On Christmas I received a 24-set of Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils from my dad! I have been wanting to switch brands for a while but wasn't 100% sure if it would be a good idea or not. Now that I have this set, I can make some comparisons between the two brands before investing in all 120 Polychromos pencils! 1. Sharpening As many colored pencil artists know, Prismacolor pencils are notorious for their fragile leads. It is almost comical how frequently they break. Tonight, for example, I pulled out Scarlet Red for this comparison post. I lost count on how many times the lead broke. By the time the pencil was usable, it was shaved down to two inches: Polychromos leads, on the other hand, are bonded to the wood barrel, meaning that if it breaks, only the tip of the lead breaks. I've been drawing with them all day and did not encounter a single break. The quality of the cedar used for the Polychromos barrels are amazing, too. There isn't much resistance when I sharpen. It's like butter. In addition to the bonded leads, I experience no breakage because Polychromos leads are harder than Prismacolors. They keep their point longer, meaning less sharpening. This is a huge plus for me. It's tedious having to stop so frequently to resharpen. 2. Smooth Coloring I used to draw on smooth-finished papers, but switched to thicker, toothier Stonehenge for its ability to handle many layers of color, more erasing, plus a final wash of alcohol. But since it has more tooth, my drawings now have a grainier texture, even when I draw on the smoother side of the paper. Of course, the graininess is smoothed out when I apply alcohol, but I don't want the alcohol to become a crutch. I colored a couple small areas (about 1-inch squares) with dull and sharpened points: This is before any smudging or alcohol application. Notice how the right side of the box colored with a sharp Prismacolor is grainier than on the left side. Halfway through coloring, the sharp point was gone. To get the box as smooth as the Polychromos box, I would have had to sharpen the Prismacolor pencil again and carefully color in the holes. 3. Erasing Sometimes I need to erase, whether it is because I made a mistake or because I need to lift color to add highlights. For this test I used my battery powered eraser on these tiny 1-inch shapes (black because it would be the most difficult to erase): To my surprise, the Polychromos pigment lifted very easily. When I tried to erase the Prismacolor shapes, the pigment smudged into the paper before being lifted away. 4. In Context For this comparison post I drew the same potted plant with each brand. Once these two drawings were complete, I made up my mind on which brand I prefer: The colors are slightly different between the two brands but aside from that, I had better control with the Polychromos. I was able to draw fine details in the soil and stems, even when the pencils were not at their sharpest. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I could possibly get the Prismacolor drawing as smooth as the Polychromos drawing, but it would have taken way too much time carefully coloring in the holes and resharpening over and over. The leads already broke 10 times and I didn't want to keep fighting them. 5. In Context II - Alcohol The Polychromos drawing is presentable without blending with alcohol, but since I do use alcohol frequently, here is what my potted plants look like after this final step: The Prismacolor drawing is a lot more vibrant, but is still significantly grainier than the Polychromos drawing. 6. Wax Bloom Another plus for Polychromos colored pencils is that they are oil-based. Prismacolors are wax-based, and sometimes a Prismacolor drawing will develop a thin, waxy film on the surface called wax bloom. It can be removed, but is still a hassle to deal with! I don't have any photos of wax bloom at the moment but I have seen it on my drawings before. With Polychromos colored pencils, this is no longer an issue. 7. Final Thoughts As soon as I am able to, I will be purchasing the complete Polychromos colored pencil collection. I like to have crisp edges and put a lot of fine detail into my drawings, so the Polychromos colored pencils suit my style needs better. Note that this comparison post is based on my own preferences and how I handle my pencils. Prismacolor is not a bad brand. I've used them for almost 10 years and would continue to recommend them to new colored pencil artists. They are the easiest to find in stores and are fairly inexpensive compared to other brands. Who knows, maybe Prismacolor is the perfect brand for you! Well, that's everything I have for now! Thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any thoughts or questions :]
FAQs
Are Prismacolor pencils better than Polychromos? ›
The Prismacolor drawing is a lot more vibrant, but is still significantly grainier than the Polychromos drawing. Another plus for Polychromos colored pencils is that they are oil-based. Prismacolors are wax-based, and sometimes a Prismacolor drawing will develop a thin, waxy film on the surface called wax bloom.
Can you use Prismacolor and Polychromos together? ›Faber-Castell makes a professional brand of colored pencil called Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils, which contain high-quality pigments and have a good lightfastness rating. It would be okay to use these with your Prismacolors, since they are both top quality colored pencils.
Are Faber Castell Polychromos worth it? ›Let's talk about quality first
Artist grade materials have the best pigment and therefore the best quality, but they obviously come at a price. Faber-Castell Polychromos fall into the last category. These are high quality pencils! Lovely colors, high on pigment, quality barrel and great packaging.
You get an extra 30 pencils with the Prismas and at a cheaper price, but the singles are a bit more expensive to restock your set. Polys really are much better quality though, so I can see why they command a higher price than the Prismas.
Which is more expensive, Prismacolor or Faber Castell? ›Prismacolor are generally a lot cheaper. On the internet, a 120-piece faber-castell set starts from 165$ and a 150-piece prismacolor set starts from 100$.
What brand of colored pencils do artists prefer? ›In general, my favorite brands are Prismacolor, Caran d'Ache, Faber-Castell, and Derwent. They have proven track records and offer high-quality artist grade products. Because different colored pencils of every type can be used together on the same artwork, you needn't feel pressured to pick a brand and stick to it.
What is the best alternative to Faber Castell Polychromos? ›Indeed, Prismacolor pencils are an absolute favourite for many illustrators, as a more affordable alternative to Faber Castell Polychromos.
What pencils do professional artists use? ›- Staedtler Mars Lumograph. Superior quality graphite pencils ideal for all types of drawing, renowned for their consistency and durability. View Prices!
- Best for Realism. Tombow Mono drawing. ...
- Best for Technical Drawing. Prismacolor Premier Turquoise Graphite.
Unfortunately, Lilac and Lavender were discontinued due to a raw material discontinuation. As we reviewed the potential solutions and attempted to adjust the formula to get a color match, we determined that a color match would not be possible.
What paper is best for polychromos colored pencils? ›Seawhite Kraft Card. This is a smooth, brown card which can take a wide range of media including ink and paint but is one of my favourite surfaces for Polychromos. Like the Bristol Board, it allows for detail and crisp linework but the mid tone of the card allows the colour of the pencils to zing out!
Are Polychromos good for blending? ›
Polychromos are medium-soft oil based pencils that can be blended and graduated using baby oil or salad oils.
What is better, prismacolor or Polychromos? ›But when it comes to blending and the bigger areas of color, I'm personally finding the Prismacolor and the Luminance are more enjoyable to use. The Polychromos are the hardest to blend out of these 4 pencils, and it's why many people who've fallen in love with Prismacolors find them difficult to use.
What is so special about Polychromos? ›Polychromos Artists' Color Pencils adhere to many rough surfaces too, such as wood, stone, leather and metal. The pencils are permanent, adhere firmly to their background and do not require fixing. Fixing could cause lower layers of color to bleed through to the surface.
What are the disadvantages of Faber-Castell? ›- Intense competition from other brands as well as local products means limited market share.
- Since products are available at all price ranges it is difficult to identify it as premium or non-premium.
Prismacolor colored pencils are wax-based pencils, which makes them very creamy and easier to blend and burnish. Other color pencils (oil-based) tend to be harder to work with.
What are polychromos pencils used for? ›Polychromos artists' colour pencils are valued for their matchless quality by professional artists around the world. Their high standard ensures that Polychromos artists' colour pencils are ideal for use in the graphic arts, for free artistic expression, and for the precise colouring of plans.
Are Prisma colored pencils wax or oil based? ›The Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils were not designed for use on fabric. Since they are waxed based pencils, they probably won't hold up to washing and drying; however, some of the pigments used in the colored pencils MAY stain clothing.