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Hello I'm addressing the multiple notes I've received for color pencil due to my "old eagle" post. Also sorry for lack of updates. I've been putting my focus on breaking a really bad habit of mine for the past 4 days. I've had this habit since 4 years old so I'm still adjusting to not doing it before I feel I'm mentally ready to draw again. I really want to break this habit since it does hamper my ability to draw more than I would've liked. ONTO THE COLOR PENCIL QUESTIONS!!! If there is enough interest I would be glad to give an overview of watercolor pencil/watercolor brand I've used as well.

I've used a lot of color pencils in the past because I "mained" graphite, watercolor, and color pencil.
I was fortunate in trying a lot of color pencil brands since I am surrounded by artistic friends in middle/high school.
I hope the following information can better help you in your decision on picking which color pencils best suite you. Again color pencils are really just preferences. I personally prefer pencils that are more like "graphite" feeling and depends more on shading rather than strong color output on first stroke. Personally I'm not a fan of soft pencils but I know an overwhelming amount of people LOVE soft pencils like Prismacolor. Kk let's get started shall we!

Prismacolor(original-used 36 colors): I am aware that in the past 3-4 years ago that there seems to be a cult following for these pencils due to their smoothness and softness. (not really aware of their popularity today) They handle very well for blending but are a bit problematic for layering. They are wax based pencils and DO leave a wax bloom. The wax bloom is a white cloudy film that occurs when the wax goes to the top layer of the color pencil pigments. This usually occurs over time on very heavily applied areas in both blending or layering. It can also occur if you're really intense on layering that pencil like a wrestler. XD
Anyway don't be a body builder with these pencils they'll just smile and break on you. By that I mean their leads are brittle. They're so happy in breaking that you'll probably loose more than half the pencil when sharpening. For that I don't think their lower price really make it a good deal. I personally don't have these pencils since I borrowed it from my teacher. (I was in AP studio in high school) Heheheh you can imagine the face he put on when I returned the pencils that were obviously chewed up by the sharpener since they won't stop breaking. 8D Good for strong colors and blending. They break so so so much -___-

Prismacolor(Verithin-used 12 colors): I have the 12 set for these pencils. I don't use them often but they feel similar to caran d'ache pencils pablo. (I'll talk about them later) Their thin lead helps with coloring the tooth of the paper and prevent as much sharpening. They still break pretty often for me but less than the original prismacolor so they're bearable. When I finish using them I'm going to switch to my derwent studio (covering it later as well). They are also the pencils you see at my old eagle piece. I really do like the mega needle like point they make since they do handle details really well. I do caution that since they are on the higher end of hardness scale they can easily dent and scratch the paper. Be a wrestler with these pencils and you can even dig holes in your paper!!!!! 8D I do notice that these don't layer as well on each other so they are more of a "last" layer pencil for me or when I want to cover up those pesky white spots in a colored area. They do not blend well but layer ok. I didn't notice wax bloom on these but it's probably because I never use them in thick layers. Good for details and coloring in filling in tooth of paper

Derwent (studio-used 12 colors):I really like these pencils since they feel really close to a hard graphite pencil. A lot of people don't like them since they're hard like the verithin but also a little scratchy. I think they clay based since the Derwent artist which uses the same core as the studio is clay based. The studio only differs in that they have a thinner lead. They are more of a shading and layering pencil for me. You can easily get beautiful and subtle gradation from these pencils since they respond excellently to pressure. Just remember don't press too hard on them or you end up having irreversible dents in your paper. :') They don't work too well with blending but their excellent layering properties bypass this issue. Again this pencil isn't for everyone since it is like the opposite of the popular prismacolor. They are hard and tricky to work with. If you can look pass the hardness and blending issue you can create beautiful and subtle shading with these that I find lacking in softer pencils. I hate both the black and white pencils in this series Great for shading and details

Derwent(artist-used 12 colors): same pros as derwent studio but with a fatter lead. The disadvantage with this is that it looses its point quickly due to being fatter. I prefer the studio over these pencils. These pencils do have the advantage of making very expressive marks due to their fatter lead. Great for shading and mark making

Derwent(coloursoft-used 24 colors): These are really soft pencils probably one grade softer than prismacolor. I'm not sure what binders they use but I do believe they are wax based since I do notice wax bloom though not as severe as prismacolor. For some reason when you layer too much or color heavily too fast they leave little bits of dense pigments on the paper making the colored area not uniform. The effect is sort of like crayon. For this reason I'm not a fan of using them on the "last" layer of my drawing. They are very useful for covering a large area quickly but I personally dislike them for details and on my last few layers of my drawing due to the little bits of uneven pigment it leaves behind. They blend well but again they leave little color clump dots. Surprisingly these don't break for me even though they're softer than prismacolor. They are also very good for adding that last strong color highlight or detail since they sharpen really well and are opaque. The white from this series is my favorite. The Derwent Drawing also has an even more opaque white than this series if you're looking for the most opaque white pencil I've used Good for strong colors if you don't mind the pigment dots. If these don't have the pigment clumping issues I would've think they're the best pencil in the world.

Caran d'ache (pablo-used 36 colors): Hahahaahaahahhahaahahaha I own these pencils and now I'm a hobo. Jk I got them for a really good deal(less than 1 dollar per pencil) but they are so freaking expensive now that I look at websites recently. I'm not going to restock on them since they cost too much and I'm not rich. I will say you get what you pay for. These pencils are like swiss watches. They handle very, very similarly to prismacolors. Probably a touch bit harder but they blend so so well... probably even better than prismacolor. I can literally make a very uniform green with these pencils from yellow and blue colors. They also layer pretty great but I still prefer dewent's feel for layering when compared to these. I think these pencils are one of the best in blending and are great if you are getting a limited number of pencils. These are oil based so they do not get wax bloom either. I do notice that these pencils don't have air pockets in them that I notice in other brands. They also last a lot longer compared to other pencils. So overall they might not be "expensive" since they do last longer(2-3x) than the other brands for me. They're great pencils I'm just not use to the prismacolor feel of these pencils. I like my pencils a tiny bit scratchy similar to graphite.

Caran d'ache (luminance-I have the 38colors set I think): I got these as a gift so I haven't use them as much to really have my thoughts on them. I'm aware these pencils are the most expensive compared to all the other color pencils offered but this is because they use lightfast pigments in their entire range which really racks up the price. A lot of color pencils have issues with lightfastedness. Personally I think if you're just doing it as a hobby it's not much of an issue but if you are planning to set those art you make close to windows where they have sunlight then I highly suggest picking pencil colors that have the highest lightfastedness ratings as possible or your drawings will fade over time. My first impression of them was that they are soft probably the same softness as prismacolor. They layer and blend well and I honestly can't see anything wrong with them. These are wax based pencils but do not develop wax bloom. Sorry for not much help on these pencils, I haven't done full arts with them yet. :')

Faber castell(polychromos-36 colors): These are my favorite workhorse pencils. They make up the main base for my pencil drawings. However I've seen that the prices have hiked over these years so again I use the derwent coloursoft and studio to supplement these. They are oil based like pablo but they feel like inbetween derwent studio and caran d'ache for me. Maybe that's why I really like these pencils since they're sort of close to coloring with graphite like the derwent studio. These layer excellently like the derwent studio and blend pretty well though not as good as the caran d'ache. I think of them as a harder Caran d'ache pablo pencil though a little closer to graphite feeling and better for layering. I don't think the caran d'ache layer better than faber castell.

Again pencils are personal preferences.

I hope this helps! Please ask anymore questions if you guys have any! Also let me know how I can improve these type of overview journals!!!
I usually make journals of these things when enough people ask since I want to help! ^_^

But no one came (cares)

Jkjk, but I did add an additional message to your inbox.

It'll take me a while to reply back to all the messages and notes that accumulated over the week. I promise you guys that I do read into every comments even if I don't reply back. You all are amazing people and really do keep me going at art after a long work day. ;___;

I really do thank you and wish it's actually Thanksgiving holiday so I can actually do something special for my watchers.

Hello my friends!


Hope you guys are doing well and on the finals if you're a student. XD
I'm back at my parents for the week (got back yesterday) and unfortunately left my wacom stylus back at my apartment. That means no digital art till I get back which would mean next week.

Hopefully I can find some spare time to do some traditional art in place. (no promises)

Again I wish you guys have a wonderful for the rest of the week. Also good luck on your finals! You guys are all so close for the summer.

PS: I'll won't be on devArt as much but will definitely go through all the comments, suggestions, questions by next Wednesday. Meanwhile busy with family stuff.