Top Model 006710 Pencils, Pack of 24, Multi-Colour

Product Information

However, you don’t want to go overboard if it’s your first set – start with 24 or fewer and work your way up. Quality: When it comes to quality, you’re generally looking for pencils with higher proportions of pigment, which should result in richer colours coming off the pencil. That means, once you’ve shaded something, rubbing water over it using a paint brush will produce a watercolour painting-like aesthetic. Of the three most revered pencil brands – the others being Caran d’Ache and Derwent – Faber-Castell has the widest range.

TOP Model | Smyths Toys UK

There are the brands that artists know and trust, such as Faber-Castell and Caran d’Ache, who produce professional-grade pencils. Over 60 years ago staff at 3M, whilst trying to develop super strong adhesive, found that their rejected adhesives were ideal for sticking memos to colleagues screens or marking interesting texts in their books. Trusted brands are always a good choice in this regard, but don’t be put off if you haven’t heard of a manufacturer before – it might just be better value. It then became the generic term for a bookseller or publisher and now refers to pens, pencils and other office stationery.

This set would make an incredible gift for any budding artist that will be cherished for a long time to come. Lightfastness is pretty solid too, with only a dozen of the 72 pencils not being recommended for professional work. Harder pencils tend to have more pigment in them and less wax, hence they are better for drawing detail and outlining, rather than covering large areas. The Van Gogh Royal Talens colouring pencil sets – as the name suggests – offer quality that the artist would be proud of. Type: To start with, you’ll want to decide whether you want oil-core, wax-core or watercolour pencils.

Top Model - The Pencil Case Top Model - The Pencil Case

This is only a pack of 20, but if you want professional pencils that are beautiful and bright then these are your best best – plus you can always expand your collection as and when you can, or mix and match with other brands. An oil-based set, these pencils are quite hard with a sharp lead point – in fact, it’s incredibly resistant to going blunt, which is perfect for drawing all that fine detail, from wispy hairs to intricate leaves. Because of this, it’s easy to get a lot of the high-pigment lead down on the page without applying much pressure (press too hard and you’ll blitz through your new set in no time). As the name implies, these pencils imitate the look of watercolour paint since the coloured pigment is held by a water-soluble binding agent rather than wax or oil. Then there are the less well-known manufacturers that might offer better value, especially if you are just starting out.

But that’s not to say we can’t nudge you in the right direction with our guide to the leading brands for artists. These are crude categorisations though – in reality, no pencil is purely wax or oil and both are often present in the same pencils, alongside other ingredients.

Best colouring pencils 2023: Draw like a professional artist

On the other hand, softer pencils will provide a more opaque stroke that smudges faster, making it useful for blending colours and shading. From everyday workhorses that can be used again and again, to beautifully crafted models that might be saved for special works, coloured pencils vary enormously in quality. Oil pencils generally provide a finer point suitable for drawing fine detail such as hair, while wax has a duller tip that is better for shading (more on watercolour in a minute). They aren’t quite as soft as those more expensive brands, which should have the benefit of making them more durable, while still providing a creamy touch on paper. Coloured pencils have their own standard for lightfastness and pencils that reach those heights are labelled with ASTM D6901.Generally, the greater the range of colours in a set, and the greater the pigmentation of those coloured pencils, the more the set will cost. Not all manufacturers use this standard, with some making their own scales of lightfastness – for instance, Prismacolour use I – Excellent, II – Very Good, III – Good, IV – Fair, V – Poor. Hardness: An interrelated concern to both quality and type, this refers to the relative hardness of pencil lead.

Top Model – Stationery Archives - The Pencil Case Top Model – Stationery Archives - The Pencil Case

For those with a preference for drawing on darker paper, the Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 set is just about perfect.We recommend keeping the tip fairly short to avoid breakages mid-draw, but the velvety softness delivers that high-quality look that artists crave. Obviously paper wouldn’t be your first choice of writing surface, but it may last long enough to prove the point. The 3mm lead is a little smaller than others on this list, but it is tightly packed and not as prone to breakage as other wax pencils – in fact, they act more like oil pencils due to their hardness. This is especially important if you’re a professional artist, although any artist wouldn’t want their drawings to fade quickly.