Prismacolor Scholar Colored Pencils, Perfect for Aspiring Artists, Adult Coloring, 60 Count

I didn’t really like using color pencils until I discovered burnishing, and then I fell in love with using them. I have a small set of the regular Prismacolor pencils but couldn’t afford a set with more colors. Regular Prismacolors are softer & easier to use but they do wear down quickly. This set of Scholars are the perfect solution with lots of colors, being more affordable and they last longer due to the pencils being harder with more wax. The two white pencils that are included are perfect for burnishing.What is burnishing? It is smoothing & filling in the look of color pencils by going over a color in white or a colorless blender pencil. It will look flatter, more like a marker but not quite that smooth. You can then use the color on top again if the color lightened from using white. For example, lay down some blue, burnish with the white pencil and if the blue now looks a tiny bit lighter lay down some more blue, and burnish again with white if desired. I keep repeating the process until I get the look I desire, usually 4 layers of a color & white total.Tip to not break the pencil tips: use a manual sharpener with a large hole to sharpen them. I discovered by accident that the tips don’t break using the larger hole rather than the smaller one on my manual sharpener. This is a game changer!As I’m currently wearing down a few of the Scholar pencils I’ll replace them with the open stock regular Prismacolor pencils and use them in conjunction with the Scholars to make them last longer. Eventually, I may buy another set of Scholars as I love them and find I can get pretty much the same look to the regular Prismacolors with a little more effort.

Let's go ahead and get the question I'm sure you're asking yourself out of the way. Are these really worth the extra cost?I would say, yes...ABSOLUTELY. Especially if you're taking an art class.I know it's tempting to skimp out of you're just taking an art elective for the credits, but do NOT do it. My professor specifically forbade us from using Crayola or any other cheap pencils. He said to get Prismacolor or Faber Castell and at first I had no idea why. I just sucked it up, used a 50% off coupon at Michael's and got a small tin of pencils.Fast forward a few years and I finally use up the last of my pencils and try to save some money with super cheap pencils from the dollar store. It only took one attempt at coloring to see the light (and it was just that...an attempt because the color payoff was atrocious no matter how hard I pressed). I got some Crayolas the next time there was a sale and they were decidedly better, but still not nearly as good as Prismacolor since they are so much harder.So yes, these are pricey but the color payoff is amazing and the leads are so soft and smooth they actually save you effort. These are an EXCELLENT choice if you're just getting into colored pencils and want to know if it's really worth it to you to go for professional materials.Oh, and hear you should avoid the version that has a toucan on the front. Everyone I know says that they are NOT as good as these.

Good quality but a few came broken. Color smooth and work great.

So this package made me throw out any crappy pencils I owned. Thickness of these are like the Crayola brand. Perfect quality standard. Does not smear. Designed flawless.

This is my first time using prismacolor colored pencils, and I LOVE them! I'm not artist, but I have recently started coloring to release stress. I came on here to buy some coloring books, and found out about these types of colored pencils, so I had to try them out. I'm glad I did!! These colored pencils are awesome, and they are way better than any other brands. I chose the scholar ones because the premier ones seemed more for art classes, and my purpose is just mindless coloring. Plus, these were more in my price range for the amount you get. The price was very reasonable, and I loved the fact that they were all different colors, and not just 2 of the same. That's apart from the black and white, but those are acceptable. The only bad thing I have to say (and the reason I only gave 4 stars) is I was missing a colored pencil, so that kind of bummed me out. I would give it a 4.7 if I could have haha. I kept them because I didn't feel like shipping them back, and I was eager to start using them. I would definitely buy from here again though! For the amount of pencils you get, and the diverse colors, this price is very reasonable. I like having multiple shades of colors, and this definitely fits my needs. If they ever made a bigger set, I would be all over it. These are definitely better than Crayola or any other brand that I've used in the past. The tips don't break as easily as the other brands do, and the pencils glide across the paper fluidly! If you purchase these, I would also buy the scholar pencil sharpener. For a manual operated pencil sharpener, it does a fantastic job! Your not constantly sharpening, because the blade is made specifically for these colored pencils. I love mine, and would totally recommend them!!

As described, smooth coloring with excellent assortment of colors