the colorist’s preference whether a pen is better to color books or a pencil.

It’s true that the first thing that comes to mind when hearing the words, ‘coloring book’ is coloring pencils as they are the primary tool that is heavily used by most people to color books starting from beginners to professionals.

On the other hand, there are many good quality pens that are specially made for coloring books and these work great too.

What are the best colouring pencils for colouring books?

Apart from the 5 colored pencil brands I have discussed above as the best ones, some of the other best colouring pencils for colouring books are Ergosoft colored pencils, Derwent inktense pencils, Prismacolor Pencils, Caran d’ache luminance pencils, Arteza professional colored pencils, Derwent coloursoft colored pencils, Castle art colored pencils, Raffine colored pencils, Black Widow’s colored pencils and the Crayola colored pencil.

What kind of pencils do you use for adult coloring books?

For adult coloring books, the main two types of coloring pencils that are mostly used are oil based and wax based colored pencils as they have the perfect texture and consistency that is needed to color such books.

What colored pencils do artists use?

Professional grade coloring pencils are very high quality pencils that are needless to say, often pricier. There are many top notch coloring pencil brands that make professional quality coloring pencils for expert artists. Some of these coloring pencil brands are Caran d’Ache, Derwent, Faber-Castell, Holbein, Lyra, Prismacolor, and Tombow.


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Written By Adam Rushton

Adam has made a name for himself in the illustration industry and is a passionate blogger and writer on the subject of art, illustration and graphic design.

His artwork has been featured in countless publications and used for very well-known media projects. As a professional illustrator for over 20 years, Adams media outlets, a wealth of knowledge, and experience enable him to consult and advise artists and illustrators in this country (from York and Manchester to Southampton and London) and all over the world.