Faber-CastellArt & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencil, Multicoloured, Tin Of 120, For Art, Craft, Drawing, Sketching, Home, School, University, Colouring

Like many other artists in our interesting times I've reacted to the twin constraints of more time and less space by focusing on different media. I already owned lots of coloured pencils but didn't own a full set of any of them and didn't use them much . I soon realised that they had many advantages - clean to use, easy to set up and pack up and safe for others around me - so decided to buy a full set.This gave me the excuse to get out and play with all I owned before I lashed out on a set, in a spirit of research.At the risk of being even more boring than usual others may be interested in why I finally plumped for the Polychromos. First off I wanted a quality brand that sold single pencils to keep up my set. I also wanted a high degree of colour fastness, good build quality and reasonable value for money. (I love many of my Derwents but the light fastness is poor on some, Luminance are good but I feel are over-priced and the Prismacolor seem to have quality issues since they shifted production to Mexico.) Polychromos ticked all these boxes and were easy to erase, layered brilliantly and were far less prone to developing a waxy bloom than the other brands I owned.I am delighted with my set. The build quality is good, they sharpen very well with a manual sharpener,the whole pencil being painted in the correct shade makes selection easy, the pencil names are meaningful - mostly by pigment name - and there is a a marvellous range of colours. The only downside is that the white is not very opaque. However the same is true for every brand I own except for the Luminance, so I recommend buying single pencils of these.The Polychromos work really well on Clairfontaine Paint On paper which allows you to erase cleanly and rework without damage. I am having tremendous fun with them. I am exploring lifting off layers with Blu-tack and Magic tape ( which work well when things go wrong) and am upping my game by watching online tutorials. I haven't used solvents as these don't seem necessary with these and don't go down well in communal space..If you are considering buying a big set of quality coloured pencils these are lovely colours, well made, great value for money and I recommend them.

These are great quality coloured pencils. They are nice and soft, and blend well. There is a good variety of colours and show up well on both dark and light paper. They give a professional finish.They are a high price point product, however you are getting a high quality product. For me, definitely worth the price asked. Would recommend.

The media could not be loaded. I know it is a matter of taste. Some people prefer softer pencils, other harder; some like waxier ones, and others drier. If you are not sure what is right for you, don't buy this set - at least not yet. The best thing to do is to purchase single pencils of different major quality brands before jumping in and buying a whole tin. But do go with a quality brand as they will be consistently the same quality through the entire range of colours, through the entire pencil, and from one purchase to the next.A few years after I started painting and drawing, I got a job working in an art supplies shop, and during my ten years there, I got to try out quite a few different kinds, especially everything from Derwent, but most of the ones we stocked weren't quite right - at least not for me. My favourites were the natural and mostly muted colours of Derwent Drawing.When I had some projects on track requiring extensive colour pencil work in brighter colours - and always being one to love having a big set of things - I went with Faber Castell that I had tried briefly in a shop in London a few years earlier. I immediately liked the consistency of them, which I guess I'd describe as neither too soft nor too hard, but just right.They are not as waxy-feeling as Derwent Drawing, but softer and waxier in consistency than Derwent Artists that I found a little bit hard and sometimes slightly brittle and more prone to breaking during sharpening.The colours are lovely and strong, I find it easy to make the line both faint and strong as needed, they sharpen well and keep their point long enough for detailed work, and - quite importantly - they work really well on my favourite drawing paper (Canson 1557).I'd not recommend them unreservedly to anyone; I think it is important to try out different kinds as artists like different qualities as well as using different papers. One that might be perfectly suited to a smooth paper might not work as well on a paper with a bit more texture. Additionally, some people use a very light touch when drawing, others use more force. If everyone liked the same, there would only be one high-quality brand of colour pencil in the world. Luckily there are several to choose from.If, after careful testing, you find that Faber Castell's Polychromos have the right characteristics for you they are certainly colour pencils of a consistently high quality that will give you a lot of creative pleasure, and I can recommend buying the big set.