10 Best Colored Pencils For Artists 2025 in the United States

The KALOUR Premium Colored Pencils set offers a large selection of 120 vibrant colors, which is excellent for artists who want a broad color range to work with. The pencils have a soft core that lays down rich, vivid pigment smoothly, making it easier to blend and layer colors—great for sketching, shading, and coloring. Users especially appreciate that the cores are break-resistant, which helps with durability during use and sharpening.

These pencils are made from high-quality basswood, so they sharpen easily without much breakage. The included blender pencil and white gel pen add useful tools for blending colors and creating highlights, which can enhance your artwork. The set also features a DIY color chart to help you organize and quickly find the colors you need. While the cores are soft and pigmented, softer pencils tend to wear down faster, so heavy use might require frequent sharpening.

This set is a strong choice for adult beginners and hobbyists who want a wide color variety and smooth application, but professional artists concerned with archival quality might want to check the lightfastness rating more closely.

The Crayola Colored Pencils Set with 120 colors offers a huge variety of shades, making it great for kids or beginners who want to explore lots of colors without buying multiple smaller sets. The pencils have a smooth, creamy texture that helps with blending and layering, which is a nice touch for achieving basic color mixing. They come pre-sharpened, so you can start drawing right away, which is convenient.

These pencils use HB hardness cores, which are neither very soft nor very hard, so they provide average control but might not satisfy artists who prefer very soft or very hard leads for detailed work or shading. The pigment quality is good for school and casual projects but may fall short in vibrancy and lightfastness compared to artist-grade pencils; the colors might fade over time if exposed to sunlight. The wood casing is durable enough for typical use, but heavy sharpening or frequent pressure might cause breakage since they’re designed more for kids than professional artists.

This set is well suited for young artists, classrooms, or hobbyists looking for a wide color range and easy-to-use pencils, though it may not meet the needs of serious artists seeking top pigment quality or archival lightfastness.

Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils in the 150-count set are a solid choice for artists seeking vibrant, high-quality colors. Their biggest advantage is the wide range of 150 colors, offering excellent options for detailed and varied artwork. The soft, thick cores allow for smooth shading and blending, making them particularly suitable for techniques requiring rich gradients and shadows. The pigments are richly saturated and lightfast, meaning your artwork will stay bright and resist fading over time.

The pencils are well-built with durable leads that resist breaking, an important feature for both casual and serious artists who want reliable tools. However, the softness of the cores may wear down faster with heavy use, so frequent sharpening might be needed. Also, while they blend beautifully, beginners might find the softness a bit tricky compared to harder pencils that offer more control.

These pencils are versatile enough for adult coloring books, sketches, and more detailed art projects, making them ideal for hobbyists and professional artists alike. For those seeking a large, vibrant color palette with smooth application and durable construction, Prismacolor Premier is a dependable pick, though some users may prefer harder leads depending on their style.