My Top 5 Budget Colored Pencils | The Best Top 5 Budget Colored Pencils
My Top 5 Budget Colored Pencils
Over the years of running The Art Gear Guide, uploading reviews and loving art in general, I am often asked by viewers and subscribers to tell them what my own personal top 5 artist quality colored pencils are, or my top 5 budget colored pencils are, etc.
I always declined the option to do this because, my favourite art supplies are my favourite because of the pressure I apply to the pencils, or the paper I use, the genre of art I use them for etc. Therefore my top art products may not work for you for exactly the reasons I have just highlighted.
Nevertheless, so long as you understand that the pencils in this list are my top 5 budget colored pencils and I will tell you why each pencil is in the list, you also need to understand that the term budget is a term I despise, budget for me may not be budget to the next man or women. The pencils in this list are there because I feel they are worth the money comparatively speaking to other pencils in the market.
I have made sure that the pencils in this list work beautifully across different papers, Bristol Smooth, Bristol Velum and Mixed Media paper, I have also made sure that they work along side other art mediums such as on top of watercolors or alcohol markers. I have also made sure that all 5 of the pencils in the list perform in adult colouring books and other crafting projects, although they are in what may be considered a budget list, I made sure that they are pencils artists can use and create beautiful art with.
None of the pencils in this list are lightfast tested, they are not pencils that you can use and sell your original art as a lightfast piece of work, however there is nothing stopping you from using the pencils and selling archival prints of your work. All of the pencils in this list are heavily pigmented and a joy to use, each and every pencil will allow you as an artist to create beautiful work.
Number 5 Brutfuner Square 120 Set
Starting from number 5 and working our way to number 1, I have placed the Brutfuner Square 120 set at number 5, I torn between the Brutfuner Square 120 set and the Moma Muji Colored Pencils from Japan, but their price knocked them out of the list.
The Brutfuner Square 120 set is number 5 due to the sharpening issues I had when I first started to sharpen them, once you first sharpen a pencil it is plain sailing from then, but for some reason that first initial sharpen is a pain, I used my M&R sharpener, as well as my Caran d’Ache hand crank sharpener, but they all encounter the same issues at the beginning which is very troubling for artists with medical problems in their hands or wrists.
The Brutfuner Square 120 set offers a beautiful palette across the board, the lay down and blend ability of the Brutfuner Square are equally exceptional for such a well priced set of 120 pencils. As mentioned I have a much more detailed review of the Brutfuner Square 120 Colored Pencils which you can check out.
For this set of 120 Brutfuner Colored Pencils in the UK you will pay approximately £27.99, for artists in the US you will pay $29.99 and for artists in Europe you will pay approximately €22. I think this is a fantastic price for 120 colored pencils with such versatility. I know £30 is a lot of Money, but in respect of what you get, I think it is an excellent deal.
Number 4 Giotto Di Natura Colored Pencils
I have to be honest with you, for me personally I absolutely love these colored pencils and if it was not for one simple thing, this set would be number 2 or 1. The Giotto Di Natura Colored Pencils are under the Lyra / Fila brand, which if you have ever used any of the Lyra art supplies, you will know you are in good hands.
Unfortunately, the Giotto Di Natura Colored Pencils only come in a set of 36, or should I say the largest set they sell of this brand is 36 and it is this reason they are my number 4 best budget colored pencils.
The Giotto Di Natura are a gorgeously creamy core pencil, heavily pigmented, very little effort is required to blend and layer using the Giotto Di Natura. I first seen them watching another YouTube artist drawing the most amazing fan art, I had to ask him the pencil he was using as I had never seen them before, however, as soon as I found out what they were, I purchased the largest set to review.
I used them on a mixed media piece using alcohol markers and again they worked beautifully, I tested them on Velum, Mixed Media and Smooth paper, also their creamy consistency lays down on black paper really well. Their all wood barrel makes pigment selection a little bit slower than pencils with pigment identifiers on them, never the less the pigment name is printed along the side of the barrel and the pencil itself feels really good in the hand, well weighted.
The Giotto Di Natura largest set is 36, but they can also be purchased in sets of 6, 12 and 24, individual pigments can also be purchased but only in boxes of 12. for the 36 set here in the UK you will pay £21, in the Europe you will pay approximately €18 and $16 in the US. As I mentioned the size of the set is the only reason the Giotto Di Natura are number 4, I would absolutely love to see Lyra or Fila increase the set size for these absolutely gorgeous pencils. If you would like a more detailed review of the Giotto di Natura you can check out my written and YouTube review.
Number 3 The Black Widow Colored Pencil Range
From day one of reviewing the Black Widow Colored Pencils, they have pretty much been a hit for so many colored pencil artists, colourists and crafters, not only for their unique appearance, but their cores thick buttery consistency, the quirky pigment names and the palette in total.
I have included the entire collection in this list as opposed to to just one set, the reason for this is due to the fact that all the sets combined make an entire collection, from the 24 Black Widow originals, 24 tin or Scorpion, 24 tin of Cobra, the 48 tin of Monarch, the 36 set of Dragon Colored Pencils and finally the two tins of 12 Skin Colored Pencils, light and dark.
I understand that adding the Black Widow to this list in their entirety gives them a bit of an advantage over the other pencils given that the collection totals 180 colored pencils. However, the pencils themselves are just gorgeous, they do have unique colors scattered throughout the sets and their cost in individual sets or as a complete collection is again, comparatively speaking excellent.
The Black Widow pencils sport a deep black wood barrel, with some of the sets showcasing a pigment identifier and others just exposing their luscious cores like Christmas Tree lights against the black wood of the barrels. As with all the pencils in this list, the Black Widow play with other mediums very well indeed and the same has to be said regarding their performance on various papers, from Bristol Velum, Bristol Smooth and Mixed Media.
If you would like to know more about any of the Black Widow Sets in more detail you can by following the relevant links. The 24 Set of Black Widow, 24 Set of Scorpion, 24 Set of Cobra, the 36 set of Dragon Colored Pencils, the 48 set of the Monarch and finally the 12 Dark Skin Tone and 12 Light Skin Tone set. The sets range from £18 for the 24 sets and £25 for the 36 and 48 sets, again more detailed prices can be found in the individual reviews.
Number 2 Bruynzeel Expression Colored Pencils
I have reviewed quite a few of Bruynzeels pencil range, be they water soluble, colored pencils, pastel pencils, Graphite etc and I have yet tested or reviewed a set that I didn’t like or think were with the money being asked for them. However, regardless of the grade, the Bruynzeel Expression are without doubt among my favourite.
The Bruynzeel Expression largest set is 72, which for me puts the range in a good position, I think at the very least, a 60 set has to be offered as the largest set for colored pencil artists. I know colored pencil artist can achieve amazing results with a good set of 24 colored pencils, however this list is aimed at beginners to art, those trying colored pencils for the first time etc.
I was really happy with the artwork I completed using the Bruynzeel Expression, dismissing the lightfast issue, I think anyone would find it difficult to differentiate between the same artwork being done using artist graded colored pencils and the Expression. The Bruynzeel Expression layer beautifully and if you check out my full review of the pencils you will see just how well they layer and blend.
The same has to be said for their performance on Bristol Smooth, Bristol Velum and Mixed Media paper, they are a match made in heaven with adult colouring books, I tested them on a couple of colouring books and whilst I know the paper varies between different grades of colouring books, the books I tested them in worked amazingly.
This beautiful set of colored pencils come in sets of 12, 24, 36 and of course the largest set of 72. Here in the UK the 72 set will cost you approximately £40 and for the quality of pencil and the full 72 palette, this price is well worth it. Unfortunately given the current climate, this price has increased, when I purchased the 72 set last year to review, I paid £28 for the 72 set.
I can’t recommend the Bruynzeel Expression enough, it is an exceptionally reliable pencil, sharpens perfectly no matter what sharpener is being used, the pencil feels good in the hand, it is well weighted, blends and layers very well and is a mixed bag of opaque and translucent pigments on dark paper as you will see from the review.
Number 1 Faber Castell Classic Red 60 Set
Finally we have reached number 1, my favourite budget colored pencil, I am sure we have all heard of Faber Castell, but just incase you haven’t, Faber Castell make one of the finest colored pencils in the world to be used by colored pencil artists. The Faber Castell Polychromos are the work horse pencil for so many artists, but they of course don’t just produce the Polychromos, they provide I wide range of supplies and the Classic Red is one of those supplies.
The cost of the Faber Castell Classic Red is a huge reason they have reached my number 1 in the budget range, I think that the Faber Castell are a wonderful pencil, a fantastic range of 60 colors for any new artists to use or those new to the colored pencil medium in general.
At first glance, you might look at this set and think that we are talking about a Childs art supply and to be honest, I wish with all my heart that young artists are handed a set of pencils like this for their first encounter with this wonderful medium we all love so much.
The Faber Castell Classic Colored Pencil does feel light and very inexpensive when you hold it in your hand and also when you very first remove the pencils from the packet or tin, the grade of wood used for the barrel does look cheap. However, once sharpened the pencil looks like any other, but the magic happens once that pigment packed core hits the paper.
Inside these very unassuming Faber Castell Classic Colored Pencils, is a versatile, pigment ladened core, which when used on a Bristol Velum or Mixed Media paper, the Faber Castell Classic Red layers beautiful and blends just like a high quality artist grade pencil would. The Faber Castell Classic Red is not quite as creamy as some of the other pencils in this list, but its layering and blending is superior.
I did complete some artwork using the Faber Castell Classic, however the artwork I completed doesn’t really do the pencils the justice they deserve, nevertheless, you can see the rich pigment within the core of the Faber Castell Classic.
Here in the UK, to purchase the 60 set of these amazing colored pencils you will pay approximately £14, to purchase the 60 set of Faber Castell Classic in Europe you will pay €17 and for artists in the US, they cost a little bit more $26. Considering the type of pencil and excellent price for the pencils, this is why I have put the Faber Castell Classic Red at number 1.
Top 5 Budget Colored Pencil Conclusion
As I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, this list is my own personal top 5 budget colored pencils, I think the best way of describing the pencils in this list is as follows. The colored pencils in this list would be excellent for brand new artists to pick up and use without losing faith in the medium completely because they are dead of pigment and need more work than 1 year hard Labour.
Artists wishing to try their hand at a new medium and reaching out to the colored pencil medium would also find a lot of pleasure with any one of the sets in this list. Adult colouring book artists would get so much for the sets in the list, as would mixed media artists, artists such as myself who draw for my own pleasure.
I actually enjoyed compiling this list, it did force me to stray from my otherwise, factual and as scientific as I can possibly muster for my reviews, this list was much more my own personal taste, in line with my own style of art but at the same time, making sure that the pencils in the list were as versatile as possible.
As always thank you all so very much for your continued and very much appreciated support, without you guys my channel and this website would be nothing at all. Your participation, ideas, comments, questions and suggestions are all the very back bone of The Art Gear Guide. I plan of formulating a community spirit on the website and YouTube, a place where artists of all levels can gather virtually, ask questions without ridicule, showcase artwork without unhelpful comments, I would love for artists to gather here and feel safe to ask whatever they like, showcase their art and enjoy the experience.
