Art Question--Colored Pencils, but....

[Sahamamama]

If you are an artist (or not!), tell me what you think:

 

I read so many recommendations for Berol Prismacolor colored pencils. I would consider investing in set (maybe 48 pencils?), but my children are so young.

 

We are planning on adding some drawing to our nature study next year, and the girls will be 4, 4, and 6. Something tells me that expensive art supplies are not really necessary, but then something else tells me that I want their experiences with art to be positive, not frustrating due to inferior materials.

 

OTOH, are the Prismacolors over-rated? Would good ol' CRAYOLA colored pencils do for four year olds and a six year old? We want to have a peaceful year, not "Put that down!" or "Don't drop that!"

 

Artists -- please help this non-artsy person.

[Sahamamama]

:lurk5:

[Allearia]

Don't do it! We got a great set of Prismacolors. They break constantly and are hard to sharpen, though I love the Prismacolor pencil sharpener and use it for all my pencils now. When my younger was two he ate the leads a couple of times until I just put them all away. But if you don't have any younger than 4 hopefully this is no longer a concern. There is a new Student variety that is supposed to have a bit harder leads I have thought of trying but haven't yet, so that is an option.

 

The Ferby colored pencils are really good for those ages - expensive but they never break! Though they are hard to get sharp because of the unusual and large shape. They get a bit dull but since the lead doesn't break off they are good unless you need a fine tip, I need to buy the special pencil sharpener. But they put down a lot of bright colors. http://www.bellalunatoys.com/artsupplies/items/drawing/colorgiants.htm

 

We have been pretty happy with the woodless colored pencils recommended by someone who worked in one of the art stores. The tips don't break, but the whole pencil will snap in half if dropped (say if someone's four year old happened to drop the whole box on the hardwood floor, just theoretically of course). They are nice and cheap though and you can sharpen each piece so you just have a bunch of short pencils. http://www.dickblick.com/products/koh-i-noor-woodless-colored-pencil-sets/

[Blossom'sGirl]

I don't care how old you are, Craylola pencils are awful. Two years ago I got a set of Staedtler pencils from Michaels using a coupon. They are a little cheaper than Prismacolor and hold up well with smaller children. This year, my oldest two are using the Artistic Pursuits book which requires Prismacolor or some other decent brand of both pencils and water-color pencils. I ended up buying them from ebay and actually got the water-color pencils, colored pencils, Scholar, and Verithan pencils all Prismacolor brand. Out of all those, I think the Prismacolor Scholar (36 colors) are the best set for smaller children.

 

I really liked the Staedtler pencils because they came in a nice plastic case, are fairly strong, and have a vibrant color. Unfortunately I let the kids have free rein on them and now many are missing.

[Satori]

Don't get Prismacolors! Most people's experiences here are that their leads break. If you do still really want them, I'd wait or save them for yourself, buy from a reputable online store where they haven't been dropped/shaken so you actually might get unbroken leads before you even open the box. I invested in a huge box, and I truly hate them. Well over half the pencils' leads break and break and break, no matter the fancy sharpener we use or how careful we are.

 

The only Prismacolors we use on a daily basis anymore is the Col-Erase eraseable ones. We use them to get color on our workbooks and writings, but they will not be as rich as normal Prismacolors or any of the others I might mention.

 

We love Lyra Ferbys! Never has one ever broken. I bought 4 sets of these, as we use them all the time.

 

Do a search, as we've discussed this topic a lot. The previous poster mentioned pretty much everything that I would've said in this post.

 

The Koh-I-Noor pencils are cool, we found them at Michaels and used a 40% coupon. Per pencil, these are the cheapest good quality ones we have, but they are unexpectedly heavy. Twice *I* dropped them and now we have two broken pencils. My 5 year old daughter is more careful than me.

 

Another of our favorites is Derwent Watercolor pencils. We've never broken one, and we use them as normal pencils. Take a brush with water to them, and they turn into watercolors!

 

I was going to write a detailed blog post about our experiences with all our colored pencils sometime.

[SkateLeft]

The Ferby colored pencils are really good for those ages - expensive but they never break!

 

I second this recommendation!

 

I've found that investing in good supplies is totally worth it. My kids enjoy their experiences so much more!

[cmarango]

This may not help you, but I have only used Prismacolor pencils with my dd. I am somewhat bewildered by the many comments about their lead breaking. I have never had a problem with fragile pencils, but we buy ours in Colombia since it is much cheaper and maybe that is the difference?

 

Anyhow, I love Prismacolors and I think that quality art materials do make a difference.

[Ellie]

Odd man out, I guess. I love my Prismacolors. Maybe they're more prone to breakage if the budding artists using them press too hard? I dunno, but Prismacolors are my favorite.

[Evergreen Academy]

Prismacolors are nice, and as one who has done much drawing, I appreciate the beautiful, rich colors. But as one who has a number of children who break, lose or drop things, just going about their innocent business of being children, I would say you really would be fine with Crayola pencils with such little ones. I have a basket full of a mish-mash of colored pencils gleaned from multiple packs, and they are used with appreciation by all the boys and I don't worry when one drops. I have my extra-special box of woodless colored pencils that are MINE LOL, but they are allowed to use them, with permission and great care, for special projects; that is the only way they would last.

Blessings,

Aimee

mom to 6 great kids ages 7-19, schooling grades 2, 4, 4 and 7

[Allearia]

This may not help you, but I have only used Prismacolor pencils with my dd. I am somewhat bewildered by the many comments about their lead breaking. I have never had a problem with fragile pencils, but we buy ours in Colombia since it is much cheaper and maybe that is the difference?

 

Anyhow, I love Prismacolors and I think that quality art materials do make a difference.

 

It probably is what another poster mentioned about the leads being broken by careless handling before purchase. I didn't know about this issue beforehand, so maybe this is why we didn't like them. The colors are amazing however when they are usable.

[Alessandra]

The Ferby colored pencils are really good for those ages - expensive but they never break![/url]

 

I second (or third, or fourth) this recommendation. We love this company that sells Waldorf supplies:

 

http://www.waldorfsupplies.com/

 

They have LOTS of Ferby pencil and accessories (sharpeners, pencil lengtheners, etc), plus individual colors of some Ferbys. Check out their crayons too!

[Satori]

I think if you buy from a place that has never dropped them, there's a slight chance you'll luck out and get ones that don't break. We have three sets of Prismacolor pencils, for a total of almost 200 pencils total, and they come to us broken and very prone to break. We're super careful and invested in several quality sharpeners recommended, to no avail. My daughter does not press down hard at all. It's just the way they are.

 

If you google it, it's a very common problem with Prismacolors. Their soft leads are prone to breakage. I've searched and searched on this but in the end, decided not to invest in any more Prismacolor until they change.

 

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLL_en&q=prismacolor+breaking

 

Someone suggested microwaving Prismacolors if you get a set that breaks constantly. By doing this for 2-3 seconds, you might fuse the broken leads back together. Might be an option for us that have worthless broken Prismacolors.

 

I also just read that you can bake your pencils!

http://artbylindamahoney.blogspot.com/2009/03/tip-colored-pencil-breaking-time-to.html

[prairiebird]

I do a lot of colored pencil work in my art, and honestly, I just pick up crayolas for the kids sometimes for their things. I can't justify the cost when they are younger. For a bigger project that'll be more permanant, maybe I'll let them use one of my good pencils. But usually they are coloring maps or experimenting with color for art projects. FWIW, when I was in school, we used crayolas mixed in with everything else for practice work.

[Allearia]

Someone suggested microwaving Prismacolors if you get a set that breaks constantly. By doing this for 2-3 seconds, you might fuse the broken leads back together. Might be an option for us that have worthless broken Prismacolors.

 

I also just read that you can bake your pencils!

http://artbylindamahoney.blogspot.com/2009/03/tip-colored-pencil-breaking-time-to.html

 

Wow, this is great! I think I will try baking our prismacolors and see if that will work!

[tristangrace]

Whether you can "get away" with cheapies for a few more years depends on the kid, IMO. Some kids don't care about high-quality art supplies at all--they just like to make stuff. Some kids really care and will get frustrated by supplies that don't work well.

 

My oldest is in the latter group--she enjoys art a lot, but frankly, she just is not very detail oriented and loves to do stuff "fast and sloppy," so the nuances of the finer art supplies wouldn't even register with her.

[twogirlsmommy]

Crayola regular colored pencils break when sharpened too. It is very frustrating. We like the Crayola Twistables though. No sharpening, good color. Now, we don't typically use them for art (sometimes). They are mostly used for maps and coloring pages. I love them!

[m0mmaBuck]

I like the Crayola Twistables and let my kids use them for maps, coloring pages, and whatever else strikes them. As long as you don't twist too much lead out they don't break. The colors are nice. And I don't have to sharpen them 500 times a day.

[Sahamamama]

Don't do it! We got a great set of Prismacolors. They break constantly and are hard to sharpen, though I love the Prismacolor pencil sharpener and use it for all my pencils now. When my younger was two he ate the leads a couple of times until I just put them all away. But if you don't have any younger than 4 hopefully this is no longer a concern. There is a new Student variety that is supposed to have a bit harder leads I have thought of trying but haven't yet, so that is an option.

 

The Ferby colored pencils are really good for those ages - expensive but they never break! Though they are hard to get sharp because of the unusual and large shape. They get a bit dull but since the lead doesn't break off they are good unless you need a fine tip, I need to buy the special pencil sharpener. But they put down a lot of bright colors. http://www.bellalunatoys.com/artsupplies/items/drawing/colorgiants.htm

 

We have been pretty happy with the woodless colored pencils recommended by someone who worked in one of the art stores. The tips don't break, but the whole pencil will snap in half if dropped (say if someone's four year old happened to drop the whole box on the hardwood floor, just theoretically of course). They are nice and cheap though and you can sharpen each piece so you just have a bunch of short pencils. http://www.dickblick.com/products/koh-i-noor-woodless-colored-pencil-sets/

 

Thanks for the advice AND the laugh! You have a great sense of humor. :lol:

[LoveBaby]

I used to buy Crayola, but then we invested in a set of Prismacolors and the difference is amazing. We have had some trouble with lead breaking, but honestly, the lay down of color is sooooo much better than Crayola, it is worth it, IMO. I will look into these other brands that aren't prone to breakage or I will bake mine, but I will *never* buy another set of Crayolas. My kids notice the difference big time as well and they all enjoy drawing more with the good pencils.

[Sahamamama]

Thanks, ladies, for all the great advice. I am taking notes and we are heading out to Michael's, just to look and make our list. Then I'll shop around for the best prices. Thanks!

[ereks mom]

We've bought all kinds of colored pencils through the years, and the Twistables are my favorite. Prismacolors are great, but you have to be so careful with them, and that just doens't work well with littles. The cheaper colored pencils break constantly and are too hard to sharpen. You have to use one of those little hand-held sharpeners, and I've never been able to get those to work right. The pencil shreds or breaks off, my hand gets tired, and still the pencil isn't sharp. The cheap pencils are the worst, and the pictures you color with them just don't look good. The Twistables solve all of that. There's no sharpening necessary, and the colors are vibrant. We use them for everything from artwork to marking maps, and they are great.

[funschooler5]

I'm an illustrator, and colored pencils are my preferred medium.

 

I use Prismacolor, and I love them. Yes, the leads are sometimes easily broken, but that is due to the softness of the lead. I've found that using a small hand-held metal pencil sharpener is the best way to avoid breakage (like this: http://www.dickblick.com/products/alvin-hand-held-sharpener/ ) I can't find a picture of the one I have (mine only has one hole). Whatever you do, don't get the Prismacolor pencil sharpener; it's totally useless. In fact, I haven't had a good experience with any canister pencil sharpeners. I know some artists that use an electric pencil sharpener for their Prismacolors, but in my experience, they just eat the pencils.

 

Now, having said that...I've been serious about drawing all of my life, and I only started using Prismacolor pencils as a teenager. Until that point, I used Crayola. Crayola is inferior (especially when you've used Prismacolor first) but as a kid, I thought they were great. I haven't used them in years, so I don't know if they've changed, but when I was a kid (in the 80s), they were a lot softer and brighter than any of the other cheaper colored pencils.

 

Since your kids are so young, I would try them out with Crayolas. If one (or more) of them starts to get a real interest in art as they get older, then I'd invest in a set of Prismacolors.

 

As side note: sometimes colored pencils can be frustrating for kids to work with when used alone. It takes a lot of work for little hands to cover a large amount of area on a paper. You can get some neat effects from coloring large areas with marker (Pentel is my favorite kid brand) and shading with a contrasting colored pencil over the top. For instance, if you are coloring a large field, you could take a medium or dark green marker, and color the whole field with it, then take a lighter green colored pencil and add some highlights on the tops of the hills, or draw individual blades of grass. This can also be reversed by using a light green marker and a dark green colored pencil.

[Sahamamama]

I'm an illustrator, and colored pencils are my preferred medium.

 

I use Prismacolor, and I love them. Yes, the leads are sometimes easily broken, but that is due to the softness of the lead. I've found that using a small hand-held metal pencil sharpener is the best way to avoid breakage (like this: http://www.dickblick.com/products/alvin-hand-held-sharpener/ ) I can't find a picture of the one I have (mine only has one hole). Whatever you do, don't get the Prismacolor pencil sharpener; it's totally useless. In fact, I haven't had a good experience with any canister pencil sharpeners. I know some artists that use an electric pencil sharpener for their Prismacolors, but in my experience, they just eat the pencils.

 

Now, having said that...I've been serious about drawing all of my life, and I only started using Prismacolor pencils as a teenager. Until that point, I used Crayola. Crayola is inferior (especially when you've used Prismacolor first) but as a kid, I thought they were great. I haven't used them in years, so I don't know if they've changed, but when I was a kid (in the 80s), they were a lot softer and brighter than any of the other cheaper colored pencils.

 

Since your kids are so young, I would try them out with Crayolas. If one (or more) of them starts to get a real interest in art as they get older, then I'd invest in a set of Prismacolors.

 

As side note: sometimes colored pencils can be frustrating for kids to work with when used alone. It takes a lot of work for little hands to cover a large amount of area on a paper. You can get some neat effects from coloring large areas with marker (Pentel is my favorite kid brand) and shading with a contrasting colored pencil over the top. For instance, if you are coloring a large field, you could take a medium or dark green marker, and color the whole field with it, then take a lighter green colored pencil and add some highlights on the tops of the hills, or draw individual blades of grass. This can also be reversed by using a light green marker and a dark green colored pencil.

 

Thanks for the advice & expertise! It's great to be able to come here and draw from others' experience (pun intended). ;)

[NanceXToo]

I have to say, we used a box of 50 different color colored pencils last year by Crayola, doing lots of work with them, for my 9 y/o fourth grader, and we had NO problems with them at all.

 

Maybe I just don't know any better or something lol, but I don't see all the fuss about needing expensive colored pencils for elementary school kids- the Crayolas lasted, didn't break, were in good shape, and suited our purposes just fine, all year.

'

In fact, we're using them this year for 5th, too. I figure when she gets older if she's really interested in a set of more expensive colored pencils, we'll re-evaluate then. But for now, I don't see anything she CAN'T do with Crayolas, they're fine for us!

 

Just my two cents!